Scaredy Cat Personified

Many opine we aren't born with fear but as we go through our lives, it seems we take less chances and become more cautious. It could be because we've experienced things that haven't gone well. It could be because we think we have more wisdom so not to make foolish choices. That voice in our head says; "let's not do that again!"

Experts have been studying this for years and in an article entitled "Decision Neuroscience: Why We Become More Cautious with Age", there is sound evidence which suggests at least part of the reason is physical. As we age, the levels of dopamine in our bodies declines. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It plays a role in many important body functions, including movement, memory and pleasurable reward and motivation. We might be smart but our physiological makeup does have a say in the matter without our interference. 

Age and Ageing 

So that might point to why we rolled the dice at 20 and hesitated at 50. We were born with the ability to reason but we are also made up of chemical elements that don't ask for our input and can become our biggest foe.  

I've had to make a couple of pretty significant decisions in the last few years. One of them I belabored over for weeks. I had a similar situation happen almost two decades ago and I jumped at it. I did make the move again this time but I was aware of how I gave downside more weight than opportunity. 

Hormone levels and age may make us pause a bit longer or fear a bit more but here might be an exercise worth trying. Find something small you are thinking about right now. It could literally be something so insignificant, it might not even matter next week. Take five minutes and try and think of you a decade or two ago and make the decision through that lens. You might surprise yourself.

But I'm still not bungie jumping! 

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Risky Business

Manage risk, financial risk, reputation risk, market share risk, relationship risk, shareholder risk, the risks of risks, the risk of focusing on risks, the discussion of risks, the endless what if's that stall our journey risk.

Perhaps we perceive it will be difficult or worse, not successful. We often fear our own abilities and guts to take that ride. One of the worst emotions I think we can possess is regret. The idea we didn't act on can often be the one that stops the flow. The safety of inaction becomes our comfort zone.

Risk often focuses on what will, would, or could go wrong. It's a preemptive strike, a proactive measure, to protect the outcome. The biggest risk is when we use it to endorse inaction. I know of what I write only too well. Maybe you can relate.

The biggest risk is the bet we fail to make on ourselves.
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Life is Risky Business

Manage risk, financial risk, reputation risk, market share risk, relationship risk, shareholder risk, the risks of risks, the risk of focusing on risks, the discussion of risks, the endless what if's that stall our journey risk.

Perhaps we perceive it will be difficult or worse, not successful. We often fear our own abilities and guts to take that ride. One of the worst emotions I think we can possess is regret. The idea we didn't act on can often be the one that stops the flow. The safety of inaction becomes our comfort zone.

Risk often focuses on what will, would, or could go wrong. It's a preemptive strike, a proactive measure, to protect the outcome. The biggest risk is when we use it to endorse inaction. I know of what I write only too well. Maybe you can relate.

The biggest risk is the bet we fail to make on ourselves.
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Sure We Can

We can learn. We can teach. We can hear. We can stop. We can know.
We can act. We can drive. We can grow. We can cry. We can do.

We can switch. We can help. We can call. We can bend. We can try.
We can play. We can like. We can think. We can stretch. We can live.

We can gift. We can swerve. We can go. We can dream. We can touch.

We can move. We can thank. We can shape. We can win. We can fall.
We can lend. We can run. We can draw. We can reach. We can love.

The key may not be whether we can but whether we will.
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Time is a Dangerous Partner

Time can fool us into thinking we can buy her or wait for her or allow her to show us when to strike; when to move; when to take that step. All the while she is still. She is where she was a moment ago and where she'll be a year from now.

She is time. It is us who moves through her; not her who moves through us.

She knows what we want and yet we often wait for that perfect sign from her in an imperfectly gorgeous life that will never show us until we open our eyes and be honest with ourselves.

Time doesn't wait; it's up to us to move.

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Facing Danger

Manage risk, financial risk, reputation risk, market share risk, relationship risk, shareholder risk, the risks of risks, the risk of focusing on risks, the discussion of risks, the endless what if's that stall our journey risk.

Perhaps we perceive it will be difficult or worse, not successful. We often fear our own abilities and guts to take that ride. One of the worst emotions I think we can possess is regret. The idea we didn't act on can often be the one that stops the flow. The safety of inaction becomes our comfort zone.

Risk often focuses on what will, would, or could go wrong. It's a preemptive strike, a proactive measure, to protect the outcome. The biggest risk is when we use it to endorse inaction. I know of what I write only too well. Maybe you can relate.

The biggest risk is the bet we fail to make on ourselves.
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Will we?

We can learn. We can teach. We can hear. We can stop. We can know.
We can act. We can drive. We can grow. We can cry. We can do.

We can switch. We can help. We can call. We can bend. We can try.
We can play. We can like. We can think. We can stretch. We can live.

We can gift. We can swerve. We can go. We can dream. We can touch.

We can move. We can thank. We can shape. We can win. We can fall.
We can lend. We can run. We can draw. We can reach. We can love.

The key isn't whether we can but whether we will.
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Know. Want. Care.

I don’t know how to change the oil in my car. I’m sure I could figure it out but I don’t actually want to know and don’t much care to learn. So the fact I don’t know how is irrelevant. You may not know how to fly a 747 jet but you may have the aptitude and even the interest to take the years of school and training required to learn. So the fact you don’t know is replaced by the desired to find out.

In my work, a manager may say to me; “I don’t know how to navigate all the different personalities on my team”, but she may add that she wants to learn. What’s important is not that she doesn’t know how, but that she has the desire to figure it out.

Do you know, want, or care?

