Leveraging the New Wave

The New Wave is up around every corner. Its a new wave of seeing the old way. A new wave of working on the solution. A New Wave of bringing value to all you do, without selling your dreams and visions. There are two types of activities attached to the New Wave.

High Level Activities (HLA's,) and Low Level Activities or (LLA's.)

LLA's are activities that distract you, they keep you locked in old patterns and habits.

HLA's are the bomb diggity. they move you constantly in the direction of your objective.

HLA's are that New Wave energy growing with each and every day.

HLA's keep you grounded and focused on the desired outcome.

HLA's are the art of deliberate practice that compounds your daily effort and evolves in to greatness as you define it.

HLA's don't sleep, they are always in motion.

Take that New Wave energy and move it. Don't wait for the right time or perfect storm, they often aren't going to happen. Make them happen by identifying your HLA's and move, now.

God Bless

Daniel O'Neill

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."

The New Wave

New wave music took us by storm in the late 1970's changing the landscape of music, fashion, and pop culture. There will always be a New Wave coming from many different directions. The Status Quo will always respond the same way. With fear, control, and the inability to change.

The New Wave is energy, sometimes unfocused but rolling forward.

The New Wave is the young saying no more of the lack of change in society.

The New Wave is leadership not from on high in management, but from anywhere in any organization.

The New Wave isn't polarized along political lines.

The New Wave isn't determined by money.

The New Wave doesn't require training, education. or position.

The New Wave can't be put into categories.

Are you the New Wave? Do you stand up and be accounted for? Have you said no to the Status Quo.

Change isn't hard when you catch the New Wave. Time isn't on the side of the old ways of doing things. Time is on the side of the New Wave. The New Wave is coming and we have a choice. Fight to stymie its energy, growth, creation, and coalescence of world human will. Or we can be an open page, waiting to write our chapter in the New Wave. Our energy can help to create the powerful community of the New Wave and change the world.

God Bless

Daniel O'Neill

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."

The Prevailing Way

There are two types of business styles, the Dinosaur style (prevailing way), and then there is the Leverage Management style. The old Dinosaur style is based on when the factory was instituted and worked well for that century. That century is long gone, so enter the Leverage Management style. This is introspective, willing to admit mistakes, flat hierarchy, and Kaizen (continuous improvement)based style. One is based on statements like, "This is not a democracy, it's a dictatorship." In the other you'll here statements like,"What do the customers, internal and external have to say that will help us grow?" In Leverage Management energy flows, grows, and creates a culture of mutual responsibility.

In the prevailing system power is given and horded by few.
In Leverage Management all levels in the flat hierarchy create growth.

In the prevailing system you have managers.
In  Leverage Management you have leaders.

In the prevailing system just enough is good enough, mediocrity is good enough.
In the Leverage Management system excellence is the objective.

In the prevailing system accountability is determined on high.
In the Leverage Management system leaders set the example and hold themselves accountable.

In the prevailing system fear of change allows managers to control others.
In the Leverage Management system change is rewarded.

In the prevailing system lying, cheating, and incivility are acceptable due to lack of transparency.
In the leverage Management system cooperation, trust, and mutual respect are fostered by presenting common goals and a clear direction for the team to be working towards.

I call it Leverage Management because organizations hire people to perform. In order to perform what they were hired for they have to be free to do so. Free to make mistakes, to explore, to color outside the lines as long as it is safe. People are what make the organization successful, they are the vision and mission. Leverage their skills and gifts so that your organization grows and flourishes.

God Bless

Daniel O'Neill

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."

Standing Alone

A couple of months ago I stood on the Pyramid Lake Fire Road in Jasper Alberta. I was looking at Pyramid Mountain and its beautiful surroundings when my attention was brought to a tree. This one tree stood alone on a hill higher than every tree around it. Powerful, majestic, strong, and alone.

I used this quote from the movie Vision Quest in my book Nobody Can take It Away From You.

But all I ever settled for is that we're born to live and then to die, and...we got to do it alone, each in his own way. And I guess that's why we got to love those people who deserve it like there's no tomorrow. 'Cause when you get right down to it - there isn't.'      Louden Swain

I have struggled on and off with this quote, I love it and it's meaning at the end of the movie. Seeing that tree and having some personal experiences I've had lately made me revisit this quote.

We can love all we want, as many people as we want, all through our lives. Ultimately though we are alone. As an introvert I love my alone, away from the constant noise of some people time. No matter what I have experienced or how many times, when it comes down to the truth, we face the majority of life alone with our own thoughts. Many cannot stand to be alone with their thoughts or in a room with other people and sit in silence. They visibly become uncomfortable and have to break the silence or go become occupied.

I'm not a loner, however I can be alone, comfortably and in complete silence.
I can meditate and enjoy the noise in my brain.
I can travel alone, go to movies alone, bike, and run alone and be happier than you can imagine.
I recharge when in a room with other people who don't have to talk mindlessly just to have noise.
I'm fine with sitting and reading for hours without having to talk.

I'm facing the world my way. I include people but I include solitude and silence as well. I'm mirroring that tree,

powerful, majestic, strong, and alone.
I'm posting this out of selfish reasons and don't care, I'm fine with that.

