Regis Hadiaris

“Between stim­u­lus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

- Viktor Frankl

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

- George Bernard Shaw

“We rise to the level of our own ignorance, Regis.”

My godmother told me that when I graduated from high school.  At the time, I’m sure she was using it as a subtle reminder to ensure I was going to college (I did). But way better than that, the quote has stuck with me ever since.  And, it’s been a fantastic lens through which I see my world.

12 Questions to See If You Are Rising to the Level of Your Own Ignorance

1. What am I not thinking about right now, but I really should be?
2. What bias and opinion am I bringing to the situation because I simply don’t have the whole picture?
3. Am I thinking big enough?
4. What is right “below my nose” but I can’t see it?
5. What routine have I established that is literally “blinding” me from opportunities?
6. Am I being bold enough?
7. Am I being memorable enough?
8. Am I asking for help enough?
9. What do others expect I should be doing right now, but I am not?
10. What hidden message is the person really trying to tell me?
11. What hidden messages could I be giving in my message?
12. What stuff in the past caused a person to react the way they did?
13. Am I blindly using conventional thinking in this situation?

By thinking like this, I’m constantly searching for those places where I am unconsciously and consciously limiting myself.  It also a great technique to see where others are limiting themselves.  In both cases, you can achieve new levels of impact – and help others do the same – by thinking in a different way.

The opposite situation though, not acknowledging the limits of your thinking, is a completely self-limiting practice that can lead you to an unfulfilling life of mediocrity and disappointment.

So, right now, find one situation where you are feeling a strong positive or negative opinion, and ask yourself: am I rising to the level of my own ignorance here? If you get the feeling you are, use the questions above to dig deeper and see things in a new way.  Then, follow where that takes you.

Remember, acknowledging that you may be “rising to the level of you own ignorance,” can open up doors and possibilities you simply didn’t know were there.

Good luck!

Photo credit: M31

“The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.  He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feels amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle.”

- Albert Einstein

Ability is what you’re capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.

- Harvey Mackay

Have you created any New Year’s Resolutions for 2012?  If not, or even if you have, I recommend checking out these articles and tools on Dot Connector that can help you.  I use them to set my resolution (see below for that), and refer to them whenever I need to re-evaluate or redesign my approach.

Here’s a quick overview:

New Year’s Resolutions: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Dot Connector Article: New Year’s Resolutions: 27 Questions to Ask Yourself

Searching for a way to think deeply about the past year and look forward to the next one?  Look no further – this list of 27 questions will help you do just that.

New Year’s Resolutions: Goal Setting

Dot Connector Article: Goal Setting: 8 Tips for Setting Goals

Want to go deeper than the 27 questions?  Maybe you also want to re-evaluate your personal brand?  Perhaps you just need a new perspective from best selling authors and bloggers?  Check out this list of 8 things you can do right now.

New Year’s Resolutions: Creating Your Plan

Dot Connector Article: Personal Development Plan Template

Use this simple, one-page template to create your personal development plan.  Ideal for new year’s resolutions, you simply enter your goals and use the goal tracking to the right to track your progress.  Easy to create.  Easy to maintain.  Focused on what matters to you, and nothing else.

New Year’s Resolutions: Tracking Progress

Dot Connector Article: Weekly Planner Template

If creating a plan is half the battle, the other half is staying on track.  Use this simple, downloadable template to outline the roles you have and a weekly goal for each one.  Keep it handy and check your progress as you make weekly steps toward making your new year’s resolution a reality!  A combination of clear goals, weekly progress tracking, and inspirational quotes is what helps me, and can help you too.

New Year’s Resolutions: Mobile Reminder

Dot Connector Article: Free Goal Setting Tool: Create Custom iPhone Wallpapers

One of the best ways to stay focused on your new year’s resolution is to see it every day.  Use this simple tool to take your biggest goal or positive thought for the year and make it into a background for your phone.  Works on iPhone, iPad, and Android too!

My New Year’s Resolution 2012

I have a very simple resolution this year: simplify.

There are so many ways that life becomes overly complicated and full of physical and mental clutter.  Our life’s work, the place we live, our closets and drawers, our email inbox, our weekly meal plans, our to do lists, and our daily routines all get bogged down with lack of organization and unnecessary clutter.  I’m no exception, but this year I plan to change that.

Inspirational Book for New Year’s Resolutions

If you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend you check out The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta.  As a reader of Leo’s Zen Habits blog, I was very excited when the book first came out.  After reading it and experimenting with some of his tips, it went back on the shelf.  However, as my roles and responsibilities change, I’ve found his “one goal method”, “simple projects list”, and daily routine techniques to be invaluable.

Photo credit: SashaW

SLOW DANCE by David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?\

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask: How are you?

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,

Do you lie in bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You’d better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,

We’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see her sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time,

To call and say, “Hi”?

You’d better slow down.

Don’t dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Originally discovered in the 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

- Lao Tzu

“If you think you can, or you think you cannot, you are correct.”

- Henry Ford

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

- Sir Ken Robinson

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.