Just Five More Minutes!

When it comes to goals and achieving them, it can be really easy to become discouraged and give up before completing them.

 I recently read a story that deals with that very subject that I thought was phenomenal and worth retelling. It involves the historical battle of Waterloo and the difference maker in that particular event.

The story has been told and retold countless times about the battle of Waterloo. Poems have been written and songs have been composed detailing every conceivable aspect about it. The English tell it one way and the French share it from a slightly different point of view.

History and legend has it that after Napoleon Bonaparte's army was defeated and the Duke of Wellington prevailed over the French, Napoleon was taken away and imprisoned. One day a group of newspaper reporters came to visit. They had obtained permission to hold an interview with the famous French general, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Even though Napoleon was in prison, he carried himself with dignity and looked with piercing eyes at the group of reporters gathered there before him. Questions were asked and answers given. The reporters wrote every word down. This would, indeed, be good reading. They would boast to their children and grandchildren how they stood before the great general on that long ago day.
Suddenly, from the back of the room, a voice, somewhat more gentle than the others was heard above the din. "Mon general," the reporter said, "Tell me why the English won at Waterloo. Did they have a superior army?"
"No!" replied Napoleon.
"Well, did they have better weapons?" asked another reporter.
"No!" was the answer again.
Then the first reporter asked, "Why then, Mr. General did the English win?"
Napoleon allowed his eyes to slowly sweep across the room, creating a silence that was so deep that it was almost deafening. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Then he replied, "The English fought five minutes longer."

Isn't that a great story?! The general himself said the difference maker was that the enemy continued fighting for five minutes longer!

I truly believe that many people give up when all it would've taken was another five minutes of effort to receive the value and benefit they had been seeking for all along. 

Five more minutes might've made the difference between maintaining the current job and gaining a promotion.

Five more minutes might've made the difference between what is and what could've been.

Five more minutes might’ve been all it took to make the difference.

It may not be a literal five minutes, but there are areas in life where that little bit of extra effort will make the difference between zeros and heroes.

If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, but it's the one who continues to accomplish amidst the conflict, always pressing forwards that reaches the goal.

What are you trying to accomplish? 

What are your goals?

Are you close to giving up, or are you willing to press on for those five more minutes necessary to reach the finish line?

The answer to the question will either be the difference maker or the deal breaker in your life.

The Dent Maker

If someone owns a computer, and even if they haven't, there's a good chance they've heard of, Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs, is the legendary genius who not only created the Apple computer, but took it from obscurity to becoming an international phenomenon with a cult following.  

     

                             

Well...on Thursday, August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs made a bold decision and chose to resign his position as Apple CEO, due to what I understand to be an ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer. From everything I can gather, Jobs has been struggling with illness since 2004 and has fluctuated in his ability to maintain a rigorous schedule ever since. In his resignation letter, Jobs explained by saying he could, "could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO".  His decision to resign is especially big news to anyone who is a part of, Generations X and Y, and saw him rise to fame and prominence and really carve out a niche for himself as one of the premier leaders in the corporate world and as a maverick and pioneer in the world of computers.

Public opinion of Steve Jobs definitely comes down to a love/hate relationship. Most people either love him/ or hate him, with some of that simply depending on what type of machine they purchased for their personal computing needs. It's amazing how much that simple decision concerning hardware has to do with someone’s personal feelings towards a man. Other than an iPod, I do not own any other products made by Apple and so I really have no preference in the, "Mac vs. PC" debate that seems to be so popular with the, "techies" of the world. However, I have to acknowledge his accomplishments. Whatever one's opinion of him may be, there is no doubt that he is an icon with a brand image that exceeds his role at Apple. He has become a type of living legend with his followers almost maintaining a cult-like devotion to him and a blind obedience to his every word. To achieve such a presence in the world takes a rare form of leadership that very few people ever work hard enough or live long enough to develop.

There will always be those who hate his computers, personal beliefs, management style, clothing preferences and any other thing they can point to, yet...at the end of the day, they still know his name and they're still talking about him.

In my mind, Steve Jobs, has accomplished what he set out to do and that was, "to put a dent in the universe".

Put a dent in the universe? How does one even begin to pick a starting point for a goal like that? What does someone invest to accomplish it?

I think the answer can be best given by Shimon Peres, president of Israel. When asked by leadership expert, Robin Sharma, what he believed the purpose of life to be, he responded without hesitation, "to find a cause that’s larger than yourself and then to give your life to it”.

Steve Jobs was able to find that cause within the Apple community and has devoted his life to reach it.

It's people who make that type of a life their model and exercise complete devotion to a purpose that inspire me to do more, learn more, become more, to continue growing and help others to grow along the way. After all, what else is life for if not for each person on earth to try and put their own dent in the universe with the cause they feel worthwhile?

I encourage everyone to give serious time for reflection over the current mission statement of their life. May each of us find our true passion and use it to become a, 'dent maker' in the universe.

Your Perspective Matters!

I once heard a story that illustrates the power of a proper perspective. 

