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Image by petalouda62 via Flickr
I’ve written a lot in the past about the benefits of finding meaningful work that you enjoy and can do with passion.
One of my favourite quotes is, “Find a job that you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
However, I’m also aware that this isn’t always possible.
You may be passionate about scrap-booking, but it probably will never pay the bills.
Similarly, you may have a love of sport, but lack the coordination or athletic ability to ever be a professional athlete.
Doing what you love may be a remote dream, but there’s nothing stopping you from loving what you do.
You can still find a job where you love: Read the rest of this entry »
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Joe Montana is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He won four Superbowls with the San Fransisco 49ers and was MVP of the Superbowl game a record three times.
Year after year, the team ran head coach Bill Walsh’s same offense. At the beginning of each season, Bill would install the offense the exact same way, going through each play with the team in exactly the same order.
The first play he installed every year was called “22 Z In.”
When Paul Hackett became the new offensive coordinator for the 49ers, he went through “22 Z In” with the team just as Bill Walsh instructed him.
Having been with the team for many years and won multiple Superbowls with it, Joe Montana could run “22 Z In” in his sleep. Read the rest of this entry »
Two women started a new job on the same day.
One expected to have a great day and looked forward to meeting her new co-workers, the other dreaded it as she thought that she would be treated as an outsider.
They both got what they expected.
Two young men went to a university lecture.
One eagerly anticipated the chance to learn, the other attended the class solely to get through the course.
They both got what they expected.
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This week, my American friends celebrated Thanksgiving.
This is a great tradition that reminds us of all that we have to be grateful for.
I’m also conscious that it can be difficult to maintain a grateful attitude sometimes, as there are so many challenges facing us that we are so focused on our problems that we don’t get a chance to reflect on the positives as well.
I recently came across this poem from an anonymous author, that I think helps us when we find ourselves in these situations.
A polynya is the Russian word for a rare phenomenon that tales place in Arctic regions.
In the large sheets of ice that cover the seas during the cold winter months, small pockets of open water remain, called polynyas. These areas of open water are either caused by warm currents or specific tides that push ice away from the coast, leaving a space behind them.
Polynyas are important as they allow non-migrating animals such as belugas and walruses access to breathing holes in the water. Some of these spaces in the ice appear in the same place every year and are used by certain species of duck as their only way to get through the winter.
Without polynyas, some species would not be able to survive in such harsh, desolate situations.
Sometimes, the world that we live in feels cold and desolate. Despite being surrounded by large numbers of other people, loneliness and depression are significant issues in our society.
As such, we need polynyas.
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Ferraris are beautiful machines.
They have phenomenal power, brilliant handling and look amazing.
And yet, so many people who buy one keep it in the garage.
They’re afraid that they may be damaged, scratched or perhaps even stolen, so they’re too anxious to drive it.
What a waste of such a wonderful vehicle!
It would be a shame if we were like those Ferrari owners.
Lately, I’ve fallen into the trap of focussing on how tired I am.
I’ve started to use dangerous terms like, “When I get enough energy I’ll…
- Exercise more.
- Be a more attentive father.
- Be more focused at work.
Such statements allow me to put off being my very best until I somehow get the energy for it.
The problem is, we don’t get energy, we have to generate it.
Every successful artist, blogger, author, business and church has had a breakthrough moment when they went suddenly from relative anonymity to being well known.
One day, they’re labouring away in their mum’s garage and the next their name is heard everywhere.
It’s what a lot of people aim for – to be recognised, to be at the top of the pile, to breakthrough.
There’s not a lot of science as to when this quantum leap occurs. For some people it happens after a few weeks, for some it takes a few months and others work diligently for years before their moment arrives.
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It’s always disturbed me when we describe doctors as “practicing” medicine.
I immediately have a whole bunch of questions whenever I hear this phrase.
Why are they practicing, aren’t they good enough yet?
Is practicing just another word for experimenting?
Why can’t they practice on someone else and come to me when they’ve got it right?
Thankfully, the term “practice” is used as the medical profession is always advancing. It’s never perfected and so doctors are asked to continue developing their skills throughout their careers.
They attend workshops and seminars, read the latest journals, undertake further studies and conduct research projects. They are always practicing.
I’m glad that they do too, or we would still be using leeches to deal with common ailments.
