“There is always a best way of doing everything.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If there is indeed always a best way of doing everything, how do we go about discovering the “best” way? We may not initially know the best way, but with so many resources available at our disposal today, we can evaluate several different options and then try our best to choose the best one available to us at that moment in time.
The Scientific Method is a procedure known to the natural sciences since at least the 17th century. It consists of a series of systematic observations, experiments, measurements, calculations, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. It is viewed as an empirical method of acquiring information and knowledge through careful observation and rigorous skepticism. It takes into account the understanding for potential bias and therefore relies on objective observation balanced by a healthy dose of skepticism.
Trial and error is a less formal and much less rigorous process characterized by multiple repeated varied attempts to reach a desired outcome. Failure is a natural part of the process of both trial and error and the scientific method and failure is embraced as part of the natural process of moving in the direction of the desired result.
How was Thomas Edison able to discover the best way to create an incandescent light bulb? The simple answer is he found thousands of ways that were not the best way. If we are willing to try different approaches and keep our minds open to all available options, eventually we will discover the best way for the task at hand in those circumstances. The best way is ever evolving, constantly improving, making room for the next best way. We are still figuring out the best way, all these years later, to create the best lighting solution possible. Sometimes the best way is only slightly different than what the best way was the day before.
Writing is a lot like this. When I first started writing, many of my messages were rudimentary. As I practiced my craft, I learned different ways of expressing my ideas and gained a better command of language, expression, and description. I also developed my style. The more I practiced, the better I got. And the more I practice, the better I will get. Excellence eventually becomes a habit.
Excellence is the evolution of ideas and the understanding that our world is in perpetual motion, movement, and advancement, which allows us to individually do our best in any given situation or circumstance. Our willingness and openness to evaluate new information and ideas is what gives us the opportunity to do our best work. Collectively, we rely on one another and on the sharing of ideas and information to discover the next best way of doing things.
When we move from believing that we as individuals have the best opportunity of creating the best solutions to instead, crowdsourcing the collective wisdom of our communities and companies, we then gain access to the collective consciousness and collective wisdom of the group.
The best practices of today only provide a bridge to the best practices of tomorrow. The cycle repeats itself with each new day and once again gives us the opportunity to do our best because our individual best is the “best” way of doing everything. That is, unless we can come together in a group and work collectively to solve whatever challenges we are facing and then the “best” way will have been decided by each of the “best” minds working together to create an even better “collective best” mind or more simply, the crowdsourced “best of the best!”
My name is Bobby. I am The Inspirationalist!
I inspire people to pursue their gifts!
If my words somehow inspired you to pursue your gift, then I succeeded…
By the way, if you enjoyed this article, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy my next book, Advance Confidently. I look forward to sharing it with you on the 4th of July.
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” ~C. JoyBell C.
In his wonderfully inspiring book, The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy has the character of “The Horse” reveal something to the boy. Here’s how the conversation unfolds:
“There’s something I haven’t told you.” Said the horse.
“What’s that?” Said the boy.
“I can fly. But I stopped because it made the other horses jealous.”
“Well we love you whether you can fly or not.”
To their amazement, the next thing the boy and the mole realize, they are watching the horse’s wings unfurl…
In the next scene, the boy and the mole are seen crawling up the horses outstretched leg to take their place upon his back. The boy and the mole are seated on the horses back. With wings outstretched, the majesty of the horse is undeniable. The word “Ok” sits in quotes at the top of the page.
On the next page, we witness flight…
The next two pages provide for a powerful transition…
“Is your glass half empty or half full?” asked the mole.
“I think I’m grateful to have a glass.” Said the boy.
“We don’t know about tomorrow.” Said the horse. “All we need to know is that we love each other.”
The book goes on in this magical way and once again I offer my highest praise and strongest recommendation that you purchase a copy for yourself. It is a stable resource in my day to day, one day at a time, approach to life.
Why do we mute ourselves? Why do we hide our shine? What are we afraid of?
Why would our ability to fly make other horses or other people jealous?
Why would our response be to hide our wings?
Which fear is rearing its ugly head when we hide our shine or fold our wings back so no one can see them?
Each of us comes to this world with a special gift that only we can give to humanity. If we do not find the courage to give it, then as Martha Graham says, something wonderful will be lost.
