Connect the Dots

How do you process information?  Do you interpret things literally or do you try to read between the lines?  While you may think that your thoughts and ideas are not related, you can actually connect the dots of what you want, what you encounter, and what you have.  The dots that you connect may represent various things.  It will depend on what end result you are trying to achieve.  When you look at the D, O, T, and S, consider these possible meanings.



Dreams are a vision of where you want to be.  Obstacles may prevent you from getting there on the route or schedule that you planned.  Tests of your patience, judgement, and confidence occur when obstacles delay your dreams.  Separation of doubt from effort can help you pass any test. 

Decisions are the building blocks of your influence.  Objectives help you measure progress toward your end result.  Timing will play a role in how effective your decisions are in relation to your objectives.  Shifts will occur in the amount of support you receive based on timing.

Details provide answers to questions before they are asked.  Outcomes should be evaluated to gather input for next steps.  Tasks connect successful outcomes to assignment details.  Space for improvement exists in front of attempts and behind achievements.

Leave a comment and share which D.O.T.S. you will connect this week.

Full Of It

Have you ever heard someone tell a story and felt that what they were saying wasn't quite right?  Maybe they left something out or exaggerated the details.  You might have thought, or even told them, that they were full of it.  That's a common expression to indicate that you don't believe something.  It's usually not a flattering statement.  However, there are some things that you would want to be full of in a positive way. Think of yourself as beautiful, grateful, hopeful, cheerful, useful, careful, helpful, tactful, youthful, and wonderful.

• Beautiful - You are full of beauty when you bring out the best in others. When others observe the attribute in you, it causes them to search for it within themselves.  
• Grateful - Be full of gratitude for delays. They strengthen your planning and time management skills. 
• Hopeful - To be full of hope is to be empty of excuses.  Hope makes room for creativity.
• Cheerful - When you are full of cheer, it overflows to produce possibilities.  Be known as someone that carries cheer and is willing to share it.
• Useful - You are full of use when you ask questions that lead to growth and development for others.
• Careful - Be full of care for the impression that you make, image you project, and legacy you leave.
• Helpful - To be full of help is to be a good listener.  You make a difference when you pay attention.
• Tactful - When you are full of tact, you are a builder of esteem.  Recognize the power of your reaction.
• Youthful - You are full of youth as long as you continue to pursue new ideas and embrace change.  Youth does not refer to your age, but to your willingness to learn and teach.
• Wonderful - To be full of wonder is to believe that you matter.  Know the value that you add to your relationships.

Leave a comment and share what you want to be full of this week.

Leaps and Bounds

Are you satisfied with the pace of the progress toward your goals?  If not, you can make adjustments to help you achieve your objectives in a timely manner.  You want to make a conscious decision to grow by leaps and bounds as you pursue success.  While the words are similar, there are subtle differences to the meanings.  Looking at some definitions can help you decide when you need to leap and when you need to bound.


Leap

to spring free from or as if from the ground : jump <leap over a fence> <a fish leaps out of the water>

 

Bound 

rebound, bounce

 

 These are some suggestions that may help you.

 

• Leap at the chance to test what you have learned.  You can't identify areas for improvement until you put theory into practice.  Don't settle for proficiency; strive for prestige.
• Bound forward with enthusiasm when a door opens for you.  What you see on the other side can depend on how quickly and confidently you enter.  Your facial expressions and body language can set the tone for the room when you enter and exit.
• Leap from complaints to decisions.  When you don't like your current circumstance, decide what you are going to do to change it.  If you are not willing to do something differently, then don't continue to complain about it.  Make a decision to adjust your expectations.
• Bound across the gap between disappointment and drive.  When you have a setback, it is normal to wish things had turned out differently.  However, only allow yourself a brief moment of dissastisfaction before you shake it off and start again.  The next step after a letdown is to get up and keep going.
• Leap into the discussion about what you are doing and where you are going.  Don't sit by passively while family, friends, employers, teachers, and others dictate your actions.  Let your voice be heard.  Put yourself in a position to see past your present to get a glimpse of your future.
• Bound up the steps of your daily duties to get to your weekly wins.  That is how you get from  dread to dream.  There is only one letter difference between dread and dream.  The seemingly mundane tasks that are part of your regular routine are necessary to help you reach the top.

Leave a comment and share what leaps and bounds you will take this week.