Angry People Are Boring

There's anger in our nation and there's plenty to be angry about, however we should stop acting as though this is a new phenomena.  As a nation, we were angry ten years ago and ten years before that.  Take five random people and ask what they're angry about and at least four will tell you everything that's wrong with the world.  Of those four, two will agree and two will think the other two are to blame.  Be the fifth person.  It’s okay to get ticked off from time to time yet remain reasonable.

Have you spent time with angry people? They make a lot of noise, even when they pout and give the silent treatment you can hear the doors slamming and feet pounding and music blaring. They may incite some passive aggressive behaviors from you, either because you support them, or you disagree with them. Eventually though, all angry people become boring and boring people ultimately get ignored.

Anger isn't bad. It's a clue that something is assaulting our core beliefs and values.  If we don't respond to the feeling of anger we run the risk of letting our beliefs and values atrophy.  That is our nation’s biggest threat.

When we’re angry we make trigger reactions and are fueled by instinct.  That's good, it's a survival mechanism.  A quick vehicle to check our gut. However, it's not meant to be our primary modus operandi.  At some point if you want to affect change you need to shift from a reactive stance to a position of “respond-ability.”

Ever witness two people quarreling?  When we're not directly involved in the dispute it’s often times very amusing to watch and listen to the irrational  arguments and assertions they make and huge leaps of logic they take.  You can tell they're not hearing each other. They just want to be more right than their opponent.

Contrast that to an angry customer pitted against a well trained customer service professional. The professional may mirror the irate customer but they also empathize.  They’re not using the primitive brain to react and counter react, they are responding by being thoughtful and creating a setting where cooler heads can arrive at a mutually satisfying solution.

Anger is fine, but at some point, you need to act responsible and lower your irrational, venomous rhetoric so you can get to work on fixing what's making you angry to begin with.

If you just stay mad, the adrenaline rush may be fun for you, but you quickly degenerate into a whiner, and no one likes a whiner. Whiners make crappy leaders.  That’s the fundamental problem with the current political climate.  We have a bunch of angry whiners who love to make a lot of noise and get attention because they equate that with leadership.  It's not, it’s gimmickry.  People can’t resist a freak show, they’ll even spend money on it, but they quickly moved on.

Leaders do things.  Sometimes they make noise, sometimes they make mistakes; but they always do things.  Are you part of the angry mass, upset about something within your control?  Grab a mop and start cleaning up the mess instead of being angry about the size of the mop, or the floor, or the cleaning solution. Offer alternatives and lead people or shut up and get over yourself, you’re boring.

Snooze and Lose?

Do you use an alarm clock to wake up?  Author, Ken Blanchard, a perennial optimist gifted with a positive attitude suggests it be renamed an Opportunity Clock.  Wouldn’t you prefer to be awakened by opportunity rather than an alarm?

Granted, some people like to sleep.   Just like a new vegetarian’s willpower prevents them from indulging in an artery hardening but delicious prime rib, there are those who relish their slumber.  They deeply value it.  It rejuvenates them.  They would never agree with statement, “There will be plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead.”  (To be clear where I stand, I have no problem eating a steak at 11pm, but that’s another story).

Have you seen the sobering advertisements the state of Michigan tourist board have put out, that remind us, “25,000 mornings, give or take is all the average person gets.”

What percentage of those mornings have you hit the snooze button and decided to put off the day for a little while longer?  I asked 235 people how often they hit the snooze button in the morning and here’s the results:

29% - Once

22%  - 2-3 times

9%  - More than 3 time

40% - Before it goes off

When you are living on purpose, you tend to wake up enthusiastically with the alarm, or one minute before it goes off.  Have you ever experienced that?  It’s amazing how you can program your mind that way.  Unfortunately many do not.  People who are not thrilled by the prospects of the day choose to snooze.  Inevitably they then run late and compound their stress.

ACTION: Live on purpose and find your passion.  Passion is easy to identify.  It keeps you up late at night and wakes you up in the morning.  It causes your heart to race, not with anxiety, but with anticipation.  As Wayne Dyer has often said, “You can decide to wake up and get out of bed, open the shades and mumble, good lord, it’s morning.  Or, you can wake up, get out f bed open the shades and declare, Good Morning, Lord.”  The choice is always yours.

How Much and By When?

Some people make achieving goals sound like a mysterious science.  They complicate things.  I’m not saying achieving your goals is easy, infact, often it’s easier not too.  Which is why so many don’t.  It’s easy to stay with the status quo.  It’s even relatively easier to go back the way things were.  That’s hardly progress though.

Have you even been stymied after a long meeting that didn’t seem to produce any actions?  Or received instructions from your manager or even a customer that weren’t clear?  There are two questions that will help. How Much?  and By When?

Yes, there are other elements to effective goal setting, however these two questions cut through much of the clutter. “How Much?” is your volume measurement.  It can be anything; dollars, units, customers, votes, legislation. “By When?” gives you a timeframe; a day, week, month, year.  Put the two question together and you have the immediate basis for accountably.  Which is why it’s hard for some people to answer those questions.  They want wiggle room.  They don’t want the accountability.

No one “likes” accountability yet we all thrive when it’s there.  We’re at our best when we’re accountable to ourselves, our family, customer or constituents, and ultimately a higher calling.  Accountability creates movement.  How much and by why is the lever to get things moving.  Get in the habit of asking those questions and providing the answers to projects that are important to you.

It’s hard to predict the future, so sometimes your answers will be off.  Maybe your how much was too much or too little.  Your by when too near or too far.  It’s okay.  Revise the answer and keep going.  If we can hold ourselves accountable to those two progress inducing questions we can achieve more.

As an exercise, listen to your favorite or least favorite politician speak and see how often they offer answers to those questions.  It will give you insight to the breadth of their vision.  If they have no vision, by no means follow them.

Action: Ask, How Much and By When at least once a day for a week then share your results here or on the Karl Bimshas Consulting Facebook fan page. Did your quest for accountability tick people off?  Did you feel like you moved something forward?  Were you satisfied with the answers?  A caveat: make sure you provide your own How Much and by when answers to anyone who asks you.

