COLLABORATION … AN ELEGANT NEW ORDER WITH LEGS

Recently I crossed paths with a series of articles, books, blogs and business strategies that are causing me to explore the concept of ‘collaboration’ and the notion of “elegant organizations” across several businesses. Participating in an industry driven by competition there seems to be an ambitious allure regarding the potential for business development through the strategic utilization of ‘collaboration.’ This blog is by no means an exhaustive expose of ‘collaboration’ or its potential within your life; and thus I invite your comments and elaboration of its potential. Also, I admit from the inception that the topic or concept is not new; but that does not dilute its value. Regardless the model of ‘collaboration’ offers tremendous potential in the ‘new economy’ that is currently unfolding, and thus is worthy of our consideration.

By this time you are probably familiar with Facebook (everyone reading this blog is affected by members of the 250 million active Facebook users) and to a lesser degree stories about its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. One such story, or possibly myth, is that while Zuckerberg was at Harvard and working to create Facebook, he was unable to attend one of his art classes – allegedly he was unable to attend a single class the entire semester. When it came time for the final exam, Zuckerberg realized that he was going to flunk the class, unless he pulled a ‘rabbit out of his hat.’ So he emailed all his classmates a picture of the various artists discussed during the semester, with a blank text box below each artist’s picture. The tag line along with the email stated that Zuckerberg was organizing a study group for this class and was inviting each of them to participate. This invitation prompted his classmates to fill in each text box with the pertinent information about each artist. Zuckerberg shared all the responses in a series of follow-up emails. Each of the narrative responses were edited by the classmates, until consensus was reached on the pertinent information about each artist. The result was that Zuckerberg and each of the participants (classmates) had concise accurate information about each artist studied in class from which to study. The punch line as you might guess was that Zuckerberg ‘aced’ the exam and passed the class. But the real value was that afterwards, the professor acknowledged the class as a whole performed better on the final exam than any previous class for the same course. Ah, the true value of collaboration in a world that values competition (in an environment graded on a curve), this counter-intuitive model represents the clearest path to realizing each of our professional dreams.

Granted this story is duplicated on a small scale all the time - students gathering to share their class and study notes. That is at the heart of the model though – communities already exist everywhere, but our opportunity is how we organize and utilize these communities for the collective benefit of each of its participants. I challenge you to think beyond … look around you and open yourself to the potential of true collaboration that exists everywhere. I recently picked up a copy of BusinessWeek and the cover story is entitled “The Radical Future of R&D, It’s a New World of Collaboration Across Corporate and National Boundaries.” One of the featured articles (titled “Big Blue’s Global Lab”) describes how IBM (yes, Big Blue) is committed to its largest R&D venture. The basic premise is founded upon creating “radical collaboration partnerships with outside companies, countries, and industries as an essential part of its research” into new technologies that will form the basis of future products and services. You think they are alone … think again … Hewlett Packard, Proctor & Gamble, Eli Lilly, Microsoft, Google, and several other mega-corporations and governments are doing the same thing. Collaboration is all around us, borne from necessity, opportunity, and an array of other reasons that form the basis of a new economic reality (for a different perspective of this new reality – see this KPMG video).

So what does that mean for the small business owner, entrepreneur, or mid-level manager struggling for survival. Each moment is stretched by how to find the next dollar to pay the never-ending stream of bills (fixed overhead – the “atoms” of our effort). Jeff Jarvis suggests in his book “What Would Google Do” that “small is the new big”; and Chris Anderson recommends in his book titled “The Long Tail” to “get small but think big.” Get small … we are small, so now what? Financial, market, time, resource, operational limitations, egos, business visions, etc., provide just a few, albeit significant, road-blocks preventing serious consideration to how ‘collaboration’ could work in a tangible way. Well really … in these times … with the rate of technological and economic change can you afford NOT to consider this model? That is why this model is “counter-intuitive” because for every reason one could think not to consider collaboration and the creation of “elegant organizations” IS the very reason in support of its creation!

