EnableInc » Personal Growth

Fixing Broken Things

Tim — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:35:15 +0000

All through life you will get something new, and over time it seems to break down, whether it’s a car, a house, a relationship or a business. You will start with the elation of the new, but soon you will experience the “break-down,” which can be like silver starting to tarnish. Well, you’ve got to take the time to polish it up. This requires time, effort and attention to detail.

1. Time – Nothing just happens. Over time everything begins to break-down and will usually announce that it is happening. The best thing to do is accept the fact that it will happen and plan to do what it takes to counter the effects with a real remedy. It will not always be easy, but anything worth keeping is worth your time to revitalize it.

2. Effort – There will never be strength without strain. Putting your hand to the plow when the dirt is hard will frustrate anyone. But your goal is for soil to eventually give way to your efforts. The best results give evidence to your effort.

3. Attention to detail – Stop with the quick fix. Pay attention to the details that will sustain health and prosperity, and ultimately feed you the joy you once had in “the new thing”. Details matter most when something is broken. Taking the time to do a thorough review may reveal that the fix is much easier than you think. Details will tell you whether neglect has been the issue or whether circumstances beyond your control have imposed their will upon your prize.

It’s been said that “It’s easier to walk away from what is broken than to repair what is broken.”

Tim

Let The People Go!

Tim — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:07:16 +0000

Have you ever met people so afraid of competition that they build a whole lot of rules and policies to ensure that they never lose? Well I believe they’ve lost already! Instead of building a bunch of rules and policies, why don’t you exercise the following:

1. Hire, partner or work with the right people.
2. Get to know those who you are actually working with or in relationship with.
3. Build trust.
4. Have confidence in the vision and plan that you have and include those you are working with into all aspects of it.
5. Hang out together.
6. Know their dreams and aspirations.
7. Release them to be the best they can be.
8. Evaluate what makes you afraid or insecure. (Jealousy, fear, unresolved conflict, etc)
9. Protect what you are doing by doing all of the above.
10. If they must go, let them leave.

Tim Pecoraro

Getting Old

Tim — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:03 +0000

The reality is that we are all getting older. Not a bad thing at all. I believe that it’s best to accept and make the most out of it. Here are some things that I recommend for the journey ahead:

1. See every new day as an opportunity to be more than you’ve become.
2. Don’t put off the things that will cause you regret when you are in the winter of your life.
3. Love hard.
4. Repent often.
5. Work hard.
6. Always learn something new about yourself, others and the world/life/etc.
7. Give much and often.
8. Never require anything of anyone that you yourself are not willing to do.
9. Surround yourself with wise council that are where you want to be in life.
10. Build honest peer relationships that will not only love you through anything but love you enough to not allow you to be anything less than your best.
11. Serve other and your community.
12. Don’t be afraid to take risks.
13. Lead or mentor a person much younger than yourself. Don’t just give your opinion, but demonstrate to them what it is that you actually have to offer.
14. Use your imagination and tap into your high creativity.
15. Avoid everyone that says, “it’ll never work.”

Tim Pecoraro

When They Quit

Tim — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:15:10 +0000

People always have the right to bail! At any point within a relationship whether personal or professional they can call it quits. Has that happened to you? How do you handle it? I offer some advice for the one who quits and the one who has been quit:
When you quit:
1. You might say, “it’s nothing personal” or “it’s not you it’s me”. No matter what you say, it is personal and you are walking away from the person or organization. Remember if there is any history or exchange of value it will still hurt.
2. Allow for real conversation as to “why” this is happening and realize that people will thrash in different ways. (don’t hide behind email, letters or other people)
3. Tell the truth.
4. If you’ve hung yourself by your tongue of commitment, own up to it and show real compassion.
5. Be sure you know that what you are quitting, you are not burning bridges. You may want it back and it will depend on how you handle the situation. Nothing is worse than when someone realizes they’ve made a mistake but knows that there is no way in hell they can fix it.

When they’ve quit on you:
1. Digest before you react. Don’t rush into a response. It might be sudden and come out of nowhere but you need to have control over your responses.
2. Ask questions and see if there is any possibility to repair, connect and re-ignite the relationship.
3. Don’t be a fool and vent to others. You could possibly talk too much and miss the valuable lessons in what has just happened. Also, people can too easily take your side and help you to wallow when you really need to listen, hear, accept and heal.
4. Be careful to not allow the incident to occupy your mind. Stay active, involved and even serve the needs of others when possible.
5. Make it a lesson learned.

Tim Pecoraro

You Wear It Well

Tim — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:29:11 +0000

I love seeing everyday people wearing the jerseys, caps and jackets of their favorite sports team and sports heros. True fans wear the branded apparel with pride. Even when the team is struggling, the true fans support their team and players without waiver. They will defend their team and believe that every new season will usher in the potential of a better record or even a championship. They believe that the coaching and the players are going to work together to improve not just because of the fans but because they want to succeed.