How To Stay When You Want to Quit

Here's the book that inspired the last 21 Days.




You can find “How to Stay When you Want to Quit; re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”, here or here.  Now there's a chance for you to win a FREE Copy.




Simply become a fan of Karl Bimshas Consulting on Facebook (Join Here) and make a comment on the Whiner to Winner series.  A random fan will be selected to get an autographed copy of the book.

So share your thoughts, insight or other ideas with other fans.

Final Thoughts - Whiner21 (Day 21)

Here we are at Day 21!

For the last three weeks I posed a series of questions, exercises and thought starters aimed at helping you get over yourself and get working on something productive.





I’m sure you found concepts that can apply to virtually any job and any position in any organization.  Maybe it gave you some thought starters to begin moving your mind in a more positive direction.



My intention of these last 21 days was to help inspire others to maximize their strengths and continuously improve themselves and their organization or society, by bringing the powers of vision, passion and action.  I believe in some way doing so can help positively energize our nation and contribute to greater peace, prosperity, fun, understanding, responsibility and liberty in the world.



Now it’s up to you.  It’s time to put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your career and your life and begin pursuing the dreams, hopes, and aspirations that you’ve been moaning about all this time.  People believe in you.  I believe in you.  Now, believe in yourself and get to work.

Make the time to share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.




Want to learn more about Karl Bimshas Consulting and finding the a-ha within?

Email - Karl@karlbimshas.com

Call - 619.717.6204

Visit - www.karlbimshas.com

Write - Karl Bimshas Consulting

P.O. Box 83983

San Diego, CA  92138

Meaningful Recognition - Whiner21 (Day 20)

There must be a regular diet of meaningful recognition.

Positive reinforcement, thanks and praise are the nutritional components of a healthy workforce, the helium that lifts the organizational balloon to new heights.  It is a currency that many organizations are afraid of spending; yet its value can be limitless.  Without it, or withholding it until the perfect moment, can result in at worst, a bankruptcy of human potential, and at best, leave people with a feeling of emotional deficiency.

All people want to do a good job, regardless of which motivations they declare to be driven by; the rewards of learning new experiences, enhancing important relationships or legacy building, people will respond to those who notice what they have already contributed with even greater performance.

It’s amazing.  Many times people think about thanking people for a job well done – but thinking is not the same as doing it. The best of intentions are still only intentions.  To make an impact you must actually do something.

Make a plan and recognize people for the good things they're doing.

Next up: “Final Thoughts”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Overwhelming Optimism - Whiner21 (Day 19)

There must be a sense of overwhelming optimism.

The compelling vision is not only the day to day, here’s what we need to do and why, but the over arching, here is our place on earth, here’s our legacy, here’s the good that we wish to do.

Living that is what creates a legacy. Knowing that is what helps create positivism.

That positive approach has to be all-encompassing.  Tolerance of rampant apathy or negativism is a weakness.  If optimism is not visible in practice, alarms should sound and priority given to overcoming whatever the obstruction may be.

This does not forego the crucial role of devil’s advocate and challenging viewpoints -- but to leave negative feelings or remarks unchecked, even in the simplest day to day transactions, is to enable the contagion.  Counter the virus with positive encouragement and recognition. You don’t want to be Pollyanna with everything – that can be just as dangerous.  But negativity is an acid that corrodes everything.  It must be neutralized.



Are you more or less optimistic now than before you started this program?

How do you handle apathy or negativism when you encounter it?

(What more could you do?)

How do you recognize those who are positive?

Next up: “Meaningful Recognition”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

The Vision Thing - Whiner21 (Day 18)

The organization must have a repeatable compelling vision and sense of purpose.

If possible it should be a clear and concise singular vision.  Every activity that the organization tackles must be able to foster a closer linkage to that compelling vision.  It must be memorable and repeatable so that every message, action and strategy supports the purpose with their obvious connections.

The clarity of the vision should be worded and promoted in a way that others can understand, support, be excited by, grow some passion around, and be inventive in discovering numerous ways to achieve that purpose. Too often people spend too much time and energy trying to create a literary masterpiece instead of a clear, easy to follow and understand vision. It’s a terrible waste of resources.

Leadership is about inspiring people – not tiring people and putting them to sleep.



Does your organization have a repeatable compelling vision and sense of purpose? (If it does, what is it?)

Does it excite you or anyone else?



Next up: “Overwhelming Optimism”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

The 1st of the Four Musts - Whiner21 (Day 17)

The Four Musts are the things every organization, family or team need for optimal performance.  Now that you’re a winner your role is to act as curator for each of the “musts”.  The first must is about a leadership.





There must be a strong leader and strong, pervasive leadership.




Charisma is not leadership, although it can act as a helpful tool to quickly gain the acceptance of an audience.  Effective leaders share a passion for and a record of accomplishments.  Strong leadership is demonstrated daily by a person or a group of people who are honest, forthright, markedly visible and approachable.  Leaders fulfill their insatiable need to be out in front regularly.  When not actually walking on the frontlines then they talk with people who work there, both in “town hall” meetings and in one to one settings.  They remember that just as the shepherd is there for the benefit of the flock, leadership is there to serve the people and they take that responsibility seriously.



Do you have a passion for a record of accomplishment? What are your top three accomplishments right now?






How often do you talk to people who are on the front lines of your organization?



It’s one thing to talk like a leader – quite another to act like one.

Next up: “The Vision Thing”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Review Where We’ve Been - Whiner21 (Day 16)

Let's take a moment to review where we've been so far, and notice how far you've already progressed.  The first thing you needed to do was to acknowledge and honor the change that was occurring around you.  You had to figure out how you were going to deal with it and learn how to get happy.  Once you identified that, you had to be prepared to defend and protect the things that made you happy.

Next, you needed to beware of the three-donkey day.  You learned that it was foolish to blame what you were going through on burnout when you were acting like an arsonist.  You had a choice.  You could change, ignore things for a little while, or move on, but you had to do something.  You rediscovered what motivates you and remembered the way you felt when you first got your job and why you wanted it in the first place.  And that it was up to you to choose your attitude and approach.