Ask yourself a few questions. What business are you in (may not be the obvious answer)? Is your business built on scarcity (basis of competition – if so, take heed the power of the internet is but around the corner), if so, ask how you might manage and exploit abundance? Where is your real value (what is your value proposition)? Who is your ‘customer’ (no really who is your ‘customer’ think expansively – think in terms of every ‘touch point’ in your process)? How do you uniquely serve or anticipate your customers’ needs? Look around you … what do you see? Look at the existing communities you serve. Consider the communities around you – how do you enable them to talk; enable them to share what they know or need to know; enable them to support each other; and enable them to do the ‘business of business’? How can you create a ‘platform’ of services (and or products) that invite your ‘customers’ to sit alongside you to design or co-create services that fit the space they are in at this moment (fill their need as they define it, not as you define their need to be – ah yes, there is the real resistance point – the old economic model is based upon ‘control’, fear, and hoarding)? I think you get the idea.

Ok, so you have asked yourself the questions and are comfortable with your answers … now what and why (I’ll leave the “how” to other blogs and business pundits). The easy answer to the “why” will vary for all of us. In a future blog with the help of a case study involving a networking group (Long Beach Business Professionals Association) and your feedback, I will explore the “why” and possibly the “how.”

The seed of opportunity for forward thinking individuals, networks, communities and companies is NOT one connection, one prospect/lead, one idea, or one deal (as promoted by your typical networks, communities, companies and lead generation groups, i.e., Tippers, LeTip, etc.); but in a collaborative effort involving all its members and all its ‘customers.’ The germination of a ‘community’s’ (defined broadly) potential is held within the notion of leveraging the ‘whole of its parts’ for the exclusive benefit of every person or entity that interacts with the group. I would challenge you to explore how to co-create a ‘service platform’ that enables respective ‘customers’ (defined broadly) to define how to use the service to get what they want, when they want, and for a price that is more competitive than what could be found outside the ‘platform’ (another concept gaining momentum in the blog world is “zero-based budgeting”). In this model, the aggregate whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts, without any prospect of losing each member’s individual identity or diluting individual brands.

The ‘platform’ will take on a dynamic life of its own allowing the group to LISTEN to everyone who ‘touches’ the ‘platform of services.’ As people contribute to the ‘platform’ as either members or customers it enlarges the database (data points) providing better market information and greater access to prospects, products, services and ultimately opportunity. A collaboration of services combined with valuable content that is constantly evolving will add value to the ‘platform’ resulting in greater opportunities for everyone.

The notion of collaboration is a methodology of organizing a community’s knowledge so that the existing community can better organize itself. Creating a network of sub-communities that reach deeper into a community will have more impact and add real value, and therefore offer an array of revenue opportunities along the way for its contributors. But to get there the ‘platform’ will need to “act small but think big”, and view the world with a different lens (from abundance instead of scarcity). Jarvis challenges us in “What Would Google Do” to “release all information bottlenecks and make all touch points more fluid. Stop trying to make money by interfering in transactions.” When I thought about these two statements it struck me as counter-intuitive to conventional business models – old line businesses are structured to create bottlenecks, and then to take financial advantage – i.e., make a transaction more complicated so that you can be the ‘expert’ that clarifies the mess. A model based upon competition and scarcity allows the Internet to shed a different perspective upon it by encouraging collaboration and abundance – and there IS both the flaw (existing models) and the opportunity (for a new model).

We need to ask ourselves what is the world we wish to create and participate in? Personally, the old business model (based upon fear of scarcity) holds no allure for me; and the new order’s call for change is scary being an outsider looking in, but leaves me little choice. So as a dear friend emphatically encouraged me on my trip back East … “just engage, just get in the game Jim.”

I hope you enjoyed the reflection, and take the time to consider how these questions and evolving business models present significant opportunity for each of us. Most of all I hope you make it a GREAT day and week!! If you wish to read all the other Monday Morning Mojos written for you, then visit: http://mondaymojo.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome and encourage your feedback and your reflections (please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me). If I can be of service to you or your friends, please let me know. And, thank you for your continued support and inspiration … each of you are a cherished gift that enriches my life in ways you will never understand … Thank you!! Jim Peys

