Tag Archives: change

Ugly Furniture … Time to Change

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Bad habits can creep in and remain in our lives – disguised and camouflaged into our subconsciousness.

by Pete Ferguson

Today marks my 200th post! Thanks for reading, commenting, liking, disagreeing …

Have you ever gone on vacation and stayed in a nice hotel, or gone to visit a very nicely designed model home and upon reentering your house looked at a piece of furniture that has been around for YEARS and realized it is really out of place?

When you bought the couch, it seemed like such a great idea at the time. It was comfortable, or it matched your decor, or it was free! So it was a great idea at the time – or it was simply convenient so you went for it.

Policies, habits, sayings, and other little oddities are also like free furniture. They can creep into our lives so subtly that we do not realize they are out of place until we have an opportunity to change our perspective – or have someone else point it out to us.

Hopefully we each have a friend who will be brutally honest – about the couch and our personality – and help us see that what was around for ever and seemed just fine – simply isn’t fine.

What’s your “ugly couch?”

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Defy Your Gravity

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There is a force more powerful than government oppression or military might. It holds you back from success but can also push you towards great achievement. This force is You.

by Pete Ferguson

Yesterday was a large loss for many who had hoped Mitt Romney would win as President. I saw many Facebook postings about the end of the world, how our country is headed for ruin, and that the economy is never going to recover.

Certainly there will be effects – both good and bad – which trickle down from Washington that determine how much of our money stays with us and what requirements are made for providing benefits to employees for businesses along with other changes.

I wanted to see Mitt win for a variety of reasons, but my life is not going to dramatically change because of who is President of the United States. My life dramatically changes because of me.

We each have this force which drives us to excellence or ruin. It is our own self-will which determines our future.

When the alarm goes off in the morning to go to the gym or to get up and study and write, I am the one who makes the decision as to what I should do. Not Romney, not Obama. Not my wife, boss, children, or society.

The gravity which holds us bound is an extremely powerful force.

Part of becoming a better man for me is to better understand what happens in my brain in the brief time between stimulus and response.

And it is what happens during that sometimes nanosecond of time that makes me a better person, keeps me in a stagnate position, or causes me to go down dark paths.

I’ve been working to get to a different orbit for several years now and it takes a lot of work. It takes understanding what the stimuli are that lead me to action.

One of the most important concepts I have learned is the difference between my circle of influence and my circle of concern.

If I am concerned all day long about poverty throughout the world, but I fail to provide my children with food, shelter, my time and love, I am nobody.

If I am concerned about politics, but refuse to volunteer in my neighborhood, then I am nobody.

If I am concerned about the way my company is run, but then I waste time at work and do not get my job done and look for ways to go the extra mile, then I am the problem.

Change happens inside the heart, motivating the body and mind to move forward.

It doesn’t happen in Washington. It doesn’t happen on Wall Street.

It happens inside of you.

Can a Leopard Change His Spots?

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A critic who knew of Warden Clinton Duffy’s efforts to rehabilitate the men said to him, “Don’t you know that leopards can’t change their spots?”
Responded Warden Duffy of California’s San Quentin Prison, ”You should know that I don’t work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day.” ~ Graham

by Pete Ferguson

Can a person change?

Deep down, to the fabric of their being, can a person really change who they are?

I certainly hope so, and I’ve been witness to enough change that I can say from my vantage point, the answers is a resounding “YES!”

I’m grateful for those who believe in me, that I can change, improve, and evolve. And I’m grateful that I can believe in others and be part of their change. For in another person’s change, I also learn, grow, and change myself.

Nowhere is this more true than in parenting. A newborn can do little physically, yet each time I have stared into the eyes of one of my children at birth, I can sense their potential. And as I see them grow, develop, fail, try again, and succeed, they are constantly changing. And I am very green in this development cycle, Mark is only 14.

Mondays are a rebirth for me. The opportunity to create a new week. To experience life in new ways. To interact with new people – and many of my favorite people – in new ways.

A leopard can’t change its spots. And there are many physical aspects of our bodies that are part of who we are. But there are many emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of who we are that are constantly evolving, improving, and changing.

Learn: What’s one thing you want to change this week? What will it take? Is it a complete change or a the beginning of a much longer change?

Act: There is planning, and their is doing. Very little credit goes to a plan not followed. Change happens through action.

Share: The great thing about life is learning how others have overcome challenges and dealt with change. It helps us better frame experiences emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Whether you share in a journal, blog, or best yet – in person – you and the listener are both edified.

For the Love of Change

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“If you don’t like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn’t enough, change it. If something doesn’t suit you; change it. If something doesn’t please you, change it. You don’t ever have to be the same after today. If you don’t like your present address, change it—you’re not a tree!” ~ Jim Rohn

by Pete Ferguson

We all like change – change that is better for us.

American President Obama won the elections four years ago with the saying “Change You Can Believe In.” Regardless of which political affiliation you support, I think we can all agree that he has brought about change within healthcare, immigration, our foreign wars, etc.

But whether you have liked that change or disagree with it continues to define which candidate you are more likely to support.

So “change” itself, isn’t good or bad. It’s how we react to the change, how it affects our daily interactions that is the deciding factor.

Aging isn’t fun physically. My skin droops where it did not previously. I take a little longer to recover after a good workout. But my parents get discounts everywhere they go and there are preferred parking stalls for seniors at some grocery stores.

As we start to wind down 2012 and move into 2013, what changes have you made this year that are great? Not so great?

What plans do you have for next year?

A wise mentor, Dan Miller, always has his goals for the next year finalized and in motion by mid November – just a month and a week away.

Because of that, I’ve had a very productive and successful year in 2012. I’ve attended conferences, acquired new learning, strengthened my network, read many great new books, blogged at least four times a week since May, and many other goals.

But it hasn’t been as rigid as I had experienced goals in the past. On the contrary, I’m doing things today I could not have predicted a year ago, but they are in keeping with the future vision I have for myself, and it is very rewarding and fun.

What change do you believe in? What changes have occurred to you that are uncomfortable and may require an attitude adjustment?

What needs to be changed that you’ve been putting off?

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” — Tony Robbins