Let's face it.  Life doesn't go smoothly all the time.  Heck, it doesn't even go smoothly most of the time.  When it doesn't, it's an obstruction to us achieving what we are attempting to do.  The degree of obstruction that it causes for us can be minor...such as something that causes us to take longer to achieve our goal or take more effort to achieve that goal, or it can be a "fatal" obstruction which we perceive as totally blocking us from achieving our intended goal.

Problems

These "obstructions" (as I have referred to them up to now intentionally) are more typically called "problems" by most people.  A dictionary definition of a "problem"  is:

• any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.

Hmmm....If you were to use these descriptions for an obstruction that you had in achieving a goal, how would you feel about the potential for overcoming that obstruction?  The obstruction that I am trying to overcome involves doubt.  Uncertainty.  Difficulty.  That sounds pretty darn hard to overcome.  It sounds like I may not be able to overcome that obstruction.  It's demoralizing.  Can I even do it?  Should I not bother, and just give up?

Yes, there is a lot of power in words.  Subconscious power that can dramatically impact your subconscious ability to overcome that obstruction.  You may not realize it, but that subconscious impact can result in your not...

The Official Opening Of A New Business

Walking into my new laboratory for the first time after being officially opened was a thrill of a lifetime.  It's one thing to walk into a new facility and enjoy how it feels, looks, and smells.  It's also a thrill if you had a part in its design and implementation. But I realized that I was in a very small club of people, especially in medicine, that didn't just design the facility. Or oversee it's creation. Or the formulation of the underlying business and company. Or manage the financing. Or create a business plan. Or hire the staff. Or formulate sales and marketing.  Any one of those items can be immensely gratifying, yet at that moment when I walked into my laboratory for the first morning of work...I realized that I had worn, and would continue to wear, all of those hats.  

Doing It All ... Is Gratifying

It wasn't until many years later when I realized the rareness of what I had done when it was pointed out to me by a friend Mick.  While on the phone, discussing some issues that I needed some advice about regarding the sale of that laboratory, he said something that I have never forgotten.  "Steve, you don't realize that you are in a very small club of people who have started, run, grown, and then sold a business.  Not very many people have done that...". 

Those words hit me, and to this day continue to inspire me to continue to ...

I don't wanna go to school.

I don't wanna practice the piano.

I don't wanna go to work.

I don't wanna save money.

I don't wanna be responsible.

I don't wanna do it.

But...

I do wanna know more.

I do wanna play music.

I do wanna good job.

I do wanna hefty bank account.

I do wanna be the boss.

I do wanna see it done.

Which is it?

What do you really wanna?

Do you wanna complain?

Or

Do you wanna accomplish?

What is it that you wanna?

It's up to you what you are gonna do.

It's time to change your wanna to a gonna...

Do you ever get that little voice in your head that tells you that you are not smart enough to lead others?  Maybe not smart enough to coach or teach them?  Maybe not even smart enough to be their friend or co-worker?

You are not alone.

The Voice Of Doubt Is In Everyone's Head

What you are hearing in your head is your voice of doubt.  The voice of your limiting beliefs. And it's the voice that stops you from advancing.  That voice talking to you in your head is probably the worst coach that you could ever imagine.  It has been the reason that billions of people have not reached their full potential.  

In listening to and reading about people from all walks of life and all positions, it's clear that everyone hears this voice.  This "coach" sure gets around and wreaks havoc with people.  It's one thing to hear those words of discouragement, but it's even worse when we listen to them. 

You May Hear Voices, But You Don't Need To Listen Or Agree

The voices won't be going away.  Everyone has them.  But what makes some people far more confident and successful is based on a couple of secrets that they have.   

First, they may hear those negative voices, but they don't listen to them.  And even better, they don't agree or encourage them.  That goes a long way to helping you overcome the negative aspects of those voices.  

What Do The Highly Successful Do?

If you want to transce...

Are you an Entrepreneur?  Are you a physician?  Are you a human? You may not realize it, but you have an extraordinary talent.  You are a juggler. 

You, The Juggler

So what does a juggler do?  The have a series of items that they are managing. They are managing to keep those various items moving.  But there is one catch....there are more items than hands, so they have to quickly move from one item to the next, giving each just a small critical slice of time. Just enough time to keep it moving and in the air.   Not a whole lot different from you, the entrepreneur.  The greater the skill of the juggler, the more items can be kept in the air.

What Are You Juggling?

Most juggler entertainers juggle items like balls, bowling pins and other harmless items like knives, fire and chain saws.  Yes, they are quite entertaining.  But you, the entrepreneur, juggle different things.  And it seems that you have more and more items that are added to the stream of juggled items as you move forward.  You worry about dropping one of those items.  What will it mean?  What will happen if I drop one?

You WILL Drop Juggled Items.

 Unlike entertainers, we are not typically juggling the same thing.  Each item is unique. Each it different.  And each has different ramifications.  Here is how I like to think of what I juggle.  Tell me if this sounds familiar...

Some items are heavier than others.  ...

Today I was sitting in my auto while my wife was in the grocery store picking up some items we needed during this lockdown.  We sometimes go into the store together, but now we limit our exposures by only having one of us get "exposed"! 