THE LANGHAM EXPERIENCE …

This past weekend I was in Boston for a quick get away. Checking into the Langham Hotel, I had a series of experiences that struck me as uniquely different while being indicative of the random ideas that have been playing internally. The bags were taken to our room independent of check-in, and as I opened the door the bellman greeted us with a smile while placing the oversized bags (dramatically over packed) neatly in the room. As he stepped back, he gracefully and naturally built rapport with each of us. After experiencing a few laughs and interesting dialogue (even in two languages), he then asked a few non-intrusive questions about our visit and guided us in the right direction for answers. He then pointed out a few features of the room, location of all the amenities, and how to use the various items in the room. He left by giving us his business card and offering his help with a simple call. Later in the day on our way to dinner, he greeted us by name and a warm smile. Small and seemly insignificant details created a unique experience that other hotels have yet to create in over twenty years of extensive domestic and international travel.

This experience is at the heart of this week’s Monday Morning Mojo – how do you/we create a unique and memorable experience with every business and personal intersection with people? What is my/your core vision about the business of ‘doing’ business? What is the premise from which I/you operate as both a consumer/client/customer and as a business professional? Let’s face it we all have had similar customer service experiences; but the tragedy is that each time we do, instead of being the ‘norm’ it continually stands out as the ‘exception.’ Each one of these isolated experiences becomes noteworthy, and we are more than willing to brag about the experience to anyone willing to listen. As a result these individuals and companies profit from providing an experience similar or better in depth that enriches the lives of all people who intersect their path. The challenge is to continually provide this experience as you become busier or grow as an organization. Most of us start the journey with similar visions or commitments; but systemizing this vision so that it is consistently repeatable as we grow, diversify or achieve some level of success has proven difficult at best and impossible for most.

While these thoughts are fragmented and incomplete, I continue to connect a series of data points that just seem to replay in my mind. As of this morning the integration of these ideas are wholly incomplete; however, I recognize that they will in some way fundamentally shift how I think and operate my business. In the meantime I invite, nay, challenge you to think about how they might transform your professional experience.

The reflection and journey for us all is how these concepts might redefine your experience and business so that each ‘client or customer’ intersection is truly special and unique (defined by the only one who matters – your customer, client, or partner)? Each of us will have different insights and reactions to these random thoughts (while a few are easily connected; others may require a paradigm shift ergo opportunity to renew and grow – and that ultimately is the invitation with these Monday Morning Mojos). A sampling of my recent thoughts are:

· The fact that our world is fundamentally changing in every moment and in every second at a faster rate than is comprehendible – our last thought is obsolete in the next breath from a world shrinking in size. Any doubts or resistance to this first premise then consider viewing the following video “Did You Know 3.0”.

· We are living through a transformation in how the ‘business of business’ is being transacted at every level – the engine for this evolutionary change is the Internet. The Internet is a conduit for the liberation of the ‘customer’ and ‘client’ from the grips of the centralistic corporate mindset that looks to push out all competition and manipulate “customer” driven innovation – the who, how, where, revenue opportunities (or just pass through services and products), value driven propositions, and sustainable markets are being redefined in quantum leaps. Just a few general facts … the average person is thought to know 250 people; there are allegedly six degrees of separation between every person on the planet; mass marketing is the method to reach critical mass; that individuals or businesses can control and manipulate information and people long term to its personal or corporate benefit; competition is the gateway to success (or put differently those people/companies who are better at competing will prevail over those less able); and that business is a two dimensional model. I suggest that the above thoughts are outdated and archaic business practices that have lead to the systematic failure of businesses across multiple market niches.

· Jeff Jarvis in his book “What Would Google Do?” states that: “Mass markets” are being replaced with the concept of “mass of niches.” Wholesale markets are but “conversations” – the key skill in any organization today is NOT “marketing” but “conversing.” Our economy is shifting from competition (ultimately based upon the notion of “scarcity”) to one of collaboration (one based upon the notion of abundance and strategic partnerships organically formed to solve a problem or customer driven service or product). Customers are now in charge – they are heard around the globe and have an immediate impact on large multinational conglomerates in an instant – a click away from success or failure. The most successful enterprises are networks (distributed networks, partnerships and platforms vs. centralized organizations) that extract as little value as possible so they can grow as big as possible. These networks are essentially platforms to coordinate and disseminate information, services and products. “Owning pipelines, people, products or intellectual property is no longer the key to success but openness is the key” – total transparency!