Here is the good news:
“We always may be what we might have been.” ~Adelaide Anne Procter
In the Miracle Morning Room on Clubhouse today, we talked about self-confidence. We asked each other how the Miracle Morning and the SAVERS practice helps us to discover or further develop self-confidence. The array of answers is what the Leader of this incredible experience refers to as crowdsourcing wisdom.
Brianna Greenspan is the Co-Author of The Miracle Morning Art of Affirmations: A Positive Coloring Book for Adults and Kids and the Co-founder, Host, and Moderator of The Miracle Morning Clubhouse Room. Every morning, the wisdom of the room is crowdsourced to make the Universe just a little bit better for my grandchildren. (No, this is not the stated purpose of the room, but it’s “my personal why” for being a part of it).
Photo from Authors Collection
What I just described is the natural consequence of creating a safe container for people to come together with a likeminded purpose of growth.
Everyday, we “get to” witness the magic of the Miracle Morning. It’s as if we can hear the following if we are willing to listen:
I am the miracle. I am the morning.
“The Miracle Morning is elevating the consciousness of humanity, one morning at a time.” ~Hal Elrod
I am the miracle. I am the morning.
It repeats itself in every share and every affirmation of whatever is openly shared as a response to an intentional question, a vulnerable and authentic disclosure, or a deep reflection.
Not only is wisdom being crowdsourced, but so is courage, confidence, appreciation, humility, dignity, respect, self-love, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-reflection, gratitude, and ultimately, Joy and yes, sometimes, dare I say, even bliss…
When we show up with purpose and intention, grounded in community, we can do, be, or become, whatever we choose. We can do this because we are no longer trying to do it on our own or in an unsupported or unnatural way. We do it by showing up and putting into practice, to the best of our ability, the SAVERS.
Don’t make it harder than it is. One of our regular contributors who is all about doing it her way simply says this: You can start with 6 minutes if that’s all you have to contribute right now and then just show up for yourself every day. The cumulative effect of your one day at a time approach to honoring yourself will give you results you only once imagined were possible, but with the help of the community, you will see that they are possible for you as well.
If you are not interested in Clubhouse or not an iOS user, you can find the Miracle Morning and the SAVERS at MiracleMorning.com or you can find them on multiple social media platforms, in bookstores, on Amazon, or wherever you go to get your daily podcast download.
In other words, The Miracle Morning is everywhere. It is as is expressed by one of my favorite unique words, ubiquitous, which simply means in scientific terms, everywhere.
For those wondering, the SAVERS stand for:
Silence
Affirmations
Visualization
Exercise
Reading
Scribing (just a cool way of capturing what journaling is).
The SAVERS are not only the backbone of the Miracle Morning Movement, but they are also “the six most powerful, effective, and time-tested personal development practices known to man … known as the Life S.A.V.E.R.S.” and I assure you, if implemented into your daily practice, your life will be almost unrecognizable in the shortest amount of time possible.
If your life is already magical and magnificent, then someone might just ask you when you decided to let your wings show. They might ask you if you know your wings are showing?
Your reply will be humble, just like the horse, and you will invite them to join you on your journey of curiosity and together you will fly into the uncharted territory of self-discovery. You will not go alone, but instead, supported on your path of learning about all you are capable of, not all at once, but “one day at a time” in a community ready to support you on your quest to become whoever YOU choose to BE!
Together WE can!
I am the miracle. I am the morning.
If you enjoyed today’s article, watch for the next one where I will explain for those of you who have little ones, how to modify this practice for your kids. When the SAVERS become CHARMS, magic happens!
By the way, if you enjoyed this article, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy my next book, Advance Confidently. I look forward to sharing it with you on the 4th of July.
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
Author’s Note: I completed my 30-Day Spring into 2021 writing challenge!
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” ~Helen Keller
If ever there was a phrase that captured the essence of what was the year 2020, I believe this might be it. As we look back, as we reflect on everything that happened since March of 2020, there is an underlying feeling that all of the things that were always in plain sight, people either simply ignored, or refused to pay attention to.
It’s not until something begins to affect the greater numbers of our society that people start to notice things, that people start to actually see. Prior to the pandemic, poverty was in plain sight. Prior to the pandemic, there existed an epidemic of underlying illiteracy in the richest country in the world.