You needed to become less selfish so you began asking people, “What one thing can I do for you that will most help you make a positive difference?”  If you found people were being negative you started to challenge them, asking them why they were still doing what they were doing.  You figured out your learning style and began to identify in yourself, and others the places where you could begin to make the most positive impact; in customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and profitable revenue growth.  You knew that talking about it was a good start, but not enough, so you built weekly action plans around each goal.



It’s crucial to set goals with measurements and timelines, accomplishing them without that is more luck than effort.



You learned that you needed to protect your people at all costs.  To improve their jobs, their outlook and in fact, their lives was one of your key roles.  You’ve learned to begin to run to things – not away from things.  You now understand that it’s better to operate from a position of strength – not weakness as you continue to identify your vision.  It makes sense that people like to follow people who are passionate and competent and because of that you continuously refine your strengths.



It wasn’t easy.  You had to consciously get optimistic and turn everything into an upside.  You trained yourself to find the pony in nearly every situation.  It helped a lot to list your ten best excuses for not doing something to see how foolish you were truly acting.



Now you’re ready to learn about The Four Musts.



Next up: “The 1^st of the Four Musts”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

What Do You Want? - Whiner21 (Day 15)

Take an inventory of what it is you want.  It is readily available or do you have to go someplace else for it?  Would you?



Maybe you’ve gotten comfortable with all your complaining.  People seem to be giving you pity – and you’ve been playing a great victim.  Keep it up and you could keep doing what you’ve been doing until you retire or die, whichever comes first.



But that’s no way to live, so how about spending some time working on you.  What do you want to do with yourself?  You’ve got to have a clue. Reach back into your childhood if you need to.



What did you want to be when you grew up?  Why?





Examine that in today’s context.  Is it still appealing?  If not, why not?  If yes, then why the heck aren’t you doing it now?





Go ahead; list your ten best excuses for not pursuing your dreams.  Write them down.  Prioritize them just like you would your goals.  Next, problem-solve them.  Get rid of the barriers.  Those SOB’s are keeping you from your dream.

Think of yourself as an actor on a television show.  You want to contribute toward getting high ratings each week so the show avoids cancellation; you want to get renewed each season.  So, you act and perform in a way that leads to the show’s success and you eventually earn awards.  Remember, you want to be a Highly Valued Star, not a Greatness Inhibitor.





Next up: “Review Where We’ve Been”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Find the Upside - Whiner21 (Day 14)

Make sure your network is is not the only thing working.  The fish don’t always bite; the ball does not always go through the hoop. Changing your attitude takes effort too.  What’s going on in your world that you can use to your benefit?



Act like the boy who walked into a room full of horse manure.  While his father grimaced and plugged his nose, the cheery boy excitedly proclaimed, “There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere.



So, get optimistic and turn everything into an upside.  Make a game of it.  When you do, a boring training class coming up becomes a test of endurance.  Got a thick new policy manual to read?  Time to practice speed-reading.  You’re a champion problem solver!  Keep a log of the problems you successfully solve each day.  Track and improve your average.  Measure progress.



You need to make time for yourself.  Take a break from the madness.  If you can get away for a while, great, even for an afternoon or a lunch hour.  Get away from your job and work on something else.  Anything.  Make the best grocery list the world has ever seen.  Wax your car.  Clean your closet.  Play.  Go buy a set of Lego Bricks and build something.  Just make sure you’re active, and that you’re engaging as many of your senses as you can.  Sitting on the couch with a pint of ice cream watching reruns of “Friends” does not count.  You need to move your mind, body and heart. When you’re done, there needs to be something you can look at with that all but forgotten feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.  Go do it.  Then answer the question below.





What did you do that moved your mind, body and heart?





Next up: “What Do You Want? ”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Ask for Help - Whiner21 (Day 13)

It may be time to start looking for something new – tap the network.  Ask for help.  People like helping people reach their goals.  Know your goal.

Goals are easy to find.  What things do you do at work that you enjoy?  Working with people?  Creating presentations?  Analyzing data?  Every time you find that passion, pay attention to yourself and see what you respond to.  Spend more time doing that. Describe how it feels.  Probably pretty darn good.  Enjoy it.  Relish it.  And do everything you can to repeat it.  Ignore, delegate or trade the rest if you can because it’s the passion-inducing moments that are going to give you your happiness and personal success.  People like to follow leaders who are passionate and competent so keep working on your skills and your strengths.



Don’t get lazy.  Just know your strengths.  Dig up any number of personal assessments or ask five people who you interact with daily what they think your strengths are.  Look for themes that are repeated and begin to focus on those things.  Refine your strengths.  Let the others atrophy – you weren’t built to do them anyway so don’t worry about them.

Next up: “Find the Upside”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Crumbs and Spilled Drinks - Whiner21 (Day 12)

When people ask, “how are you?” --don’t mumble, “fine”.  When they ask, “Can I do anything to help?” don’t say “No”.  Seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive.

Very little will drop in your lap.  Come to think of it, the things that normally drop in people’s laps are crumbs and spilled drinks and the answers to your challenges aren’t in that!

Begin to tell people forcefully, calmly, professionally what you need them to do, so you can do your job.  Let them know if they can’t provide excellence, it will be difficult for you to deliver excellence.

Next up: “Ask for Help”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Check Your Vision - Whiner21 (Day 11)

If you’ve been doing the recommended exercises to this point, you’ve probably been hitting some emotions you didn’t know you still had and hopefully it’s been challenging and invigorating to you.  Hold on to that because you need to pay attention to those feelings and fight for what you need.

Lobby for change.  Be brave and run to things – not away from them.  Operate from a position of inner strength not external weakness.  You are better than the problem that is set before you.

If you’re still working through this you must still care and truly want to make a difference. Good for you!  Now, can you define it?  What is the difference you truly want to make?  You wont have to try hard; the answer is sitting right on the surface.  Something is spurring you on.  There’s a vision you have that is aching to be realized.  Now is the time to breathe some new life into it.