· The very definition of “who the customer is” has fundamentally changed – the client or customer is NOT just the person who is buying or selling BUT every touch point along the process – including but not limited to manufacturers, service providers, consultants, independent contractors, employees, agents, buyers, sellers, strategic partners, etc. Every person, every company, every provider of services is now your customer.

· Think about how profound a shift it is that each of us are but ONE click away from over 85% of every buyer and seller of any product or service in this country and potentially on the planet. What that really suggests is that we are no longer six degrees of separation from every person on the planet; instead we are but one click away from every person on this planet … one blog conversation or Tweet from every person on this planet. Our actions, good or bad, don’t potentially touch ten, twenty or 250 people (number of people a person may know), but an infinite number of people in an instant. We have the ability to create, alter, redefine and transform experiences, services, products and companies with one click of the mouse by reaching instant critical mass.

· The vision promoted successfully by the fastest growth company in the history of business, Google, is that showing up where your “customer” is and giving them exactly what they want, when they want it and how they want it is the only way. This premise single-handedly shifts most old-line brick and mortar companies that grew from the thought that they know what is ultimately best for their customer no longer applies – it arguably makes them irrelevant.

· Google’s “Ten things found to be true” (contained on Google’s Corporate Information page) vision statement challenges the very assumption that most businesses have been built around and the mindset of many entrepreneurs who hold their “cards close to their vest.” Google’s truths hold that: “1) Focus on the user and all else will follow; 2) It’s best to do one thing really, really well; 3) Fast is better than slow (customer’s deserve immediate gratification); 4) Democracy on the web works; 5) You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer; 6) You can make money without doing evil; 7) There’s always more information out there; 8) The need for information crosses all borders; 9) You can be serious without a suit; and 10) Great just isn’t good enough.”

Each one of these concepts or thoughts forms a different paradigm that changes “rules of engagement” of how we interact with our clients, customers, peers, partners, competitors, etc. Regardless of whether you are the consumer, manufacturer, or service provider these concepts shift the “how”, “where”, and at “what cost” all of what we do is transacted. Connecting all the dots into a synergistic platform of services is the process that is percolating within me. It is both the challenge (or question) and the solution (answer) that will allow us to stay ahead of the titanic wave of technological innovation that is the only constant in this world (as referenced in the YouTube video “Did You Know 3.0”).

I hope you enjoyed the reflection, and take the time to consider how these extraneous concepts present significant opportunity for you regardless of your job, profession or passion. Most of all I hope you make it a GREAT day and week!! If you wish to read all the other Monday Morning Mojos written for you, then visit: http://mondaymojo.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome and encourage your feedback and your reflections (please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me). If I can be of service to you or your friends, please let me know. And, thank you for your continued support and inspiration … each of you are a cherished gift that enriches my life in ways you will never understand … Thank you!! Jim Peys

AM I BEING AUTHENTIC …

Have you ever had a moment when someone describes how they see you, and inside you just say that is so not me? This past week I had a few of those moments. The circumstances were not that dramatic; however, it caused me to pause and ask myself why does this person see me that way? Why do I project that ‘mask’ with other people? Why do I, at some level, feel the need to hide behind that image; when if questioned, I know in the confines of my own being that is not the person I wish to be. Why not choose thoughts, language and behavior that are consistent with my ‘authentic self?’

Over the past several weeks a dear friend encouraged me to ‘engage’ with people who cross my path; instead of moving past them trapped in my own little world. She keeps reminding me that I’m better than that … and I should choose a different behavior. My response was to deflect her question by ‘level shifting’ and moving on to a safer topic. A few days later a peer asked my forgiveness for misjudging me – that my external tunnel vision was not the real person she experienced lately. Although I appreciated the gesture, which was genuine and heart felt; I immediately went to asking myself why the incongruity between what I project and the real me? Am I being ‘authentic’ in who I am and what I’m projecting to other people? I guess the quick and dirty answer is no – not always. I sometimes struggle with this part of my personality … something I am committed to changing!!