The story goes that a young married couple was blessed by the birth of identical twin boys.

As time went on, it became apparent that although the boys appeared nearly exactly alike on the outside, their perspective on life was as different as night and day.

The one son was a supreme optimist, always choosing to look at the glass as half full, while the other found the negative aspect in every situation.

After consulting an expert on child behavior, they decided to try a form of shock therapy in order to 
balance the children’s' outlook on life. The twins' birthday was coming up and the parents had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to try their experiment.

They planned on giving their negative son his own pony, thinking that in doing this, they would be giving something so grand that he would have no choice but to be more positive.

They planned on giving their positive son a very large pile of horse manure, thinking that in doing this, they would be giving something so awful that he would have no choice but to think more negative.

The twins would be shown their gifts separately after the party, so that they would not be able to see what the other received.

Things did not go as planned....

When the negative child opened his eyes to see the pony, instead of being excited and happy as his parents had anticipated, he immediately began complaining.

"I really didn't want a pony, because you know there is going to be manure everywhere and we'll always be cleaning it up...." and on and on he went.

When the positive child opened his eyes to see the large pile of horse manure in front of him, his face lit up and he immediately began to run round and round the pile. After one or two laps, he was not satisfied and grabbed a shovel and began to dig into the manure in front of him, throwing each shovel full behind him as he went. His parents were very confused and asked what he was doing.

He replied, "Why, can't you see?! With all this manure, there HAS to be a pony in there somewhere!" 

The story illustrates a simple truth. While there are things that we cannot control in our lives, our general acceptance or resentment of them will usually not depend on the circumstances themselves, but rather the perspective with which we choose to view them. The same is true with life in general.

There are those who will always see the glass as being half full, while others see it as being half empty, but the amount of liquid in the glass is the same. It is only the perspective of the viewer that decides which it is. We will see what we seek.

             

Our limitations define us and our perspective will many times, define our limitations.

If we can learn to manage how we view things in our perspective, we can change how we deal with them and how we are affected by those things of which we have no control.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Why We Love Starbucks!

Starbucks...ah, the very word speaks of greatness.

It's a known fact that Americans love coffee and of that coffee, we are most in love with Starbucks.

Why Starbucks? We could easily procure a larger quantity of coffee for a cheaper fee if we would only switch to a cheaper brand and the quality might be rivaled by another without paying any greater price, but no. We are Starbucks fans and proud of it and no other coffee company will compare!

You see, Starbucks is a brand we stand behind because it is a brand that is exclusive to it's fans. It isn't a one stop shop for food and beverages (although some pastries are also sold). It is by and large a coffee shop and those who enter are usually fans of coffee and that alone is a good feeling, to know that when you enter their doors and smell the aroma of those brewing beans, you are surrounded by others who merely by being there testify to the fact that you are not alone! There are others just like you! Now there are those odd few who prefer the teas and have no interest in coffee, but they are best left alone and when left alone are quite peaceable and will pose no threat.

Another grand thing is that for a small investment into the company of roughly $4.95 (for which you will receive a complimentary beverage), you also get a grand sense of empowerment and realization of who you are (if you've ever seen You've Got Mail, you know where I'm going). You see, the majority of people have all their decisions made for them in life. They act on the orders given them buy someone else. It may be their boss, their parents, their teachers, or someone else, but very few people make their own decisions. The reason why is because most of these have no decision making ability whatsoever. However, at Starbucks you are allowed to make several decisions all to order one cup of coffee! With these decisions you get to set a standard for who you are, regardless of what mold you will be pressed into and identified by once you get back to the office.

You're not just, "Joe". You are Grande!

You're not just the shift supervisor. You are Venti!

You're not mediocre. You are Caffeinated!

You are not domestic. You are French Press!

You are Frappuccino! You are Cappuccino! You are Espresso!

All this from one trip to Starbucks....no wonder we are but a few of the growing number of addicts.

The Awesome Power of the Post It Note

As I was sitting here at my computer screen, contemplating whether or not to type a blog or a rant (not totally sure where it would've gone at this point) I thought I would first share how I am in complete marvel at the miracle of post it notes.

I LOVE POST IT NOTES!

Scattered about my desk there are about thirty of them right now on which I've written a ton of different information, thoughts, ideas, phone numbers, addresses and anything else that I needed to jot down in a hurry.

Seriously, could the creator have invented anything anything better than those wonderful sticky pads of excellence? While some may argue that it is indeed possible that he could have...I think not.

This probably isn't the best blog I've ever written, and yet...I'm slightly proud of it (at the moment).

I may delete it eventually, but so far, I like it.

It has a simplicity not often found and an earnestness not usually expressed (I may write that on a post it note before too long).

I recommend everyone keep some post it notes handy.

Write something, anything on one of them and post it where you'll see it. Do not post it in any careful way, just slap it down somewhere on the wall, the desk, or on the side of the computer screen. Write something meaningful or completely ridiculous, just so long as you like what you've written.

Now that I have that out of my system, hopefully we can strive to move on to more important (or at least different) things.