1. Here's an article that was just published in Bright Ideas. It's the fourth and final in a series about character, and I'm really happy with it. Enjoy!

    Image source
    CAN IT REALLY BE DONE?
    On May 6, 1954 leading medical professionals and scientists were still convinced that running a mile under four minutes was deadly. The human bone structure, lungs and heart were fundamentally inadequate for such a task. And that same day, Roger Bannister proved them wrong, crossing the finish line in less than four minutes.

    Two months later, Bannister did it again, this time bringing another runner across the line and under the four-minute mark with him. Since then, more than 4,700 people have broken the barrier, including high school students and runners like Eamonn Coghlan, who ran his first sub four minute mile at age 41… and who has since run 82 more.

    Bannister’s example removes all of our excuses for acquiescing to what is easy in favor of what is possible. The only way any of us will build strong character is by choosing to live virtuously, day in and day out.

    GETTING THERE
    In acting virtuously (courageously, generously, etc), we actually become the virtue (courageous, generous, etc). However, the moment we place virtue second to entertainment, pleasure, comfort, or anything else, we lose that virtue, and our character is drastically affected.

    One of the ways we can find guidance in our action is our conscience. Your conscience is your personal compass. It’s that “inner voice” or “gut feeling” that is your personal guide for action.

    Dr. Hans Selye presented research showing that human beings have a Reticular Activating System in the back of our brains. This RAS has one primary function: to cause us to move in the direction of the dominant thought of the moment.

    So, what are you constantly thinking about?  Be aware what you search for on Instagram or Google, what you “vent” about, and the focus of your prayer. They all shape your conscience.

    This formation of conscience also ties back the article that appeared in the January issue of Bright Ideas. “Like begets like” reminds us that elite sports teams or schools will only continue to attract the elite by being elite. The same goes with our consciences. Your conscience will become virtuous by encountering virtue.

    PROACTIVE CONSCIENCE FORMATION
    State officers are often adept at perceiving the opinions or emotions of others and being flexible enough to meet them where they are. That’s a tremendous gift. However, like begets like, and when we bend ourselves to meet others where they are, we need to be careful we don’t break with our values.

    In his book, Public Appearances / Private Realities, doctor and professor of psychology Mark Snyder describes this phenomenon as self-monitoring. A high self-monitor as “someone who is particularly sensitive to cues to the situational appropriateness of his or her social behavior and who uses these cues as guidelines for… regulating or controlling… his or her… behavior.” Essentially, Snyder tells us that high self-monitors are keenly aware of how their actions will affect others. They therefore choose to act based upon what will make favorable impressions, win favor, or reach their personal end. If you have ever laughed at a joke that wasn't funny in order to put a new acquaintance at ease or hid your disappointment in a friend who makes fun of someone you like, you've practiced self-monitoring.
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    Snyder acknowledges that being a high or low self-monitor is OK. What matters most is paying attention to your actions. If we are moved by our dominant thoughts, and others can influence these thoughts, they can influence our character. High self-monitors need to avoid ignoring their consciences concerning the serious things. Low self-monitors need to make sure that wearing their own inner feelings on their sleeves is not an excuse for having feelings which may not be kind or helpful at that moment.

    Consider how you act with different individuals or in different groups. Do you need to spend less or more time with one more than others? How can you mentally prepare for the encounters that tug more strongly at your conscience?

    ACTUALLY BECOMING WHAT WE SEEK
    Character is not about what we do; it's who we are. In the course of these four articles, we've discovered that 

    1. Character is an impression.
    2. Choices make impressions.
    3. Choices for the good of oneself and of all are virtuous choices (“morally excellent”).
    4. As I choose virtue, I become virtuous. We actually become the virtue we seek.

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    In a moving scene from last summer’s blockbuster hit, “Man of Steel”, Superman’s father tells his wife that their son “will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards.” He says to the infant hero, “They will race behind you. They will stumble; they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.”

    Virtuous lives carry on something to strive toward, something that other people can become—not just do, but actually become. And if there is any chance that it will live on, it must be grounded in what is ultimately true, what is beyond just me or you—something that is for the good of one and the good of all.


    At a time when its all about followers and likes, all about being seen and admired, we forget what impresses others most.. the one who stands quiet and firm—who embodies the ideal we are all striving toward.
    Image source 1 and 2
    *To take a version of the Self-Monitoring Scale self-assessment, check out Snyder’s Public Appearances / Private Realities (W.H. Freeman and Company, 1987 - referenced in this article) or click here for a free online version of “The 25-Item Self-Monitoring Scale”. 
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    Labels: Bright Ideas Magazine Articles Character Humanity Leadership and Personal Growth Saints Beget Saints Virtue

  2. Great ideas from great minds... I've been switching up my schedule these past weeks, biking and exploring and climbing and having good conversations with good friends, and the ideas below ring true for me. Enjoy.

