Good morning,
Happy Friday! Here’s something to ponder on this chilly, although promisingly sunny morning: the difference between “stability” and “balance.”
Sometimes phrases like “I need stability in my life” get tossed around as if stability is a state we can achieve. When in reality, life equals change and therefore in our lives, stability simply doesn’t exist. So instead of seeking stability:
Strive for balance.
Earlier this week at the Detroit Economic Club, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Ed Catmull, President and Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios, talk about the vital role that embracing change plays in achieving success. Dr. Catmull discussed the difference between stability and balance, and the reassuring fact that amidst instability, we can achieve balance.
Dr. Catmull cautioned us against resisting change or being afraid to let go of what we have, because changing and letting go are necessary elements of progress. “When we grab onto what we have, that is when we fail.”
Let’s make the most of the changes this Friday brings – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” Albert Einstein
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Reflexes
Good morning,
It's Friday and Fall sure is beautiful here in Michigan. Today's sunny note is for all those times when things suddenly don't work out as planned. Those are the times when "positive thought reflexes" are so important, because one's first reaction to a situation influences everything that comes after.
Fortunately, we can train our brain like we train our muscles. So here's today's exercise. When the news hits, whatever it is, say to one's self:
"This is a good thing because..."
I've been doing this for so many years that it happens automatically. It doesn't mean ignoring the realities of the situation. It means focusing on the positive aspects FIRST. Coincidentally, this approach often changes the eventual "reality" into something more favorable than it could have been, had panic or frustration been the first reaction.
Just the other day someone instrumental to a time-sensitive project suddenly became unavailable. When he called me, the words had barely passed his lips and I was already thinking, "That's a good thing because..."
Next, the other half of my brain kicked in arguing, "No it's not good!" But it was too late for the negativity to take hold. The initial positive thought reflex was already generating ways in which the project could turn out better. And sure enough it did.
Today's sunny challenge is, when the unexpected hits, tell yourself first "it's a good thing" before any other thought sneaks in.
Happy Friday and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Zig Ziglar
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
It's Friday and Fall sure is beautiful here in Michigan. Today's sunny note is for all those times when things suddenly don't work out as planned. Those are the times when "positive thought reflexes" are so important, because one's first reaction to a situation influences everything that comes after.
Fortunately, we can train our brain like we train our muscles. So here's today's exercise. When the news hits, whatever it is, say to one's self:
"This is a good thing because..."
I've been doing this for so many years that it happens automatically. It doesn't mean ignoring the realities of the situation. It means focusing on the positive aspects FIRST. Coincidentally, this approach often changes the eventual "reality" into something more favorable than it could have been, had panic or frustration been the first reaction.
Just the other day someone instrumental to a time-sensitive project suddenly became unavailable. When he called me, the words had barely passed his lips and I was already thinking, "That's a good thing because..."
Next, the other half of my brain kicked in arguing, "No it's not good!" But it was too late for the negativity to take hold. The initial positive thought reflex was already generating ways in which the project could turn out better. And sure enough it did.
Today's sunny challenge is, when the unexpected hits, tell yourself first "it's a good thing" before any other thought sneaks in.
Happy Friday and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Zig Ziglar
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Friday, October 15, 2010
Purely Arbitrary
Good morning,
Happy Friday - I hope you’ve enjoyed a great week and successfully met all your deadlines! For most of us, deadlines are a standard part of life. When facing one, we automatically take measures to meet it and often the deadline itself helps us accomplish the goal.
The question is if deadlines are so helpful, then what kinds of deadlines are we setting for ourselves? And are we taking active measures to meet them? Today’s sunny tip is this:
Set arbitrary deadlines.
Arbitrary as in deciding, “I’m going to do this by that date, just because I say so,” and then do it, even when difficult. It’s phenomenal what we can accomplish when we pursue self-imposed deadlines with the same vigor we pursue deadlines imposed on us by others.
Over the years, and as recently as this week, I’ve jumped through some pretty crazy hoops to meet deadlines set by nobody else but me. Just the other day I was hustling to meet a self-imposed Tuesday deadline and an observer pointed out, “Your deadline is arbitrary. Why don’t you call it quits and finish on Wednesday?”
