|
Blog: Paper And Information Management
 Are You Living Your Passion?
 I hope that you are doing well and that your Recently in the US we celebrated Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a traditional time to think about all of the things in our lives that we are happy about and thankful for. It is so important to be able to remember what those things are. . . especially when things may not be going the way you want!
Frequently we juggle many activities every day. Sometimes they are things we are passionate about and sometimes they are not. Are you living your passion? Is your time spent on things you are grateful for? If not, maybe the following story will help you.
A friend of mine, Patricia Noel Drain, shared the following story and I liked it so much that I thought I would share it with you:
I want to share with you a story that I read years ago in a book by a very popular writer, James A Michener. The book is called THE WORLD IS MY HOME.
He tells of memories of an old apple tree when he was a young boy. The apple tree, that had once been abundantly productive had lost its energy and ability to bear any fruit at all. The farmer, on an early spring day hammered 8 nails, long and rusty nails into the trunk of the tree.
That autumn a miracle happened. The tired old tree, having been goaded back to life, produced a bumper crop of juicy red apples bigger and better than they had seen before. When asked, how this had happened, the farmer explained, "Hammering in the rusty nails gave it a shock to remind it that its job is to produce apples."
Michener goes on to say...
In the 1980"s when I was nearly 80 years old, I had some fairly large rusty nails hammered into my trunk---a quintuple bypass heart surgery, a new left hip, a dental rebuilding, an attack of permanent vertigo—and, like a sensible apple tree, I resolved to resume bearing fruit.
But I was almost 80 years old: much of what I would like to do would have to be left unfinished. Since it took me about 3 years to write a long work, if I had 30 viable subjects the task would require 90 years. That would make me 170 when I finished and I could not recall any writers who continued working so long, not even in the Old Testament
Between the years 1986 and 1991 I would write 11 books, publish 7 of them, including 2 very long ones, and have the other 3 completed in their third revisions and awaiting publication. It was an almost indecent display of frenzied industry, but it was carried out slowly, carefully, each morning at the typewriter and each afternoon at research or quiet reflection.
One nagging question remains. Did the old tree get back to work producing apples only because the shock of the rusty nails reminded it of death? By analogy, did I labor so diligently because of my age and the approach of a time when I could work no more?
All I know is that...
The job of an apple tree is to bear apples. The job of a storyteller is to tell stories, and I have concentrated on that obligation.
Thank you James Michener for such a powerful reminder!
Boy! I don't know about you, but I have had some very rusty nails hammered into me in the past. Those painful reminders that change needs to happen quickly.
I know that this is going to sound a bit odd, but I'm grateful for those rusty nails. I would not be where I am today without them! I'm grateful for pain I've experienced. Pain was given to us to teach us so that we can learn.
No, really! If my son did not feel pain when he was a toddler, he would have burned up when he put his hand in the stove flame. He would not have moved his hand... Instead, he felt immense pain and quickly moved his hand to a safer location. Pain of all kinds works for us in this way.
Sometimes we get into complacency and just exist rather than living our passion. Then, something comes along and JOLTs us back to life.
As we get to the end of another year on the calendar let's all remember what Michener wrote so brilliantly….the job of a storyteller is to tell stories... what's your job?
I am grateful for YOU!
What To Do Now:
Ask yourself if you are concentrating on your obligation/passion. Are you focusing on your purpose on this earth? What is your rusty nail reminder? Then, please give me your candid comment below and tell your friends and colleagues to read this post and give me their candid comments below as well. I'd love to hear your feedback! Plus, send me an @ message on Twitter too & I'll do my best to reply to you so you get extra visibility with my twitter followers. ;-) http://twitter.com/stephcalahan
I look forward to hearing from you.
To your success!
posted on: 12/8/2008 10:41:06 AM by Stephanie Calahan
category: Paper
Paper And Information Management: < Previous Post - Next Post >
Blog Central: < Previous Post - Next Post >
 Discuss This Post
There are no comments.
|
|
Paper And Information Management
by Stephanie Calahan
View This Blog
 Subscribe To This Blog
About Stephanie:
Stephanie L. H. Calahan is a Productivity and Organization Consultant, Coach, Speaker, Author. She is also the founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. – Productive & Organized, We'll Help You Find Your Way a premier productivity consulting firm, serving a national and local clients in corporate settings, home-based businesses, and residential environments. Her organizing expertise, Computer Science and HR backgrounds give her a unique perspective on what works at work.
Stephanie's Website:
www.findinfiveseconds.com
My Favorite Websites for Business & Office
- The Publicity Hound
Are you new to the business world and don't know where to start to get your business the recognition it needs and deserves? Then this site is for you! Joan Stewart aka the Publicity Hound shares all kinds of fabulous information about getting free publicity. Sign up for her free tutorial and learn ways to get noticed now!
- Paper Tiger Productivity Institute
Get resources for organizing your business!