Bad years can always be expected. But what if we wore the team jersey with pride that demonstrated real support, not jumping ship? No one improves by running away from legitimate challenges. You can always find great teams and great players. What about being one of the reasons a team is great and you being one of those great players? Don’t be a fair-weather fan, and even still a fair-weather player.

Tim Pecoraro

4 Steps to Overcome Obstacles & Problems

Tim — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:58:16 +0000

One of my greatest joys in life is finding solutions to everyday problems and obstacles. I have always been a firm believer that one of the highest gifts available to human beings is the ability to see a problem and then identify and implement the best solution. There are certain basic steps that I take that have proven to be effective in the process. Here they are:

RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM – You might be surprised how difficult it is for people to admit that something is wrong. Denial is a major roadblock toward success and resolution.
GET COUNSEL – The greatest asset we have is the counsel that is available to us from people that have overcome difficult situations. Accessibility to sound counsel and advice is vital to problem-solving. (If you do not have advisors and counselors, I recommend you get them. MOVE BEYOND PEER COUNSEL.)
IDENTIFY & IMPLEMENT THE STEPS NEEDED FOR CORRECTION – With solid counsel and some think time, you should be able to work on the steps necessary to move toward overcoming your problems. Just think of being those CSI guys. They show up and have to recreate exactly what took place in order to solve the problem. So it should be for you, too. See the problem and work backwards to find where the problem actually began.
DO THE WORK NECESSARY – In other words, be proactive and do something about it. If you think it’s bad not to try and find a solution, you will find it is far worse to have the solution and not put it to work!

Tim Pecoraro

Include Scenarios Into Your Plan

Tim — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:16:43 +0000

If you want to succeed you have to plan for it! However, in planning to succeed, it is of utmost importance that you take into account the less than desirable scenarios that can prove to be fatal to the perfect plan. You see, one cannot just create a formula for success that ignores the probability of some sort of disruption. To do so is to believe that life is the equivalent to having a genie in a bottle or wishes without wisdom, resolve or hard work. I encourage everyone to spend time walking themselves through the “what if” scenarios that include obstacles. Obstacles that can lead you to a better planning process and develop irreplaceable characteristics that are found in the lives of successful people.

Tim Pecoraro

Creative Timing

Jon McConnell — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:41:00 +0000

“Relevant” Art or Creativity is just what is needed for a specific time and place – and often dissipates as quick as it comes. It provides fuel for the day, but doesn’t set a new destination for your Beneficiary’s travels.

“Post-Relevant” Art and Creativity, however, is always just out of the Beneficiary’s reach. Post-Relevant Art and Creativity will make people’s arms grow in order to reach it; it makes your audience run a little faster, dig a little deeper; and grasp for higher rungs on the ladder.

“Good” art and creativity is never timely, it’s always early.

THAT THING!

Tim — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:22:19 +0000

In any competition, it is always good to see a close but great finish where the competitors are gritting it out down to the wire, digging deep and pushing for something that they know is on the inside. Perhaps they’ve tapped it before, but this is a new foe that is creating a demand for something that’s never been done before. This will be the determining factor for the victor. This is not about luck or chance. No. What I am referring to is the deep seat of one’s will to win. There will be days when the competition is easy. There will be days when the competitor gets the upper hand. But then there will be days when the winning and losing manifest what has actually been being built. It’s the thing that calls to you and tells you to negotiate with your mind, body, emotions and spirit, asking to be released when all else has been attempted. That thing can be called by different names. Whatever you want to call it, just call on it and put a mark in the win column today.

Tim

Getting Past Your Limitations

Tim — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:32:51 +0000

I am learning that everyone comes to a crossroads where they have to admit they have a limitation. This is not a sign of weakness but evidence of inner strength. Don’t be fooled, many people can do the first step and admit, but do not take the next steps to get them beyond their limitation or find the supplement they are lacking. Not taking the steps only puts them back in a place where weakness prevails over the will to succeed and overcome. It’s hard to overcome with a weak will. I see many people in this position and I too have experienced such deficits. It’s that place where there are many anecdotes that overwhelm us or none that have the potency. I find we all get those chances to come back around to deal with the cycle that plagues us. It’s the opportunity we get to deal with the limitation and maybe even in a different situation. I would like to offer this simple anecdote that I am finding to be favorable:

See the reality of the limitation and realize that the human potential is still yet to be completely realized. (Admission and confession is only rivaled by the grace given to overcome)
Learn to be still and “THINK” about what it’s worth to get to the next level
Look, search, read and investigate in order to surround yourself with potential solutions
Build trusted relationships with people who have overcome. This will take some vulnerability on your part. (Friends are great to encourage and build up but usually won’t push you hard enough to breakthrough. That is why you need people in your life who are where you would like to be)
Be diligent
Be willing to adjust your pace
Keep negative people far away from you
Don’t quit even when it hurts
Journal your progress
Set up a rewards system for key milestones

I can’t wait to see you with your new strengths and capabilities. Feel free to share what you have done in your life to overcome.

Tim Pecoraro