I was out cruising around our fire district the other day, puffing on a cigar and listening to some of my favorite oldies music. As the miles went by, the station began playing a series of songs that have a very special meaning for me. It was some of the music that I listened to on the way home from the U.S. Air Force Firefighting School at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL, back in 1966. I can recall heading east, listening to the music on WNEW New York. It was almost like I was flying home on a radio beam of music.
My mind began to think back to that time and place and the ride home from Illinois with my brother Bob. The future lay out in front of me. It stretched well beyond my ability to perceive where it might be headed. I remember the excitement I felt as I thought about the career in the firefighting field upon which I was embarking. That’s a long time ago, my friends—well over five decades in fact.
As I continued on my journey, another series of thoughts began to develop. Perhaps now is the time to recreate that enthusiasm as I look at the years that lie ahead of me. If I am to be successful in the closing stages of my journey through this vale of tears, I now believe that I need to recreate that type of enthusiasm that drove me forward when I was a much younger man.
I have spent many hours posing this question to myself: What must I do to recreate an enthusiasm for my life, my family and my career? Let me suggest to you that this is not an easy task; however, it is an important one. Let me further suggest that it is critical for each of you reading my words to develop an enthusiasm for what you do in your life.
Tips for developing enthusiasm
As I performed my research, the first thing that came to me was that we need to be cheerful in what we do. The most powerful happiness habits are gratitude exercises and a meditative visualization of your vision, according to Amy Nguyen of Happiness Infinity LLC. This makes sense to me. When I am happy, things always seem to go better. And even if they don’t, I am better able to move forward. So, I would suggest we start with happiness as a goal.
It has been my experience that it is easy to get lost in life if we operate without a roadmap to the future. I have worked to put my goals in writing so that I have a document I can refer to as I move along the road of life on my journey to the future.
For example, I have a document that I created on my 50th birthday back in 1997. It laid out the goals that I intended to achieve during my 50s. It is my honor and privilege to tell you that I accomplished all of them. Unfortunately, I have not done this yet for my 70s. I need to get cracking on that. For without a roadmap, I might get lost and fail to achieve anything worthwhile. And you need to do the same thing.
It is also critical for each of us to pay attention to what is happening in the world around us. I have had good days and I have had bad days. Sometimes I was able to make sense of what was happening, and at other times, not so much. By making sense of the things that are happening around us, we can make better informed decisions. We need to define both the good and the bad, so that we can base our decisions on the reality of what is going on around us. You and I must do this.
Whole-Life Leader Co-creator Cindy Stack offers a task that seems to make sense to me. She suggests that each of us develop a journal of what is going on around us in our world. She suggests that, “… Journaling can help clarify thoughts and feelings (yes, feelings are important to acknowledge in the work environment as well as at home), solve problems more effectively, and track patterns.” By writing things down, we can review them and see the guidance which they might provide. You and I need to do this.
One problem that we face comes as a consequence of not actively thinking about what we wish to do on any given day. Rather than creating a fresh view of things, we go on autopilot and do not create any new thoughts and approaches to what we are doing. It has long been my experience that each of us must actively respond to the conditions we face each day. Our actions must be based upon the conditions we actually face. We must then reflect upon how what we did actually worked. This is true for all of us.
Whether I am speaking to people, or whether I am writing down my thoughts for people, words are my stock in trade. I need to ensure that the words and thoughts I use are the most current and appropriate for the 21st century. You and I must work a little bit each day to improve our careers. We can do this by proactively reading in our field and in corollary fields that can have an impact upon our careers.
Beth Kuhel—a member of the Forbes Coaches Council—has urged us to increase our knowledge that is tied to our team’s particular challenges. We must read articles, review research and listen to podcasts that offer value to support our teams. She suggests that each of us come to meetings prepared to share what we’ve learned so everyone benefits from our new knowledge. Also, reward people who offer dissenting opinions and constructive feedback. Do not speak negatively of them and their efforts. This will improve engagement and productivity. Again, this is something which you and I must do.
Bill Treasurer of Giant Leap Consulting states that he believes that the first law of leadership is, “It’s not about you.” It’s about those being led. I have long believed this to be true. Let me suggest that our job is to elevate people’s standards, broaden their capabilities and help these folks add more value to their organizations. He also states that you can’t be successful unless your people are. He recommends that the daily habit you should adopt is to ask the two questions Ben Franklin used to bookend each day. Morning: “What good shall I do today?” Night: “What good have I done today?” I believe Treasurer is right on target.
Is there a particular part of the day when you seem to be more productive in your thinking? Use this time to come up with new and better ideas as to how you intend to live your life. It is critical to write down new thoughts when they are created. It would be a real shame to lose them. That is why I always have a notebook and pen in my shirt pocket. When the thought pops into my brain, out comes the pad and pen. In this way I will not lose these freshly created thoughts. You need to do this, too.
Each of us needs to embrace the concept of gratitude in our lives. We need to count our blessings. According to the Positive Psychology Program, we need to maintain an attitude of gratitude. By developing and having an attitude of gratitude, you will not only make you and your organization feel wonderfully fulfilled, but also support the continued expansion of your success. This sure seems right to me, and I would urge you to consider adding gratitude to your personal toolbox.
Have you ever just sat in a quiet place and contemplated who you are, what you are and what it is that you do? Thankfully, I have been able to do this from time to time. However, I do believe that I need to spend more time quietly contemplating my life and my career. Each of us needs to free up our minds to allow new thoughts to be created. We then need to ponder these thoughts and develop them in to new approaches as to how we live our lives and our careers. It is possible that in doing this, a new feeling of excitement will develop within my mind.
Move toward excitement
These are the things I want to do to help me create a new excitement in my life. As I move through the decade of my 70s, I want to move forward with the same sense of excitement I had as I embarked on my fire service career in 1966.
If you do not pay attention to your life, it can pass you by and you will never know what happened. Let me invite you to join me on my journey toward excitement. Life will be so much better if we do.
References
Forbes Coaches Council. “13 Daily Habits That Can Make You a Better Leader.” 2019. tinyurl.com/13-tips-better-leader.
Kuhel, B. “How Emerging Leaders Can Change Their Mindsets to Inspire Their Teams.” Forbes. 2018. tinyurl.com/changing-mindsets-kuhel.
Positive Psychology Today. “What Is Gratitude and Why Is It So Important?” 2019. positivepsychologyprogram.com/gratitude-appreciation.
Stack, C. “The Power of Journaling.” Inside Forbes Councils. 2018. soundcloud.com/inside-forbes-councils/the-power-of-journaling.
Treasurer, B. “It’s Not About You.” Association for Talent Development. 2014. td.org/insights/its-not-about-you.
