#UnBlockYourself

Add ValueTo What You Do

When thinking of functioning in their purpose many will say, “but I have no idea what my purpose is”. That’s common. Until we get it though, one simple trick is to add value to what you do. 
Try. 
Try being the best. 
Try making someone else happy. 
Intentionally trying to add value will start to steer you towards your ikigai, your “reason for being”.  Tsing a moment to intentionally impact someone’s day through your actions in a positive way can keep you on the pathway to serving your purpose. 
 
A healthy, wealthy, full life is seldom that way on accident. It’s been set up that way intentionally. 

Family: Share Wisdom for Generations

Kaizen trait: Family
Since today we focus on family, I wanted to challenge you to impart wisdom to your children and grands. Leave a legacy with your words. 
 
Today was the first day of school for my daughter, so this is what I thought of for her: Direct Your Day!
 
How we approach our day, month, year is pretty much up to us. Although everything may not go according to plan, how we react or how we respond will usually determine in what direction the next step will take us.
 
Mastering self control puts you in the position to be able to direct  situations. It is very difficult to think next steps when your emotions are going nuts and your adrenaline is pumping. In those moments, you are just reacting, and you can’t think or plan nor envision the consequences.
Sales people will say, “you like this? Well what’s stopping you? It only makes sense…” Emotions and pressure can cause you to make irrational decisions because of reacting and not responding, and now you are stuck with the results of the action.
 
If we are able to control our emotions and think a little, we can better position ourselves to control what’s happening around us. 

Kaizen Moai: Why, How, What

The Why
Kaizen means gradual improvement and moai means meeting for a common purpose. 
I have a vision that a group of friends get together regularly and every life in this group becomes better each day.
 
The “meeting for a common purpose” is to pursue our ikigai, our life’s purpose, utilizing it in conjunction with others, and have fun doing it!
 
 
The How
Here’s how we do it. There are 5 main areas that we focus on that come from what most of the people living over 100 had in common.
Family 
Purpose 
Belonging
De-stressing
Eating 
 
The terms Wabi Sabi, ichigo ichie, and ikigai will be infused in each area. 
 
 
The What
Here’s the fun part. 
Monday through Friday I plan on posting and inviting if available: tips, tricks, activities, events, videos, all having to do with the five areas. Get involved and invite friends, or just listen and learn. The point is to live life and enjoy it, and do that a little more each day.
 
The kaizen community calendar will be updated regularly and is open to suggestions. 

Your Attitude Towards Opportunities

This morning as I was walking, my devotional’s title was, “Attitude Matters”, and after that, today’s episode from Earl Nightingale, “Attitude towards a better tomorrow”, do you think God was trying to tell me something? 
 
I thought of an old Instagram post I made from 2017 that said, “Your attitude will often determine your altitude”. Yesterday I gave an example of 2 people selling the same product to the same demographic. The difference would be motivation, which ultimately leads to their attitude:
Towards life
Towards the job (which is an opportunity)
Towards peers (people you work with)
Towards customers (anyone who you serve, family, friends, customers…)
 
The most important thing I understood this morning was this little nugget:
Opportunities come from problems, or, Every problem is an opportunity in disguise! I’ve always heard through every mentor that opportunity is always there, you have to see it. I’ve always heard it and thought it to be true, but could never quite grasp the vision they were seeing. But today, I see it. I hope this helps you too.
 
Problems never stop coming up. We are surrounded everyday by problems small and large, simple and complex. 
Our ATTITUDE allows us to see all of these problems as opportunities!
Remember, everything that makes money is a solution to a problem. 
So get this. Problems are all around us. All day everyday. Our attitude allows us to see them as opportunities, which in turn gives us the ability to find the solutions. People seek solutions, in fact, they pay for solutions. 
 
Think of it, if you pay for something, it is solving a problem. Food for your case of the munchies. A subscription to watch your favorite movies or tv shows to entertain your boredom. Gas to run your car, anything you pay for, solves a problem. That problem was someone’s opportunity to help you, and help them too. But to get to that step, they had to be able to see it first, not just complain.

For Such A Time As This: Mission & Message

How much faith do you have in yourself?
Yesterday we talked about being born for this moment. The ideas you may be sitting on and keeping to yourself are really answers to someone’s prayers and they are looking and waiting for them.
 
Most people will not act because of being frozen in fear. So what happens? Someone else will come up with the idea and move on it, even if they were afraid too. “A plan without action is just a wish…”
 
Your Mission and Message: Why, How, and What.
In communicating your mission and message, you will need to establish your “why”, “how”, and “what”. The “golden circle” concept is explained in Simon Sinek’s book, “Start With Why”. It builds on the foundation of what you believe, and not off of what you do. This creates “buy in”, even for yourself. John Maxwell also expresses, “people don’t buy into what you do, but why you do it.”
 
