Perspectives

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - Dear reader

Dear Reader,
I hope you find value in this issue. To write a comment, you can go to the blog version, or you can contact me directly.  Thanks! - Joel

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - Buildings and values

Buildings and values

I was reading in the news recently about the new Burj Dubai building in Dubai, UAE, which is not only the tallest building in the world at 2,684 feet, but also the tallest man-made structure (which includes radio and TV towers).
 
Why did they build such a tall building, and what does it mean?  I believe that you can tell a lot about a culture by its tallest buildings.  They say something about the culture's values.  Centuries ago the tallest buildings in Europe were the great cathedrals, which to me indicates that the Church was the most important element of the culture back then.  Even today in many small towns the local churches are the tallest buildings.  Living near New York City, I find it interesting that churches in the big city are surrounded by giant office buildings which overtower them.  So this must mean that business and commerce are now more significant to society.  We also find that the tallest buildings usually have a TV transmitter at the very top.  And the tallest structure before Burj Dubai was built, was a TV tower in North Dakota.  I take this as an indication of how significant television is in our lives.  And if you consider the next tallest buildings (after Dubai), which are the financial center towers in Taiwan and Shanghai, this suggests how important finances are in the world.
 
The new Burj Dubai building (scheduled to open in December) surpasses them all by far.  What does this giant tell us?  Some suggest it's a modern Tower of Babel.  Perhaps.  I believe it's a city trying to be noticed and be recognized by the world.  It's a way of saying, we're now bigger and better than you are.  I think big buildings are one way that a culture's ego gets expressed.
 
By the way there are proposals for even taller buildings that would be powered completely by solar energy.  If built, this may mean that the green movement has become a significant value in society.
 
Of course there are other indications of a culture's values, but the height of buildings is one that I find particularly interesting.  This leads the question of our own individual values.  What's important to you personally?  Health?  Security?  Beauty?  Fun?  While we may claim to hold noble or lofty values, I believe that external clues are a good measure of what is actually important to us, just as buildings tell us something about a society's values.
 
So what kinds of things show us what we value?  Here are some possible clues:  What do we spend our money on?  What do we do in our free time?  Who do we hang out with?  What kinds of books (or magazines, etc.) do we read?  What do we watch on TV?  Perhaps you can come up with some other kinds of indicators.
 
It can be interesting and illuminating to see what shows up as your values, based on these kinds of clues.  For example, if you spend money on health foods, then health is probably a major value for you.  If you spend money on snacks or junk food, then immediate gratification is probably more important.  This is not to say that we should be judgmental, but rather to simply notice what choices we are making and what they show us about ourselves.
 
Want to learn more about your values and how they can give you more fulfillment in life?  A coach will work with you to discover your values and determine whether there's a discrepancy between what you believe you want and what you are actually choosing.  Please contact Joel at joel@coachjoel.com or 973-701-1007 to learn more or to receive a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - Creative thinking tip

Creative thinking tip

Let your values lead to opportunities.  There are opportunities for creative thinking all around us.  But most of the time we don't notice them or we are too preoccupied with urgent matters.  A good way to spot opportunities is to come back to your values and use them as a guide.  Then you'll recognize the opportunities more easily, because they're related to something that's important to you.

For example, suppose one of your values is "going green" or being environmentally friendly.  Then you can be on the lookout for opportunities to do things in a less wasteful way.  You might be able to do some creative thinking to find ways that no one has thought of before.

It's best if you take some time to think about your values and the kinds of situations that you would most like to apply creative thinking to.  You can even write a list.  Then you'll not only recognize the opportunities when they show up, but you'll also be more motivated to pursue them!

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - Visioning Lab

Visioning Lab
What's your vision for your most important goal?  Having a clear vision can make a significant difference in your success.  In Visioning Lab we help you get clear on your vision and make it work for you. 

Please go to VisioningLab.com to find out more or to register.  The cost is minimal for what you will get from participating.  I look forward to working with you and helping you to make your vision become real!

If you have any questions about Visioning Lab, please contact me, joel@coachjoel.com, or 973-701-1007.

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - Quote of the week

Quote of the week

"If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all." - Barack Obama

I think this is a good point.  If values are important to us, they must be worth some price.  How much we are willing to pay determines how important they are.  Perhaps the price we're willing to pay is an indicator of what our real values are, more so than simply what we think they are.

October 21, 2009 Perspectives - other

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Readers' Perspectives

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Past Perspectives

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Energy Leadership and your E-Factor

The Energy Leadership Index is a unique assessment that measures your E-Factor, which corresponds to your ability to attract success.    This assessment will show you how much catabolic and anabolic energy you have, and how that influences what's showing up in your life or business. Contact Joel Remde at joel@coachjoel.com or 973-701-1007 to find out how you can measure your E-Factor.

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October 14, 2009 Perspectives - Dear readers

Welcome again!  Check out the blog, sign up for Visioning Lab, and enjoy these simple lessons!  Contact me if you have any questions or input.  Thanks! - Joel

October 14, 2009 Perspectives - Simple lessons

Simple lessons

I receive several other newsletters, and one of them recently listed Things we can learn from a dog.  Here are a few of them.

• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. 
• When it's in your best interest, always practice obedience. 
• Take naps and always stretch before rising.
• Be loyal.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

Now these sound simplistic and cute, but when I think about them and you might agree with me, they really do make sense.
 
You may have also come across, All I need to know I learned in kindergarten, from the book by Robert Fulghum.  I love these.  Here are just a few of them.  (You can see the full list here).

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.

These make a lot of sense to me, too.  Our lives can get very complicated, and we often forget the simple principles that we learned when we were young.  There's a lot of trouble in the world, too, much of which would likely be resolved if people would follow some of these simple rules.
 
Now, my purpose for pointing out these out is not to try to convince you or anyone else to change their ways.  I do believe that there is much wisdom in these simple lessons, but it's up to each individual to decide how they want to live their life.
 
The reason I'm writing about this is that I find it interesting that valuable lessons and principles can be found in places we tend to overlook.  Who would think to learn from a dog how to live life?   Perhaps dog lovers are more aware of what dogs can teach us, but most of us would probably look somewhere else first for our life lessons.

It is interesting that we can recognize simple truths and valuable lessons from kindergarten that apply equally well to us as adults, although we might express them in slightly more sophisticated language (or maybe not).
 
Similarly, I've heard of coaches and trainers that offer courses based on horse wisdom.  While I haven't been able to find a nice clever list like "things we can learn from a horse", apparently horses are excellent mirrors of thoughts, emotions, and body language, and therefore have much to teach us.

I believe that the deeper lesson here is that there are fundamental principles to be found just about anywhere - all we have to do is to look and recognize them.  And then apply them.  Perhaps it's easier to recognize such principles in things that have not become too complicated, such as animals, kindergarten, children, nature.  But they are still to be found even in complex systems, too.
 
Does that mean that you could learn useful principles and concepts from a stone, or a blade of grass, or a computer, or a game of tennis, or a comic book?  I strongly believe the answer is Yes!
 
It might be interesting (and fun) to make a list such as, "Things we can learn from a stone / computer / etc."  Actually, having worked with computers and software for many years myself, I've noticed several interesting principles about computers that could apply to life.  Maybe I'll write about them sometime!
 
In the meantime, you might also enjoy these:

20 things I've learned from my cat
 
All I need to know I learned from my chickens
 
Everything we need to know we can learn from Batman
 
As a life coach, I wish I could make a list of everything one can learn from coaching.  But it would be too long to include in this article.  In another issue I'll list some of the benefits and expand on them.  If you'd like to find out now, please give me a call. I'll be waiting to hear from you!  You can reach me at 973-701-1007 or joel@coachjoel.com.

October 14, 2009 Perspectives - Creative thinking tip

Creative thinking tip
 
Look for principles in ordinary things. This is a more advanced creative thinking technique, but it can be very useful.  Creative thinking is about finding new connections, and one way things are related is that they share underlying principles.  They can be physical, economic, social or any other kind of principles.
 
Let's take an example. Consider a tree.  What principles does a tree illustrate?  Here are a few:

• What starts as a tiny seed, when fed and nourished, can develop into something big and strong.  (Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow).  How can this apply elsewhere?  A single idea can turn into a whole project or innovation.  A minor suspicion, when fed, can turn into a major fear or phobia.
• The tree exhibits a structure in which little twigs are connected to larger branches, which grow from major limbs, which come out of one main trunk.  This principle of hierarchy can be found in all kinds of situations, from organizational structure to classification schemes.
• The invisible (the roots) greatly determines the health or quality of the visible (the tree that's above ground).  How does this principle apply?  Think of how the subconscious mind impacts our conscious mind and our actions.  In a car, it's the engine and all the parts under the hood determine how well the vehicle runs.

Let's take something even simpler.  How about a candle?  Here are a couple principles I came up with:

• A tiny light can dispel darkness.  This could be related to:  A single insight based on truth can dispel many myths.  A drop of stain can ruin a whole shirt.
  
• When used in a controlled way, stored energy can last a long time.  Where else might this apply?  A salt shaker lets out just as much salt as you need for seasoning.  Budgeting can make your money last until the next paycheck.

Looking for principles and finding other examples of them can really stimulate your creative thinking.  Have fun with this!

October 14, 2009 Perspectives - Visioning Lab

Visioning Lab - are you ready!

Last week's Perspectives was about Visioning Lab, a teleclass series for developing your vision (life vision, career vision, or anything else that's important to you).  There was an introductory call last night, and the series will continue on Tuesday evenings at 8 pm ET.

If you believe that having a clear vision can make a significant difference in your success, then I urge you to join!  The cost is minimal for what you will get from participating.

Please go to VisioningLab.com to register.  I look forward to working with you and helping you to make your vision become real!

If you have any questions about Visioning Lab, please contact me, joel@coachjoel.com, or 973-701-1007.