I am recovering from the second of two back surgeries this summer. Thank God that surgeons can work miracles. Both surgeries went well. The driver part of my personality thinks with a couple of surgeries, I can still do 80% or maybe 90% of what I would normally do this summer. My driver would be wrong. I did not fully recover from the first surgery before going into the second surgery. I am now trying to control my driver to take care of my body for at least the next few weeks.
The absurdity is obvious when looking back. The truth is that if I had pushed myself another six months instead of doing surgery, I would likely have experienced permanent impairment in the use of my arm. I was that close.
My body is sending me a message. I need to pay more attention to the message even when I am not post-surgical: ”Take care of your body, spirit, and mind.”
I am not alone. Like me, there are many of our clients who have a driver pushing them and at some point it exceeds the body, mind, and spirit’s ability to keep up. At the moment, it seems so obvious – yet time and time again I have ignored that message. I am getting older …. OK, I said it. Even if I feel like a 30 years-old inside … that time is long past.
If you have been going to look into something that concerns you with your body, mind, or spirit….commit to act now…not next week.
The Academy
“An informal assessment of the last year’s participants showed very positive feedback, even nine months after the experience. Everyone took away one or more learnings that they have applied and has stayed with them.”
A senior P&G leader who used the 23 Mundane Moments over the last year reported the above outcome for a global group of 200 leaders around the world. It is representative of the many positive messages. We are impatiently working on updates and new products that we expect to achieve similar results. Next up in our plans are two video series; a new version of the 23 Mundane Moments for 2015 and The Sport of Business. Many more ideas are in the works.
Some blog entries in the last couple of months worth reviewing:
Forgetting helps you learn
After a great workshop or other learning experience, we often “see the light” and are energized to use the new insights. So why is it often only a week or a couple of months we have trouble remembering what we learned? I know that I can learn to use a special program for a project and do fairly well even if it is new and slow. When I go back six months later I have to learn things over again. If I do this iteration multiple times … eventually most of it “sticks” to my brain.
It turns out we are better off if we learn, forget, and re-learn. Our natural way to learn [MORE link to blog]
TIP: Stop unwanted calls and text messages on iPhone
Another bogus call! Does that happen to you? What can you do about all those unwanted calls? [MORE link to blog]
Executive Skills for Children
Go ahead … eat the marshmallow. Many business arguments have been based on early tests where young children had the choice of one marshmallow now or wait and receive two marshmallows later (delayed gratification). New brain scanning technology now allows researchers to see how the brain actually works when making decisions. The research being conducted with children at the University of Minnesota provides new insights into executive skills and emotional intelligence. What can this research reveal about adult executive skills? [MORE link to blog]