    (http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/20-unusual-things-20-successful-people-do-every-day.html)



    Every day I wear the same outfit and eat the same dinner. As an entrepreneur there are hundreds of micro-decisions I need to make, and decision fatigue can be a huge problem, so I try to eliminate any decisions I don't have to make.
    For example, I only own 5 white t-shirts. In the morning I never need to think about what I'll be wearing: it's going to be a white t-shirt. I also only own 2 pairs of pants.
    I do the same thing with meals. I have the exact same dinner 6 times a week (1 sweet potato, 1 chicken breast, 1 red bell pepper, 1 zucchini, pan-fried with tomato sauce) for the exact same reason. Staying focused on eating healthy can take a lot of willpower, and I'd rather spend that willpower on different decisions--so I created a healthy meal I can eat every day. The fewer decisions you have to make, the better decisions you can make.
    -- Leo Widrich, co-founder of Buffer

    It's important to keep the fire in the gut burning because without passion or purpose you become complacent--and complacency kills. I give myself a gut check every day to make sure I've still "got it" because over time it's easy to lose sight of what matters to you and instead focus on what is important to others (think new employee versus senior leader).
    For me, the connection between mental and physical fitness is important--in the SEALs and in business--and something I continually try to strengthen by doing crazy gut checks like driving across country in 42 hours straight with no (read zero) sleep (not something I recommend, by the way) or waking up at five am every day to play guitar, write my blog, and exercise--rain, sleet, or snow--before heading into work.
    If you lose the fire in the gut then you lose the values that define you.
    -- Jeff Boss, former Navy SEAL (every list needs an ex-SEAL) and CrossLead team member at the McChrystal Group

    We have a very casual "jeans and t-shirt" environment at Road ID but I still never leave for work without ironing my t-shirt.
    Yes, I iron my t-shirts.
    I use this simple routine as a subtle reminder to myself that Road ID, like every company, needs a leader. Even in a super-casual environment, the boss should look the part. Nothing says, "The buck stops here," like a neatly pressed t-shirt... right?
    -- Edward Wimmer, co-founder of Road ID

    I ride my bike to work because it creates a stress-free time. I get my best ideas on my bike, especially in the morning on my way in to the office.  Unlike driving it really creates a space for me to be creative.  Riding also gives me time to relax and decompress on my way home.
    -- Tania Burke, President of Trek Travel

    I've always equated business with creativity, since the majority of the activities involve solving problems or just figuring stuff out before our competitors do.  Therefore my daily routines are about preparing myself to be as creative or effective as possible and I approach it from a physical and mental perspective.
    I try and run a couple of miles every morning just to clear my head. Then after a frantic hour of parenting (breakfast and lunches for my 3 boys, breakfast and walks for the 2 dogs), I get in the car and listen to music; I find it to be a great distraction and inspiration. The volume knob is adjusted based on the level of distraction required and the music I listen to most are the artists I find most inspiring. Obviously this is a very personal choice but my taste tends to be along the lines of the Dead, Dylan and classic rock like the Stones, Led Zeppelin etc. But I also am a huge fan of early punk like the Clash, the Ramones and most everything from that era.
    I believe that all of these guys had the courage and talent to blaze their own trails, and it inspires me to want to do better and not be afraid to take risks.

    I shift my day. I found long ago that I have my best ideas and am at my most productive early in the morning. I used to lose this time in the rush of getting the kids out of the door and getting ready for work, and then I found myself trying to remember the great idea I had as I was putting on my mascara.
    So now I go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier--I'm up by 4am--which gives me a few hours of super-productive time before the craziness of the day starts and my mind gets jumbled with the mass of tactical decisions to be made.
    -- Sallie Krawcheck, owner of 85 Broads, former Head of Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney
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    Location: Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology 200 Hill Dr, St Meinrad
    Labels: Leadership and Personal Growth

  3. While this post intends to make oneself fascinating, it has merit in simple personal growth. The "fascination" piece might draw people in, but it think the lasting gem, here, is that these are ways to grow, to develop and to connect with others.


    How to Be Fascinating in 5 Easy Steps

    From http://switchandshift.com/how-to-be-fascinating-in-5-easy-steps


    fascinated700x300

    If you watch Switch and Shift TV, you already know my favorite hobby: I collect fascinating people! I’ve been doing it my whole life, though since my first tweet in 2009… let’s just say, social has been like kerosene poured on the flame of this great hobby of mine.

    Because I’ve gathered so many fascinating people by now, I’ve picked up a thing or two that makes many of these folks so worth knowing. Without further ado, here are five things that come quickly to mind about how anyone can become fascinating themselves.

