Lolly Daskal

Why No New Year’s Resolution

Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by lollydaskal.

 
 
I have heard from so many of you about your New Year’s resolutions.  
 
I know some of you are excited by them and some of you are already weary of them.  
 
CONFESSION: I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions.  
 
What I do instead - every year - is I check in with myself, through self reflection.  
 
In my self-reflection I ask:  
 
Am I standing for what I truly believe in?  
 
Am I showing up for what is most meaningful to me?  
 
Am I living by my principles?  
 
For me, my principles are my drivers, year after year, month by month, day by day, and hour by hour.  
 
My drivers ALLOW me to live my purpose with passion.  
 
So I ask you today...  
 
Do you have principles that you stand by?  
 
Do you know what your principles are?  
 
Do you recognize that your principles let others know who you are and what you stand for?  
 
Do you understand that principles drive your attitude and your actions?  
 
Do you understand that, if you have no principles, you may not have a full understanding of the big picture of your life - personally and professionally?  
 
Did you realize that your principles are your WHY?  
 
Principles contain the important elements of your life, like being honest, being kind, and being loving.  
 
Principles are all about the things you want to achieve in your life and how you intend to achieve them.  
 
Principles are about being the best at what you do because you stand for something.  
 
Principles guide you to stand for the things you care about most.  
 
Keep in mind that identifying and cultivating principles is not something you can just sit down and say, “Okay, here they are!” It’s not about making a list.  
 
Principles develop slowly and over time.  
 
Principles evolve bit by bit. Essence by essence. Dedication by dedication. Insight by insight Foresight by foresight.  
 
You develop your principles as you mature, and you refine your principles by understanding what has the most meaning for you.  
 
Once you understand and can identify your principles, you’ll be rewarded for a lifetime.  
 
Principle drives perspective. Perspective drives action. Action drives decisions. And decisions drive living. Not just living, but living a life full of purpose and meaning.  
 
If you don’t like the life you are living, look at your decisions. If you don’t like your decisions, look at what actions you take every day. If you don’t like your actions, then look at your perspective of life. And if you don’t like your perspective, then look at your principles.  
 
Defining your principles will help you build your values and your beliefs. It will help you cultivate a life that you admire in others, and one that you have been dreaming for yourself.  
 
Think now about what is important to you…  
 
Discovering and defining your principles will help build your character, your attitude, your self confidence, your influence, your peace of mind, and your purpose in life.  
 
Lead from Within: Principles are principles for life- it’s NOT about just knowing your principles, but actually living them daily. Defining your principles will help you with everything: How you act, how you think, how you react, how you serve, and how you lead.

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Suspend Your Seeing

Posted on 03. Dec, 2011 by lollydaskal.

 
 
This past week, my daughter came home with an art project. It was a still life drawing of a pail, some books, a bottle and a pitcher.  
 
She was having difficulty with the perspective and with the shading. She was feeling frustrated and perplexed at why her drawing didn’t resemble the still life she was trying to duplicate.  
 
As I looked at the art work she handed me, I realized immediately what was keeping her drawing from looking like the original.  
 
I asked her, “Did you draw the books, bottles and pitcher the way you think they are, or did you draw what you actually see?”  
 
At first she didn't understand what I was asking.  
 
I explained to her that when it comes to drawing, we need to stop our habitual way of seeing and perceiving. We need to pause and see what we really see - Not what we think we see or what we think we know.  
 
I told her that though she might think she sees all of the angles of her objects, the reality is that she only has a partial view of each of the objects.  
 
She smiled. She saw instantly where she had gone wrong.  
 
In business, just as in drawing, once we correct our seeing and start suspending our perception, our perspective becomes clearer.  
 
When we draw, when we speak, when we lead others, when we are looking for change in our organization, there is always much more than what we initially see.  
 
A simple adjustment in our perspective can give us the true dimensions of our organization.  
 
The slightest pause in self reflection can give us greater insight into our relationships.  
 
We all make decisions, we all make moves, and we all see. But still there are failures.  
 
Some change initiatives end up going nowhere, not because they lack vision or noble intentions, but because our everyday awareness is based on what we think we see. If we want to succeed in this rapidly changing world, we must learn to see reality.  
 
Seeing reality involves suspension. 
 
It’s about pausing…  
 
Not destroying, deleting, or discarding what we think we see.  
 
Suspension requires hanging onto to our assumptions that are right in front of us, while keeping our minds open to what can’t always be seen initially.  
 
Suspension means noticing our perceptions, our thoughts, our mental models, and our habits as the working models of our mind, and not what actually exists.  
 
Most of us accept reality the way it is presented to us. However, when we can suspend, we can begin to see that our thoughts and assumptions have less influence on what we see.  
 
Suspension allows us to “see our seeing.”  
 
Lead From Within: When we are learning something new, we can often feel confused, perplexed and disappointed.  
 
Our “not seeing,” can keep us from staying fresh, current, and from keeping things in perspective.  
 
Where can you learn to “suspend” so you can have a new perception?  
 
Where can you redirect your attention so you can see the new perspective?  
 
Drawing: By Zoe (still a work in progress)

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Principles of Leonardo Da Vinci

Posted on 01. May, 2011 by lollydaskal.

1-Curiosita - You need an insatiable curiosity for  life. Great minds have one characteristic in common: they continuously ask questions throughout their lives.  
 
2-Dimostrazione-  A commitment to test knowledge through experience. Wisdom comes from experience and the principle of Dimostrazione helps you get the most out of your experience  
 
3-Sensazione- The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to clarify experience. According to Da Vinci, we can best practice Dimostrazione through our senses, particularly sight.  
 
