July 2007

Greater Than Yourself Mashup Part 2: Give Yourself

In this GTY mashup (see the first one here), readers interpret the practice called Give Yourself and its subsets, Choose Wisely, Tithe Your Time, Give It All Away, and Celebrate Dramatically. Once again the words and wisdom are yours; the editing, mine:

David Thomas believes that instilling a spirit of learning in others is vital, [he says] “In today’s environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If I know something very important, the way I’m going to get power is by actually sharing it.” Liberate your insight from its mental prison, for the road to thought leadership is not paved alone.

I can give out of my knowledge, or I can choose to give away myself, which includes all of me, including my knowledge. Far from making me empty, just the act of giving in this manner causes good in my life…When we give at this level, the receiver should be trustworthy, and one who will effectively use and transmit what they are given/learn.

Those who have the capacity to contribute the most (in a certain sense) are those who have the assets and resources to contribute. But, holding the contribution mindset in tension with personal & business success (even in the most free-market sense of the concept) doesn't have to be an oxymoron.

Time, friends, and work, you can't do it all. Give 10% to yourself and indulge in it. Surely giving away brings more back. Make a splash; don't wade into the pool slowly.

Giving your time and energy is more fulfilling than writing a check. Focus on abundance and be a conduit through which it flows. Enjoy life. Show your gratitude by making everything you do a celebration of what life has to offer.

The more I help others and share my knowledge, the more people want to work with me. Keeping everything to myself will keep me on my own, but sharing everything allows me to be part of other people's worlds.

As the Director of Women's Ministries for a church of about 400 members, I am tasked with creating opportunities for our women to serve in our church, our community, and in the world. The response to the opportunity to serve is saddening. There is a small core of people who consistently volunteer, and know that they receive more than they give in the form of joy, excitement and a personal legacy.

Mr. Buffet has now promised to donate his fortune to charity, so all those people who sold him their companies get massive benefits, including: the joy of running a business they love, the realization that they are improving the lives of everyone around them, and the ultimate realization that the fruits of their labor will help make the world a better place. It’s magnificent.

Value others’ time more highly than your own. When you’re not watching the time, the more of it you have. The world is made of spirals and circles…celebrate dramatically then celebrate alone.

I like leaders who celebrate WE.

Everything you give will come back 10 fold. Appreciation levels increase when you have nothing. Give up the now for all the things you will have in the future.

When my wife and I gave up our lifestyle of eating out, going to the movies, buying this or that because it would make us happy, we got back the appreciation of those things that we gave up.

Choosing wisely means making snap, focused decisions, and only looking back to let history inform judgment.

Tithing your time is about ensuring that you are attending to your personal affairs, viewing your life as an investment in the future.

People want a flag around which to rally, and they want to rally. When you celebrate dramatically, you are empowering people to fly your colors as their colors, proliferating passion for progress.

If I focus on using a tenth of my time to make others greater, the impact will be significant on them but also on me.

Holding back limits the flow.

If we could choose – actually CHOOSE – to do things differently and track those results very carefully, we might see that we are shifting the movie – getting on the stage and being IN the play instead of in the audience booing.

We only have a certain number of minutes in a day—1440, to be exact—and what we choose to do with them should be as important as what we do with our money.

Nothing I own (stuff) and nothing I know is my own anyway…it really does multiply as I can give up attachment. This is a tough concept in a capitalistic society and for me as a recovering perfectionist.

Time and money are currencies. Make your choice of where to spend them a conscious one. But keep in mind, you can make more money, but not more time.

I have to give of myself before I expand myself.

Choose those philosophies that you feel the most passionate about – and then spread the word. If you don’t have a clear message no one will ever know what you stand for.

Tithing isn’t enough! Help others find themselves and, more important, the fascinating people and world around them. You always seem to get back more than you give – so why wouldn’t you … give it ALL away.

Give it all away doesn’t mean sell your possessions and live on the street. It means know who you are, know what you stand for, be consistent, and give all of yourself to everything you do.

We can not be all to all, so we need to select those opportunities where we can do the most good or where we are the most needed or maybe where we are the most suited. We also need balance, so we need to choose our own opportunities as well.

Do nothing for reward. Take the approach that you are doing this because it is the right thing to do, because it has value even without compensation.

When there is one person in the world that does not have a coat or is barefoot in the winter, and I could meet that need, I am guilty of being self-centered if I do not take action.

Give of your most precious asset [time] to those who need it - but also to those who can use it.

Technorati Tags:
greater than yourself, leadership, golden rule

Posted by steve at 07.24.2007 | Comments (1)

Jamie's OS!M

Young, audacious, internet entrepreneur, Jamie Harrop of the UK shares his 18-year-old-dropping-out-of-school-to-focus-on-business OS!M. He's asking for some of your OS!Ms, too.

I think that if you spend some time poking around his site, you'll find Jamie to be a remarkable young Brit.

And, yeah, he probably should go back to school, but bailing on the books didn't seem to be much of an obstacle for Jobs and Gates now, did it?

Posted by steve at 07.19.2007 | Comments (2)

Joe Calloway Day

Today is the official launch of Joe Calloway's new book, Work Like You're Showing Off! The Joy, Jazz, and Kick of Being Better Tomorrow Than You Were Today.

