Design Your Life
Daily Nuggets • • Nick Fellers
This week’s W.O.W. is a book – Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.
His core message: Do less, but better. You can unlock quality and make your highest contribution toward the things that really matter by doing only what is essential.
He dubs this ‘Essentialism.’
In some ways this isn’t a new idea, and yet, I found myself underlining nuggets on every page:
This makes a lot of sense. Recent discoveries in neuroscience tell us that the decision-making function in our brains does not prioritize!
Essentialism is applicable to any human endeavor:
I agree with McKeown’s notion that Essentialism is an idea whose time has come. We are in an age-of-noise. Discern. Focus. Do less. Have more IMPACT.
Happy Birthday to our youngest grandchild, EJ, who turns 6 today! (I’m holding her in the photo below.)
Today is also my BirthDATE (March 19th is my birthDAY, thus today is my May birthDATE.)
Don’t forget to celebrate your birthDATE every month!
For the last 20 years, I have tried very, very hard to make my BIRTHDATE a special day every month.
I’ve been quietly trying to encourage everyone around me to CELEBRATE their own BIRTHDATE. And, not so quietly, I have challenged thousands of individuals at certain speaking engagements to do the same.
Here’s a great goal/challenge for 2016: Make your BIRTHDATE a special day for YOU!
Do something solo: Breakfast or coffee shop, with a journal or a book. A motorcycle or bike ride. A yoga class. Whatever.
Then, do something special with those you love: Spend a little time with the g-kids. Catch up with a sib or a child away from home. Have lunch with the ‘girls’ or a beverage with the ‘boys.’
I also use the 19th as the once a month review of my goals (lifetime, this year, upcoming 90 days, etc.) and to set Action Plan for next 30 days.
Most people laugh (hard) when I tell them to take their BIRTHDATE off. Yet, if we can’t set aside even one day every month for ourself… things are pretty screwed up.
From the archives, Tom’s “25 Wishes” for Social Entrepreneurs at the Unreasonable Institute in 2012. Download the 25 Wishes Poster here.
Join us for Boot Camp in Dublin, Ireland on June 1, 2016.
The For Impact Boot Camp is focused on frameworks and skill building – You will leave with the knowledge you need to simplify your message and funding rationale, and take your organization to the next level.
This high-energy, day long session covers topics like:
The Boot Camp is perfect for organizational alums, new hires, or anyone looking to hone individual skills – both personal and professional!
Early bird pricing is available for both sessions. Discounts are also available for Alumni Organizations and teams with 4 or more participants.
“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get in the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as your own.” – Henry Ford
I’ve trained over 1,000 development professionals and leaders. One thing I’ve observed – those that perform at the highest levels always have a high degree of empathy. Yet, in no instances that I can recall, have I seen a search committee or hiring manager put a premium on this skill that Henry Ford called the ‘one secret of success.’
Tom has been receiving notes from around the world, people reaching out to share what he has taught them. One of the big themes has been the importance of Life Balance. With our own team, we call this “Integration” – Being able to integrate all the facets of your life to achieve happiness, fulfillment and overall health.
Here’s a great note from the archives – Tom talking about his mentor who introduced him to “personal goals” and “family first.”
It may seem a little weird to talk about “PERSONAL GOALS” when you’re dealing with SALES or SALES GOALS. Frank Sullivan, however, was all about writing out ALL of his goals and plans – personal, financial, business, health, etc.
Frank was literally the first person in my “business life” (and, actually, one of the very few people) that talked about his personal life and his family and his own goals – as they related to his business and sales goals.
Frank’s the one who first gave me the idea of solo time with the kids, which I turned into BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST, where we went over their favorite books, TV, friends, food – And, did their GOALS for the upcoming year! I tried to capture all these notes in one journal/green book (that I still have today.)
By the way, if you’ve never done ‘GOALS’ with a 3-year-old, you’ve really missed out!
Frank came down with Alzheimer’s at the end of his life, but, by then, he had impacted so many people and left a huge legacy. “Personal goals” and “family first” were his GIFT to me. I am forever grateful.
We strive to be ‘Best in the World’ at the ASK. We are constantly training and improving as a team in this area. Here are some quotes/thoughts on the importance of practice and excellence.
I think they are relevant to anybody who strives to be world class in their own domain.
“Excellence is a habit.” – Aristotle
Tom Brady has returned to his coach, Tom Martinez, 4 times per year for the past 17 years for a tune up!
Immediately following her 2015 U.S. Open second round win, Serena Willams went to the practice courts for 90 minutes!
“The enemies of practice are pride and fear and self-satisfaction.” – Practice Perfect
“It’s a funny thing. The more I practice, the luckier I get.” – Arnold Palmer
“If I skip practice for one day, I notice. If I skip practice for two days, my wife notices. If I skip for three days, the world notices.” – Vladimir Horowitz, Virtuoso Pianist
Note: Two fantastic reads on this include Practice Perfect and The Talent Code.
Early Bird Tickets for our Boot Camp on May 17-18 in Larkspur, CO (just outside of Denver) are available until this Thursday, March 31st. This event will sell out so get your tickets early!
The For Impact Boot Camp is focused on frameworks and skill building – You will leave with the knowledge you need to simplify your message and funding rationale, and take your organization to the next level.
This high-energy, day-and-a-half session covers topics like:
The Boot Camp is perfect for organizational alums, new hires, or anyone looking to hone individual skills – both personal and professional!
Early bird pricing is available for both sessions. Discounts are also available for Alumni Organizations and teams with 4 or more participants.
