The M.A.P. Maker

Your mistake has a gift for you. Will you accept it?

In a M.A.P. Maker podcast a few months ago, Howard Behar (former President of Starbucks) talked about the value of what he called "celebrating failure." Here's what he had to say:

So when you do something like that, you’re forced to ask yourself the question, what did I miss there? And I think that if you can celebrate that – and I don’t mean you go throw yourself a big party and say, “Yay! We were a failure! Isn’t it wonderful?!” I’m not talking about that. But I’m talking about celebrating the fact that we tried something, and it didn’t work, and then understanding what we did, how we would have made it better, and what changes we would have made.

Like them or not, mistakes often come bearing gifts if we're open to receiving them. Today, over on the US News & World Report blog, I explore that idea, inspired by one of my favorite quotes from Miles Davis: "Do not fear mistakes. There are none."

Read: What if you'd made no mistakes in your life?

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Creative problem solving workbook (free)

There's never a time when problem-solving isn't a good skill to master, but in a career environment as challenging as today's, it becomes absolutely vital.

Here's an interesting workbook focused on creative problem solving. It takes you through several different aspects of problem solving, including:

Mess Finding: an effort to identify a situation that presents a challenge.

Data Finding: an effort to identify all known facts related to the situation; to seek and identify information that is not known but essential to the situation is identified and sought.

Problem Finding: an effort to identify all the possible problem statements and then to isolate the most important or underlying problem.

Idea Finding: an effort to identify as many solutions to the problem statement as possible.

Solution Finding: using a list of selected criteria to choose the best solution(s) for action.

Acceptance Finding: making every effort to gain acceptance for the solution, determine a plan of action, and implement the solution.

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Need simple steps to re-energize your career?
Get started with 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work!

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Crossroads: How to achieve your dreams one choice at a time

Lately I've been working on some aspects of my life that haven't been working for me. Habits, ways of thinking, etc. that simply haven't been leading me in the direction I want to go.

I haven't been making big sweeping changes. I've been working on creating a better path one choice at a time. As so often happens, I started thinking of an analogy for what I've been doing.

It occurred to me that every time I was confronted with the choice of whether to pursue the old mode that wasn't taking me where I want to go, or the new mode, I was in essence at a crossroads. And depending on the choice I made, I was taking a step toward the life I want or a step away from it.

After I started thinking about that, it wasn't long before I hit the whiteboard to sketch out a visual. I scribbled something like this:

For me, it was helpful to see a visual of the idea. Every point along the way has the potential to lead me toward what I want (the green) or away from it (the brown). But not only that, the visual reinforced the notion that, even if I slip, movement towards where I want to go is only one choice away. In fact, every crossroad is the potential beginning for an endless series of positive choices.

It's unrealistic to think that every step and every choice is going to lead you in the right direction. But keeping this crossroads concept in mind can make it easier to consciously take a path that leads to the life you want. You end up with something a little like this.

 The beauty of this approach is that it really focuses your attention on the question of, "What choice am I making right now? Which direction am I choosing right now?"And it's the cumulative effect of those individual choices that takes you where you want to go.

You can apply this at any level, from the macro (would taking this job lead me in a direction I really want to go?) to the micro (e.g., creating a new habit). 

Where are the crossroads in your life? What choices are you making?

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Get Wild About Work (and save a bucketload in the process)

Do you want a career that lights you up? Do you want to tap into the potential of passion? Do you want to stand out from the crowd? More than that, do you want a screamin' good deal to help you get there? Then read on!

In January I launched a test version of a six-week Wild About Work group coaching program. I learned a lot from doing one round, and want to do one more test round to solidify it.This one starts on Thursday, April 30th at 6 p.m. Pacific time.

Because part of the intent is essentially "R&D," for my group coaching, I'm offering this at a significantly reduced rate ($125, versus the normal rate of $295). It will be phone-based, so it's easy to take part wherever you are.

This is the last time I'm going to be doing the reduced-rate test version, so after this it will be the full rate.

