Every action or inaction, every word of encouragement or punishment, every decision has a consequence. The outcome can be positive or negative and will impact you and someone (many someones) else.

From the mundane to the important – did you let that motorist merge to did you tell your beloved/child/partner/friend that you love them creates a consequence ripple. If you vote, how you vote is another pebble. If you stop and consider the possible consequences of your choice, I think the world starts to become a better place. If we consider how are actions/inactions impact people (near and afar) I believe we make better choices. Stopping to think about someone other than yourself is the first step but I would be satisfied and grateful if I and all those I encounter took that step. Even if I/we choose to ignore the consequences, the brief cause to consider causes a ripple too.

I f everyone paused, ever so briefly, and considered someone else in the moment they mad a choice, I see a better future for us all.  I will never know how all my consequence ripples have impacted the world but I am determined to watch how the smallest choice can move the sand on my beach.

The road to success is paved with naysayers and haters. Haters are gonna hate.

Often the best option is unpalatable, difficult and will provoke the naysayers. That won’t work because … We tried that 10 years ago and it didn’t work. I’m not willing to change anything about me even if it might help solve this problem. Criticism is part of leadership. Even if you don’t hear it, you need to be aware that it is out there stirring the pot. When you do hear it, listen intently, measure it against your goals, adapt if the critic has a valid point, ignore if they are pushing their own narrow agenda.

Some criticism will be valid and important. You/we are not infallible but by putting an idea or solution out there, it opens dialogue that would never have happened.  Some critics are ill informed (I am misinformed often) and just need more information. Some naysayers are afraid  of change and how it will impact them. Some have a small self centered motivation and they will likely be the most vocal and least flexible. All resistance can devolve into ad hominum arguments but the people with the greatest personal stake in obstructing change usually get to the personal attacks quickest.

If you have tested your conscience and are confidant in your motives, hold your ground. Listen for yes/and comments and build your change with those folks.

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience:this is the ideal life.~ Mark Twain

I don’t know what constitutes a perfect life for you but this quote sums up three of the six elements that make up my  list.

Good friends – I’ve had a few – I hold friends to high standards that I rarely meet and yet they still give me grace. I include my beloved, my family, and those I could call at 2am if I had a problem in this category.

Good books – well books in general. I never know if it is good until I begin reading and even the stinkers have allowed me to put them back into circulation if after 27 pages, they weren’t resonating.

A sleepy conscience – if I carried around all the negative, unscrupulous, nasty, mean spirited stuff I have thought or done, I would be a depressed wreck. My conscience is sleepy but not asleep or hibernating and it lets me get through the day.

A meaningful calling – this can be anything really but it needs to have enough compelling urgency to provide a reason to get out of bed.

The freedom to be different – to think differently from everyone around me (or the same), to dance to my own drummer, to challenge the status quo when it needs a prod and when it doesn’t.

A personal faith – I am a follower of God, in the way of Jesus and on those days when I let the unknown and mysterious room in my heart and head it gives me great peace.

What elements/statements are  on your list?

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are but here in Calgary, the birds are singing praises to the coming spring. Nests are being built, gardens tilled, trees are budding and the hint of rain is in the air. The temperature today will be 18C/68F. We are having a picnic in the park and I am back wearing shorts. I had a great run this morning with only one layer instead of the two I needed earlier this week.

Spring is near. That is the anticipation I feel. Like a child waiting for Christmas morning it is both glorious and painful.

Something else is in the air or the air in my head. As this corner of the planet renews it triggers rebirth and excitement in me and the nest remarkable client, amazing opportunity, spectacular  project, exciting opportunity. I am sure that excitement begets excitement so I am going to hold on for the ride with eyes wide open watching for something I don’t expect, scanning the environment for something unusual, something challenging, something exciting.

Are you feeling the energy of the season? Are you opening up to the possibilities of growth? Are you head down, closed off, steadfastly trudging? Lift up your head and smell the air. Clear your head and let something creep in, maybe something that is right in front of you but you haven’t seen before. Spring is a remarkable time to rethink, reboot, reignite, reimagine and smile.