What lofty ideal do you want to achieve?  Don’t be put off by other people’s definition of lofty.  Your vision has to be seen through your eyes first.  Make it crystal clear.



Write down or draw your vision or picture of success.



Next up: “Crumbs and Spilled Drinks”

Tell me how it’s going for you.  Have you been following along these last few days or did you just stumble across this?  Are you scrambling to catch up or have these posts failed to resonate with you?  Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Fix What's Wrong - Whiner21 (Day 10)

It takes true commitment.  Doing “it” even if it’s hard or you don’t feel like it.  The world is filled with enough poor leaders who negatively affect the lives of other people.  You must keep your commitments to others at all costs.

This is about responsibility and applies to anyone who has formal or informal influence over a team of people.  As a leader, people depend on you.  Anyone you come in contact with – you affect or influence in some way.  If you are not totally and completely there, then those influences such as downsizing, or a corporate initiative that everyone knows is foolhardy, will get to them.  It will fester and resentment will grow and that would be catastrophic.

Do not let it happen!  Protect your people by any means required.  Focus on improving their jobs, outlook, and life.  If you’re lucky you’ll feel better about yourself too.  If not, well at least you’re not the dead weight dragging everyone else down.



You might be so completely apathetic as to have adopted the, “so what, I don’t care, what difference does it make?” attitude.  That might be one of your problems.  It’s important that you find something to start to care about.  To know that you, can make a difference – and in fact it’s your human responsibility.

When something is wrong and you know it’s wrong or there is a direct or indirect assault to your values, beliefs, mission, goals or people, you need to fight back.  Do what is right even if it’s not correct.  Find a role – make a difference.  Don’t complain – express.  Take a stand.

Next up: “Check Your Vision”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Why Are You Still Here? - Whiner21 (Day 9)

Ask yourself, “Why are you still here?” Keep probing until one or more of the three intrinsic motivators are revealed.

1. For personal development,


2. Because of enriching experiences with others


3. Or to work on leaving a legacy.

Why are you still here?

Now define your primary learning style.

1. Is it Action-Oriented? Are you likely to roll up your sleeves and get to it, preferring to learn through trial and error?


2. Are you People-Oriented?  Do you like to confer with others who may have experienced the problem prior to you?


3. Or are you Information-Oriented?  Are you among the first to look for the training manual or some type of documentation you can refer to frequently?

What is your primary learning style.

It’s important to recognize that in business you need to be equally successful in three areas, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Satisfaction and Profitable Revenue Growth.  These are the three legs to the stool that you are resting your career on.  If the stool is wobbling - fix a leg before you fall off.



In which of these areas do you feel you could make the greatest positive impact?



Now, review all the choices that you made and answer the question, “What am I going to do in the tomorrow to get started?”



Review your answers.



Find linkages and hold yourself to your commitments.  Be open to the answers and make it your mission to accomplish the requests of anyone brave enough to provide you with honest feedback



Next up: “Fix What’s Wrong”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Making a Positive Difference - Whiner21 (Day 8)

As you begin to realize what it was that you had wanted to do in the first place, you may feel a growing frustration.  Perhaps you feel that the people around you are not moving fast enough.  They’re not making the same self-discoveries that you are and it is beginning to tick you off.

By now you should be convinced that if you continue to behave in the same glum manner you have been acting, you will build momentum and speed toward a much-deserved outcome.  Unfortunately, that outcome will probably not be a positive one.  You’re not doomed, but you need to change your approach toward the people you work with, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.  As a start, in true servant-leadership fashion, you should begin to ask others, “What one thing can I do for you that will most help you make a positive difference?”



You see, you probably owe your coworkers more than you’ve been giving them.  You should ask a few questions of yourself first.  Once you know your own answers begin asking your coworkers’ one on one.  Honestly answering these questions will create a positive and proactive buzz, the likes of which you probably have not seen in quite a long time.  With that newfound energy you can then direct the momentum that will give you far greater odds of reaching a more satisfying destination.  In this activity your leadership – not your management, is crucial.  It is important to reflect on some biblical wisdom that the shepherd is there for the flock, not the other way around.



Next up: “Why Are You Still Here?”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re the Arsonist - Whiner21 (Day 7)

Here we are, day 7 of my 21-day commitment to help you move from whiner to winner.  Adapted from my book, “How to Stay When you Want to Quit; Re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”, this series takes key pieces from that program.

For two more weeks I will continue to pose a series of questions, exercises and thought starters aimed at helping you, or someone you love to get over it and to start getting to work on something productive.

Please share your thoughts.  I’d love to hear how you’re doing.  Now let’s get into Day 7, “Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re The Arsonist”

You may think you’re burnt out, but don’t blame it on burnout when you’re the arsonist!  When you moan and groan to the people who are putting up with you and all your crap and say you’re feeling burnt out, it ticks them off because it’s a load of garbage.  As a human being you are capable of sustaining a lot of real pain and hardship.



You’re blessed with a brain that has the capacity to solve almost any problem set before it.  You are just being lazy.  You don’t want to hear it but at its core it’s true.

Sure it’s hard.  It’s like a bowl of leftover food you come across in the refrigerator.  Maybe you don’t like what you see, but you need to do something with it.  You’ve got choices.

1. You can try to change it into something more palatable.


2. You can choose to ignore it … for a little while anyway.


3. Or you can choose to get rid of it.  Move on and find something else.

The same applies to you and your job.

Which do you choose?

Maybe you’re frustrated.  Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to do anything.  Some believe people are intrinsically motivated by one or more of three things.

1. Personal growth and development,


2. Enhancing an important relationship,


3. or Working on something bigger than ourselves and leaving a legacy.

What motivates you?



If you need to get better control of your attitude, surrounding yourself with positive people is an obvious start.  Each morning it’s up to you.  You can wake up, drag yourself out of bed, look out the window and say, “Good Lord, it’s morning” or you can hop up, take a deep breath and say, “Good morning Lord.”

Next up: “Making a Positive Difference”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Beware the 3 Donkey Day - Whiner21 (Day 6)

Believe it or not, people are generally good.  Very few wake up each morning and commit to screwing you in some way.  You need to beware the three donkey day.  If during the course of your day you find yourself encountering three separate people you feel are complete donkeys, then it’s probably you who is being the ass.  Go home and call it a day or take a deep breath and keep your mouth shut before you make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have.

