Always Take Time to Ride the Duck

During a Creating the Rest of Your Life Workshop , my wife Cathy noticed that several of the participants were being very intense about learning everything she was teaching. As business owners, they were determined to make every second away from their busy work schedules be productive. They were working so hard that there was almost a palpable level of effort energy in the room.

Cathy decided the class could use a break so she announced that the whole group was taking the afternoon off to ride the Duck. The DUKW (affectionately called 'the Duck') is an amphibious landing craft developed by the United States Army during World War II, now recycled into tour vehicles that show cities like Seattle from both land and water.

When Cathy made the announcement, the most intense members of the class became vocal and agitated. They paid a lot of money and took their valuable time to come to this seven day retreat. They did not want to waste time or money doing some ridiculous tourist activity. They were there to learn how to connect to a passionate vision and take action towards their destiny – not take a break with a bunch of tourists.

She insisted the whole group also needed to understand the value of having fun. It was a required part of their learning. Lights-On Learning™ creates energetic flow in life and work. When effort appears in any activity, it blocks the flow of energy and actually defeats action that’s aligned with vision. So, in resistance, they all went to the Duck Dock and boarded the Duck.

Although they tried to keep their resistance alive and active, it became impossible. The captain was hilarious, and within a few minutes the whole class was laughing hysterically, forgetting their intense desire to not waste time on some frivolous activity that wasn’t fully productive.

They returned to the workshop refreshed, connected and open to the flow of the rest of their week together. What was intense effort became energizing flow and relaxed learning and growing together. Although it’s been several years, just mentioning the Duck can create laughter among the people who were there. And, they continue to remember the importance of taking a break, relaxing and having fun on the journey.

Of course, the moral of this story is evident. When you find your work becoming an effort, or hear yourself say the words “waste time”, it’s important to take a break; have some fun; generate some energy flow so the actions you take truly are productive.

Those of you who have worked with a physical trainer have likely heard them say that you don’t want to workout every day. You need to take a break one or two days a week because your body needs a respite to grow and develop. The respite is as important as the workouts. The same is true for your mind and your spirit.

If you have been accused of overdoing or of being a workaholic; if you find yourself feeling drained and exhausted but refusing to stop; if you ever hear yourself say “I can’t waste any time. The work has to be done.”; if you are not enjoying the activity, stand up and shout to the world: “I’m going to go RIDE THE DUCK!”

Gems From the Wizard of Westwood

Just had to write up this post after reading the March Madness issue of Sports Illustrated today. You should pick it up, if only for the insightful article “Birth of a Dynasty” about John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood and quite possibly the most successful basketball coach ever. The article, which chronicles his first championship season at UCLA, reminds us that he wasn’t so successful in his early years as the Bruins coach. We remember him mostly for the 10 national championships he won in the last 12 years of his career, not for the 16 seasons prior to that run, where while moderately successful , he lost all his NCAA Tournament Games.

To get to the gist of the article, without spoiling it for you, after a losing season in 1960, Wooden challenged himself and learned that his own inflexibility might be the obstacle to greatness. “He questioned himself and tinkered, and ultimately came to wisdom—and then victory on a scale unlikely to ever be matched.”

Three aphorisms that resonate loudly in the article:

“When you’re through learning, you’re through.”

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll ARGUE WITH YOU.”

And one more quote from a headstrong player:

"Wooden adapted to me as much as I did to him. Everyone else was afraid of him. He's admitted his stubbornness kept him from winning sooner and I was one of the people who opened his eyes because of how crazy I was."

Wooden would have been a great Inner Circle Member.

Distracted by Distraction

A close friend has stepped into a maelstrom. Her job, finances and marriage seem to have simultaneously taken a downward turn. Oddly enough, though her life seems quite full of challenges, she has suddenly become obsessed with the idea of having a baby.

Another business acquaintance, at a critical stage in building his business, one in which he really needs to be out shaking hands and sharing coffee, has immersed himself in a new technology project that has him glued to his computer instead of his phone.

It’s an illogical but predominant instinct. Our lives become too full, our business hits a crucial fork in the road, and rather than carving out a spot of time so that we can think clearly or act definitively to resolve the issues we know we’re already facing, we add to the pile. We substitute, or confuse, activity for productivity.

“Distracted by distraction from distraction,” as T.S. Eliot once put it. We get so distracted that we are no longer conscious of being distracted, or don’t remember what it’s like not to be distracted.

These are smart people, making not so smart choices. It’s a behavior I’ve seen show up so frequently around me that I’ve become consumed with putting my finger on the “why” of it.

What’s your take on why they and so many other entrepreneurs fall into this trap?

What Behavior Sabotages You?

A question that I find particularly revealing to ask an entrepreneur is, “What is one behavior in your life that regularly sabotages you as a business owner?”

The answers are varied. Some individuals can’t say “no” to any request, some have to keep their fingers in every detail even though it bogs things down, and some procrastinate on making decisions. Each sabotaging behavior is rooted in a corresponding fear: people won’t like me if I refuse them, things won’t be done correctly if I don’t control them, and I’m not smart enough to make the right choice.

These sabotaging behaviors, or flaws, are most likely to reveal themselves in stressful conditions. And, interestingly, an individual’s biggest “flaw” is often his or her greatest strength being inappropriately applied. Empathy is a strength; being a pushover is not. Gathering facts and opinions and doing what you need to do to feel confident about a decision is smart; delaying your decision for so long that fate makes the choice for you is less than genius.

A behavior that I recognized in myself when I worked in the family business was that I always stopped short of confronting people. With the behavior recognized, I was then free to imagine, “What would situations look like if this behavior wasn’t there?” It meant there would be some tougher communication and some tense moments. However, it also meant that my employees would grow and flourish because they would get more honest feedback. And, after a period of adjustment, it meant a lot less stress for me.

Once you acknowledge and name the fears governing your actions you can define strategies for changing them. And it’s like ridding yourself of any bad habit, you don’t focus on what you want to stop doing, you focus on what you want to start doing in place of that default behavior that’s standing in the way of your success.