How is it possible that in the year 2021 we still have schools across this country that don’t have the necessary resources they need to serve the students of their respective communities.
The children of this crisis are the ones who will be responsible for the future of the world. There is an incumbent responsibility amongst all adults to come together and make sure that these children have everything they need to make sure that in time, their children have a world to grow up in that’s better than it currently is.
We can continue to pretend that there are no major challenges facing our future or we can start asking better questions. What kinds of better questions could we ask? What if we started by asking the individuals in charge of all the schools across the country about what their number one unmet need is as it relates to providing inspirational education to the children?
Teaching children the basic fundamentals of reading, writing, science, and arithmetic, will only ever take us so far. How different would things be if we were also able to teach them lessons of compassion, understanding, curiosity, confidence, empathy, and so many other lessons that we currently are not taking the time to show them.
If thinking is what separates us from all the rest of the animal kingdom, then maybe we should spend some more time teaching children who are incredibly resilient and much brighter than we give them credit for, how their brains actually work. Operating from a place of fear or a predetermined curriculum about what we can and can’t teach kids is what’s keeping us from making any major advances with the very kids we claim we want to educate.
Education isn’t about facts and figures and taking tests and memorizing things. Education is about teaching problem solving. Education is about providing the tools children need to take on the challenges of the next century.
Clearly, we know that the level of thinking that led to the place that we currently are is not the level of thinking that will create a different place for the children to grow up in. With the population of the world rising at an alarming rate, children must be educated in the process of creative problem solving. As a matter of fact, maybe we should change the language around the word problem because when we label something we negate it.
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” ~Voltaire
What if we started calling what are perceived problems, opportunities instead? For example, if there’s not enough food to feed everybody, that simply means there’s an opportunity to find a better way. What if we empowered the children with the ability to create solutions where it seems none exist? And where do these solutions come from? We need only look to the great minds that have produced some of the major advancements in our world to know that it comes from creative capacity, from the ability to think outside the box, from the ability to imagine solutions for challenges that don’t yet exist.
The word imagine, in and of itself is a unique expression. The word translated in a literal sense simply means, to bring an image in. It’s an expression of how as human beings we think in pictures yet use words to describe what we see. And therein lies the conundrum. We can’t describe what we are unwilling to see…
Would there be anything wrong with teaching children that their world doesn’t have to be completely full every single moment of the day, that it’s OK for them to take a pause, to breathe, to reflect on the experience of their day. Are children educated in matters such as these? Is anyone talking to the children about the importance of self-care, of taking time to focus on or think about the things that most excite them? Or to just sit silently in a park and listen to the birds, watch the squirrels play, or to see the colors that emerge when winter turns to spring?
Mary Oliver once wrote a poem about a grasshopper. Most people know the most famous line from the poem, but I don’t believe the majority of people understand the nature of the poem, what the poem was really written about… Because of the profound nature of the final line, the message of the rest of the poem is often missed.
The quote everyone is familiar with is about what we will or won’t do with our one wild and precious life. The unknown part of the poem is a conversation with a grasshopper. Questions are asked. Questions that don’t necessarily have an answer, but we’re contemplated anyway for the purpose of contemplation, for the purpose of observation in a moment of presence free from distraction, focused only on the subject at hand, the grasshopper. Here are the other lines from a poem that was so richly written.
The Summer Day by Mary Oliver.
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Let’s take the time to teach our children about what it means to put words together in a sentence written to evoke the senses instead of proper syntax and grammar, better yet, let’s do both.
Imagine a world where we teach children the importance of silence. The power of affirmations, of using language with purpose and intention to invite more of what we want into our lives. What if we could teach children to see what does not yet exist and because we taught them this skill, they created a future better and brighter than the one we currently live in. What if children understood the physiological reasons for exercise and that because we empowered them to understand this, we ended the current obesity crisis prevalent throughout America and many other parts of the world. What if we taught children not just how to read but how to tell a great story and why that’s important to the future of the world. And what if we taught them to write down the reflections from their day so they could have a written record of all the things they were able to experience. What if they were afforded an opportunity to also reflect on the impact of their decisions with the understanding that they never had to repeat an undesired action again if they chose not to, because being aware of it gave them another choice?
