Take Time to Meander

Posted on February 25, 2010 by pdncoach
meander [mɪˈændə]

vb (intr)

1. to follow a winding course
2. to wander without definite aim or direction

Sometimes people have misconceptions about living at The Intersection of Purpose & Now.


They believe it will be restrictive. They think they might get trapped by their own plans. Having a definite aim and direction might keep them from new, as yet undiscovered opportunities.

They fear that living a value-driven, goal-directed, On-Purpose life leaves no room for spontaneity. I have found just the opposite to be true.

Living On Purpose actually creates more opportunity for innovation, spontaneity, fulfillment and just plain fun…if you take time to meander.

I have been traveling a great deal lately, putting miles and miles behind the wheel of my Volvo XC70. The purpose of my travel has included business, family and other personal goals. Being on the road has taken me closer to some goals, yet it has also limited opportunities for some other things that are important to me, no doubt. Travel has kept me from my own bed, my own pillow, home-cooked meals and my wife and three sons, all of which I longed for after 10 days of travel with only three nights at home.

My travel schedule has created opportunities as well. For one, I am making money to pay for the expensive hockey gear that keeps my sons happy and fully engaged in life! I am present and supporting them as they play hockey. I am helping a friend expand and achieve his life’s mission. I am developing leaders within my client organizations. I am On Purpose when I travel.

One of my clients recently informed me that two small towns within my current travel path now have Thai restaurants. Thai food is by far my favorite cuisine and a key element of my “Ideal Day”, which includes the goal of having least one Thai food meal (lunch or dinner). I even reworked my business marketing plan three years ago so that I could do more business in the two communities in which my favorite Thai food restaurants are located: Thara Thai in Champaign, IL, and the Magic Kitchen in Springfield, IL. As a result, my business has grown and I am having many more Ideal Days!

On one leg of my journey late last week, I had plenty of time to meet my goal of getting home by 7:30 p.m. without hurry, so I took time to meander. I drove down roads that allowed me to see parts of the country that I’ve never seen before. I was pleased to discover most “country” roads were in much better shape, after a harsh winter, than the major highways. And I never grow tired of the panorama of rolling prairies in my home state, even in the dead of winter.

My purpose was clear – I wanted to get home. But I also needed to eat before I got home. The convergence of these two desires, plus my ongoing desire to have an Ideal Day, led me to the Thai Noodle in Mattoon, Illinois. I had Tom Yum soup and made a new friend. The owner happens to be friends of the owner of Thara Thai, my favorite, and informed that another new Thai restaurant has opened in Effingham, IL, which is also on my map of travels in coming weeks. I will be meandering on another Ideal Day soon.

Take time to meander. It’s nearly always rewarding. Meanders mustn’t always take you off-purpose, even if they take you off your most direct course. You might just love the drive, enjoy the scenic view, savor the food, and surely appreciate the good company you find along the way while Living On Purpose.


Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in direction, meander, Purpose, spontaneity, Thai | Leave a comment

Facing Your Giants

Posted on February 15, 2010 by pdncoach

Sometimes we need a little help to do our best, to get better when we’re already so good, to reach The Intersection of Purpose & Now.

Most people recognize the powerful difference a good coach can make in athletics, as demonstrated in this movie clip from “Facing the Giants“. Yet few make use of the powerful difference a coach can make in helping achieve personal and professional goals that currently seem out of reach.

Who is challenging you to reach beyond what you current realm of belief and potential? Who is telling you to “keep going, keep going, don’t quit”? Who is showing you the way to the end zone?

The world needs you. God has gifted you with the ability of leadership. Don’t waste it.

Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in achievement, coaching, goals, leadership, potential, Purpose | Leave a comment

How do I get better when I’m already so good?

Posted on February 13, 2010 by pdncoach

FINDING PURPOSE
OK, so maybe you would never really ask this question about yourself, let alone your team or your organization. I believe you could say it though, with all honesty. I believe most people, individually and in groups, are just fine the way they are. A few, however, want something more. They want to achieve more, do more, have more; they want to become more.

Of these few, research shows that fewer yet – less than FIVE PERCENT of all people – are willing to pursue the difficult journey of tapping into their hidden potential to achieve even greater fulfillment, even greater success (completely self-defined), even greater applications of the untapped potential they have to add value to the world around them.

These special few do the difficult things that less fulfilled people won’t do. These special few are seeking the The Intersection of Purpose & Now.


AWAKEN TO POSSIBILITY
Sooner or later you may find yourself awake at night wondering. “What else is possible?”

Better yet, you find yourself fully awake during the day, more awake than you have ever felt in your lifetime. You are wondering… and something just clicks:

“Now is a time for action.”


  • Maybe it was something you read, saw or heard.
  • Maybe it was a missed opportunity.
  • Maybe it was a difficult activity you faced with dread, yet from which now you feel the joy of accomplishment.
  • Maybe it was an obstacle you could not overcome, a reprimand from a superior or a doubt expressed by someone important to you.
  • Maybe it was the action, or inaction, of another that inspired you.
  • Maybe you realized that circumstance has controlled you for too long.
  • Maybe you just realized how much of your future you have ahead of you.
Now you are fully awake and intent on an IDEA, and think, “How can I turn my ‘maybes’ into goals that I will achieve?”

APPLYING POTENTIAL
Whatever the catalyst, you realize more clearly than ever that you (or your team, your business unit, your entire organization)…You realize that you are capable far beyond current achievements. You realize you have so much more potential to do more, to have more, to become more than you already are. But how?

This wondering
is the opportunity of a lifetime.
I don’t want you to miss it.

You are a person with dreams, but it takes great Courage to become a leader with vision. Your Courage becomes a reflection of a growing desire to become the kind of person you want to become, to have the kind of life you deserve, and to be the successful leader you were meant to be.

We all need help in this journey. I would love to help you arrive at Your Intersection of Purpose & Now.

Join me at the Intersection of Purpose & Now.
Posted in courage, dreams, leadership, personal growth, possibility, potential, Purpose | Leave a comment