What does being ‘authentic’ mean for you? Venturing outside my box, I asked a few people to share their view of what it meant to be their ‘authentic self.’ Conceptually most answered consistent with Dr. Phil’s definition “the authentic self is the ‘you’ that can be found at your absolute core. It is the part of ‘you’ not defined by your job, function or role. It is the composite of all your skills, talents and wisdom. It is all of the things that are uniquely yours and need expression, rather than what you believe you are supposed to be, say and do.”

Then as if on cue, people continued to reflect on the subject and it became obvious how they condition their responses to certain situations from a place of how other people expect them to respond. Or they begin to rationalize their choices consistent to certain acceptable roles such as husband, wife, parent, boss, friend, man, woman, or business person, etc. Oftentimes we live behind these ‘masks’ or roles without even recognizing how they compromise who we are at our core. One author stated it succinctly by saying “do what you say and do who you are.” In my personal affirmations, I summarize this sentiment by repeating “live passionately in the flow of life conscious and aware” and listen to my “inner voice.” Over the years, I have personally concluded that when I fail to listen to my ‘inner voice’ a ‘parade of horribles’ inevitably occurs in my life.

Dr. Carol Adrienne writes in her Article entitled “Authenticity” that “the voice of the authentic self seems to be the same as the intuitive voice, that quiet, but persistent voice that whispers new ideas to us in the middle of the night, on vacation, or after meditating. Intuition speaks in short, clear messages that are qualitatively different from the repetitive mind chatter that makes us feel anxious. Intuition tells us where the authentic choice is – for us.” Dr. Adrienne continues by describing an interview with a client by asking the woman “what is the first step in identifying what she wants.” The client answered the question in the negative by saying: “I don’t want to be dependent on anyone. I don’t want to feel unsure of myself. I don’t want to be tired all the time. I don’t want to be negative, to always see the down side, or to expect the worst. I don’t want to be a fearful worry-wart. I don’t want to be a people-pleaser. I don’t want to feel that I am not being authentic.”

In the Article “Your Authentic Self,” Dr. Phil states that failing to live consistent to your authentic self creates this feeling of incompleteness, as if there is a “hole in your soul.” When we continually live from this place we feed the “fictional self” that results in “draining the critical life energy we need to pursue the things we truly value.” When we live consistent to our ‘fictional’ self we are “putting our trust in a broken compass.” An interesting movie entitled The Compass (similar in presentation to The Secret) was released earlier this year focusing on living consistent to our inner guide or compass.

Dr. Suzanne Zoglio in her Article titled “Living Full – Living True: The Authentic Life” that “when you fashion a life where the decisions you make and the actions you take are considered, deliberate, and in harmony with what’s important to you, you are living an authentic life. It is not necessarily a life that ‘others’ admire or think is right for you, but a life that you know in your heart is right for you. It may not be a life that has been your habit, but it is a life that makes you greet each day with enthusiasm and sleep peacefully at night.” Don Miguel Ruiz in his book The Four Agreements suggests a transformational path to get in alignment with your inner self and to live an authentic life by creating four agreements for yourself:

1. Be impeccable with your word. Carefully examine what you tell yourself, what you tell others, and when you decide to speak. Speak with integrity.

2. Don’t take anything personally. It’s not all about you – reject the fallacy of personalization. Rely on your own well-founded self-concept – be immune to the opinions and actions of other people and you will avoid being a victim.

3. Don’t make assumptions. Suspend judgment. Carefully examine all the facts, acknowledge what you don’t know and have the courage to explore and ask questions.

4. Always do your best. Do all you can while you recognize you can’t do it all. But by doing your best given the situation it will help you avoid self-judgment, self abuse and regret.

When you accept these agreements in your life you begin the work of transformation; the journey toward your authentic self will be your reality. In the quietness of your own being ask yourself: Is your behavioral life, your public persona, at odds with the values, beliefs, desires, passions and visions that define your authentic self? What ‘masks’ do you hide behind to shelter your authentic self from being present in the moment? How are you living a compromised existence?