- The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords
Google has a system that makes it possible, for the first time in the history of the world, to deposit five bucks, write a couple of ads, and instantly get access to over 100 million people - in less than 10 minutes. It's called Google AdWords and it's hot. In fact it may be the first and best thing to do to get traffic to your site. But it's not always as easy as I just made it sound - AdWords has some nuances, and most people have a rough time at first. Well my colleague Perry Marshall has written a very helpful e-course called "5 days to success with Google AdWords" and there's no charge for it.
- The Definitive Guide to Writing & Promoting White Papers
If you sell any kind of complex service, technology or sophisticated product, a White Paper is the best way to educate your customers about that technology. You can use a white paper to build your credibility, get free exposure in the press, attract new customers, and drive new technology into change-resistant, conservative markets. Most white papers are either too technical (boring) or too commercial (thin and cheesy) - but Perry Marshall has written a guide that shows you how to strike the perfect balance. But what's most important of all, though, is promoting and publicizing your white paper - because the best white paper in the world is no good unless somebody reads it!
- Guerilla Marketing
Most sales people spend all day dialing for dollars, chasing prospects who are mentally if not physically backing away from them, and they waste most of their time chasing deals instead of closing them. At the same time, most companies spend all kinds of money on advertising and don't get nearly enough bang for their buck. Perry Marshall's "Guerilla Marketing for Hi-Tech Sales People" is an information-packed audio CD that discusses 21 principles that you can use to eliminate cold prospecting and wasted advertising dollars in today's fiercely competitive B2B marketplace.
My Favorite Organizing Tools
- EasyReach Find & Workspace - ask for a 30 day free trial
EasyReach Find & Workspace are the ultimate in digital organization. Spend less time looking for information and more time working with it.
- Paper Tiger Software
The Paper Tiger software is a powerful filing system that uses the power of your computer to help you get organized and stay organized. Find anything in 5 seconds! We use it both at home and at work.
- NeatReceipts Scanalizer
I LOVE this paper organizer! Get control over your loose receipts, business cards, personal taxes, home office taxes, expense reports, business documents and personal documents. It is amazing how it can read off of the papers it scans.
- SwiftFile
Get control of your desk with the SwiftFile Desktop filling system. They can be ordered with or without the matching file box. This is the Best Action Filing System I have seen.
- Send Out Cards - Try their free guest account
This is one of the best tools I have ever used for contacts, reminders and physical cards too! Go to the site and check out their free guest account. Better to see it for yourself than for me to try to tell you.
My Favorite Websites for the Home
- Mrs. A's Coupon Organizer
Mrs. A's has done it again. They developed a great coupon organizer that allows you to find things quickly and actually USE the coupons you cut out.
- Box4Blox
Introducing BOX4BLOX ™... the Simple Toy Storage Organizer for LEGO ® That Gets Rid of That "Lego Disaster Zone" From the Floor ONCE AND FOR ALL!
- Send Out Cards - try their free guest account!
This system lets you type a message then they print it in your handwriting, stuff it, stamp it and mail it when you tell them to. All for LESS than what you would pay to buy a card at a store.
- www.OnlineOrganizing.com!
My Favorite Goal Setting Tools
- My Goal Manager
MyGoalManager.com's Online System takes Goal Setting to whole new level! If you like online tools, this one is fantastic.
- My Motivator
My Motivator is a great online service that helps you identify your goals and then stay on track with those goals with audio to learn from and reminders that are sent to you.
My Favorite Books on Paper & Information
- Taming the Paper Tiger at Home
Strange as it may sound, having the right information at the right time can help you save money or have a good time. Barbara Hemphill tells you how to tame the "paper tiger" with quick, practical solutions to managing every piece of paper that comes into your house. She'll show you how to decide what to keep, what to toss, where to keep it—and most important—how to find it exactly when you need it, so you make room for your life!
- Taming the Paper Tiger at Work
Despite the promise of the paperless office, most of us are mired in the stuff—and deluged with electronic information as well. The use of computers, e-mail, the Internet, and faxes probably forces you to contend with more paper than ever. But setting up and efficient system to organize all the information is easier than you might think. Barbara Hemphill will show you how.
My Favorite Books on Time & Productivity Management
- 30 Hours A Day - Ultimate Time Management Program
How Much More Money Would You Make With An Extra 6 Extra Hours Of Productivity Every Day? Drop-dead Simple Tutoring Of Rapid Results Coach Dave Navarro Makes It Easier Than You Ever Thought It Could Be.
- Outsource And Delegate
How To Work Less And Make A Lot More Money!
- Successful Time Management
Successful Time Management. An Easy-to-read, Ebook That Will Have You Getting More Done, In Less Time, Than Ever Before. It Just Takes A Few Minutes Each Day To Put These Time Management Systems In To Place.
Our Web Sites
- Steph's Blog - ProductiveAndOrganized.net
- Company Site - CalahanSolutions.com
- Company Media Room
- Follow me on Twitter!
- Connect w/ me on LinkedIn
- Friend me on Facebook!
- Friend me on MySpace
- Connect w/ me on Plaxo
- Stephanie's Bio
|
www.OnlineOrganizing.com is a service mark of Bradford, LLC.
