Hello Everyone,
I hope you had a great weekend.
News
No new updates for this week.
I wanted to share this story I read earlier in the week with all of you.
Story
Important Question
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. Absolutely, said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Have an amazing week.
Bob
Showing posts with label question. Show all posts
Showing posts with label question. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Questions
Quote
"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
-Einstein
My Thoughts
I've mentioned about questions for shifting perception quite a few times before. Questions are critical to allow you to look at the same situation a different way. This is why coaching relies heavily on questions.
I believe the story below does a great job on getting this point across:
"A classic story illustrates very well the potential cost of placing a problem in a disciplinary box. It involves a multistoried office building in New York. Occupants began complaining about the poor elevator service provided in the building. Waiting times for elevators at peak hours, they said, were excessively long. Several of the tenants threatened to break their leases and move out of the building because of this…
Management authorized a study to determine what would be the best solution. The study revealed that because of the age of the building no engineering solution could be justified economically. The engineers said that management would just have to live with the problem permanently.
The desperate manager called a meeting of his staff, which included a young recently hired graduate in personnel psychology…The young man had not focused on elevator performance but on the fact that people complained about waiting only a few minutes. Why, he asked himself, were they complaining about waiting for only a very short time? He concluded that the complaints were a consequence of boredom. Therefore, he took the problem to be one of giving those waiting something to occupy their time pleasantly. He suggested installing mirrors in the elevator boarding areas so that those waiting could look at each other or themselves without appearing to do so. The manager took up his suggestion. The installation of mirrors was made quickly and at a relatively low cost. The complaints about waiting stopped.
Today, mirrors in elevator lobbies and even on elevators in tall buildings are commonplace."
When you alter the questions that you ask yourself, you will change the answers you are receiving.
So, how can you use this in your life?
Well, lets suppose you are having problems finding a job.....or finding a job that you like.
One thing many people do is look at their past or current results and see what they can do.
The problem with that is it keeps you stuck in a box.
The question that typically runs through many people's mind is "What can I get?" instead of "What do I want to do?". The first question is looking from the problem which is very limiting. The second question is starting to look from the solution which allows for exploration.
That slight change will let you to look at the situation differently.
Until next time...
"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
-Einstein
My Thoughts
I've mentioned about questions for shifting perception quite a few times before. Questions are critical to allow you to look at the same situation a different way. This is why coaching relies heavily on questions.
I believe the story below does a great job on getting this point across:
"A classic story illustrates very well the potential cost of placing a problem in a disciplinary box. It involves a multistoried office building in New York. Occupants began complaining about the poor elevator service provided in the building. Waiting times for elevators at peak hours, they said, were excessively long. Several of the tenants threatened to break their leases and move out of the building because of this…
Management authorized a study to determine what would be the best solution. The study revealed that because of the age of the building no engineering solution could be justified economically. The engineers said that management would just have to live with the problem permanently.
The desperate manager called a meeting of his staff, which included a young recently hired graduate in personnel psychology…The young man had not focused on elevator performance but on the fact that people complained about waiting only a few minutes. Why, he asked himself, were they complaining about waiting for only a very short time? He concluded that the complaints were a consequence of boredom. Therefore, he took the problem to be one of giving those waiting something to occupy their time pleasantly. He suggested installing mirrors in the elevator boarding areas so that those waiting could look at each other or themselves without appearing to do so. The manager took up his suggestion. The installation of mirrors was made quickly and at a relatively low cost. The complaints about waiting stopped.
Today, mirrors in elevator lobbies and even on elevators in tall buildings are commonplace."
When you alter the questions that you ask yourself, you will change the answers you are receiving.
So, how can you use this in your life?
Well, lets suppose you are having problems finding a job.....or finding a job that you like.
One thing many people do is look at their past or current results and see what they can do.
The problem with that is it keeps you stuck in a box.
The question that typically runs through many people's mind is "What can I get?" instead of "What do I want to do?". The first question is looking from the problem which is very limiting. The second question is starting to look from the solution which allows for exploration.
That slight change will let you to look at the situation differently.
Until next time...
