Challenge for the Week: Adapt

For those of us who follow sports, this past week has been very interesting.  There was a series of major trades that altered the state of play in the National Basketball Association, the National Football League took several steps closer to having their next season cancelled, the first  race of the Stock Car season took place, and Major League baseball started spring training in earnest.  Change is ever coming, whether it be moving forward with hope or pulling back to retool.

What changes are going on in your life right now?  Does it feel as if your life is moving forward in the direction you want it to? Or are you in a “rebuilding” phase, evaluating your last few decisions and deciding what to do next?

Whatever the answer to those questions, face it with courage.  “Change is the only constant in life,” right?  So square you shoulders to the process and move forward–whatever leap of Faith may be required it is best taken at a full run.

This week, look around at your world and assess the changes you face.  Whether change is brought to you, or is of your own making, it is best dealt with with a clear vision and purpose moving forward.

–The Gurus of Get It!

Lessons from Music: Harmony

Have you ever listened to a very skilled musical group? And we mean really listened?

At their very best, very few good groups all play or sing the same thing at the same time. The reason for that is simple: the sound of unison is limited as far as interest level. It has its places, but just isn’t that interesting.

On the other hand, groups that have many things going on create layers and levels of interest that are a lot more attention-grabbing. And when the whole group puts their individual needs in the service of a common mission, the results can be astonishing.

Life is the same way a lot of the time. There are times and places when everybody agreeing and saying the same things is a great thing. But more often than not, different voices all working to accomplish the same goal give the group the opportunity to accomplish extraordinary things.

Don’t be afraid of disagreement or debate–if it’s all intended for the good of the group, it will frequently make the whole group smarter.

From “Sports Night”: “If you’re not very smart, hire smart people; if you are smart, then hire other smart people who disagree with you”

—The Gurus of Get It!

Making the Best of Every Moment!

A little while back we were driving and saw a guy in a statue of liberty costume “advertising” a tax business.  We should mention it was a cold and snowy Sunday.  Most people would stand out there “hating their lives” and just go through the motions.  Not this guy, he was having fun, getting people’s attention and really making the most of his situation.  It was impressive and admirable.

It got us remembering another story that was recently shared with us.  This was a story about a guy who was asked “what is your most important moment and who is the most important person to you?”  Their answer was, “the most important moment is now and the most important person is the one who is in this particular moment!”

This seems like a very simple lesson.  Do not spend time regretting what you did yesterday, or stressing about tomorrow,  just live in the moment, no matter what that moment is and make the best of it.  That is what the guy in the statue of liberty costume was doing and that is what we are challenging all of you to do.  Be conscious of it and actively think about staying in the moment!

The Gurus of Get It!

Weekend Challenge: Find a Role Model, Be a Role Model

This weekend we celebrate the life and the contributions of George Washington.  George was not the intellectual force behind the American Revolution or the Constitution, but he was completely indispensible to the cause of American independence. As a general he was prudent, but capable of boldness and surprise.  And one of his most notable character traits was self-restraint: he was a man who could have been President for life, but chose to give up the office after only two terms; he was a man who could have dominated American public life for a whole generation, but instead allowed the legislature its Constitutional perquisites and stayed out of its policy-making way.

We like George Washington.  In fact, we admire him so much we wish we were more like him.

Who do you admire, and why?  Do you admire him or her because he/she is a lot like you (only better), or is it because he has traits that you wish you had? 

A good role model inspires you to strive to be better than who you are at this time.  This weekend, give some thought to someone you would like to learn about who does that same thing for you.

And while you’re at it, strive to be the sort of person another person might be inspired by.

The Gurus of Get It

What Face Do You Show The World?

A few years ago we had to sit through a staff training in which the speaker talked about the “hats that we wear.”  The point, we suppose, was that we all have our roles that we play, and we need to understand them and keep them straight.

But then we got to thinking, “which hat do you wear in the door in the morning?’

Think about the different roles you play in your life–and we’re not talking about just your job or your relationship status.  Are you the funny guy, who keeps things light? or is it your job to be hopeful and optimistic for your group?  or maybe you’re the “glue person” who keeps everything together.

Or maybe you’re the cynical one, or the dark cloud in the room, or the worry-wart.

The face that you put on for the world isn’t always the way you see yourself, or that you’d like to think you are.  Sometimes circumstances dictate our public posture. But it is in your power to change that perception. 

Take inventory five minutes after you arrive at school/work/home tomorrow, and think about what face you arrived with. And then decide if that’s the one you really want.

The Gurus of Get It

Finding Balance Within

“Many who deserve to die live; and many die who deserve life. Can you give it to them?  Then be not so quick to deal out death in judgment.”

This line (from a movie, of course) highlights a much greater point.  The world is full of good and bad, light and dark, joy and sorrow–and not all of these are in our control.  Those things that are in our control should be dealt with in a balanced way.

In some ways, we have a great deal of power.  How many of us watch the evening news and wish fleetingly that we could be on the jury that sends a criminal to a just punishment? Of course the temptation is powerful to mete out justice, but unless we also work to deliver charity we disturb the balance of the universe. We think it’s entirely proper to be outraged at some of the things we hear in the world; we would also hope that your thoughts turn to helping the victims, as well.

The real struggle with this idea is internal, in disciplining our thoughts to see both sides of the “coin.”  Strength with mercy, power with control, yin with yang.

The Gurus of Get It

Challenge: One Day of Optimism

Hereby resolve, just for today, Wednesday: I will refuse to let the vagaries of my day ruin my mood; I will refuse to let bad weather and bad traffic make me anxious or uptight; I will find the humor in whatever stupid thing somebody does to me; I will choose to act as if I believe that I can do whatever I set my mind to.

For today, I will be my Best Self.

The Gurus of Get It

Keep It Together

“Compartmentalization” is a term that’s come to be used in a complimentary way.  It refers to the tendency to keep the different parts of our lives separated into compartments where they’re a little easier to deal with–it’s especially useful when one facet of life is going down the tank and you have other things that have to be done.

The problem with that is how difficult it is to really separate out many things. The number one cause of divorce is financial problems–do you think that’s because people have a hard time compartmentalizing?  Of course not–it’s because stress in one aspect of life takes its toll on the other aspects of life.

So don’t get so insistent on compartmentalizing that you don’t recognize reality.  THAT causes stress, too.  We advise you to recognize that you are a complete, interconnected person who lives in an interconnected world, and pressure in one region affects the whole. Own up to it, and move on.

Now, this doesn’t give you permission to take your problems out on other people, either, or to dwell on the bad.  But sometimes a simple “I’m having a bad day” goes a long way to spreading out the rough spot and making it not so problematic .

The Gurus of Get It!