The Full Glass

The more I observe others in my work and life, the more I am convinced that attitude is vital to our sense of fulfillment. The oft-used metaphor of seeing the glass as half full or half empty is helpful, but only part of the story.

Beyond a doubt, my favorite people are "full glass" people -- those special individuals who always see opportunity in life. My colleague and friend Lisa is one of those people -- she could be having a bad hair day, get a flat tire, and be late for an important meeting, and yet she is smiling and laughing. What does she know that the rest of us do not? I think it is that she sees the full glass.

The attitude we hold is so powerful. If we see endless possibility, then we can unleash this power into the world.

I think that Maya Angelou said it best when she told Oprah -- "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." I think that the "full glass" person walks out into the downpour, wears the same outfit twice, and probably pours a glass of wine and puts on Nat King Cole before tackling the lights.

I struggle with being a "full glass" person myself, but I am always looking out for them. They are out there -- at pet shelters, bus stops, and on the slide at the playground. And they remind us to see the possibilities in life.

Building Relationships

So, recent events have really brought home for me the need to focus on creating long-term relationships based on mutual respect.

As a business owner, I am constantly forming new relationships -- clients, suppliers, business partners. This have been fabulously enlightening. I would assume that being that I am a rational, decent person who runs my business with integrity, these relationships would all be productive. Not so.

I have to say, the relationships I have had with my clients have been fantastic. Ironic, isn't it? They are the ones paying me directly for a service, yet all of these relationships have been very positive and productive. Really a delight. And I reach out to them from time-to-time just to touch base, or to share articles or referrals.

Business partners have been a mixed bag. With the exception of one relationship, all of these partnerships have struggled down the stretch. A lack of goal alignment seems to be at play here.

The most interesting situation has been with suppliers. I literally have to track down the suppliers that I work with to get them to engage with me... and I am paying them! They don't return calls, frequently make mistakes, and only contact me when they want to sell me something. I receive no ongoing communications, business ideas, or check-ins. I found this post from Seth Godin to address this sentiment: This must be hard.

For those of you who provide services to others -- what have you done for your customers lately?

Achieving Great Things Without Paying a Great Personal Cost

This post is for those who want to achieve great things. We may define greatness differently. It might be a tangible goal, such as writing a book, or to be well-known in our chosen field. Or, it might be more abstract, like being a positive force in our community. There often is a desire to create a legacy -- something that lives on after we are gone.

Many of the people I meet and talk with want to accomplish great things, but they are often afraid that they will lose control of their life. This feeling is very real for some, as they have personal experience with becoming out of balance when pursuing a goal.

For them, they are not willing to pay the price of losing their physical, emotional, and spiritual health for the sake of a personal goal. It becomes an either/or proposition.

Believe it or not, you can achieve great things without paying that heavy price. There are three phases of accomplishing great things without a great personal cost:

1. Balance the Scales

Be very clear about both the goal. You may have the acronym "SMART" for setting goals: specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and time-based.

Make a list of what you want to hang on to. Where are your boundaries? What are you not willing to give up?

2. Watch for the Tip

What are the warning signs? When your personal health, emotions, or other priorities start to slip, there may be warning signs, such as insomnia, headaches, or canceling on your favorite activities, family, or friends.

3. Hold Tight

This is the tricky part. There will always be others who need and want things from us -- it is your decision which of these demands and requests you will give your precious time to. When someone makes a request of you, go back to your "hang on to" list -- is the person who is making the request on the list? If not, it is likely best to say no. If so, perhaps an open conversation about what is requested and what you have to give would be helpful.

Just remember that you hold the scales.