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(Credit Photo: Youtube)
Showing posts with label Focus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Focus. Show all posts
September 7, 2021
May 5, 2021
From Point A To Point A+
Take it stroke by stroke.
Don't worry about getting all the way from point A to Z.
Instead just focus on getting from point A to point A+.
Just take the first stroke and then another and another.
Like one foot in front of the other.
See how far you've come!
You're on the way to point Z but you don't have to drink the ocean in one gulp to get there. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 27, 2021
Staying Centered
I tried something new in the pool to tread water using the minimum energy.
At first, my body resisted and I started to flail with my arms and legs.
But then, I centered my mind and started to control my breathing.
My deep focused breaths raised my body above the water almost by itself.
My arms and legs relaxed and just was there for support.
It felt so good to be in a better state of self-control and mindfulness.
Always need to try and keep the mind still, centered, and in control of the body.
Focus, focus, focus! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 9, 2020
The Sound of Silence
March 27, 2020
You Can Overcome It!
It says:
Courage is endurance for one moment more.
Just when you feel that you cannot go on for another moment.
Just when you are at your very limit.
Just when you've reached your total breaking point.
Then...
You take that deep breath and focus your mind intently.
You disassociate yourself from the pain and struggle.
You see the challenge in front of you for what it really is and you raise yourself above and beyond it.
Your inner spirit is so much greater than its power over you.
You have the inner faith and can endure whatever it is.
You can overcome it! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 14, 2019
Goals Vs. Tactics
Be "flexible in tactics, but stay fixed on the goals!"
There are many ways to accomplish the same thing.
And different people have their own approaches.
As in the lyrics: "You take the high road and I'll take the low road."
That's absolutely okay.
In fact, that's one of the strengths and benefits of diversity.
We bring different ways of looking at the world to the table.
Hence, we can bounce fresh ideas off each other and come to a great way forward.
The main thing is that we focus on our goals and progress to achieve them.
Be rigid on goals and flexible in tactics. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 2, 2019
Jerusalem Center of The World
This beautiful artist and thoughtful map was published in 1581.
It shows the 3 continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa as 3 leaves of a clovers with Jerusalem at the center.
Jerusalem, Israel is the focus, nexus and crossroad between these 3 worlds of Western, Asian, and African civilizations.
Israel is so multi-cultural and holy to the 3 major monotheistic religions of the world (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism).
Light, healing, peace, and prosperity should emanate from Jerusalem to the whole world and G-d should bless us from his heavenly abode. ;-)
(Source Photo: Wikipedia)
January 7, 2019
No One Cares How You Feel
But it is one full of love and helping your kids.
Sometimes, I remember listening to my kids say that they feel this or that and seeing that it was holding them back from accomplishing their goals.
Often, I would tell them that the only people that really care about how they feel is your mother and father--but generally-speaking, it a tough world out there, and:
"No one [else] cares about how you feel."
I tried to focus them--not on being cold and unfeeling--but rather on being strong inside and focusing on the tasks that need to get done.
Sure, feelings are important, but if you are getting held back from doing what you need to do--then there are times when you need to put the feelings in abeyance and go forward.
Overall, there is plenty of time to feel what you feel, but don't let anger, fear, or anxiety get in the way of you accomplishing your dreams.
In a book that I am reading by Amos Oz, "A Tale of Love and Darkness," he writes:
'I want' and 'I don't want' aren't reasons, they can only be defined as self-indulgence.
Yes, it's a little tough love, but also it is out of true love to help the kids to be willing and determined to try their best and not get held back by anything in the pursuit of the destiny they choose to follow. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 29, 2018
Say YES!
It says:
Start With Yes
I remember an old boss who used to say:
Don't make me get through no to get to yes.
The idea as another colleague put it is to:
Keep a smile on your face and your focus on the customer; everything else takes care of itself.
Basically, it's all our jobs to make sure that the customer's needs are being met.
That doesn't mean that we don't need to differentiate between requirements and desirements or that we need to deliver the yacht in the first go around.
As a 4th colleague put it:
The customer is in the water. They want the yacht. But I can give them a boat. It gets them to where they want to go, and they no longer need to swim. We can work our way up to a yacht.
Good analogy analogy and good things to keep in mind for customer service excellence! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
October 19, 2018
Parking Lot Full of Ideas
People have their own concepts as to where they'd like the discussion to go.
Yes, agendas help keep the meeting focused.
And a good facilitator enforces meeting discipline.
Some people think that any deviation from the agenda is like taken a sudden left turn or driving off the cliff.
But you don't want to throw away the baby with the bath water.
It's important to jot down good ideas or follow up questions that come out in the discussion even when they are not immediately relevant.
That's where the "Parking Lot" comes into play.
A flip chart or whiteboard to capture the important thoughts for follow up afterwards.
While parking lots are needed to take certain things off the table immediately in order to focus on accomplishing the meeting's objectives, they are not junk yards for people's input.
Instead, they are a place to park the stray thoughts and then to actively follow up on these after.
No question is a dumb one, and no idea isn't worth considering.
Parking lots can be full of these and they should be parked and then taken for a spin around the neighborhood. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 27, 2018
Calling An ELMO
Sometimes people get carried away in meetings either as broken records, spinning wheels, naysayers, or ever with verbal attacks.
In these case, either the facilitator or any of the other participants, can have permission to "call an ELMO."
What that stands for is:
Enough,
Let's
Move
On
When someone at the meeting calls an ELMO the meeting is redirected and focused back to the agenda and meeting objectives.
There are also times, you need a "parking lot" for good ideas that are a little offtrack or for sidebars that you want to come back to later.
At other times, you just need to say, "Let's take it offline."
Focused meetings should generate ideas (brainstorm), exchange points of view, surface problems, discuss issues, and make decisions.
A good meeting leaves people feeling energized, valued, informed, and productive. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
February 26, 2018
What's Free And What's Not
"The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately."
Yes, this is the home of the free.
And we are all able to dream BIG dreams.
However, without the hard work and hustle, dream are not made, but rather they die on the vine.
So dream big--imagine the very best.
Reach for the stars...
And then work your butt off to make it happen.
Choose carefully.
No one can have it all.
You have to prioritize.
Also, you need to balance.
In the end:
Dreams + Hard Work + Blessing From G-d
That's success by whatever standards you measure.
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
October 13, 2017
The Yom Kippur Diet Plan
This last Yom Kippur, someone mentioned to me that some people take the idea of fasting and apply it to dieting during the year by doing a 3-day fasting.
Uh, that sounds pretty severe and maybe even a little dangerous.
But it got me thinking that on Yom Kippur we fast for a day and then eat a meal, so why not do that daily for dieting.
Just subsist on one main meal a day--basically limiting intake of food to a few hours in the evening.
This made sense to me as a moderate way that I could stay focused and disciplined without any food for about 20 hours at a time, but still give myself something to look forward to with a proper, natural dinner--almost like a natural give and take that I believe I could live with (at least for a good while).
I thought let me give this a try!
And I did.
First without drinking or eating.
Then I rethought this after a few days and getting parched, and said just drink zero-calorie drinks, but no food or caloric intake during the day until the meal at the end of the day.
And I've been doing this now since Yom Kippur 2 weeks ago.
I have actually lost almost 10 pounds in that time and feel great.
It hasn't been hard--except for one day when the synagogue had a mega Bar Mitzvah kiddish/luncheon and I sat there and didn't have a thing!
But otherwise, I go to work and all my activities, including working out--sometimes twice a day--and without any food.
It seems to be working.
While previously, I stayed completely off any carbs, and still gained weight--now, I allow myself to eat everything (kosher) at dinner and am losing!
I wonder if I am on to something with this new "Yom Kippur Diet."
I pray to Hashem that I've discovered something good and healthy here and am committed to seeing it through.
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
September 8, 2017
What's With The Water
I have been remembering from the other day when I was in the pool, but I had a very different experience from usual.
Yes, I was swimming hard and disciplined doing my laps.
But my mind decided to focus on the water.