I hope you enjoyed the reflection, and take the time to consider how you can live a more authentic life today and beyond. Most of all I hope you make it a GREAT day and week!! If you wish to read all the other Monday Morning Mojos written for you, then visit: http://mondaymojo.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome and encourage your feedback and your reflections (please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me). If I can be of service to you or your friends, please let me know. And, thank you for your continued support and inspiration … each of you are a cherished gift that enriches my life in ways you will never understand … Thank you!! Jim Peys

THE HEART OF SERVICE …

Recently, I have been fortunate to witness the dramatic dichotomy in the concept of ‘service.’ Service professionals and companies oftentimes speak in terms of the ‘quality’ and ‘level’ of service extended to clients, customers and prospects. If you listen closely the use of the word or the manifested action is but a thinly veiled disguise for them to convince you to buy or utilize their products or services. Their real motive is transparent regardless of how well they try to mask it; and we, the consumer, have become immunized to such a degree that we expect it and are cynical when we truly experience ‘world class’ service.

A few years ago, I was attending a Tom Ferry “Summit Event” and he was outlining how real estate agents become wildly successful. He started by outlining the ‘mindset’ necessary to be a successful agent/broker – “you must possess and embrace the mind-set of world class service.” Later I read a great short story entitled “Raving Fans” written by Ken Blanchard. Over the years, I modified my understanding of the “mindset” of service and now believe it is more a “heart set of service.” People that truly resonate with this practice don’t necessarily ‘think’ about being of ‘servitium’ (Latin origin of the word service – ‘slavery’), but their desire to serve others comes deep from within them – it is them! From the deepest part of their being they create an experience for everyone that crosses their path that outlives the moment. One such person is Tom Ferry – when you watch his energy, passion, and authenticity in how he affirms the greatness in each person he connects with, you quickly understand the ‘heart of service.’

Thinking about this concept my mind immediately went to the following analogy. Have you ever walked along the beach at sunset, and when you finished your stroll someone asks, so how was your walk? You answer; oh it was great - very peaceful. Then on another day, you walk the same beach along the same route, but it is a totally different experience. You notice the red and orange hue of the sunset on the horizon glancing off the white ripples of the ocean as the water caresses the warm sandy beach underneath your bare feet. You begin to hear the symphony that surrounds you in the rhythm of the waves, and the birds singing in the background while the cool breeze gently brushes up against your body. You suddenly become aware that you are a part of something ‘bigger’ than your collective experience. In that moment you capture an experience in your ‘minds eye’ that truly affects your perspective of life and its meaning. It has the power to change your life; days, months and years later you are able to relive that experience. You can actually see the colors, feel the breeze rub up against your body and hear nature’s symphony. When you compare the two walks you realize that they occurred on the same beach and under essentially the same sunset; yet they were dramatically different experiences. That is at the heart and soul of the dichotomy of this concept we call service. One is a saying or sales pitch (service professionals and companies all have some component of the ‘unique service’ they promote in their sales pitch as they sell their product or service); and the other is an experience created that envelops you and potentially alters your perspective, and tangibly comes alive in your mind’s eye at a future date. The later experience truly contributes to your life in a tangible way – the experience and intersection adds value to your life.

This dichotomy is so dramatic for me that using free-word association my mind conjures up the following terms to describe both examples. The service contained in a sales pitch is all about competition, fear of loss, scarcity and conditional offers (I will provide something of value to you in return for some form of payment or consideration). The experience of service is synonymous with servitude (subjugating your agenda for the fulfillment of another person’s desire, goal or dream), abundance, adding value, unconditional contribution, creating ‘raving fans’, etc. Tom Ferry is a living example of being from the ‘heart’ of service and how this transforms a person’s experience of his product and service; and ultimately why he is the fastest growing real estate coaching organization in the country.

There are countless examples of how individuals and companies create this experiential concept of service for its clients, customers and prospects. One that comes to mind is Nordstrom (for those on the East Coast, Nordstrom’s is a high-end clothing retailer headquartered in Seattle, Washington – founded in 1901, and today is approximately 8.0 billion in revenues with over 50,000 employees). They are famous for their customer service – individual attention created by their ‘professional shoppers’ extended to all customers, free delivery, customer follow up, return policy, brand quality, employee training, friendly and informed sales staff, etc. They create an experience of shopping that is noticeable as soon as you walk through the door. Nordstrom is not the cheapest retailer, but its customer base is extremely loyal. Personally my family will not shop anywhere else for clothes, unless the item we want is unavailable through Nordstrom. Nordstrom has created its brand around the concept of ‘raving fans’ by adding value to every customer intersection across every area of its business.