In response to that question, here are three simple reasons to set and meet an “arbitrary” deadline: getting more done, enjoying the sense of accomplishment, and generating better results due to the planning and prioritization required to meet the deadline.
Wishing you a sunny day,
Clarity
P.S. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Napoleon Hill
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Happy Friday - I hope you’ve enjoyed a great week and successfully met all your deadlines! For most of us, deadlines are a standard part of life. When facing one, we automatically take measures to meet it and often the deadline itself helps us accomplish the goal.
The question is if deadlines are so helpful, then what kinds of deadlines are we setting for ourselves? And are we taking active measures to meet them? Today’s sunny tip is this:
Set arbitrary deadlines.
Arbitrary as in deciding, “I’m going to do this by that date, just because I say so,” and then do it, even when difficult. It’s phenomenal what we can accomplish when we pursue self-imposed deadlines with the same vigor we pursue deadlines imposed on us by others.
Over the years, and as recently as this week, I’ve jumped through some pretty crazy hoops to meet deadlines set by nobody else but me. Just the other day I was hustling to meet a self-imposed Tuesday deadline and an observer pointed out, “Your deadline is arbitrary. Why don’t you call it quits and finish on Wednesday?”
In response to that question, here are three simple reasons to set and meet an “arbitrary” deadline: getting more done, enjoying the sense of accomplishment, and generating better results due to the planning and prioritization required to meet the deadline.
Wishing you a sunny day,
Clarity
P.S. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Napoleon Hill
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Thursday, October 7, 2010
I Think I can
Good morning,
It's Friday – and a beautiful sunny one to look forward to here in Michigan. Looking back, when I was a child one of my favorite books was "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper. What a great story to inspire young children about the power of positive thinking, with The Little Engine encouraging himself…"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…" all the way up the hill.
Whether we learned positive thinking skills as children or need to develop them now, being able to encourage ourselves is essential to success. We can't rely on others to cheer "you can do it." Each of us most say:
I know I can.
Yes – you really can! Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean you can't do it. Even if your objective sounds impossible and other people say it can't be done, you still can do it. In fact, much of what human beings have accomplished was once called impossible. Achieving the "impossible" just takes a little longer…and usually a little more effort.
Whatever your goal, start by thinking like The Little Engine that "could" who soon became The Little Engine that "did."
Happy Friday – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." Mahatma Gandhi
P.P.S. By the way, the reason children’s books are on my mind right now is because a friend of mine, Larry Coleman, and I co-authored a book called "The Flying Reindeer Mystery" that just came out last week. No, there’s no wonderful lesson in it like "The Little Engine That Could," but it's a fun Christmas story for children of all ages. Our website is http://www.reindeermystery.com/ in case you’d like to see what I’m up to : )
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
It's Friday – and a beautiful sunny one to look forward to here in Michigan. Looking back, when I was a child one of my favorite books was "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper. What a great story to inspire young children about the power of positive thinking, with The Little Engine encouraging himself…"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…" all the way up the hill.
Whether we learned positive thinking skills as children or need to develop them now, being able to encourage ourselves is essential to success. We can't rely on others to cheer "you can do it." Each of us most say:
I know I can.
Yes – you really can! Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean you can't do it. Even if your objective sounds impossible and other people say it can't be done, you still can do it. In fact, much of what human beings have accomplished was once called impossible. Achieving the "impossible" just takes a little longer…and usually a little more effort.
Whatever your goal, start by thinking like The Little Engine that "could" who soon became The Little Engine that "did."
Happy Friday – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." Mahatma Gandhi
P.P.S. By the way, the reason children’s books are on my mind right now is because a friend of mine, Larry Coleman, and I co-authored a book called "The Flying Reindeer Mystery" that just came out last week. No, there’s no wonderful lesson in it like "The Little Engine That Could," but it's a fun Christmas story for children of all ages. Our website is http://www.reindeermystery.com/ in case you’d like to see what I’m up to : )
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly by email each Friday.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
