Okay, I love science and research. It has its time and place. But, this example is both fascinating, wierd and yet very entertaining.
Scientists stumbled across an interesting scientific question on YouTube and then they proceeded to study it on Youtube. This is not a joke and has provided some very interesting results, but like I said, at the same time it is very entertaining.
Watch the video and then follow the link below to discover what the scientists found.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, can benefit from watching this video. If you are in leadership (and everyone is — executive, parent, coach, teacher, manager, student, everyone) then you should be able to pick out a “truth” in this video that will apply to you.
Coach Carroll is interviewed by CBSNewsOnline and I think they capture the essence of him very well. Pete Carroll is making a difference with philosophies that can be used in more than just the sports arena.
Watch it and then let me know what was the truth that you uncovered.
My wife and I went to dinner with friends a couple of days ago. This couple is in their 70′s and are just incredible. Why? They have done a ton of things in their lives and continue to do so. The fellow has been an investment banker, a minister, a president of a number of companies, a writer, a mediator, a university faculty member, as well as a myriad of other things that I’ve forgotten. And, of course, he has also carried on his roles as son, husband, father, volunteer, leader, etc. etc.
So, why am I so drawn to this fellow? Because he is basically a Renaissance Man. He has skills, talents and experiences in so many different areas. And, that is the kind of person who I find very interesting. Is that because I aspire to be the same? Maybe. But, most importantly it is because wide knowledge and the “big picture” are things that I’m innately wired for. And, I know this because I’ve done the inventory.
As I promote in my work, it is so important to take inventory of yourself and your leadership, your talents, your strengths. With this knowledge (which very few people actually take the time to do), you will increase your ability to perform at a simply world class level.
So, if you had to fill in the blanks, what would you put in?
I am The __________ [Man / Woman / Guy / Girl / Person]
I was involved in supporting people this weekend who were walking 60 km (36 miles) to raise money for a charity. There were hundreds of people and we (my 3 boys and I) were moving around the route with them cheering them on and playing upbeat music for them as they passed. It was a great experience for me and for my boys. And, apparently from the feedback that we got, the participants really loved it as well.
Now I knew that what we were going to do was going to be a good thing but I never thought about why it affected them so positively until now. I think the reason that they responded to our cheering and more importantly the music was for a few reasons. First, the music that we played during the route was upbeat, positive and encouraging. It elicited an emotional response which was what they needed to keep going with energy and power. Another reason that they appreciate our support was that we were there for them. We tried to support them individually so that they knew that we understood what it was that they were going through. And, finally, the last reason was related to the music that we played for them as they went up the last hill at the end.
We played the Theme from Rocky. You know, the theme that just screams…. You Are A Champion! Nowhere in the lyrics does it say that but that’s what everyone associates with it. It makes everyone feel like they are the hero. And, you know what, they were. On that day, at that hour, they were the heroes of the day and they deserved our attention and our admiration. Many of them had probably not ever been the hero of their story before.
I do hope that they all are the heroes of the story again soon. These people who came in all shapes and sizes really did an amazing thing by raising 2.1 million dollars, and most importantly by achieving a Personal Victory!
I came across a reference to Temporal Delay today and with the Star Trek movie out, one might assume that it had something to do with that… but the truth is that it is related to procrastination, perhaps more of an inner wars kind of thing. The article talked about one of the motivators for us to procrastinate… when a project’s due date is far off we have no real desire to get it done. Once it gets closer and closer, then we are more motivated by immediate gratification to get it done. This, in a nut shell, is the phenomenon of temporal delay.
What’s interesting is that we seem to be wired this way from an evolutionary standpoint. Our ancestors needed to worry themselves about the immediate present to survive. This reinforced the need to procrastinate unless there was an immediate return on the effort.
So, this sounds like the perfect excuse for why we need to procrastinate. It’s not. But, I believe it helps us understand procrastination and how we can manage it. Always working in a last minute mentality can help to get things done but it can be extremely taxing to the person’s mental and physical health. The counter to that is that some people can balance the procrastination just the right amount to use it as the motivator to get things done close to the deadline. In this case, they are getting the maximum results for their effort. What’s the right thing to do?
There is no complete consensus on how to stop procrastination or even if that’s a good idea, but one strategy that can often work is to just get started. Just do something. In some cases, that can mean doing anything even if it’s not related to the project at hand. Just getting started often is enough momentum to get one moving to completion on the project.
For those of you familiar with my Performance Shift Model, you can imagine that I believe that the starting block to dealing with procrastination is to observe one’s procrastination. That is the starting block. It will allow you to understand your motivations and give you clues as to how to manage them. However you deal with your procrastination, I hope that you are successful (in a timely manner).
Posted by mindscape 