In The Parking Lot

So I am sitting in my auto, waiting for my wife to return.  I know it's going to take a bit of time, so I break out what every other person would do.  I get my phone out.  Now after a few unsuccessful attempts on calling people (Where are they?  After all we are all on lockdown...) I decide to do some Sudoku.  I call up the game and start play.

Then Something Unusual Happened.

I looked up and everything had changed.  The shopping carts in the collection queues were gone.  The cars around me were all different.  What happened?

Then it hit me.  It was the intense focus on the game.  Time had gone by and I was completely unaware of it.  Was it distraction? Or was it concentration?

Distraction or Concentration?

I know that you really can't multitask.  I have written about that myth before.  And I know that we can get so wrapped up on one thing that it crowds out all other thoughts.  That is what just happened to me.   

Then I thought...

How many people are completely focused on this COVID pandemic that they are unable to think about anything else?   Yes there is a COVID related crisis for now, but it's temporary.  Maybe ...

Did you see it?  It just happened.

The Shift.

The shift goes by many different names.  The one that I like is inflection point.  Others call it a trend.  Or the disruption. And others.

Regardless, they all signal the same thing.  A shift.

In some cases it might be small.  In other cases large.  It may be invisible or it may be obvious.  It may impact just you, or just others, or everyone.  

This current shift has massively impacted everyone, as well as our entire planet.

Wuhan Coronavirus (AKA COVID 19)

The shift due to the Wuhan Coronavirus (AKA COVID 19) has caused a massive shift to nearly everything on the face of the earth.  I don't believe that is an understatement.

Think of all of the changes that we have seen.  A lot of them will become permanent new ways that we do things.  Others will partially revert back to the old habit.  Others will go back to the way things were. But a large part of our world has shifted, permanently. 

So what are some of these shifts that we have seen?

• People will be more aware of touching and personal hygiene. 
• Wearing masks in public will become more commonplace.
• Large groups will make more people nervous.
• More people will continue to have groceries delivered to their houses
• Telecommuting and video conferencing will be widely accepted.
• Working from home will rise.
• Homeschooling will be seen as a more viable alternative.
• Ther
...

Nautical Directions

Lighthouses as navigational tools are indispensable for mariners who are guiding their ships. These guideposts help the captains of the ships avoid dangers that can result in the destruction and sinking of the vessels that they are piloting.

Sometimes the captain knows to go toward the lighthouse.  Sometimes they know to go away from the lighthouse.  It all depends on what their ultimate destination is and the course they are plotting to get them there, and the map that they have which outlines their safe, and unsafe, passageways.

If you have an ultimate destination, goal, objective or desire, then you too have a destination.  Likewise, you should have a map and a course that you have plotted your journey to get you to your destination.  And you too should have "lighthouses" and maps that help you avoid pitfalls and guide you safely to your destination.

What are your "Lighthouses"?

You should have specific goals and objectives.  Then when you are tempted to stray from the course you have plotted to achieve them, you should question yourself "why deviate from this course?".  That is your lighthouse for protection.

Sometimes it may be to avoid what you perceive as a pitfall.  Maybe it's the promise of smoother water.  Or "shiny bright objects" that often distract and tempt us.  Regardless of why we are tempted to deviate from the course we have plotted, ...

A tapestry is the weaving of many threads into a beautiful work of art that represents a lot of hard work.  Our life is a lot like a tapestry.  Each action in our past representing a thread of that tapestry. It's our history.

But sometimes our world "unravels".  All of the threads are pulled apart. And what results is a pile of threads where a beautiful tapestry once was.

It's Nearly Impossible To Re-Weave A Tapestry

If your business or life is pulled apart, it's nearly impossible to put it back together as it once was.  In fact, it is totally impossible when you consider the time dimension of your work.  What was in the past remains there, unchanged.  You will never get it to look exactly like it was before.

Perhaps Weaving Is Better Than Reweaving

If you have a pile of threads (i.e. resources) isn't it better to see what you can make from those threads?  Isn't it better to look at the future potential of those threads can be, rather than just looking back at what they were?

I suggest that it's easier to weave a new tapestry with your old threads, utilizing the best of the resources you have available to you while bringing in new resources that can complement your current weaving.  It's also a great time to remove and discard those threads which provided no additional beauty or strength to your current tapestry. With that approach, you won't be spending time trying to re...

Look back over your life.  

It doesn't matter if it's only a decade or two, or longer, spanning many, many decades.

Who was your best teacher?

Who taught you the most?  Who challenged you to learn the most?  Who made you think the most?  Who made you most inquisitive?  Who made the most of your interests?  Who made the most of your failures?  Who's influence continues to stimulate you to learn today?  And who's influence will continue to stimulate you to continue learning into the future, until the day you die?

Who was that teacher?

Was it a school teacher?  Perhaps a parent?  A friend?  A co-worker?  A mentor?  A spouse?  A child?  Are they alive? Or have they passed away?  Who was it?

Your best teacher.

While there are many people in all of our lives that stimulate us to learn and continue to grow, I believe that there is one person in each person's lives that can, or should make a dramatic difference.  I also believe that behind every success story, there is the same person that remains unidentified as the real teacher in those individuals' lives.  Without this person in their lives, nothing would have been possible.

It's YOU.

While we all seem to think outside of ourselves when we look for the influence that made us what we are, there is one fact that is central to our success.  We have chosen to learn.  To learn from others.  To learn from our experiences.  To lea...