    1. Read.

    You know that saying, “Leaders are readers?” Okay, I can’t stand trite mnemonics either. But this one happens to be completely true. Interesting people read – a lot. For a great place to start, try The Business Heretic’s Bookstore. Not big into reading? There are other ways to consume interesting material. Try audible.com. Or a podcast, like Shawn Murphy’s top-ranked “Work That Matters”. Watch a TED or BIF talk. The key here? Open your mind – and fill it with something more compelling than reality TV.

    2. Make friends with a weirdo.

    Or if not a weirdo, at least seek out and intentionally spend time with someone completely different. Are you a political zealot? Have lunch with someone from across the aisle. An engineer? Go find yourself an English major, or vice-verse. In my tweet stream just yesterday, a 20-something remarked how her 70-something coworker and she discussed their love of the same author. Her tweet ended with #whoknew? My thought: Now they’re both more interesting for knowing each other!

    3. Diversify.

    People worth knowing (and worth employing… and worth being, for that matter) are “shaped like a T,” as our friends at VALVe like to say. That is, they’re deep in their area of specialization, but also broad in many other, unrelated areas – like a letter T, broad across the top but deep in the middle. What outside of your specialty interests you? Don’t hide it, and don’t squelch it. Instead, foster it, run with it, add to it. People will find you an irresistible conversation partner.

    4. Don’t just switch jobs: switchcareers!

    IDEO and Continuum are two global design firms that go out of their way to hire people with incredibly diverse backgrounds, like architects, artists, and biomedical researchers. Sticking them together in a room to design the next killer product for a client? That’s all in a day’s work at these two iconic firms. Or maybe you’re a poet who wants to transition to consulting. On a recent episode of Switch and Shift TV, I spoke with Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You. That poet-turned-consultant is one of dozens of examples in her book.

    5. Waste Time Productively.

    The most fascinating author alive today may well be Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, Outliers, and The Tipping Point. In this insightful interview with another of my favorite authors, Wharton’s Adam Grant, Gladwell shares how he stumbles upon ideas for future books. Key word: stumbles! Few people have mastered the art of the productive time-waster like Gladwell, but now that we know his secret… well, you can take it from here.

    6. Volunteer.

    Want to be more fascinating? Stop focusing on yourself, and redirect your energy to serving the needs of others. Whether it’s transforming the lives of poor families – and whole villages – on a global scale as they do atHeifer International or packaging food for a local organization battling hunger, even a couple of hours a week will give you something to talk about that lights you up, infects your conversation partner with energy, and isn’t about you. If anything will make you more interesting, this will – just please, don’t be sanctimonious about it. That’s not interesting at all.

    There you go: I promised you five tips, and gave you six… which leads me to my final (seventh) pointer in becoming more fascinating: surprise people! Heck, surprise yourself while you’re at it. I didn’t know I had seven tips to help you to be more fascinating when I started writing this. But thinking of all of the extraordinary individuals I’ve met over the years, seven was a breeze – I’m fairly confident I could go on for at least twenty, and probably more.

    But I won’t, and here’s why: I want to hear what you do to make yourself a more appealing conversation partner to others. What’s your favorite tip? You see, I already know what I know. What other people know? Learning that is a big reason I jump out of bed in the morning.

    Please, fire away in the comments below. What’s your number one trick to being a more thrilling version of you?

     

    Did you like today’s post? If so you’ll love our frequent newsletter! Sign up HERE and receive The Switch and Shift Change Playbook, by Shawn Murphy, as our thanks to you!

    Image credit: gpointstudio / 123RF Stock Photo

    TED COINÉ

    Ted Coiné

    Ted Coiné is co-founder/CEO of http://switchandshift.com, where he is host of Switch and Shift TV, weekly interviews with extraordinary thinkers focusing on the human side of business. One of the most influential business experts on the Web, Ted has been top-ranked by Forbes and Huffington Post for his leadership and social media influence. An inspirational speaker and author, his latest book, A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive will hit bookstores August, 2014. Ted consults with owners, CEOs and boards of directors on modern corporate strategy. He and his family live in Naples, Florida, where Ted is active in the local tech startup community.

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    Location: Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology 200 Hill Dr, St Meinrad
    Labels: Leadership and Personal Growth relationships


  4. It has been a year since Pope Francis' election, and many are trying to nail down 'the Francis effect'. 

    This effect isn't in the numbers in attendance at World Youth Day at Rio in July 2013 or whether the average Catholic is attending Mass more regularly, it's the power of a change within.

    CNN belief blog co-editor Daniel Burke argues that it's not about the numbers, but about the change in the hearts of individuals that makes the Holy Father's 'effect' so powerful.

    In an article just published on CNN.com, the author shares the individual stories of a handful of Catholics--student, a gay Catholic man, an 'ex-priest', and others. Their testimonies support his claim that Pope Francis' first year has made a true difference in their lives of faith.  