When was the last time you came across three donkeys?



Reflecting back on that day, who was the biggest donkey? (If it wasn’t you, you may want to think again or ask someone who was with you.)

Knowing what you now know, what will you do different in the future?



Next up: “Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re the Arsonist”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Complaining is Fun - Whiner21 (Day 5)

We all like to tell people how we’ve been wronged.  And if we haven’t been wronged badly enough we like to embellish it a little so everyone will know the pain we are feeling.  It makes us feel like champions or heroes, in our own mind at least.  Think about it.  When you hear other people complain about their situation, don’t you think of all the alternatives that person could have done to avoid their pain?  Don’t you think, even if just briefly, that they sound like a pathetic loser?

What do you regularly complain about?



You may feel like all the smart people have already left the organization.  Maybe some of them have just modified their attitudes to match their new circumstances.  Can you identify them?  Are they in your circle?  They need to be, so you better find them and quick, otherwise you truly are screwed.  They can be the lifeline that stops you from sinking any further.

Who are these people?  Try to identify five.

How are you going to spend more time with each of them?  Make the time now to plan your approach using the log below.

Next up: “Beware the 3 Donkey Day”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

So, You Wanna Be A Star - Whiner21 (Day 4)

Sometimes you come across people who feel that what they’re doing is just a job.  They don’t feel like they get enough, and in fact they often think they’re owed something.  Their job is a mismatch for them. The person should go away because they bring low value to the team.  They are a Greatness Inhibitor.



Some people wish things could be better.  They want to help.  They may not love what they’re doing but it pays the bills and they at least have some ambition. They’ve have had moments of greatness and liked how it felt.  These people should place themselves where they can make the greatest contribution, because right now they’re of moderate value to the team, but they are Potential Stars.



If you want to make dramatic improvements start hanging around the people who see possibility.  They often problem-solve away from work and have a mutual feeling that their job enriches a part of their life and part of their life enriches the job.  Begin to imitate them because they are rare and are the needed leaders. They feel obligated to continue to perform and enrich themselves and others.  They are highly valued Stars in the organization.



Review the Value Matrix below.  Which one best describes where you are today? What are you going to do to progress through the Value Matrix to ensure you stay or become a highly valuable star?

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="562" caption="Value Matrix"][/caption]

Next up: “Complaining is Fun”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Defending Your Happy Place - Whiner21 (Day 3)

If you’ve given it some thought and paid close attention to your emotions, you’ll eventually find your happy place. This place or thing is going to become a major touchstone for you.  It is going to be able to bring a smile across that sourpuss face of yours.  You’re going to do your daydreaming about this place.  It will spur you into action and ultimately get you through the day.

Your sanctuary may be as large as your home, or perhaps it’s a favorite seat at the local coffee shop.  It might be a stretch of beach or a particular bench in the park. If you haven’t identified it, now is the time to find your happy place, your peaceful spot, somewhere to contemplate life.

Maybe it’s not a concrete place for you.  It might be time.  Time spent with family and friends, or reading a book or painting.  Either way – it’ll fill a spot in your heart and you’ll need to nurture it with strong love, time and appreciation.  Know your happy place, it’s there you’ll find a sense of peace, happiness and excitement.  That’s why you need to nurture it, to make it strong enough to defend itself in your absence.

What or where is your happy place?

Next up: “So, You Wanna Be A Star”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Defending Your Happy Place - Whiner21 (Day 3)

Come on, Get Happy - Whiner21 (Day 2)

Look outside your work.  Is there anything making you happy?  The point is to find something that has nothing to do with your present condition.  You’re looking for a diversion, something different that gets you up and going, gets you excited. Wouldn’t it be cool to feel excited or passionate about something?

List three things that currently make you happy.

Some people may have trouble picking three things.  Here’s a tip that may help. Think about what makes you laugh out loud.  Can’t remember the last time you laughed out loud?  Start to pay attention.  Keep a log or jot memories down on sticky notes and refer to them often.  Some other things to try;

1. Listen to upbeat music,


2. Listen to inspirational speeches, sermons or books


3. Hang out with happy people.

Remember, you want to feel better, don’t you?  Then get excited about this.



Write down several things that make you happy.  Spend some time figuring out how to spend more time with the things and people that lift your spirits.







Next up: “Defending Your Happy Place”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Whiner to Winner in 21 Days (Day 1)

Twenty-five days into the New Year and some people are already whining.  There are whines about the economy, the government, the NFL, their own ill-conceived resolutions, their faltering relationships, their job.  Whine, whine, whine.



I’m taking the next 21 days to help you move from whiner to winner.  Adapted from my book, “How to Stay When you Want to Quit; re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”, this series will take key pieces from that program.  For 21 days I will pose questions, exercises and thought starters aimed at helping you get over yourself and get working on something productive?



Too harsh?  Not for you?  Tell a friend or someone you love who’s been going through a tough time to check in, because I’m confident they’ll get something out of this series.  Truly, so will you, even if you don’t want to admit it right now.  I guarantee there’s something going on in your life that you’ve been whining about.  Cut it out.  It’s time to make things better.



As you work your way through the next 21 days you’ll find concepts that can apply to virtually any job and any position in any organization.  Good luck and have fun on this journey as you take control of your approach and attitude toward life.



So let’s get right to it. Make note of your answers to the questions posed in this series, they will help you collect your thoughts.



Imagine you’ve just finished a day of work…

1. How are you feeling right now?


2. When you look in the mirror, describe whom you see.


3. What do you think you sounded like to people who may have overheard your conversations today?


4. Is your job fun? Why or Why not?


5. What’s changed from the first day you started this job? (Reflect, and determine if it was your job that changed or you.)


6. What if neither you nor your job changed?  Would you be happy to keep doing what you’re doing now for the next five years? (If you answered no, then you must learn to recognize, respond and thrive with change.)


7. Do you have a sense of purpose in what you do? Why or Why not? (If you do have a sense of purpose, what is it? Are you living on purpose?)

