Seth Godin

3 Steps to Your One Percent

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 14 Conversations


So it happened again.

I admit it, Seth Godin (who you may remember inspired the start of this blog) did it again by writing about what might happen on the day everyone is pleased with their work.

It’s basically a “now what” scenario.

You spend so much time working towards that day only to feel…

  • let down
  • critical of the result
  • and disappointed in yourself

His post also relates to what I think of as magical, someday thinking.

I know, I know. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it because you’re still living like there is a someday.

But there isn’t. . .

And yet, every single day someone dreams of someday.

Each day those thoughts move you closer and closer to a state of complacency and toleration. Months, even years go by and the dream becomes vague, a wishful memory.

For the love of whatever you believe in, it is time to get over this.

Which brings me to the 1% solution.

Continue reading →

Living in the Questions

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 33 Conversations

 

When I started blogging I declared somewhat boldly that I had come up with a theme, a road map of where I was headed. It was all well and good to begin just to begin (thanks to guru Seth and his call to action), but I’d begun questioning my Why.

Why do it? Why put myself out there? Why take the risk?

As the doubts began to creep in, I decided to return to my tribe – who I love and trust much more than my lizard brain – and what they told me was this:

I’m relentlessly curious, a life-long learner and I’ve got more questions up my sleeve than Houdini!

It’s so damn easy to forget who I really am when LB starts whispering in my ear.

It blows my mind that somehow I stumbled upon the profession of coaching and had the biggest insight of my life:  this is what I’m supposed to be when I grow up!

What a relief to finally know and begin using my strengths rather than wondering why I had them! Up until then no J.O.B. had fit the bill and I constantly felt like a round peg in a square hole.

It’s been said when you know your Why, anything is possible.

My Why was so big (honouring my values of growth, learning and contribution) and so loud that it drowned out my lizard brain long enough that I could take the first steps, and then the next.

It took something to keep my word, writing and posting – shipping – every week. I began by really getting into the questions. I jotted down questions that worked with clients; questions I overheard; questions we usually don’t have the courage to ask ourselves.

Then I read How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. In this very cool, yet practical guide Michael Gelb invites us to begin training our vast untapped resources to start thinking like Leonardo.

Is it really possible to think like a Renaissance genius?

Continue reading →

How the 80/20 Rule Can Inspire You

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 16 Conversations

 

I’ve spent the past couple of months in the Life Lab (doesn’t life occur as an experiment a lot of the time?).  I’ve been re-examining all aspects of my life and business, noticing my reactions, managing my emotions and asking myself a lot of questions.

It’s all about the questions (more on that later).

Do you know the 80/20 rule?

In the 19th century, an Italian economist and sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto, noticed that 80% of the wealth in Italy was held by 20% of the population.  He then went on to demonstrate this to be true in other countries as well.  Since Pareto’s time, this rule has been found to be true in virtually any area:

  • 20% of the streets handle 80% of the traffic
  • 20% of the features in a product are used 80% of the time
  • 20% of sales people bring in 80% of the sales
  • 80% of our time is spent on 20% of the problems

The only way to really see the 80/20 rule is to step back and look at the bigger picture, the larger perspective.  When you first do this it’s mind blowing; there’s nothing quite like seeing things clearly.  Seeing the forest rather than the trees!

If you don’t know what the big picture is, how can you make decisions that will lead you to your desired outcome?

Continue reading →

Making Friends with the Lizard

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 19 Conversations

 

About 3 weeks ago I read Seth Godin‘s new book, Linchpin. Yes, I know, I’m still talking about Seth, but hang on, you’ll find out why in a moment.

Since then, I have had more creative energy, completed more tasks and begun more projects than the previous 3 – 6 months. The difference is astounding and I feel like I’ve had a blow to the head!

We all have defining moments and reading Linchpin was one of those for me. My friend Mary raved about it until I had to read the book just to shut her up. I truly had no idea it would alter my life so profoundly.

So, what happened?

The illusions I’d created to keep myself safe fell away one by one as I read the book, and I got clear what it was costing me to not keep my word to myself. As a coach I am brilliant at supporting others to pursue their passions and take action, but left to my own devices my lizard brain can get pretty damn active.

This of course leads to suppressing myself and playing it safe, behaviour that seems pretty uncoach-like.

It’s just very, very human.

My lizard brain will do anything to keep me from being creative, taking a risk and moving out of my comfort zone. Ironically, these are all actions that leave me feeling enlivened and satisfied.

When I decided to launch this blog, my lizard brain went on high alert; I had apparently entered the danger zone and the chatter in my head got loud – really $%^& loud.

I was having panic attacks, unable to sleep and feeling worried about these weird conversations I was having with myself.

Conversations that went something like this:

Continue reading →

Look Seth, I’m Shipping!

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 11 Conversations

 

I have become a Seth Godin groupie.  In the past two weeks, I’ve read The Dip and Linchpin, the book that’s inspired me to finally take the plunge and “ship”.

I’ve thought about it, read about it, downloaded “how to” ebooks about it and so on. That’s just a few of the many distractions that have stopped me in my tracks. Each time, I’ve rationalized and come up with what I thought was a valid reason to wait. The lizard brain won each and every time.

Until NOW.

As I’ve immersed myself in Seth-land, I have felt challenged, called out and energized, all at the same time. In The Dip Seth says,

“Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.”

My wrong stuff (procrastinating & obsessing, wasting hours online “researching”, etc.) has been exhausting. My right stuff (hanging out with my writers’ group, even though I was barely writing) has fed my soul, however inconsistently.

Seems like an easy choice, so why has it been so damn hard to quit the wrong stuff?

Continue reading →