Just the water...nothing else.
I literally blanked out the world around me...no pool, no exercise, no other people, no current events, no random thoughts.
I just put all my senses unto the water itself.
The cool softness of the water as it glided over my hands and body.
The subtle resistance of the water, yet the buoyancy it provided.
The waves and current as the water flowed around my body moving crisply through it.
The healing purity of the water physically and spiritually.
I imagined the clearest and cleanest water, and how it quenches our thirst and washes everything in the world clean again.
Water, earth, wind and fire...the wisdom and perfection of them and us cannot possibly be random events, but they are testament to the genius of our Creator.
Thank you G-d especially for the water in the time, place, and amount that is for a blessing--and as a series of strong hurricanes continue to roar towards your people, let it be merciful.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 31, 2017
VICE News Superior
It is on HBO and is superior to the other big news outlets in so many ways.
The intensity and clarity of their photography and videos is unbelievable!
My daughter said to me:
"This is clearer than REAL life!"
And she was right...I don't know how they do it.
Also, they remove all the clutter from the news screen that CNN, MSNBC, and others use at the top and bottom of the screen--instead it's just clean, focused, and right to the news point.
VICE puts the key messages in callouts right on the screen in large and easy to read boxes--the impact is you see the visual and the print message dramatically together and you get it and remember it!
They do this for their photos and videos.
With all the failing, fake, and alternative news out there, it is nice to see that someone has invented a better news program. ;-)
(Source Photo: Vice News)
January 2, 2017
Can You Do No Right?
That whatever you do or choose, you are opening yourself up to criticism by others or more importantly from yourself.
That's because in life every moment is a choice and each selection of what you do with your time and efforts means by definition that you are not doing something else important then.
- Take the mother or father who chooses to spend time raising their children, but then are not focused as much on their career.
- Take the student who is working really hard on getting those good grades and SAT scores, but then are not doing as much or well with extracurricular activities like sports or socializing.
- Take the spiritual or religious person or clergy who chooses to focuses their life studying and performing holy speech and deeds but not so much other earthly and material matters.
- Take the athlete who works out and eats right focusing on toning and honing their body and physical skills but doesn't spend as much time and effort on intellectual interests or more standard career pursuits.
- Take the extrovert who focuses on building and maintaining relationships and networks--family, friends, community, colleagues, others--but are not putting the same time and attention to enhancing their other knowledge, skills, and abilities.
So you say, but why can't we just do everything we're supposed to do, and simply balance?
Well, that is what we all try to do in our own way, but still each time and every moment you are doing one thing, you are not at that moment doing something else or being somewhere else.
So that causes tension, perhaps a tug-of-war within ourselves, stress, and even guilt.
The impact is that we often run from one thing to another or we get distracted in what we are doing--"Honey can you answer the phone?"
Some classic examples are when we race home from the office to pick the kids up from school or while playing with sweet little Johny or Suzie, the phone rings and and we have to pick up that call from the boss at work.
As they say, you can't be--physically or mentally--in two places at the same time!
Hence, now the movement for mindfulness, being in the moment and focused.
But as the demands in life forever ask more of us--even amidst ever greater technology and automation to assist us--somehow we can never do enough because of course, the bar gets raised for ourselves and the competition gets tougher from those who make choices to focus on specific areas that we are not as much.
So say that you are splitting your time between work and family, but someone else is single or doesn't have kids and they are full in with work, staying late, going in weekends, getting those extra credentials, and just putting in every extra effort there...well, how do you think you will stack up?
Yes, some of us recognize the importance of work-life balance and even focusing incrementally across the many important areas of our life: physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and socially.
Never-the-less every moment, in a time- and space-bound world, we are forced to choose this or that.
There is no one right answer for everyone!
And every choice in every moment is the opportunity for you to criticize yourself or for others to criticize you that you weren't paying attention, focused, doing your best, etc.
But who cares--it's our life to live and we can live it as we want?
True, however as inevitably important things or relationships break down or fail, have mistakes or errors, or aren't going as we would ultimately want or dream they should--we ask ourselves, could we have done things differently or somehow managed our time, efforts, and focus better.