Next up: "Come on, Get Happy"

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

How Did You Get To Be So Awesome?

Having a vision of success is only part of the equation of achievement; unfortunately it’s where too many people stop.  They can see what they want so clearly that it hurts.  Yearnings are fine because they move us forward.  It’s a different story if the vision we set for ourselves leads to feelings of regret or depression because we’ve not achieved them fast enough.

Some wonder what they’re doing wrong, and why things never seem to work out for them.  As a result, despondent people give up on their vision.  What they should be doing is asking better questions.  Keep your vision.  I’d argue, the wilder the better.

If you created your own vision then you know deep within you’re able to achieve it.  Today, assume you already have and then figure out how you did it by asking “Forward Reflective Questions” like, “Why am I so successful?”  “How did I earn so much money?”  or “Where did I find this wonderful person?”  As with your goal setting, be as specific as you can in your reflection.

Do you think if you ask questions like these you’re lying to yourself?  You might not FEEL successful yet, so how could you ask such a question?  It’s easy.  Because like Michelangelo’s David, the person you want to be is already in there, you just need to get rid of the things that aren’t serving you anymore.  The baggage that someone else unloaded on you and you’ve been carrying all these months or years.

Our mind is a powerful solution-seeking machine.  It likes to find answers.  So if you question why you’re a failure, you’ll get answers and you won’t like them.  It’s better to question why you are a success in whatever you choose to pursue.  The answers to those questions may also surprise you and they will unlock a way of thinking that will bring you closer to your vision with greater speed.

The Daily Focus Sheet

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="284" caption="The Daily Focus Sheet"][/caption]

Daily Focus Sheet

Need to keep focus on what’s important to you?  Plan your day and reflect on what you’ve done.

Here’s a free worksheet to help you out.  Beginning tonight, think about your main purpose or goal for tomorrow and the week ahead and jot it down.  Then list ten things you need to do that will bring you closer to that goal.

Before you go to bed tonight, or first thing in the morning, brainstorm ideas to improve a challenge you’re facing.  Remember in brainstorming there are no rules; write out anything even if it seems ridiculous.  It’s the ideas after those ones that will be truly creative.  That’s why it’s important to come up with at least ten.  If you’re lucky, two of them might actually be pretty good.

During the course of the day strive to be more pleasant.  Make it a goal to make ten compliments to other people.  It could be for a job well done or shoes well shined.  People want to hear from you.

Finally, at the close of the day, list ten things you’re grateful for.  Fall asleep in that state of gratitude.  Make copies of this worksheet and try if for a week then tell me how you feel.

(Click above or HERE to get to the Daily Focus Sheet)

Americans’ job satisfaction falls to record low

Here's a link to a survey I read today:  Americans’ job satisfaction falls to record low

This unfortunately tracks with what we're seeing in the marketplace.  Satisfaction with bosses have always been a bell wether for overall job satisfaction.

Leaders, the challenge is to make work more interesting and fun so innovation can flourish.  How to do that?  Good teachers do it every day.  Go learn from one.

The First Monday

When you got up to go to work today were you giddy with excitement to start the year off fresh or were you full of dread?  Were you saddened that the holidays are over and you have to get yourself into a new routine?  Do you miss your family so much that you want to share more time with them?

In the current economy, you might be grateful just to have a job even if you don’t really like it, which begs the question; why are you investing so much time in something you don't love.  Money?  Duty?  Habit?  Fear?

Each morning you have a choice.  You can get up bleary-eyed and mumble, “Good God, it's morning.” or awake refreshed and bright-eyed and say, “Good Morning, God.”

Today, appreciate what you have.  Find, create or develop excitement, maybe even inspiration for the year ahead for yourself or better yet, for others.

If you're not happy where you are, you just found a great goal to work on.  If you’re fortunate enough to actually be happy where you are, good for you, now go help your co-workers get in that same affirming and confident place.

Have a great day.  It's up to you.

Learn more by reading reading, "How to Stay When You Want to Quit; Re-scripting your life from whiner to winner" available on Amazon.com

Congratulations, You Made It.

Congratulations, you made it.  It’s a new day, month, year, and decade.  The “first of the year” has arrived, so no more feeble excuses.  It’s time to get to work on you.

“But today?  It’s a holiday.”



Well Kid, any day you make progress on your goals is cause for celebration so you might as well get started.  Do something.  Have you written your goals down yet?  Have you shared them with a supportive person?






[caption id="attachment_111" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Most Contributed to Success"][/caption]



In a recent survey 38% of the respondents cited Support from Others as a major contribution to their success last year.  This was second to old-fashioned Discipline and Persistence.

Of those same respondents, 55% were optimistic about accomplishing their goals in 2010.  That’s a good start, although 100% would be better.  Those who aren’t  sure may be pragmatic or they may be a little too reliant on luck.










[caption id="attachment_112" align="alignright" width="234" caption="How Likely to Accomplish 2010 Goal?"][/caption]

For the nearly 20% who are beginning the year with low confidence there are two choices; break your goal into smaller manageable pieces, or find a new worthwhile goal.  If you don’t think you can achieve your goal, how can anyone else?






Working on your goal will not always be easy so begin the habit of asking, “Does this move me closer to or farther from my goal?”  If you listen to your intuition, you will always hear an answer.  Heed what it tells you and choose to do the things that move you a little closer…everyday.  There are 365 days in this year, what you do with them is up to you.

4 Things to Experience in 2010

Here are four things I would like you to experience in 2010.



1.  Find a Great Goal. Even if you have a Laissez-faire attitude, there is a special joy in discovering some spectacular thing you want to have, do or be.  Fill yourself with that positive yearning.



2.  Set at least one Great Goal. Make it a SMART Goal and better to set three.  Short-term, mid-term and long-term goals can keep your momentum -- and if interrelated can help you achieve each of them faster.



3.  Get a Great Goal. Meaning, achieve it.  Making your goals a reality is seldom easy and that's good.  Great goals give our life a sense of personal purposefulness.  Don’t you want to live your life on purpose?  Stick with it.