    But before he presents these few stories, Burke recounts some of what Pope Francis has done in his first year as pope. On this first anniversary of his papacy, it is interesting to review the powerful humility and courage with which Pope Francis leads.
    "He blasted bishops who spend money like they're auditioning for 'MTV Cribs' and chastised priests who forget they're servants, not princes.
    "He called for a truce in the culture wars, refused to judge gay peopleand reached out to atheists.


    "He hugged a man covered with tumors, washed the feet of Muslim prisoners and wore a clown nose -- just for giggles.

     "He hired a group of cardinals -- including Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston -- to reform the curia, the Vatican bureaucracy that has a reputation for more shady deals than Tammany Hall.
    "He cold-called nuns, refused to live in the Apostolic Palace and ditched the regal trappings of papal life.

     "He called unfettered capitalism a false idol and trickle-down economics a sham.

    "He made the cover of Time, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and The Advocate, a gay and lesbian magazine that makes no secret of its problems with previous Popes.
    "He said it's immoral when the media reports every move of the market but ignores the death of a homeless person.

     "He told his church to be big-hearted and bruised, open and merciful; to forget its finery and make a mess in the streets; to be a field hospital for this sin-sick world."

     And, in doing so, he has changed the hearts of so many. 

    Lord, thank you for the gift of our Holy Father. Continue to guide him by your Holy Spirit as he shows us the face of Christ in the world today.

    To read their stories (or the rest of the article) click here.
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    Labels: Catholic Perspectives Energizing Witness Hope Pope Francis Today's Church

  5. Have you thought or heard these things this week?

     "What are you giving up?" 
    "Why can't we eat meat on Fridays?" 
    "I wonder how many different things I can go without during Lent?"

    If you have been on Facebook at all this week you might also have noticed a flurry of posts on your newsfeed sharing ideas for Lent. A cousin of mine shared a link to 20 ideas on things one can do to grow in their faith rather than what one can give up.

    I think this was a good reminder. Lent is a time of sacrifice, but its not about the sacrifice. It isn't just a time to beat ourselves up or test the limits of our discipline or self-motivation. Athletes who discipline their bodies and minds do so for a larger goal. For us, too, Lent is about something more. It's about Easter, and Easter is about a new life in Christ. And if we don't come out on the other side of these 40 days knowing him more closely, what was Lent for?

    In Paul's letter to the Philippians (3:7-11), we are reminded of what today and this season - and all disipleship and acts of faith are really about. We may "suffer the loss" of some things this Lent, and we may do things that are "based on law" that is given us by the Church for our own growth and unity as Christ's body, but if we lean on our own righteousness or seek praise or self-satisfaction, have we gained anything, really?

    Lent is hear, and if we realize what it points us too, truly, a resurrection, a new life in Christ, then this season of penance and prayer and alms giving is really a season of great joy, not because of what we will do or what will be asked of us, but because of what awaits us on the other side.


    "But whatever again I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed account everything is lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
    Philippians 3:7–11

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    Labels: Discipleship Lent Motivation Philippians Sacrifice

  6. 3 Life-Changing Habits of High Performers

    By Brad Sugars|October 21, 2013
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    3 Life-Changing Habits of High Performers
    Image credit: clomedia.com

    When it comes to being successful, high achievers have a number of habits in common. But that doesn't mean you can't be right up there with them.

    Here are three qualities all successful people share and how you can make them your own:

    1. Say 'no' to distraction. Every. Single. Time. Successful people make better use of their time because they are disciplined goal-setters. I’m referring to those high performers who experience no down-time. Sure, there are vacations and time spent with the family, but that comes after success has been achieved.

    Successful people have that same list of tasks to accomplish as anyone else, but the difference is they make time to get them all done with no excuses. They may not enjoy it, but that is irrelevant. What matters is that it gets done. They are disciplined in planning their work and sticking to their plan.

    Related: How to Make Every Minute of Your Day Matter

    Even when you’ve achieved that level of success, the work doesn’t stop. I am always on the lookout for a great, profitable investment. I might be out with my family, but my brain is always aware of business opportunities around me. I don’t just shut it off when I’m not at work.

    2. Read something new everyday. Successful people read constantly, find mentors who can teach them and value new information that can help push them forward. Whatever field you are in, you have to learn before you earn. Learn your product, customers and competition. And then: keep learning.

    Related: The 15-Minute Strategy to Get More Done Everyday 

    3. Flaunt your failures like a champ. Fail as many times as you can. Everyone fails. It’s part of life. Too many people take failure as a sign it's time for them to give up. Those people don’t get very far. What sets successful people apart is the ability to get up and give it another go with a better plan for how to be successful the next time around.

    If you want to embrace the habits of successful people, you’ve got to make the change within yourself first. 

    Related: How Failure Made These Entrepreneurs Million

    Republished from http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/229518

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    Location: Haubstadt Haubstadt
    Labels: Leadership and Personal Growth
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