So, what is it that you want to do? Why??? What is the message behind what you are doing? The thought behind the questions just asked is this:
I believe this, but are the things I am saying and doing with this idea represent it what I am believing for? 
 
There are 3 words who make up who I am. You’ll usually see it attached to my name: Motivate, Educate, Establish. Mostly Everything I have done, that I am doing, and will do, embodies this, which is my core belief of why I know that I am breathing. I pretty much have to motivate people to live their best life, educate them to the best of my ability, and establish ways and means to successfully accomplish the end goal, of living their best life. This started in 2017, and carries on into today with starting the Kaizen Moai, with the core belief in the name, “Meeting with the common purpose of making gradual improvements”

Your are here for such a time as this!

Were you born for such a time as this? 
I was thinking in my thinking chair and Esther popped in my mind. What came to mind was, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NIV
 
Earl nightingale said this morning on my morning walk, “now is not the time to just be, you must also do.”
 
Someone is looking for a sign to do something, well, here it is. You came across this for a reason. I guess for “such a time as this”. 
 
The world awaits your inspired idea. We all want to connect to you and your purpose because it will be the solution to a problem or better yet, an answer to a prayer. 
 
Yes it may fail. But what if you believed enough to ensure it wouldn’t? What if you touched one life. Is that not enough? If that one person could fully grasp the vision you have, isn’t that the definition of success? Especially if they are able to carry it and spread it like wildfire. 
 
The world is waiting!
 

Emotional Control: A gentle way can win the day.

When we are able to control our emotions, we are in a better position to steer conversation in our favor. The “just do what I tell you” may work in the short term, but it does damage to the relationship, and also damage to the credibility or regards of how the other party will continue with you.
 
As I was walking this morning, I was listening to the audio book Wabi Sabi by Beth Kempton. In a chapter about calm communication, she talked about a situation where many sides had differing opinions, language and cultural misunderstandings, and high tension. But she said, “A gentle way won the day”. This is Wabi Sabi in others we are dealing with. We ALL want to be heard and understood, but aggressive and forceful can shut a person down and push what you are saying out, even if you are speaking truth from the mouth of God Himself. 
 
React / Response
This is so good. Write this down! 
*** You can communicate WHAT you feel without reenacting HOW you feel. ***  - Beth Kempton, Wabi Sabi
You can let someone know that you have a lot going on at the moment without snapping, and making it known through yelling and threatening people with violence or quitting something you have worked hard at maintaining. Most people get it. They can read the air in the room. BUT. Remember, that everyone wants to be heard and understood. Depending on their level, many times it doesn’t matter how others may feel at the moment, they have to get it off their chest.
 
Emotional Control is this: “We have a choice: we can choose to react in a way that escalates the negative energy and aggression, or we can choose to respond calmly in a way that brings a more considered discussion or even closure of the conversation.” - Beth Kempton, Wabi Sabi
 
Understand what I’m saying, I’m not saying forget your beliefs and agree with anything and everything people come at you with. No. I’m saying an effort to understand the other person can help you seize the moment, and turn it into an Ichigo Ichie that may change the course of your relationship forever. 
 
A gentle way can win the day.
 
“Soft words can turn away wrath” - Proverbs 15:1

Kaizen Moai Habit of Providing Safe Places to Connect

“The world’s longest lived people chose–or were born into–social circles that supported healthy behaviors, Okinawans created ”moais”–groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious. So the social networks of long-lived people have favorably shaped their health behaviors.” - Bluezones.com
 
Moai means "meeting for a common purpose" and kaizen is the approach to continuous, incremental improvement.
 
There are three Japanese terms from tea ceremonies that I would like to foster in this environment. Also, being aware of this as we start to come together will get us in the habit of having a safe place to be open and enjoy a full life without judgement.
 
Wabi Sabi - “Perfectly Imperfect” Each person is working towards a perfect version of themselves because of the imperfections they have accepted about them. Simply put, you are you, and I love you for that!
 
Ichigo Ichie - “Once in a lifetime encounter” We are trying to get together and be intentional in enjoying the moment. Every moment we meet is a once in a lifetime encounter that will never be the exact same again. To capture that, we try to be in the habit of the concept with everyone we meet.
 
Ikigai - “The reason for being” Life is a giant exciting puzzle given to us to make use of every experience. Every person we encounter adds to that puzzle. God puts people in our path that needs what you live for. This also applies to the other person too, You need what they are living for also. It all works together. It also applies to groups. The groups you choose to associate with needs to represent you, offering what you live for, but also at the same time providing the things you need to keep going.
 
This was the idea I had when I first read about it, and forming a Moai came up over and over as it was something I must do, no matter what.
 
I look forward to living life with you!