God Bless

Daniel

"I am an Indomitable Spirit radically pursuing my Vision and Purpose from God."

Narrow it down

There are many paths we can take as we walk our journey. There are wide, varying, and confusing paths. There are narrow, focused, and purpose filled paths. This is laid out well in Matthew 7: 13-14 for those inclined to check it out.

This world can be a distracting and enticing place. We can start on a path we know is right and purposeful only to get sidetracked by the unnecessary. We lose much energy as we try to control all the possible options for distraction.

Our attention and focus when we are on a narrow path allow us to be more in tune with what is important right here and now.

When the path before us is wide our attention and focus can wander. We can become uncertain about the things we are truly feeling and meant to be doing.

We have so many possibilities we can accomplish but spread ourselves to thin. Mark those things that make you feel passionate and pursue them. That is where your path will lead you. Choose your own path, not the one you think others will want you to follow.

A Narrow path leads to plenty.
    A Narrow path is an attitude.
        A Narrow path allows your mind to fully function.
            A Narrow path creates channeled, functional, and exuberant energy.

Narrow it down as you walk out your journey. The narrow path is leading you to the right gate.

God Bless

Daniel

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."

Shedding the Comfort

Just recently I mad a decision to quit, something I don't usually do. It was a tough decision to make for me. I had to ponder long and hard what it would be like to quit. There was a lot of discomfort. However, when I eventually decided to quit a large burden was lifted from my shoulders. I felt free, calm, and still with my decision.

I'm talking about my decision to no longer race Triathlons. I started competing in triathlons in 1987. In that 29 years since that first race I have completed almost every distance there is to race, including being a three time Ironman Finisher. I was signed up for a Half Ironman this year. As I started to really get into the training I started to think about the race itself. More like I started to think about the reasons I was doing the race. I realized I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. I was also breaking my own code in doing it for those reasons. Yet there was still a lot of fear in not doing Triathlon anymore.

What I was experiencing was a lack of comfort. Plan and simple I am comfortable doing a Triathlon because I have done them before and succeeded. There have been failures and disappointments, but there have been great personal victories. Those victories create a comfort zone. Time to shed that comfort, step deeper into my vision and pursue the other limits of my dream. I wrote this in my journal as I pondered not racing. "I can't be sitting on the fence hoping I can get it done. I need to jump onto the most uncomfortable side of the fence and express my energy in the way of my Vision."

I have other disappointments to overcome. I can either accept the known comfort or step into the unknown and live a higher vibration of my energy and self-expression. Pain is better then comfort when you are happy instead of just getting by. There is a measure of satisfaction in knowing that your heart races, your palms get sweaty, and your breath gets shallow because you are afraid. It can be scary and oh so invigorating all at the same time.

No fear of failure, only fear of never having lived.
No time for mediocrity, only the pursuit of higher purpose.
No days wasted wondering, days filled with full on energy directed at the edges of my limits.
Can't isn't a word, its a limitation.
Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.
New challenges and suffering in the physical realm to live my Spiritual Quest.

Shedding the comfort for the unknown, and smiling at the opportunity of growing more each and every day.

God Bless

Daniel

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."

The Rope and Your Responsibility.

Pat Riley has a saying he uses to not allow his players to feel they have an excuse for mediocrity and losing. Riley says, "You need to be an active participant in your own rescue. You need to grab onto the rope." If you don't know who Pat Riley is google his name. He's a basketball dude.

Man, why is it that we have so many cool expressions and examples from the sporting world we can't use in daily life. Where I work this is the common saying. "We have an obligation to help them be successful." I agree whole heartedly. However, doesn't the person who can't stop having conflicts with the customers have an obligation in there success as well? You know, the person who is continually late for work, don't they have an obligation in there success as well? That person who is continually sick on Fridays and Monday's, should they not have a hand in their own success?

Get my point? Good, because political correctness is not my gig. If I'm not living up to my obligations, expectations, and responsibilities I can cry all I want about how hard life is. WAAA! Build a bridge and get over it Daniel. No one, I will repeat that. NO ONE is more responsible for your success than you. Life does through us some weird obstacles. but the rope that everyone is throwing you is something you need to grab onto.

If I want to write my next blog, or book, run my next race, who is it up to? The establishment? Oh here is my favorite scapegoat, the top 2%. Yeah, that's who I blame for my lack of success in doing what I agreed to, Yeah I don't like the contract I signed so your to blame. Ill find anyone who can take the fall for my lack of success, because they are obligated to help me succeed.

Get over it already. Your responsibility is to be successful how ever you define it. I don't care how you define it, that's your gig. Just shut up when it doesn't go right and either move on or find a new way.

Every time I've failed in my work, writing, racing and living it comes down to one dude, me. So I grab the rope and look for a new way. I thank the people who stood on the shore and tossed the rope, I don't expect them to take the blame when I don't succeed.

Your obligation in life is this, be awesome. Be awesome enough you can throw a rope to someone they can grab. Be awesome enough to show them how to succeed so they don't have to depend on you. Be awesome for awesome's sake. Define awesome and carry the rope to pass it on.

God Bless

Daniel

"Live remarkable and follow the Spirit in your heart."