What if we taught them that every day is a blank canvas, an opportunity to write a fresh new script for how they choose to experience the day? What if we grounded them in the understanding that the one and only thing we have control over, is our thinking and how we choose to respond to the events unfolding around us?
And what if we taught them that choosing to see, or choosing not to see, sight or no sight, is a choice?
If we chose to do this, then I think we could end blindness and there’s no telling what kind of world our children might create.
Wouldn’t it be great if we taught our children how to both see and then say, I see you! And even better, wouldn’t it be great if they understood why that’s important…
Let’s end blindness. Let’s do it together!
Let’s empower our children to understand that they are the change agents of the future, the stewards of the Universe!
Written in honor of my grandchildren…
By the way, if you enjoyed this article, I believe you will thoroughly enjoy my next book, Advance Confidently. I look forward to sharing it with you on the 4th of July.
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
If you enjoyed and found value in this article, please share it.
In Gratitude,
Bobby Kountz, Author, Speaker, Sobriety Scholar, Inspirationalist!
PS. You can find out more about me here. You can find my book on Amazon.
The Best Way To Manage The Future Is One Day At A Time
In honor of President’s Day and the upcoming Monday Holiday here in the U.S., please enjoy the following quote which is one of my favorite Presidential Quotes!
Photo by Jalen Hueser on Unsplash
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” ~Abraham Lincoln
As human beings, many of us
have a tenancy to see things as worse than they are. Some have a predisposition
to see things as much better than they are. Others seem to be indifferent and
engage instead in magical thinking neither acknowledging the facts nor honoring
the truth about what is known.
The best advice on this
subject I ever remember hearing came from the great leader and business
philosopher, Mr. Jim Rohn. He suggested, as it relates to the future, that we
see it as it is but no worse than it is.
I recently found another
article on Medium while searching for a quote which I believe is worth a read,
so I have included it here for your review and hope it adds some value to both
this article and your life.
A modern take on the expression
from Mr. Rohn comes from Jordan Belfort who said:
“You need to see things as they are, not worse than they are, then see them better than they are, and make them that way.” ~Jordan Belfort
I don’t know Mr. Belfort but I have a feeling he’s the kind of individual who would readily embrace the idea behind the following quote about roses. Who knows for sure but he obviously found a way to turn his Wolf of Wall Street real life story into something other than thorns…
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” -Unknown, often misattributed to Mr. Lincoln
This quote, unfortunately
often credited to one of my favorite Presidents, captures the absolute essence
of perception! OK, I admit it also captures some other elements as well…
Like, Optimism! And maybe even Attitude! Yes, seeing roses on a thorn bush is
indicative of a positive attitude! Also, seeing roses on a thorn bush is
probably a characteristic of an optimist. Which is interesting upon reflection
in and of itself, for many viewed Lincoln as having a pessimistic nature even
though he was incredibly optimistic about what he believed was possible for our
great nation. Dichotomy? Who knows?
What is undeniable though,
was his tenacious nature. Lincoln never gave up! He failed again and again at
many things, but there was no quit in him! His early political career was an
absolute failure. However, he never quit! Many credit his greatest Presidential
achievements to his determination, persistence, and sheer will…
Many have also said, had there been a different President in office during the
Civil War, we would live in a much different country today… Who knows for
sure?
What is incontrovertible, was Lincoln’s ability to communicate effectively!
On November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered The Gettysburg Address. This speech was by far the most famous speech ever given by the President. The speech was presented in literally less than three minutes time. Many have stated that those who recounted the events of the day suggested the speech seemed much longer because there was a sense that when he spoke, “time literally stood still.” The speech was only 272 words long, but what it lacked in length, it made up at least ten-fold in content! The speech was originally given as a dedication to the Gettysburg Civil War Cemetery; It is credited with being the speech that began the healing of a Nation…
At the Inauguration of our current President, another speech was given by a very young, very promising poet laureate. The words of Amanda Gorman in her poem “The Hill We Climb” might just be the speech to once again begin the healing of a Nation.
Healing will happen the same
way we live out our lives. It will happen the same way the future unfolds. It
will happen “One Day At A Time.”