4-Sfumato- A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty. An essential characteristic of Da Vinci's genius is his ability to handle a sense of mystery.  
 
 
 
5-Arte/Scienza- The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination ("whole-brain thinking"). The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination". This is thinking with the “whole brain”.  
 
6-Corporalita- The cultivation of ambidexterity, fitness, and poise. Corporalità is "the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise". Leonardo had amazing physical ability that complemented his genius in science and arts.  
 
7-Connessione - A recognition and appreciation for the connectedness of all things and phenomena; "systems thinking." In other words, is systems thinking. One main source of Leonardo's creativity is his ability to form new patterns through connections and combinations of different elements.  
 
Genius is made, not born.  
 
Human beings are gifted with an almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. You can uncover your own hidden abilities, sharpen your senses, and liberate your unique intelligence—by following the principles of Leonardo Da Vinci.  
 
Join us this Tuesday 8pm est: Tweetchat #leadfromwithin Topic: Leading From the Principles of Leonardo Da Vinci  
 
Source Material “How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci” by Michael Gelb  
 
 

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Do Not Give Up Before Your Time

Posted on 25. Apr, 2011 by lollydaskal.

A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he went to look to see if there was any fruit. He couldn't find any and he became extremely frustrated. He went to find his gardener and  when he did - he said, "For the past three years I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and I have not found any and I want you to cut it down right now."  
 
The gardener replied, "Sir, leave it alone for one more year and I will dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, that will be great. If it does not, then we will cut it down.  
 
How many times in our lives do we sound like the man in the garden?  
 
How many times have we looked at ourselves with harsh judgment and have been frustrated by all the hard work we have put into our lives and business?  
 
We expect our lives to cultivate without errors and without blunders. And when we fail, we are devastated and we want to cut it out-cut it down and walk away.  
 
We all want growth just like the tree owner and when we don't see the fruits of labor we judge ourselves and we do so without compassion and without kindness.  
 
I am here to say. Give yourself a break.  
 
Do not cut down your trees. Stop and see what is your truth.  
 
Do not walk away feeling like a failure. Stop and think why have you failed.  
 
Do not feel frustrated. Stop and think what is the problem? Does it need more sun? Does it need more water? Does it need more time? Is it planted in a place that cannot support it?  
 
Do not give up on your tree. Think how else can you nurture it and reflect what is your truth and how you can move toward grace.  
 
Dig deep into your weeds and keep your soil (soul) watered and fertilized do not let your judgments and harsh treatment of yourself soil (clutter) your mind.  
 
Lead From Within: Give yourself time to be the person you are meant to be do not cut yourself down before your time.  
 
The fig story was sent to me by my amazing client Sydney Rothenthal which inspired this blog post.  
 
 

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Let People Know You Need Them

Posted on 14. Apr, 2011 by lollydaskal.

Being so independent. It is very difficult for me to ask for help. I am a person who has many dreams, visions and ideas. I have endless amounts of energy and I hardly ever sleep. I have always felt that I could handle and do everything by myself.  
 
Recently I came to a realization that was taking me out of my comfort zone, my vision was getting bigger than I could handle myself.  
 
My big dream was for everyone to understand the essence of Lead From Within -That each person who desired to make their dreams come true and to find their purpose, they would have to allow their heart to lead in their decisions and choices and that their beliefs and values would be the foundation of their thinking.  
 
The biggest part of my dream was that  I wanted people to know that they mattered. What they thought, what they felt, how they lived their lives mattered.  
 
And for those who were struggling, I would create a community, a base camp of leaders, not just any leaders, but leaders with heart that would be there in discussion, engagement and support. No one was ever going to feel alone again. < big statement  
 
I kept thinking, how am I going to pull this enormous task off by myself. Yes, I have unlimited perseverance and infinite amounts of passion and enormous amount of caring but was that enough? Could I do this on my own?  
 
After much deliberation and painful processing I had to admit that I no longer could do everything by myself. To me- this admission was a major learning step in my personal development as a independent person and as a heart based leader. I became aware that there was no safety in being the same person today that I was yesterday. I had to make a decision.  
 
I had two choices:  
 
I could give up on my vision and dreams that were bursting from my heart or I was going to have to ask for help.  
 
No matter how successful you are. No matter how important or accomplished you are. Knowing that you need people is a significant insight.  
 
Having this awareness scares us because we have fed into the message that our environment feeds us. - You cannot trust people. - You SHOULD be able to solve your own issues. - You will look like a fool because you are asking for help. - You might be perceived as weak if cannot handle your own business or life. This kind of messaging keeps us from asking others for help and keeps us from our dreams and desires.  
 
But if you look at successful people and seek what is a constant ingredient in their success. You notice that successful people ask for guidance and assistance to help them achieve their desired outcome.  
 
We all want to be successful. We all have big dreams and visions. So why not ask for help? Asking for help only assists us in making our dreams come true.  
 
So for all of us who want to make a difference in the world and for all of us who dream of being of service to others in a major way. Tell people you need their help.  
 
This post is dedicated to the  Lead From Within community. I call you my family. You have helped me with my vision. You have made my dream come true and you continue to support me every Tuesday at eight pm est with your wisdom, brilliance, heart and courage. For this I am forever grateful.  
 
Lead From Within: . Work on your personal development and give yourself permission to reach out and ask for help.  Let people know you need them

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