4.  Celebrate. Let's get rid of the long bovine expressions that have plagued us for too long.  The good and bad things in your life are tied more to your attitude than anything else.  Want more good things?  Celebrate every positive thing that happens. If you’re the reserved type, this will feel odd.  Why celebrate things that are supposed to happen?  Because they worked!  We mourn loss we must celebrate achievement.



Have a happy, safe and enriching new year filled with meaningful goals.

Write it Out and Let it Go

Are you carrying an anger, sadness or fear that is immobilizing you or holding you back?  The New Year is a great time to let it go, regain control and invest in you.  How would you like to do that in just seven days?

You know that writing is a powerful tool.  Did you also know it’s therapeutic?  Studies show goals have a greater likelihood of being achieved if they are written down.  Problems are also more likely to be revealed and resolved if taken from the head and placed on the page.  Below are three of the seven thought provoking questions you can find in the Disposable Journal.

Before you get started, there are a few things to keep in mind.  The answers are just for you.  You’re under no obligation to share it or any of the insights you discover with anyone.  It’s your private exploration.  Also, your answers needn’t be perfect.  You’re working on improving your attitude – not your grammatical prowess.

Day One - Think and then get it out.
What’s troubling you right now?  Is it a fear?  Are you angry or perhaps sad?  Think of your journal as a trusted friend whom you’ve not seen in a while.  What do you want to tell it?


Day Two - What’s going on with you?
Describe your current state.  What are your thoughts and feelings?  Who’s to blame; and why do you feel that way?  Put it out there and write for a solid twenty minutes.



Day Three - What do you call it?
List several words and phrases that describe how you feel.  Circle a few of them; connect any similar words or phrases with arrows.  Put a star next to one or two that really speak to you.  If the words escape you, draw a picture.

Your commitment is all it takes for the full seven-day Disposable Journal program to work.  Simply find about twenty minutes each day and expressively write your answers to the questions.  Imagine what it will feel like in a week when you’ve written it all out and let it go.

For more information, or to get your own Disposable Journal please visit http://www.disposablejournals.com/

[caption id="attachment_95" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Disposable Journals"][/caption]

There's Still Time

Was this your best year ever?  Most people would probably say no.  Maybe you lost your job, money is tight, or you unexpectedly lost a loved one.  Maybe the year has been sprinkled with health scares and economic uncertainty.  All of these things are significant events and life is full of them.  However, events are inherently neutral.  Some may feel terrific, some horrible and some may just suck.  That's life.  It doesn't matter because the only important factor is our response to those events.



We cannot control events no matter how hard we may try; there are too many outside variables.  The only thing within our control is our response to them.  Do we respond or react?  Reaction takes its cue from forces beyond our control while responding takes deliberative thought.  Both paths influence the outcome of the event.  Wouldn’t you like to have a say?  It's the difference between shriveling up and choosing to blame the government, big business, family and even God, or straightening up, grabbing a broom, and cleaning up the messes in life.  It's about taking personal responsibility.



You could wait until next year.  Next year is full of potential.  It's also full of procrastination.  “Next” is a comforting place to be because you don't have any of the responsibility of being “it” yet you get to enjoy the feeling of anticipation.

January 1st is an arbitrary date.  You can begin a goal at any hour of any day.  Why wait?  There are things you wanted to accomplish this year.  Get started, there's still time.

Take the 10 question, 2009 Goal Survey and tell me about your success or failure in finding, setting and getting the goals that are important to you.

If you need help finding, setting or getting your next great goal, give me a shout.  Strengths based Personal Development is what Karl Bimshas Consulting does.

2009 Goal Survey

There's very little more invigorating than pursuing a worthy goal.  We carry out goals all day long, based on the decisions we make.  Think about the last thing you accomplished.  You did it through clear vision, a desire if not a burning passion, and you took some action to complete it.  It could have been as simple as discovering a new place for lunch or finding a perfect gift for a friend.  The good news is the formula works the same for those “great goals” in life that require you to put in some effort, planning and collaboration with others.  Like starting a business, going back to school or learning another language.

These things don’t happen in an instant, but your decision to pursue them does.  It's that one magical moment when you know for sure that this is what you want to pursue.  I love that moment.  I'm addicted to that moment.  They don't even have to be my own goals; I get jazzed learning about other people's goals.

At the risk of being an enabler, I'd like to learn about your goals.  Take my 10 question, 2009 Goal Survey and tell me about your success or failure in finding, setting and getting the goals that are important to you.




Click here to take survey

Remember, if you need help finding, setting or getting your next great goal, give me a shout.  Strengths based Personal Development is what I do.

Personal Accountability Video (Music Only)

After Action Review of Writing Project

I’ve seen many “winners” post war stories from their recent NaNoWriMo experience.  I thought I would let the din of it all settle down a little before sharing my reflection on why it was a good experience for me.

NaNoWriMo.org was explained in an earlier posting.  I participated this year for a few major reasons.

1. I felt the need to expand my creative writing.  I’ve been working in the Non-fiction and business realm for a while and needed a diversion.  I’ve not attempted a piece of fiction other than my screenplays so I wanted to test myself as a writer.


2. With the exception of my poetry experiments, I edit my writing constantly, so the thought of writing 50,000 words before touching any of them was intriguing and would stretch me.


3. Frankly, to accomplish something, that many people talk about, but few do.  Write a novel.


4. Finally, I have built my life around helping others achieve their goals.  If I couldn’t publicly declare a goal of mine and successfully achieve it, what right would I have in helping others?

Writing about one’s writing experience has a megalomaniacal feel to it, so I’ve decided to frame it within an After Action Review.  The format is a good one to follow when it’s time to reflect on your recent projects.

What was the objective?

I’ll explain it by way of a SMART Goal

• Specific.  Write a first draft novel of 50,000 words or better in 30 days or less


• Measurable.  A binary result, are 50, 0000 words written, yes or no?


• Attainable.  According to the projects’ organizers it should be.  I have a comfortable writing pace of essentially 1,000 words per hour.


• Realistic.  By sparing about two hours each night and securing good family support, it appeared realistic.