An additional resource on leadership from Jim Rohn/SUCCESS magazine:
Combining
Our Efforts And Coming Together To Create Lasting Change
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt
Much has
been written about people acting together as a group. The ability to accomplish
things that would otherwise remain dusty dreams in the deep recesses of our
minds has much to do with this phenomenon. We have come to realize over the
years when a like-minded group of individuals acts together, there is no way to
know for sure just how much will be accomplished through their combined
efforts.
Story after
story, article after article, book after book, movie after movie, victory after
victory, all we need do is simply look to our history to understand all that is
possible when people come together for a unified purpose. As a matter of fact,
there are so many stories, it is difficult to pick just one or two to
illustrate this point. However, since I am the one writing “this
story” I get to choose.
Writers
privilege!
I will
illustrate the power of collective unified groups by capturing a few phrases
from the Twentieth Century that both pulled and then kept people together in
times of great difficulty and tremendous struggle.
Like many
myths, I wish I could tell you that Winston Churchill unified an entire country
with the phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” but unfortunately, as good
as it might make the story, it wouldn’t be the truth. However, that doesn’t
mean the words are not now indelibly linked to Churchill’s spirit and leadership
of the British people.
The phrase
is more popular today than it was when it was first coined in 1939 in preparation
for World War II. It was originally meant to raise morale and unite England in
preparation of the anticipated air attacks that would eventually become known
as the Blitzkrieg. For whatever reason, although almost 2.5 million copies were
produced, the poster was rarely displayed and didn’t become popular until it was rediscovered in
2000 at a British book shop. Churchill did however unite the people of Britain
with his words such as those used in his iconic 1940 “This was their finest
hour” speech which he first delivered to the House of Commons and then later
broadcast to the nation.
Many years
later, America would experience a darkness of a magnitude it was ill prepared
to deal with. Oppression clearly has no regard for boundaries.
During one
of the darkest times in the history of the United States, a speech was
delivered in Washington DC that would change the entire course of civil rights
in America. The “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. unified people around the civil rights movement.
With the
words “We Choose to go to The Moon” John F. Kennedy unified a
country to support the space race against Russia.
Apple
introduced the idea of the personal computer, and today, we each carry one
around that doubles as a communication device… The internet has completely
changed life as we know it and the creators had to overcome challenges, they
didn’t even know existed yet to make it a reality. What started as a search
engine for the internet has become a company now leading us into the future
with advances that aren’t even fully understood yet. Google Deep Mind is A.I.
unlimited…
Today,
January 20, 2021, in Washington DC, we witnessed the magic of this entire
concept when it played out in real time as the words of a young poet laureate,
Amanda Gorman were shared with a nation in need of unity and healing. Her
poetic words may have done what no other words could. They served as a reminder
of how far we have come and as a beacon of hope for a better tomorrow…
In today’s
fast paced world, brands have become movements as well… The
“Virgin” brand has become a group of companies focused solely on
solving challenges within different sectors of society. Education as we know it
is being completely redesigned by companies like Virgin and Mindvalley.
And finally,
there is now a major shift taking place in the Healthcare Industry as well.
There is a new focus on both health and wellness in response to people living
much longer and wanting to maintain both their physical health and mental
acuity. Fitness, and the fitness movement have taken the main stage. The focus
isn’t only on physical fitness, but mental wellness is finally getting its
proper due.
In the
pharmaceutical arena, companies are looking to comprehend the body at a
chemical level to better understand and drive innovation. Immunotherapy was for
years mostly conceptual, but today, it makes up a vast part of both the
products available to treat disease and is key for the research being developed
to eradicate disease as well.
For an
interesting review of each of the different areas of focus I discussed, we need
only look to YouTube for a better understanding… Information on Churchill,
King, Kennedy, Jobs and early Apple, The Internet, Google, Virgin and Sir
Richard Branson, Vishen Lakhiani and Mindvalley, and a little video called
“Fire with Fire by GE” that provides hope about the potential future
of medicine as we know it…
Each of
these causes, or major advancements in history, have one specific commonality, togetherness.
When people unite to accomplish something none of them could ever
hope to accomplish alone, history shows us that nothing is impossible when
these like-minded individuals join together to make a real difference in the
world.
Together, we
accomplish More!
“One person may supply the idea for a company, community or nation, but what gives the idea its force is a community of dreams.” -Andre’ Malraux