We can read books and articles about the brave who have made bold moves in their lives. We are impressed by their fortitude but when relating it to something in our own lives, it may not seem so simple.

The three motivating factors for most of what we do in our lives is whether we know how to, want to, or care to. Simple to say, not always easy to do, but not knowing how to do something may not be the end result.

Mean what you want

A friend of mine recently shared a situation in his life where a relationship isn’t going so well. He is frustrated and says he doesn’t know how to change it. I asked him one simple question – do you want to find out how to change it? He said is isn’t sure. That may sound odd but it makes sense.

We get caught in situations and they become our comfort zone and we play out all the scenarios of what could happen if we made changes and we get stuck. So his desire to change it, is still unclear. The fact he doesn't know how, almost becomes irrelevant.

Discovering whether we want or care is critical.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Never a Good Time

There’s never a good time to spill your dinner on your nice shirt. There’s never a good time to start that business. There’s never a good time to have another child. There’s never a good time to move. There's never a good time to act on that idea. There’s never a good time to make any decision in our lives.

We can use that as an excuse, a reason not to move forward, or face things head on. I can’t speak for you, but there are countless times in my life I haven’t had the bravery to make the call. And whatever happened was what I safely accepted as what was supposed to happen.

I was reviewing a post I wrote here on January 1st of this year. It was a simple list. It was a brave list. It was easy to write it because it was just a list. Ten months in, I wonder if the list meant anything.

• Complain less. Do more.
• Worry less. Inspire more.
• Look back less. Self-trust more.
• Compare less. Share more.
• Doubt less. Create more.
• Stop less. Listen more.
• Discuss going for it less.
• Actually go for it more.

There's never a good time to stop participating in our own lives.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

geldrop

The Memes of Risk

Manage risk, financial risk, reputation risk, market share risk, relationship risk, shareholder risk, the risks of risks, the risk of focusing on risks, the discussion of risks, the endless what if's that stall our journey.

Perhaps we perceive it will be difficult or worse, not successful. We often fear our own abilities and guts to take that ride. One of the worst emotions I think we can possess is regret. The idea we didn't act on can often be the one that stops the flow. The safety of inaction becomes our comfort zone.

Risk often focuses on what will, would, or could go wrong. It's a preemptive strike, a proactive measure, to protect the outcome. The biggest risk is when we use it to endorse inaction. I know of what I write only too well. Maybe you can relate.

The biggest risk is the bet we fail to make on ourselves.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

walpaper

We Can...

We can learn. We can teach. We can hear. We can stop. We can know.
We can act. We can drive. We can grow. We can cry. We can do.

We can switch. We can help. We can call. We can bend. We can try.
We can play. We can like. We can think. We can stretch. We can live.

We can gift. We can swerve. We can go. We can dream. We can touch.

We can move. We can thank. We can shape. We can win. We can fall.
We can lend. We can run. We can draw. We can reach. We can love.

The key may not be whether we can but whether we will.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

playdoughtoplato

Ideas and Action

I was sifting through some older pieces this week as I prepare drafts for my first book and saw this post that reminded me of a lot of things going on in my life – perhaps in yours too.

Money and time have been the hurdles to pushing through that big idea you've had for far too long. Imagine for a moment both evaporate and you are free to act.

Every time you want to say "not", imagine for a moment you change it to "why not". Imagine for a moment the story you've been telling yourself for years was simply because it was easier than trying. And you take the first step. Imagine for a moment you take one item on your wish list and get it done.

If we stop ourselves, we steal our own energy. If we allow others to stop us, we surrender our energy. Get quiet, think deep, and get to the core of what you want. Then get to it. The past has passed, we have far too much to get done.

Let's get back to work.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and management consultant helping leaders, teams, and companies get clear on their goals and results.

mostlymuskegon

Inspirational People | Simon Sinek

We recently started a feature on this site. It began with the desire to find out who inspires readers, friends, and colleagues. If someone comes to mind, send me an email

The Three Rules: Is the information valuable to my work or life? Is the author doing actual work to back it up? Do they challenge me, make me think, and/or make me move to do something?

Simon Sinek | Re:Focus

For my entire career, I subscribed to a business mantra I thought was bolted to concrete. You devise the strategy then add tactics to accomplish your ideas. Build the plan then execute what you need to do to get it done. But Simon Sinek changed it with a box of markers and an easel.

Without knowing why we do something, all the strategy in the world won't help us. Simon also challenges the concept of leadership and reminds us in order to be a leader we need to find those who believe what we believe.

Laptop Begone

While many of us pour over PowerPoint slide decks for speaking engagements, Sinek utilizes simple tools to get us to think clearer and make things better. One man, one hour, one easel, three markers, and one captivated audience.

Simon Sinek uses clear thoughts on his site, with clients, and on stage to simplify concepts which may appear complex. And he will definitely create a reaction.

What matters most is what we do about it.

Kneale Mann

Simon Sinek

Does This Move You?

Three guys, forty-four days, eleven countries, eighteen flights, thirty-eight thousand miles, an exploding volcano, two cameras and almost a terabyte of footage. The guy in the shots is Andrew Lees, the other two on the crew are Rick Mereki and Tim White and music is by Kelsey James. These were commissioned by STA Travel Australia.

Some suggest these were filmed on green screen, others say it’s a hoax. How about it’s well done and brilliantly clever? Interesting how some feel compelled to tear down an idea when they didn’t think about it themselves.  

Watch these and get inspired







Eat. Move. Learn. Shall We?

Kneale Mann

visual credit: Andrew Lees | Tim White | Rick Mereki