Making Yourself Lucky by Kevin Connelly

You have likely heard the expression that luck is simply when preparation meets opportunity. I believe this is to be true, but I think there can be more to luck. Some people tend to have more of opportunities or lucky breaks than others.

In Design Your Life the two authors describe the mindset of being curious: “Curiosity makes everything new. It invites exploration. It makes everything play. Most of all, curiosity is going to help you ‘get good at being lucky.’ It is the reason some people see opportunities everywhere.”

Thinking back to my lucky moments they all stem from being curious, being willing to share my aspirations with others, and having enough credibility that others will want to help you. The best way to make others want to help you and build credibility is by helping them!

So to get lucky: be prepared, be curious, share where you want to go, help others, and build relationships especially where there is no perceived ROI!

Reflections, Relationships

Fear as a Compass

By Kevin Connelly on

February 25, 2019

- Reflections, Relationships

Fear as a Compass by Kevin Connelly

“It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.”

-Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary of the fifth century B.C.

In 2014 one of my mentors recommended The War of Art by Steven Pressfield to me. I have revisited it a few times since then and each time gain a little more insight from the book. This time through what really resonated with me were his thoughts related to fear:

“Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North – meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing. We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others. Rule of thumb: the more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

Are you paralyzed with fear? That is a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That is why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there would be no Resistance. Have you ever watched Inside the Actors Studio? The host, James Lipton, invariably asks his guests, “What factors make you decide to take a particular role?” The actor always answers: “Because I am afraid of it.” The professional tackles the project that will make him stretch. He takes on the assignment that will bear him into unchartered waters, compel him to explore unconscious parts of himself. Is he scared? Hell, yes. He is petrified. If you are paralyzed with fear, it is a good sign. It shows you what you have to do.

If Resistance could not be beaten, there would be no Fifth Symphony, no Romeo and Juliet, no Golden Gate Bridge. Defeating Resistance is like giving birth. It seems absolutely impossible until you remember that women have been pulling it off successfully, with support and without for fifty million years.”

In my line of work my compass mainly points to difficult conversations that need to be had. There is a moment when I being to rationalize, and think about why I don’t need to address a problem early. But with the compass in mind, it helps to propel me forward.

What is your fear telling you?

Accountability, Books, Health and Wellness, Languages, Leadership, Purpose and Calling, Reflections

Building Habits

By Kevin Connelly on

February 8, 2019

- Accountability, Books, Health and Wellness, Languages, Leadership, Purpose and Calling, Reflections

Building Habits by Kevin Connelly

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.” – Artistotle

Consider the well-worn hiking trail. It was not always this worn. In fact, it used to not exist. The first trailblazer faced much hardship and friction as they trudged along. After this initial path was carved out each subsequent hiker had an easier journey. The path became more and more defined, slowly but surely with each trip.

Habits are the choices that all of us deliberately make at some point, and then stop thinking about but continue doing. Think about the well-worn path; after a habit is formed a similar neurological path is carved out to conserve energy the next time the habit is triggered – making it an easier trip.

The Power Of Habit focuses on both building habits and changing them.

When it comes to changing habits, we will want to leverage existing cues and rewards while changing the habit or routine. The beautiful thing about the well-worn path of good habits (exercise, meditating, journaling, in-sourcing, etc.) is that eventually the reward simply becomes the sense of accomplishment gained from completion.

This habit loop can be applied to business and leadership as well. In the One Minute Manager Ken Blanchard introduces the one minute appraisal and the one minute reprimand. This leverages immediate feedback versus waiting for the performance appraisal. Pair this with the concept of the habit loop and you have something profound. Think about it, how can you build good habits months after the cues have happened? If we want to get better results, we need to build better habits. Now.

Purpose and Calling, Reflections

Get Lucky

Reflections, Relationships

Fear as a Compass

Accountability, Books, Health and Wellness, Languages, Leadership, Purpose and Calling, Reflections

Building Habits

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