But that is not all … don’t limit the impact of this monologue … I believe that this concept of service and contribution is at the soul of each one of our intersections with people – whether it is a loved one, family member, friend, peer, or chance encounter. Resonating from the “heart” of service and contribution is taking the time, energy and awareness to contribute in some positive way to another person’s journey. This concept is better explained through the use of a parable. When a starving person is found on the road we have the choice of giving him/her fish; or we could take the time and energy to show this person how to fish. The first feeds the person and temporarily takes away the hunger pains of the moment; the second teaches the person how to feed him or herself forever. Which is of greater value, contribution and service? A genuine, timely affirmation of the gifts and talents of another person is capable of changing their life, contributing to their journey and feeding their soul forever. Being that person or that company truly makes you unique and creates a special experience for every person who crosses your path.

Question: How have you contributed to another person’s (whether it be a loved one, friend, stranger, client, prospect, peer at work, etc.) experience from the ‘heart’ of service lately? As a consciously aware person, the opportunity to positively contribute to the life of another person is endless and can take on many different forms. So as we move through our week the challenge is to be of service and contribution to those in our life!

I hope you enjoyed the reflection, and take the time to consider how you can contribute to another person from the ‘heart’ of service. Most of all I hope you make it a GREAT day and week!! If you wish to read all the other Monday Morning Mojos written for you, then visit: http://mondaymojo.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome and encourage your feedback and your reflections (please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me). If I can be of service to you or your friends, please let me know. And, thank you for your continued support and inspiration … each of you are a cherished gift that enriches my life in ways you will never understand … Thank you!! Jim Peys

THE LIMITS WE PLACE … ON OURSELVES

In a moment of synchronicity (those looking for a great read on the power of synchronicity pick up the book written by Joseph Jaworski titled “Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership”) a dear friend challenges me to share about ‘inner limits’; then as if on cue, two books I’m reading talk about “transcending my limiting beliefs.” Still resisting I struggle for two days on what to write because I’m not convinced the topic has ‘legs’ for you. Then in one more attempt to get inspired by the topic, I found myself at the gym watching ESPN (while on the elliptical) when a featured story (Link: ESPN "Carry On" Story) appears that tugs at my inner being. I immediately connect with the story that needs to be explored within myself, and hopefully will resonate with you as well!! As always, I hope this story and reflection touches, motivates, inspires and stirs you to embrace your greatest vision of yourself in this moment, throughout your week and beyond (that is the stated goal of this weekly Mojo)!

Two young adults from Akron, Ohio connect senior year in high school. One is legally blind and the other is an amputee (both legs severed just below the hip from a train accident when he was 11), both are high school wrestlers. The legally blind person (Dartanyon Crockett) carries the amputee (Leroy Sutton) on his shoulders to and from the gym, on the bus, to class; while the other challenges, encourages, supports and is the eyes for the other. If the physical impairments are not enough, both boys have significant challenges in every area of their lives … when is the last time you were forced to scavenge for food to eat, or lift yourself by your hands (with no legs) to get up a flight of stairs in your own home? When is the last time you needed the assistance of a computer to see what was on a blackboard so you could pass a class (Dartanyon sees only shadows from 3 feet away)? Both are bound together by a common purpose … ‘to be the best person possible regardless of other people’s perception, pity, doubts, judgments, or limitations.’

Consider for a moment the grueling training that wrestling involves for people with no physical challenges (take it from someone who has trained most of his life – there are few sports that compare in difficulty and sacrifice); but for two with severe handicaps critical in a competitive sport is almost impossible to fathom for most of us. Through the bond of friendship and perseverance, they refuse to see any limits to what they are able to achieve and their stated goal - both seek to accomplish their greatest challenge together arm in arm … to walk down the graduation aisle together! Ah, not what you expected, especially when both are accomplished athletes (Dartanyon goes 26-3 and is league champion; while Leroy wrestles multiple weight classes and wins 9 matches). Through perseverance with no tolerance for pity or succumbing to their limitations, both are wildly successful on and off the mat – both graduated from a High School that graduates less than 40% of its students. Suddenly in touch with my humble journey, I am aware that my daily challenges pale in comparison; and so why is it that I tolerate the limitations that I place on myself?

