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Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of people put themselves down by saying that they’re “just” something. As in, “I’m just a receptionist,” or “I’m just a stay-at-home mother.”
Such a mindset diminishes your perceived importance and undermines your ability to do your best work.
To me, there’s no such thing as just a receptionist.
You find a way to connect customers to your business and provide a valuable first impression.
Expensive restaurants consistently create amazing experiences for their customers.
The service they deliver is personal and polished.
The ambience creates space for memorable moments.
The decor is classy, often understated and always deliberately brilliant.
And like every other restaurant they serve food, often in smaller portions, but always to an elite standard.
And because they do everything better than the competition, they can justify charging more.
Extravagant experience = extravagant price = extravagant return.
The Olympic Rings, the symbol of the modern Olympic Games, inspired by Pierre de Coubertin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The founder of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was inspired to create the Olympic motto by a speech that a friend of his gave that contained the Latin phrase, “Citius, Altius, Fortius” which means Faster, Higher, Stronger.
It is used as a term to inspire Olympians to continually do their very best and I would like to use it to inspire us all to greater heights in our own, less athletic, lives.
What we do today will be remembered tomorrow.
Whether we like it or not, there is always a roll-on effect of our actions (or inactions) and we will have to live with the consequences.
Others won’t always notice the great work that you’ve done today, but you will remember.
Alternatively, you can hide your mediocrity from the scrutiny of others, but you will remember.
What do you want to look back on?
Diagram by Jessica Hagy
Jessica Hagy uses the line, “consider your epitaph, not your resume” as she describes how to find your calling.
It’s a reminder to make sure that what we do leaves a legacy and doesn’t just look good on a piece of paper.
To make sure that we build something that lasts, not just something that seems OK at the time.
To make sure that what we do benefits others and not just ourselves.
To make sure that we prepare ourselves for the long-term, not just the next role.
Grizzly Bear (Photo credit: Scott_Calleja)
If you’re ever out in the woods and you come across a grizzly bear, you should never try to run away or climb a tree.
Stand your ground.
Even if it charges you.
Stand your ground.
If you try to run, it will chase and catch you and then you’re really in trouble.
What has this got to do with fear?
We all have something that we’re afraid of.
Welcome to Apple
Whenever a new employee starts at Apple, they receive a letter that says the following:
There’s work and there’s your life’s work.
The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it. The kind of work that you’d never compromise on. That you’d sacrifice a weekend for. You can do that kind of work at Apple. People don’t come here to play it safe. They come here to swim in the deep end.
They want their work to add up to something.
Something big. Something that couldn’t happen anywhere else.
Welcome to Apple.
Sometimes, I come across pretend optimists.
They seem to say all of the right things.
“Life’s good.”
“Next year is going to be better.”
“I’m alright.”
“I can do this.”
But something gives them away.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Are you looking for…
A reason to love or a reason to hate?
A reason to celebrate life or a reason to complain?
Something to aspire towards or something to run away from?
Innovative ideas or lame excuses?
A reason to help those less fortunate or a reason to leave them as they are?
Better Life Coaching Blog 