#Observations December 14

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Writing a blog post everyday has changed me. I have no doubt that most of ideas come from reading and OBSERVATIONS.

Retirement has helped me refine my ability to OBSERVE my surroundings and environment but I have much more to learn.

I am envious of women. They are apparently born with great OBSERVATION D.N.A. One example is they can notice the smallest change in a hairstyle of a friend.

Noticing doesn’t come natural for me and judging by the men I know for them either. It takes practice to get better at OBSERVING but I also realize the perks include meeting more interesting people, cultivating gratitude, becoming more empathic, and increasing my self-awareness.

We are consumed by thoughts. For me it seems many of my thoughts have to deal with the past and the future. It is hard to OBSERVE when we are thinking back or forward. To concentrate on being OBSERVANT it requires my thought to stay in the present. The present is where we grow our OBSERVATION abilities.

On a recent Sunday in church while the organist played the prelude I scanned the entire congregation. I focused on what obstacles, challenges, and problems each person had or was facing. I found myself amazed and humbled at what a fantastic group of leaders I was seated amongst (with physical distance protocols in place). That OBSERVATION transferred into appreciation and gratitude for the blessings in my own life.

Here on some habits that have helped me become better at making OBSERVATIONS.

  1. Eliminate distractions-for many of us it as simple as putting away our phones.
  2. Be curious
  3. Focus your thoughts on others rather than yourself
  4. Learn about Body Language-One book to consider is The Dictionary of Body Language by Joe Navarro
  5. Force yourself to ask Why Questions about everything. When we have a quest to learn the answers to why will feed our OBSERVATION powers.

Here is TED Talk on OBSERVATIONS by Eden Chen.

Love a concept in this video on what to OBSERVE. Look for problems-Look for beauty-Look for lessons.

Coach4aday

My purpose in life is to coach. I am a former collegiate basketball coach, director of athletics, and chief of staff. I worked at four NCAA Division I & II universities during my career. At each campus I learned timeless lessons on teamwork and leadership. Today my passion is coaching others on what it takes to lead, serve, and succeed.

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