Most of us have beliefs that limit our success – whether they are beliefs about our own capabilities, or thoughts on what it takes to succeed, how to relate to other people or just how to move from one plateau in our life to another. Moving past these limiting beliefs is the critical first step toward true success that is both personally freeing and inspirational to all those who cross your path.

Sometimes refusing to even consider any form of limitations or rationalizations proves successful as we power through difficult moments focused on our ultimate goal. Other times the moment gets the best of us and we are left with the internal dialogue that repeats itself like a mantra. We repeat limiting messages in the form of an internal dialogue, a movie script played out within ourselves that chains us to the very thing we wish to avoid.

We all carry the seeds of these story lines that come from a life-time of programming starting from well meaning parents, teachers, grandparents and other adult role models. Then as we get older we carry these story lines introduced from other people, retold hundreds of times in the confines of our own mind, and then reinforced in our lived experience personally or in others people’s failures. As I listen to ESPN’s featured story “Carry On” I begin to drudge up my own story lines:

· Success only comes through hard work

· Money doesn’t grow on trees

· There is always room for improvement

· There is always someone more intelligent and more skilled

· You are truly successful if when you die you have two real friends

· True wealth is for those other people, not me

· I’m not smart enough

· I only really perform when there is chaos swirling around me

· I’m not lucky enough to be successful

· I’m getting to old

· I’m fat

· Children should be seen and not heard

· Men don’t cry or show any kind of emotion

· If something wrong is going to happen it will happen to me

· Nothing I do is ever successful

· I can’t be successful unless I out work everyone else

· I’m not (smart, attractive, rich, old, or young) enough

· If I only, had this or that, I would be happy, successful or financial independent, etc.

Give yourself a moment and ask what are the stories or messages that you tell yourself throughout the day that may limit or hold you back? List them if necessary. Common on … for just a moment own up to your internal dialogues that limit or put yourself in a “box” that has defined you at some point in your life. Then in this moment choose another story ….

What if … we begin to tell ourselves another story ... one that begins with: “I can do this. I am capable of getting exactly what I want. Other people have accomplished this so can I. If I don’t have the answer or the knowledge, then there is someone close to me that can help me find the answer or can teach me.” THE TRUTH IS THERE ARE NO LIMITATIONS TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT TO STRIVE AND TO SUCCEED. Commit to rewriting your stories by changing the internal language that you use – turnaround the limiting message or dialogue by replacing it with a more loving, affirming and truthful statement that supports and enriches your life. Example: Negative message: “I can’t do anything right, so why even try?” Replacement message: “I can do many things right, and each time I try something new, I learn, grow and get better.”

“Your subconscious mind does not argue with you. It accepts what your conscious mind decrees. If you say, ‘I can’t afford it,’ your subconscious mind works to make it true. Select a better thought. Decree, ‘I’ll buy it. I accept it in my mind.’” Dr. Joseph Murphy

The challenge in this Mojo was really two fold … the first was to challenge each of us to consider our own limiting stories or messages, and how they hold us back from experiencing our greatest vision of ourselves. The second underlying purpose, as important as the first, is to be aware (be the ‘observer observing’) of how these limiting thoughts, words and actions affect everyone who crosses our path. Take a moment today and this week to be more aware of how your thoughts and words affect others, and change the message so that you AND others will be lifted up, affirmed, inspired, enriched and given the gift of your true self!

I hope you enjoyed the read and most of all you make it a GREAT day and week!! If you wish to read all the other Monday Morning Mojos written for you, then visit: http://mondaymojo.blogspot.com. As always, I welcome and encourage your feedback and your reflections (please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me). If I can be of service to you or your loved ones, please just let me know. And thank you for your continued support and inspiration … each of you are a cherished gift that enriches my life in ways you will never understand … Thank you!! Jim Peys