Lifestorming, page 17
What do you think “authenticity” means for you?
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What are your basic beliefs about yourself, for example, what you are great at (teaching), what you just can't do (play an instrument), how you respond (impatient), and so forth?
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What merits reconsideration and/or change (you could take piano lessons, learn to swim better, leave your corporate job and start your own business)?
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What actions and behaviors should be modified, created, or abandoned in light of those changes (resign from a group, confront a poor relationship, make different investments)?
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Do you tend to use purely logic, purely emotion, or a combination of both in major decisions?
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What's one obviously false belief you've held onto for too long?
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5. The Importance and Evolution of Character
Understanding and improving the essential nature of exactly who you are
For our character test, rate yourself on a 1-to-5 scale on our elements: Can't really justify that this is at all like me.
Occasionally, I could be described this way.
In some circumstances, I'm always like this.
I'm usually in this description.
I'm constantly like this.
Score
Intelligence
Drive
Happiness
Empathy
Reciprocity
Intimacy
Is there an example of a critical ethical decision you had to make and, if so, are you happy with the outcome?
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Where would you place yourself on the happiness/meaning evaluation (shown in Figure 9.5)?
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What would you consider your usual esteem level to be?
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How well do you do creating consistency in turbulent times?
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How often do you serve in the role of informal leader?
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Do you know when to apologize and do you do so effectively and calmly?
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To what extent are you sharing credit and accepting blame? In what areas can you share credit in the future on a consistent basis?
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Do you make tough decisions or do you procrastinate or ask someone else to make them?
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What tough decisions do you see on the horizon, and how will you prepare for them?
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Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (I need improvement), 2 (I'm good but not consistent), or 3 (I'm continually excellent), then add your score: Meeting deadlines
Fulfilling your commitments
Completing tasks rapidly
Locating information needed quickly
Planning your time
Establishing correct priorities
Assessing risk and reward potential
Identifying and mobilizing resources
Building teams appropriate to the tasks
Making rapid, successful decisions
Solving problems rapidly and correctly
Creating new ideas and innovating
Figure 9.5 Happiness and Meaning
6. Critical Abandonment
Knowing when to hold and when to fold
What business or personal relationships should be abandoned or reduced?
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What is your home base for change? (See Figure 9.6.)
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Think of two people in your life or who should be in your life (in the case of “create”) who fill these roles:
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Eliminate:
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Accept:
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Preserve:
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Create:
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Now answer this: What action is required for each?
Actions
Eliminate:
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Accept:
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Preserve:
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Create:
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What, if any, organizations and memberships should you walk away from that don't fit or support your journey?
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What life do I envision for myself a year from now?
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If I had the chance, who would I like to meet and develop a relationship with?
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What am I accepting as a “necessary evil” or as an obligation I impose on myself?
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Am I using personal metrics for progress and success, or someone else's?
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Which of my quadrants is most heavily weighted at the moment, and how can I put more emphasis on creating?
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If I look back a year, have I made the progress I had anticipated?
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Currently on your journey, which position shown in Figure 9.7 are you in?
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What do you need to do to reach position #4 in Figure 9.7 and sustain it?
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Where is your current growth on the axes shown in Figure 9.8 and what is your priority area for further growth? What actions will you take?
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Figure 9.6 Critical Abandonment
Figure 9.7 The Vehicle on the Journey
Figure 9.8 Personal Growth Metrics
7. The New You
Shedding the old baggage and creating new norms and capabilities
What causes you the most fear and why?
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How can you get rid of it?
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Under what conditions have you ever choked or panicked? Do you feel you've overcome the reaction under those conditions?
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How can you improve your visualization of future events that are now somewhat unfamiliar to you?
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What situations or interpersonal situations make you feel guilty?
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Who are the people who most attempt to make you feel guilty, either advertently or inadvertently?
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What are the most effective resolutions to the prior two questions?
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To what degree is your guilt self-imposed (I don't deserve this)? How can you overcome this internal reaction?
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What do you most have to let go of in order to reach out?
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What baggage are you carrying that must be discarded?
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What can you do daily to build the self-esteem muscle?
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Are you in an ambiguous zone (Figure 9.9)? If so, how will you get through it?
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If you were to start a journal, what entry would you make about the day preceding this one?
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Figure 9.9 The Ambiguous Zone
8. Sustaining the Journey
Building on strengths for constant growth
How would you characterize your current degree of gene-rosity?
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To what degree are you intellectually empathetic with others (identifying with their circumstances)?
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To what degree are you emotionally empathetic with others (feeling what they feel)?
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How well are you combining your passions and talents with your business synergistically?
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When others tell you something can't be done or that they've failed trying, what is your usual response: forget about it, question the reasons, try to do what they did better, try to do it another way entirely?
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How many brand-new activities or areas have you explored over the past year?
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Choose two areas brand-new to you that you'd like to explore. How will you go about it?
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How would you characterize your degree of autonomy?
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Where can you apply the risk components of probability and seriousness in the near future for a significant decision?
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In which of the areas shown in Figure 9.10 do you spend most of your time? How can you become more flexible in using them all?
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What types of relationships are you best at building? Should you be exploring other types?
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What are you giving (offering) in order to receive?
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How well do you develop trust quickly and sustain it?
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Do you usually have a win/win attitude? How is it manifested?
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Are you able to change relationships as some become inappropriate and new ones become more appropriate?
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What's the contribution to your legacy you provided yesterday?
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Do you ask yourself when considering a major decision, “What if everyone knew about this?” What impact does that have on your process?
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Do you ask yourself when considering a major decision, “What if everyone did this?” What impact does that have on your process?
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Do you ask yourself, “Is this a model I want to establish for my family and friends?” What impact does that have on your process?
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What contribution to your legacy would you like to make tomorrow?
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How would you like people to remember you in a unique way, so that everyone knew the description represents your life?
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What is your greatest personal lesson from this book?
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What is the most important question you now have about your journey that we haven't addressed, and how will you find the answer?
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Figure 9.10 The Types of Actions Available
Feel free to write to Alan Weiss (alan@summitconsulting.com) for complimentary tools and aids in creating and sustaining your journey.
For additional resources from Marshall Goldsmith, please visit www.marshallgoldsmith.com or write to him at marshall@marshallgoldsmith.com.
Index
Abilities: exploration and
false beliefs and
Absenteeism
Abundance mentality: esteem, efficacy and
examples of
journey toward
Accommodations, critical abandonment and
Accomplishments: competition and
journal entries and
negative emotions and
recognition of
Accountability: acceptance of
childrearing and
sharing your intent and
Acknowledgments, popular line and
Actions, risk mitigation and
Adapting, change and
Addictive behavior
Adjustments: change and
critical abandonment and
Adverse situations, behavior change and
Affiliations, change and
Agreement: change and
fifty-fifty business
AIWATT question
Alienation
Ambiguous zone, leverage and