(Source Photo: Online Advertisement provided by Dannielle Blumenthal)
April 1, 2016
Getting Zinged
And then there is the behind the scenes people stuff that goes on.
And anyone who has been around the block long enough in organizations know that the people stuff is where all the "craziness" happens.
A friend told me a story about their colleague.
The colleague sends a trash-talking email about the person at work, but instead of sending it to the presumed audience they instead send to the person himself....oops.
So the veneer of "how your doing today?" and "hope you have a nice weekend!" is revealed by something else.
Awkward, no?
Email is generally a positive method of communication, but also can be treacherous and revealing.
No matter at work, the main thing is stay focused on the mission and not to get sidetracked by the zinger of the day.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
March 11, 2016
Hey, Pay Attention
Sure, it's the responsible thing to do--protect people from misstepping.
But even with the largest, loudest warnings, there always seem to be some people who just go right ahead anyway and tempt fate--they step on that 2nd broken stair.
Maybe it doesn't give way (this time for this person) or maybe it does.
But they are too busy, too much in a rush, or too cocky to pay heed or else they like to play the odds--hey, what are the odds that something will actually happen to "me"?
The more cautious, perhaps smarter folks look for another way--using their ingenuity to go over, under, or around the obstacle in their path--in this case stepping over the broken 2nd step.
Other may yet be deterred altogether and just turn backwards, giving up on their trek or just stop in their tracks like a deer in the headlights frozen by indecision.
I'd suggest that it is well worth it to take the time to look around you, sense the environment, and make a sound judgement before giving up or stepping stupidly into the ditch, minefield, quicksand, or on the broken step.
It's much harder to get out of trouble than to avoid it to begin with.
I joke with one of my colleagues that they always have time to do things a second time (always!), but because they are rushing, never enough time--or focus--to do it right the first one.
Watch your step, because some of them of definitely broken. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 8, 2015
Counter Terrorism Response Level: DYSFUNCTIONAL
Can we stop the fighting among ourselves--Democrats and Republicans, Judeo-Christians and Muslims, CNN and FOX, NRA and gun control advocates, immigration pros and foes, etc.)
AND
Instead focus and go after the real murderous culprits--the radical Islamist terrorists who are killing, imprisoning, torturing, raping, enslaving, and taking over vast lands to build a shariah-rule caliphate and take our freedoms and lives away?
We are losing the war on terror, because we can't get our collective act together! ;-)
(Source Photo: adapted from here with attribution for original to Elliott Brown)
August 22, 2015
Synagogue Time
Usually, we like to go a little later so that basically we are there for about an hour and a half of services.
That's about my attention span and then I start to get claustrophobic and antsy.
(BTW, some friends that go to Church told me that they have the same experience.)
But the last two weeks something changed...(no, not me).
Last week in Maryland, we went to synagogue and the people were standing in front with the Ark open and I thought wow they are way ahead and are finished with Torah reading and are putting the Torahs away already.
But after a moment, I realized they were only just taking out the Torahs for the weekly reading, and we were actually earlier than usual.
When I inquired in synagogue why they were behind schedule, I learned that to get people there for more of the services, they had decided to start later.
Ah, it's a trick!
This week in Florida, I went to the Chabad shule and we were running late (hey, it's vacation) about 10:45 and thought shule would almost be over, but they were just in the morning prayers still, and there wasn't even a minyan yet.
Two places, two synagogues, two weeks and they are changing the start times...
Seems smart from their perspective to try and get people there and for more of the services, but for the people who just want to come for a certain amount or parts of the service, isn't this just going to cause people to come even later in an endless cat and mouse game.
Start later, come later, start later, come later...
I'm no Rabbi, but how about a serious focused service--ONE solid hour (plus)--full of REAL kavanah (concentration), meaning, and sincerity, and everyone comes on time?
Start on time, come on time--really pray (no talking please)!
And still plenty of time for socializing and bonding after services at the yummy Kiddish.
(Source Photo: here with attribution to Brian Smithson)
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