• Timely.  The timeframe was predetermined; November 1 – November 31.

What happened?  (Facts only)

• I achieved 51,266 words in 25 days.

What do you need to do more of and why?

Making the time to think about and carefully setting SMART goals works.  What I underestimated to begin with was the value in creating and maintaining a support structure.  I had several communities of which to share the experience with.

• The NaNoWriMo.org community provided success measurements and pep talks,


• My family, a supportive group of writers in their own right provided shared excitement and understanding of “sequestered” writing time,


• My offline writer friends, some of who wanted to write but couldn’t,


• My online writing friends, assorted groups of writers I’ve met via social media particularly via Twitter and Facebook.


• Offline friends who didn’t participate but were encouraging.

Each community provided support in their own way and I called on them, as I needed them, for ideas, pep talks, validation or inspiration.

What do you need to change about your approach or goals going forward and why?

Accountability is so often uncomfortable.  It needn’t be.  It’s the thing that keeps us on track.  With all future goals, writing or otherwise, it’s important to have an accountability partner or system that keeps me focused and moving forward.

What worked and why?

Prior to beginning the project, I was open to ideas of what to write about, but I was not in the mindset of having a story that NEEDED to be told.  I was open to whatever came me.  I decided to capture those nuggets on index card throughout the day.  Over a few days, I had a stack of cards.  I reviewed them and organized them into a loosely thread story.  That served as my outline prior to writing.

When I began, I was not looking to achieve the highest word count of my buddies and eventually learned to not be looking for much quality in my first draft.  I also was not looking to be the first in meeting the word count goal.  My two biggest fears were falling too far behind and not finishing.  Not finishing was not an option.  That spurred the desire to not fall behind, which certainly aided the friendly competitive spirit with other writers.

What didn’t work and why?

I had scheduled time to write, but it didn’t always work out.  For some reason the majority of my writing occurred between 10:00pm and midnight.  I would post my word count on the NaNoWriMo website and then, if still in the mood continue writing -on a few occasions until 3:00am.  This was never the plan, but inspiration and desire do not always work to plan.

Whom do you need to recognize?

My family and numerous members of the communities mentioned above provided a lot of support.  At the risk of leaving people out, I will provide an honorable mention to just three in particular.

Bill Siderski, a fellow writer from Emerson College days, kept the competitive spirit fueled.

Unbeknownst to them, twitter’s @bookoven provided just the right random encouragement that kept me going the one time I nearly sabotaged myself.

And a huge shout out to Lia Keyes and all the active writers at her site Scribbleratti, which provided so much humor, encouragement, competition and praise for every writer.

In conclusion, pick your goals wisely and set about accomplishing them.

It's Goal Season

As the year begins to wind down Goal Season begins to heat up.  Goal Season is the period between Thanksgiving Day, when people swear that next year they won’t eat so much, and continues through January, when people beat themselves up for not keeping their young resolutions.

Today, you may be feeling business or personal pressures to finish the year strong.  If you already did your planning for 2010 in October, good for you.  For the 97% of the rest of us, this is the time to plan anew.

What are you going to do make sure you achieve your next goal?  First off, you need to want it, badly.  If it’s not motivating to you, just how fun do you think it’s going to be to achieve?  If you’re working on a goal that’s not fun, you should probably stop.  Life is too short.  So, what is it you want to do or have?  Avoid mediocrity by making it a great goal.  You should never be without a great goal.

It’s been said many times and in many ways; be sure your goal is S.M.A.R.T.

S - Make it specific.  Broad goals decay quickly.  Vague goals get vague results.

M - Make it measurable.  You won’t achieve your goal with one grand action.  It will take several little actions.  It’s those little actions that you’ll want to measure.  A little now, leads to a lot over time.

A - Make it attainable.  Americans are an optimistic lot and think that anything they want is attainable.  Because of this mindset, they nearly always get what they want.  Stretch yourself, like a rubber band – but don’t overextend or you’ll snap.

R - Make it realistic.  This has a direct correlation to your motivation.  If you’re not realistic about your current skills, the resources you have, and what additional things you’ll need to reach your goal, you’re destined for some disappointment, and that would break my heart.

T - Make it timely.  Getting squishy with time commitments will serve no one.  Time is the silent accountability partner.  It steadily ticks along, whether you’re ready or not.

Here’s a bonus tip.  Make your goal positive in nature and phrase it in a way that causes the creation of something.  Think about it; a goal to lose ten pounds sounds silly.  Who makes it a goal to lose something?  A goal is about scoring points.  Get enough successful goals and you have a winning streak.  It’d be better to be specific about the realistic and attainable weight you want to be on the date you think you can achieve that weight.  Soon you’ll be creating a brand new you!

Okay, here’s another bonus tip.  You could call it a “Bim-Bonus”:  Having a goal to stop doing something will be less successful than a goal of starting to do something that is more important to you.  Eventually the more important goal will replace the less important one.

If you need help finding, setting or getting your next great goal, give me a shout.  It’s what I do.

Video:

Teaser for Write Advice

What Will You Do with Your Extra Hour?

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.

-Horace Mann

Did you do it?  Did you “fall back” and recalibrate your watches and microwave oven clocks back one hour?   Psychologically we feel better in the fall because we feel, albeit fleetingly, like we've gained an upper hand over time. By autumn we forget how robbed we felt in the springtime when we lost an hour in this manmade biannual dance with the sun.

It's a rare gift to find extra time. It's a great equalizer.  At any time, we all share the same few seconds, but we know they’re not in limitless supply.

Budgeting your time is more important than budgeting your money.  If you lose money, you can always make it back with some effort. Time does not play by the same rules.  Once it’s spent, it is unrecoverable.

As you begin to value time, you also begin to value other scarce resources, like time with the people you love, quiet moments of reflection or study. For some it may be extra sleep or working on a project, while others may party a little harder.  It’s your time; you get to use it as you wish.  In football, those who manage the clock best tend to win the game.  It’s true in life too, though it’s not really time that needs management – it’s your priorities. Use your time.  Spend it on your goals.  Squandering it, will serve no one.