Monday, May 17, 2010
Finding Your Passion
Quote
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
-Steve Jobs
My Thoughts
Do you love what you do? That is a very common question which has probably been asked to you numerous times. Perhaps you have answered it honestly or perhaps not. However it is a great question to ask yourself from time to time. If you don't love what you do then what are you doing it for?
A very common question that comes up during coaching is "What if I don't know what I love to do?".
The good news for those that ask is that they are seeking answers. This is the beginning of change. Admitting that you are dissatisfied with your current position.
So, how do you find your passion? One way is through much introspection. Asking yourself questions like: "What makes me feel the most alive?", "What would I do if I absolutely knew I wasn't going to fail?", "What am I interested in?", etc...
Another way is exploring different paths. I didn't know my passion ten years ago, I didn't know it five years ago. The important thing is that you keep going. Try different things and see what excites you.
In no particular order, here are some of the things I have explored: mechanic, secretary, soldier, intelligence analyst, computer technician, English teacher, defense contractor.
It wasn't until around three years ago that I started to realize where my passion was.
Once you start to recognize your passion you basically have two options.
You can decide that you are going to pursue that as your life's work.
Or, you can keep making excuses for why you will never be able to pursue your passion.
While you will certainly meet challenges choosing the first option, your life will have much more meaning.
The second option will probably appear more comfortable, but in the end your life will lack meaning.
This will lead to misery.
I encourage all of you that are wanting to find your passion to combine both approaches. Over time you will start to see which area(s) you are passionate about.
Then it is up to you to make a decision.
Until next time....
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
-Steve Jobs
My Thoughts
Do you love what you do? That is a very common question which has probably been asked to you numerous times. Perhaps you have answered it honestly or perhaps not. However it is a great question to ask yourself from time to time. If you don't love what you do then what are you doing it for?
A very common question that comes up during coaching is "What if I don't know what I love to do?".
The good news for those that ask is that they are seeking answers. This is the beginning of change. Admitting that you are dissatisfied with your current position.
So, how do you find your passion? One way is through much introspection. Asking yourself questions like: "What makes me feel the most alive?", "What would I do if I absolutely knew I wasn't going to fail?", "What am I interested in?", etc...
Another way is exploring different paths. I didn't know my passion ten years ago, I didn't know it five years ago. The important thing is that you keep going. Try different things and see what excites you.
In no particular order, here are some of the things I have explored: mechanic, secretary, soldier, intelligence analyst, computer technician, English teacher, defense contractor.
It wasn't until around three years ago that I started to realize where my passion was.
Once you start to recognize your passion you basically have two options.
You can decide that you are going to pursue that as your life's work.
Or, you can keep making excuses for why you will never be able to pursue your passion.
While you will certainly meet challenges choosing the first option, your life will have much more meaning.
The second option will probably appear more comfortable, but in the end your life will lack meaning.
This will lead to misery.
I encourage all of you that are wanting to find your passion to combine both approaches. Over time you will start to see which area(s) you are passionate about.
Then it is up to you to make a decision.
Until next time....
Monday, November 2, 2009
Decision
Here is a wonderful quote that I wanted to share:
It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.
-Elbert Hubbard
My opinion:
This is such a great quote. I really do believe it oftentimes takes more effort deciding on what to do than actually doing it.
How many times do we all sit around and ponder "Should I do this or Shouldn't I do this?".
Indecisiveness will kill your dreams. The ability to make decisions quickly is a habit. The more you do it the easier it becomes.
What can really help you with making decisions is having a big goal. Because when the "Should I or Shouldn't I?" question arises you can ask yourself "If I do this will it move me closer to my goal?" and if the answer is yes, you do it.
Until Next time...
It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.
-Elbert Hubbard
My opinion:
This is such a great quote. I really do believe it oftentimes takes more effort deciding on what to do than actually doing it.
How many times do we all sit around and ponder "Should I do this or Shouldn't I do this?".
Indecisiveness will kill your dreams. The ability to make decisions quickly is a habit. The more you do it the easier it becomes.
What can really help you with making decisions is having a big goal. Because when the "Should I or Shouldn't I?" question arises you can ask yourself "If I do this will it move me closer to my goal?" and if the answer is yes, you do it.
Until Next time...
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