More information below.

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Do you want to:

- Use passion as a competitive advantage in today's job market?
- Fuel your career success?
- Find clarity, take action, and get traction on a a career that lights you up?
- Spend your time doing something that energizes you and makes you feel alive?
- Connect with a group of like-minded individuals who are all committed to pursuing the dream?

If the answer is to any of these is yes, this Wild About Work group coaching program may be just what you need.

Space is limited to 8 - 10 people, so if you want to take advantage of this opportunity to launch your life change, contact me ASAP. It is telephone-based, so you can join in wherever you are.

I created the Wild About Work group coaching program to help people tap into the energy, insights, and inspiration that comes from working with a group of like-minded individuals in pursuit of a common goal.

You can find more information here .

I hope you'll join me!

Curt

The power of "Just one more"

I have a simple three-step plan for turning your dreams into reality. Want to hear it? Here you go:

1) Work your ass off.
2) Keep working your ass off.
3) Work your ass off just a little bit more.

A positive mindset is a great way to maximize the potential for manifesting the life you want, but if you want to maximize the likelihood, your best bet is to pair that up with some good old-fashioned hard work and persistence.

When it comes to hard work and persistence, this post on about the "just one more" solution (always making one more effort) got me thinking about how powerful a just-one-more-attempt approach can be.

Why do I love the idea? Two reasons. First, it keeps you in the present. Just one more isn't about the ten attempts you made in the past or the ten more you might have to make in the future. It's about focusing your effort on the here and now.

When you stay in the present, you can focus all your energy on your immediate efforts without having it drained off by the frustration of past and potential future efforts.

Second, just one more is always doable. It's simply one more step, and that's how your dreams are likely to unfold - step-by-step.

What about your life? Is there anyplace where you can say, "Just one more?"

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Take the slow road to success (and get there faster)

Have you ever found yourself moving so fast that you seem to be sliding backwards? Sometimes what you really need to move you towards success isn't more speed and more action. Sometimes what you really need is some space to pause and breathe. Check out my most recent post on the US News & World Report blog, where I explored the benefits of building a little slooooowww into that mach speed world.

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

How to use questions to create a positive perspective

If you've been reading what I write for any stretch of time, you know what a huge fan I am of questions. I think the question mark is the single most important piece of punctuation on the planet.

A couple days ago I wrote a post about using negative thoughts to launch a positive perspective. In it, I mentioned the idea of asking questions to help you find the positive. I want to take a deeper look at that idea.

Questions are inherently about opening doors. As tools to help you build a positive perspective, they can shift your focus and open your eyes to things you may not have been paying attention to.

Here are some questions to help you shine a light on the positive in your life.

• What's good in my life right now?
• What do I appreciate?
• Whom do I appreciate?
• Who appreciates me?
• What small thing am I thankful for?
• What big thing am I thankful for?
• How am I fortunate?
• What has happened today/this week/this month that's good?
• What brought me pleasure today?
• What do I like about myself?
• What do I like about the people around me?
• Where is the beauty around me right now?
• What one thing in my immediate surroundings can I admire and/or appreciate?
• What sense can I enjoy right now? (Do you hear birds? Smell something good? See something aesthetically pleasing? Feel something soft?)
• What memory brings a smile to my face?
• What am I proud of?
• What positive thing would people say about me?
• What is giving me energy today? What could be giving me energy if I let it?
• Where is the smile waiting to happen in my day?

Sometimes the positive perspective comes from shifting the meaning you attach to the negative experience. Here are some questions to help you find positive meaning in challenging circumstances.

• What can I learn from this?
• Where is the gift here?
• What message does this have for me?
• What does this help me see that needs changing?
• If I had to find a positive way to look at this, what could it be?
• What is this forcing me to do that I've been avoiding?
• What insight is this giving me that will enable me to be more _____ in the future? (Fill in the blank with the relevant characteristic)
• Who can I help as a result of having had this experience?

It's not all just about sitting and noodling about positive things in your head. You can also take specific steps to help bring a more positive perspective into view.