What is possible for you and who can help sow the seeds and help you nurture your dreams? The best person might be someone close enough to you to care but not so close that they are blinded by your grandeur. My beloved is my biggest fan but probably wouldn’t provoke tough questioning. The curse of perfection that paralyzes us with fear of failure or worse looking like a failure won’t be much help. If you have an imperfectionist in your life, someone who takes action first and then analyses adapts and acts, they may be able to help. Most entrepreneurs and those with abundant successful lives risk every day, some risks are small and some are great but they are willing, almost anxious to take the chance to build, fix, build fix … What are your tendencies? Do you act cautiously? Too cautiously? Are you waiting for external validation to move forward? Do you jump and build wings on the way down? Who is there, when you need them, to offer encouragement and measured criticism?They are the kind of person who can lead you to the edge of impossible and then help you discover new possibilities.

Are you ready for a live filled with abundance, challenges and opportunities? A coach may be able to boost/boot you to the next level. If you are ready to ‘level up’ please contact Remarkable People at bob@remarkablepeople.ca for more information.

What do you do when your Life GPS isn’t working? Do you have a destination n mind? Have you set goals for this week, month, year, life? Has a detour been posted and an alternate route suggested? Are you able and willing to wait or do you need to go on an unscheduled adventure?

Life is chaotic and random, even for those who are strategic and planners. The butterfly of oil prices flaps its wings and suppliers of oil companies see reduced opportunity (or different possibilities). A gunshot rings out and a crisis explodes. A client loses a loved one and needs six months to recover. You have a health scare and can’t do as much as you thought.

Reality rears her head. What do you do? You can pout and sulk or you can take an unplanned adventure into some uncharted territory. I encourage you to think about the new possibilities. Where can you find a temporary oasis? Where can you weather the storm? Are you willing to change course and go through some rocky times without changing the destination?

The bumps in the road can cause discomfort but not complacency. Embrace the detour sign as a chance to see and do somethiing you might never have tried.

Make Today Remarkable, by turning off/on the GPS.

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.~Confucius

This quote works with trail running, activism, relationships and health. If we can just begin and then keep the action moving, results will follow. I don’t need to be able to run a 5k in 25 minutes to go running or have the solution to climate change to begin recycling. I just need to take the first step and then the second step and now I am in motion towards something. It is easier to change course if you are already moving and the landscape is more interesting.

If I want to improve my health, I need to begin – even with a small action like monitoring my calorie intake or walking two flights of stairs or having a checkup and listening to the doctor. Id I want to change something in my world, it isn’t likely going to happen from my couch. I need to be in the world taking some action (even the smallest action). If I want to improve my relationships I need to reach out. If I am going to run 9.2k trails in the mountains I need to run the first 5k on flat or the first .5k or around the block.

Small steps, small steps small steps, big step. Overnight success often takes years.

A confession, I like people and ideas that confirm what I already believe better than people who I disagree with. Some who know me are laughing or scratching their heads because as a contrarian I set out to be disagreeable on purpose with a purpose.  Even when I don’t jump into the discussion I am often quietly judging people based not on the veracity of their statement but on how closely it aligns with my opinion. Where I learn something new is when I am able to enter the discussion after intentionally suspending judgement and quieting my biases. This isn’t easy and takes persistence but pays off when I have the courage to do it. If you are ready to learn something new, be challenged, break a barrier, enrich a relationship – take a breath, clear your mind, still your body and tell yourself that you are safe. Fear is most often what drives us to hold tight to what we believe (even when it isn’t helpful or valid anymore). If you are safe to listen with ears that hear, unclogged by the desperate need to convince you may find a new perspective worth adding to your position. The yes, and approach to discussion adds to the discussion rather than halting the generation. I still revert to being single minded but am getting better and have discovered that if I am receptive others tend to be too. Make Today Remarkable, by suspending judgement, B

We hear so much about collaboration, relationship building, cross pollination, generative energy that we can fall into the trap of needing to spend every hour with someone else. We need to be able to be with ourselves. Share our ideas with ourselves, reflect on the day, accomplish something (important) alone, make decisions by ourselves. But with busy agenda we often miss alone time in a day which turns into a week. If this sounds like you, start simple – book 30 minutes two days from now in your calendar and when the appointment comes up honor it like all the rest of the appointments in your calendar. Go for a walk alone, observe your world, breathe in some new air and ideas. When you get back to your computer, book another appointment for two days later and make it recurring.

Sit on a bench, hand write a letter, read something for pleasure, deeply ponder a problem, write a love note, draw, dance, sing, … alone.

You will be better for the 30 minutes solo and the world is  better when you are better.

Make Today Remarkable, solo,

B