Here's the review I wrote on Amazon:

"While reading this book I heard Joe Calloway's voice in my head, and if you've ever heard him speak, you know that that's actually a good thing. Joe is--no exaggeration--one of the world's best speakers, and the writing in Work Like You're Showing Off is just as rich, witty, valuable and entertaining as his spoken words. (And, yeah, I wrote a blurb for the back cover--now you know why). Carry this book with you for an instant jolt of Joe wherever you go."

I pride myself on being a no-BS kind of guy. In other words, I do my damnedest to say what I mean. So calling Joe "one of the world's best speakers" is not something I say lightly.

That's why, a while back, I hired Joe as my personal coach and sent him a sizable check for his services. We had a few great sessions on the phone and traded some very cool ideas back and forth.

Yeah, he knows his stuff, alright, but what happened next is a testimony not to his knowledge and talent, but to his character.

One day I received an email from Joe, saying, in part, the following:

"Here's what I propose, Farberooni...I'm sending your money back. Don't argue...I'm not canceling the deal...I want to keep on trucking right along [with our conversations]--but I can't in good conscience take your money...Understand this, Steve - it feeds me creatively and is good for my own business to work with someone like you. I get as much or more out of it as you do...that $$$/paid coach thing has become a bit of an obstacle to me...I like your style. I like your message. You're the kind of person in this business that I want to work with on an ongoing basis...Peer to peer just makes more sense to me."

Two days later the check arrived. A full refund.

That's the kind of guy he is, and it's another reason you'll want to read his book.

You can help him get his Amazon numbers up by buying a copy today or tomorrow. And with one more step you'll get a page of snappy success ideas from a bunch of Joe's author friends and colleagues.

Here's what you do:

Step One: Buy the book from Amazon.

Step Two: Forward your receipt to proofofpurchase@joecalloway.com

He'll send you a link to retrieve the Success Ideas.

Most important of all, however, is this:

You're going to love this book.

Posted by steve at 07.16.2007 | Comments (1)

In Your Own Words: A Greater Than Yourself Mashup

What follows is a mashup of the outpouring of comments, emails and documents in response to The GTY challenge. (Read about it here). The words are not mine, although the editing is. My profound thanks to all who contributed, and even though your names don't appear here, rest assured that they will in the acknowledgement section of the upcoming book.

Today's riff is on Part One, called, simply, Expand Yourself:

“Yourself” doesn’t just stop at the “border” of your skin--it goes on and integrates with your environment through relationships. Think about how the whole system could be impacted by you, the people you touch and the people they touch.

Make yourself a larger brand. Stay relevant. Think bigger. Stop playing around and do something.

Live Radically, Surrender Daily, Engage Passionately, Love Recklessly, Honor the Seasons of Life, and Pass it On!

Your view of yourself is just a view. By accepting all possible views of yourself you can "become" a bigger person.

Intentionally work to become all that you can in order to become a larger conduit of good for others.

Act like a child, climb the tress, hide under the beds and in the closets then take a peek. Elevate Your Intention but not your ego. Your history describes how you got here but not where you’re heading. Before anyone can actually expand, they first have to believe it is actually possible.

Lunatics are obsessed with their legacy and let reality take a back seat.

By taking a new road you discover who you actually are. Then the legacy can begin.

What do paintings look like to the blind? What do symphonies sound like to the deaf? What do diamonds feel like to the indigent? What does food taste like to the starving? Elevate your intentions by transcending material motivations and embracing your moral compass. When you commit to your legacy, you are committing to being remembered while you live.

Are you just watering yourself down? Wouldn't it be better to distill yourself?

There is really no "right" way or "wrong" way to do something, it's just "what works" and "what doesn't." Just the simple act of [physically] moving to the other person's viewpoint gives you so much insight. Whatever legacy you are here to fulfill cannot be fulfilled by anyone else.

Who you think you are, and who you have been in the past, is not who you really are.

Make meaning. Do something that will do more than stroke your ego or line your pockets. Be known for something of real value.

Become a bigger part of whatever you are a part of. Provide leadership even if you're only leading yourself. Set the example even if you think no one is watching.

Don’t become your own Cliff note and forget/lose site of what you're really about.

Wen you love someone you would do any thing for them.

When your tombstone is written, will anyone care?

Posted by steve at 07.15.2007 | Comments (2)

A Good Day to Remember the Dream

If you look up "independence" in your thesaurus you'll see that it's synonymous with "freedom." So, as we celebrate Independence Day here in the US, it seems to me it's a good day to remember the words and spirit of Martin Luther King's Dream speech.

It was, after all, a vision of a glorious future state: a free and equal society whose citizens have gained their independence from oppression, discrimination, bigotry and hate.

We still have a ways to go--maybe we always will--and that's why his words continue to ring like a bell.

You've probably heard or read the speech countless times, and, even though it certainly wouldn't hurt to read it again (and again and again), let me offer another way to remind yourself of its essence.

Cynthia Scott, a fabulous singer (and former Ray Charles back-up) performs a rendition of MLK's Dream that was put to music by her brother-in-law, Reverend Clint Levert. Many thanks to my cousin, Sue Anne Gershenzon (a friend of Cynthia's and an amazing singer herself), for turning me on to this.

Turn the volume up and listen all the way through.

Hope it rings your bell like it does mine:

Posted by steve at 07.04.2007 | Comments (3)