• Who can I reach out to for a positive connection?
• Who can I tell that I appreciate them?
• Who can I ask for positive feedback?
• Who can I help? How?
• What can I do right now that I enjoy?
• What can I plan that I enjoy?
• Where can I spend time today that makes me feel good (e.g., the park, your favorite coffee shop, etc.)?

I would love to hear your take on this. What questions would you suggest to help create a positive perspective?

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Need simple steps to re-energize your career?
Get started with 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work!

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

How to use negative thoughts to launch a positive perspective

Do you ever wish you could just wave a magic wand and banish negative thoughts from your head? Most of us (yes, sadly, yours truly included) have far too many bitching, moaning, or fearful thoughts flying around in our head. And whether they are merited or not, they contribute little or nothing to our well-being.

If you're waiting for the magic wand solution, you'll probably be waiting a good long time. But you can start shifting the balance towards the positive today. How? Use those negative thoughts to shift your focus to the positive.

Try a one-week experiment. Every time you find yourself thinking a negative thought (e.g., "I hate it when ___. I'll never be able to _____. It's so stupid that ____."), use it as a launch pad for a positive perspective. Stop and ask, "What's good in my life right now? What do I appreciate? How am I fortunate? What has happened today that's good? What do I like about myself."

Three things will happen. First, you'll interrupt your negative flow so it can't keep running roughshod over your mind. Second, it will replace the negative thought with something positive. And third, it will force you to look for the positives in your life.

If you continue the experiment for long enough, the balance of your thoughts will naturally shift towards the positive.

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

How to get traction from your action

One of the joys of self-employment is that I get to do whatever I choose. That's also one of the perils. It's too easy to get caught up doing things that have the flavor of work, but are really just ways to chase my own tail. They might be fun and interesting, but aren't actually taking me anywhere.

One of the questions I have started asking regularly when choosing how to spend my time is, "Is this moving me forward? How?"

Asking that question forces me to be honest about what I'm doing. I don't even want to think about how many hours/days/weeks I have spent taking action that amounted to little more than fun busy work when I shine the light of that question on it.

Asking how ties my activity directly to what it is I say I want to accomplish. It takes away the wiggle room and ensures that how I'm choosing to spend my time really is moving me towards what I want to achieve.

That's not to say I have to be rigid about it. I can still choose to spend my time in ways that aren't directly moving me forward, but when I do it should be a conscious choice and not a way to fool myself into thinking I'm doing something productive.

Try this: For a week, do an end-of-day review each day. Look at how you have spent your time and ask yourself, "Is this moving me forward? How?"

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

How not to measure success

Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel like you just aren't measuring up? Alexandra Levitt recently wrote about the perils of basing your internal feelings of worthiness on how you compare to others.

What's the danger of that? As she notes, there will always be someone who is "better" than you in any given category. So it's a game you can't win.

That got me thinking about another aspect of it, which is that when we compare ourselves to others, we typically aren't comparing ourselves to reality. We're comparing ourselves to our idealized version of what we think we see.

We often don't have the full story. For example, we see people's ultra-success, but don't see the warts-n-all reality behind the scenes. We don't see the bumps and bruises they've had along the way, or we don't see the fact that behind the face of public success lies a personal life in shambles.

So we end up comparing ourselves to a one-dimensional caricature, and then wonder why we come up short.

Looking at others can be good for goals and guidelines, but it's a poor way to measure actual success. Instead of an external measuring stick, try an internal one.

Start off by spending some serious time taking a 360-degree look at your own definition of what success really means in your life. Don't just blindly accept the definition you've been handed. What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? What's important to you? Do this for all facets of your life, not just work, because it's all interconnected.

Use benchmarks and measure your progress. Take stock of where you are today, set a goal, and then regularly check in to see how you're doing.

And while you're at it, take time to CELEBRATE your positive progress (but that's the topic for a whole new post).

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Need simple steps to re-energize your career?
Get started with 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work!

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst