Discussion | Better Than Your Best

‘Your Better Self’: New Book Gives Guidance on Living a Successful and Peaceful Life

November 18th, 2009 § 0

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CARBONDALE, Ill., Oct. 15, 2009 — In his groundbreaking new book, “Your Better Self: A Simple Guide To Where You Want To Be” (published by AuthorHouse), Ken Wallace offers readers a resource designed to help them cultivate fulfilling lives of significance and positive attitudes.

“This book helps you answer the question, ‘What do I want most?’” Wallace writes. “It’s about achieving more than you ever thought you could and having more than you ever thought you should by guiding you to manifest your worthy aspirations in your daily life. It will make you unstoppable in living the life you’ve always wanted.”

Focused on helping readers integrate their perspectives on their past, present and future into a peaceful wholeness, “Your Better Self” is filled with useful, immediately applicable tips, techniques and strategies. But rather than providing an inflexible set of directions, the book guides readers to make their own decisions about what is most important to them now and how to use these tools to quickly improve their lives.

Wallace also warns readers of the challenges that they will encounter on the journey to their better selves. Self concern, unfocused thinking, procrastination, perfectionism, rushing, poor planning, misunderstandings, unhealthy desires and lack of empathy are just a few of the barriers that can stand in the way. “Your Better Self” examines these obstacles, and many others, and offers practical ways to deal with them so that the resources of your better self quickly emerge to help you live your “whole” life.

Full of seasoned advice, fresh ideas and inspirational stories, “Your Better Self” is sure to motivate readers to realize their full potential and not only find the answer to “What do I want most?” but also know precisely how to experience everything they are truly worthy of.

About the Author: Ken Wallace is a professional speaker, consultant and executive coach specializing in personal and organizational development. For more than 20 years, Wallace has spoken and consulted in various industries, helping his clients improve their performance, productivity and profitability. Since 2000, he has been one of only nine certified business process and systems coaches for General Motors worldwide. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, Wallace is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and is an ordained United Methodist minister.

For more information, visit http://www.YourBetterSelfBook.com, http://www.KenWallaceCompany.com or http://www.BetterThanYourBest.com.

Live Your Questions

April 19th, 2010 § 0

Great words from Rainer Maria Rilke:

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.

Do not now seek the answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them and the point is to live everything.

Live the questions now.

Perhaps you will gradually, without noticing, live along some distant day into the answer."

How can you live your questions today? You must live them before you find answers. Live them and discover your peace and purpose. Negotiate the ambiguity in your life by remaining resolute to continually ask your questions and then live through them into your answers. They will come in their own time – and they will satisfy your mind and your soul at that time.

Ken

Prayers Offered at Lincoln Day Dinners by Ken Wallace

February 18th, 2010 § 0

Please feel free to use these prayers for your own use in whatever context you feel they are appropriate.

Invocation

Lord,

Help us to remain true to the self-evident truths so long ago proclaimed but existing from the beginning of time, that we are all created equal, and that we are endowed by You as our common Creator with certain unalienable Rights.

Imbue us with a renewed enthusiasm and respect for these, our mutual rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Cause us to know without doubt that from these rights issue forth genuine responsibilities to work for the common good so that all can truly experience the true fullness of freedom.

We pray the presence of Your Power to be within and among us this evening as we seek to manifest these truths within our individual hearts and within the soul of our nation.

We seek Your guidance as we again pledge our allegiance to the timeless proclamation of individual liberty and our uncompromising independence from any tyranny, foreign or domestic, that would seek to deprive us of any of it.

Steady us in these turbulent times, Lord, so that we will never waiver from our reliance on our faith in Your unyielding love for each of us.

Benediction

We now depart in Your love and with Your peace. But we are no longer the people who earlier gathered; we are now the people who leave to live with renewed passion, filled with infinite power and divine wisdom to be co-creators with You to make all things new.

We leave with deeper commitment to embody the words of the one in whose honor we have gathered this evening:

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in . . .”

By Ken Wallace

Put Off Your Procrastination! Seven Steps to Successful Achievement

February 15th, 2010 § 0

Here are seven simple steps you can take to get done what needs to be done – NOW!

1. Organize: Order your time, records and interruptions so that you know what to expect – and from whom.

2. Get it All Together: Gather all necessary information and tools, such as calendar, telephone numbers and to-do lists, in one place. Never put these materials in any other place – ever!

3. Plan: End each day organizing the next day’s appointments and must-do tasks. Nice-to-do tasks should be written at the bottom of your “must-do” list. Do these in the order you’ve written them only after all your “must-dos” have been completed.

4. Prioritize: Set goals and map a strategy to achieve them. List every step to accomplish each goal and then put them in order of importance. Refuse to do the easiest – and the least important – jobs first. In fact, make it a habit to do these at the end of each day.

5. Decide: Do it, delegate it or discard it. For each of your projects, decide how it will be handled and by whom. Write the steps, the timelines, the deadlines and the names of those who will be assigned each task on a planning capture sheet. Do the step at the top of the list (or have it done) immediately.

6. Clear Your Desk: Workspaces littered with notes, files, phone messages, mail, etc. are enticements to procrastinate. You might be able to manage the clutter for a brief period of time; don’t count on it for the long-term, however. Clutter will eventually consume your intentions, cloud your perspective, dampen your enthusiasm and overwhelm even your best-laid plans.

7. Divide and Conquer: When overwhelmed by the enormity of a project, break it down into smaller tasks to get a more reasonable perspective. Deal with only one task at a time. When tempted to wander in your thinking, say to yourself, “Not now!” Then continue your train of thought and action until you can say, “OK, Now!”

Go for it . . . NOW!

Ken

Ken Wallace Interview on VoiceAmerica Radio

December 26th, 2009 § 0

NEWS FLASH!

Ken will be interviewed by Dr. Nathaniel Williams about his new book, "Your Better Self: A Simple Guide to Where You Want to Be" on VoiceAmerica Internet Radio on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time).

The radio show is called “The Navigating Your Life Show."

You can listen live that morning by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.

Of course, you may go to the same site to listen to the recording thereafter.

Checklist for Giving Instructions

December 26th, 2009 § 0

Do you have a clear-cut idea of what you expect to be done?

Have you planned what to say before giving the instructions?

Have you taken into account the individual’s preferred communication style and tailored your delivery?

Have you checked your vocabulary for words and phrases the individual may not understand (and eliminated or changed them)?

Do you wait until you and the individual have adequate time and attention to give to the instructions?

Have you planned what to do if the individual is uncooperative?

Do you explain the big picture so the individual understands the “why” as well as the “what”?

Do you ask the individual to repeat the instructions as he or she understands them?

Do you discuss what decisions the individual can make on his or her own and when he or she needs to check with you?

Before you end a meeting, are you sure the individual knows exactly what he/she is to do, how he/she is to do it, and when?

Have you set up interim status reports if appropriate?

Do you give the individual feedback (positive and negative) after completing the project?

Do you assess your instructions and change them in the future if misunderstandings arise?

The Value of Knowing What, Where and When

December 20th, 2009 § 0

After hours of frustration trying to get my drain unclogged, I finally broke down and called a plumber. Upon arriving, he asked where the problem pipe was located. I took him to the bathroom and, pointing to the open doors under the sink, I said, "There's your challenge, right there."

He spent a few moments surveying the situation and then took from his toolbox a simple pair of pliers and gently tapped the entire length of the curvy piping. After just a few minutes of inspection, he wrapped his pliers with a bright red bandana he took from one of the many pockets in his tattered blue overalls. With precise aim, he drew back and struck the pipe about halfway between the bottom of the basin and the point where the piping disappeared into the wall.

It worked! The water flowed freely and all was right with the world. The entire visit lasted a mere five minutes. The plumber wrote on the invoice the following words: "House call . . . FREE; Knowing What to Do (Where to Hit the Pipe) . . . $75.00.

But knowing what and where is not enough. The noted comedian, George Burns, was said to have interrupted a person who was not quite finished asking, "What is the key to comedy?" with his answer: "Timing!" In addition to what and where, you must also know when.

There is such a thing as "putting the cart before the horse:" you wind up having to pull a load you wouldn't have had to were you to have done things in the proper sequence and at the right time. You cannot hope to reap without having sown or to acquire wisdom and solid character without making the daily choices to discipline your baser instincts.

Wisdom comes from understanding what you should be doing with your time. . . right now wherever you are. Getting to the place where your knowledge, skills and experience position you to "move the needle" and succeed faster is the essence of living in peaceful abundance. When you know you know you can make things happen, you become equipped with the power you need to achieve what you want. Furthermore, what you want becomes shaped by what you know you can accomplish rather than merely hoping for something you doubt that you can achieve.

This, indeed, is a peaceful – and powerful – life that emerges from finding your better Self.

A Message of Encouragement

December 9th, 2009 § 0

Here’s a Way to Overcome Your Obstacles to Teamwork

December 7th, 2009 § 0

The following are comments in response to a standing question I've posed to all readers and participants: "What has been the greatest obstacle you have had to overcome on the way to Your Better Self?"

—————————————————–

If all you are looking at is the obstacles in front of you, then you need to widen your perspective. Zoom out! Look at the bigger picture. Stepping back from the rock lets you see the way around it. I'm lazy, really I am. I am not going to hammer through with a jackhammer when I can step back and go around.

I will admit, though, that I've found that my biggest obstacle is often myself. When working in a group I find this a lot, especially when I'm the leader. I get this, "My way or the highway" sort of attitude occasionally, and I forget that the reason I've surrounded myself with the people I have is because they are the best ones to help me get the job done. It pays to listen to the people around you. I've learned that the hard way many times, and I find myself re-learning it. Here are some things I've written down to remember while working in a group (I've found that they are helpful for working in a group whether I'm the leader or not.):

1.) Listen when someone is trying to express their opinion on how best to get the job done. They may not have the best answer, but all viewpoints let you back up and get a bigger picture.

2.) Plan, then be prepared for the plan to fail. Trust your team members to do what they do best as you all pick up the pieces and start anew.

3.) People won't follow a plan/path they haven't agreed upon. Make sure that everyone agrees, or if they can't, that they agree to follow the leader.

4.) This is a team effort, and working as a team is the only way to get the job done. Everyone's skills, no matter how small in comparison to others in the group, should be recognized.

5.) Don't overextend yourself, if your work suffers the whole team suffers. Your failure can cause the whole team to fail.

6.) Don't be afraid to ask for help. It doesn't make you seem weak.

7.) If you must criticize, make sure it's constructive. Criticizing someone viciously is not the way to motivate them. It's entirely unhelpful.

8.)

Did you notice number eight is blank? Well that is because I just know I'm going to learn more later. Recognizing that fact now will, hopefully, allow me to be more open to learning the next thing to come my way.

- Christine Knight

Inches From Riches

November 28th, 2009 § 0

The Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnit discovered a concept, appropriately named, “the Zeigarnik effect,” that refers to the phenomenon whereby the recall ratio for tasks interrupted at the middle or latter end of task completion is higher than for tasks interrupted at or near the beginning.

In other words, what you start but don’t finish weighs more heavily on your mind the closer you were to finishing the task when you quit trying. This is the area of memory that constitutes the soul-sighing sadness of regret.

There is an old story of the 49er who dug and dug for months and months looking for the deep and rich vein of gold he adamantly believed was just beyond every swing of his pick. Yet, as strong as his belief was, he finally gave up and left the mine. The next week he learned that another miner who had gone in after he had abandoned his shaft had discovered a thick stratum of gold the likes of which had never been before unearthed. The old 49er was literally just inches from his riches.

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.” Former Presidential candidate, Ross Perot, a self-made billionaire, commented, “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”

Another person who knew a thing or two about the requirements of being successful, Thomas Edison, wrote, “Many of life’s failures are men (sic) who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

You are mere inches from the riches of the rewards of your efforts to improve yourself and achieve everything you want in your life! Yes, you are. Take one more swing of the pick, strike once more with the force of commitment, the eagerness of positive expectation and the conviction of belief. What will be revealed will stun you – and propel you well beyond the best you've ever done.

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