“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness inspires.  Some people are great at life.

I draw from great books, great people, and great quotes to get more from life.  It’s “standing on the shoulders of giants in action.”  It’s also a great way to find the timeless ways for better days.

I know some folks that need a power up.  To help them get lift off, I’ve swept my menu bar and bubbled up Great Books, Great People, and Great Quotes.

And for folks that just want to get out of a slump or over a hump, I added How Tos to the menu too.

Photo by Nuno Duarte.

I got a chance to see The Green Lantern this weekend.  I liked it way more than I thought I would.  I wasn’t really a Green Lantern fan, but after this, I have a change of heart.

Fear and will played a central role throughout the movie.  The interplay of these twin powers gave me  a new perspective and  a new respect for both.

The real power of the Green Lantern is his ability to “will” his way forward, focus on a solution, and find the courage to act in the face of fear.  As a result, he can overcome any limits imposed by himself or others.  As you might expect, self-imposed limits are the toughest kind.

3 Take Aways from the Green Lantern
Here are my three main take aways:

1. Fear is the enemy of will.  This was a beautiful line in the movie, and so true: “Fear is the enemy of will.  Will is what makes you take action.”   Along these lines, another powerful message in the movie was that just because we are human, vulnerable, and afraid, it does not mean we are weak.
2. It starts with what you see in your mind.  Chalk one up to the power of focus.  In the movie, The Green Lantern says, “Anything I can see in my mind, I can create.  I just have to focus.”
3. You can beat the fear. Don’t feed the fear.  If you feed the fear, it gets stronger.  Courage is the way you beat your fear.  You can become courageous.  You flex your courage when you take action in the face of fear.

A key message throughout the movie was this: Don’t let other people tell you what you’re capable of.  At the same time, sometimes other people see the things in you that you don’t see yourself.  At the end of the day, what really matters is what you believe.

Photo by Big C Harvey.

“Gamers always believe that an epic win is possible and that it’s always worth trying and trying now.” — Jane McGonigal

According to Jane McGonigal, an epic win is “an outcome that is so extraordinarily positive you had no idea it was even possible until you achieved it … it was almost beyond the threshold of imagination and when you get there you are shocked to discover what you are truly capable of.”

Wow!  What if we had more epic wins in life.  (If you saw my post on Trends for 2011, one of the key insights is that it’s becoming a gamers world.)

Jane is a game designer and her goal is to make it as easy to save the world in real life as it is to save the world in online games.  Her master plan is to convince  more people to spend more times playing bigger and better games.  .

What an Epic Win Looks Like
According to Jane, what you see on the face of somebody on the verge of an epic win is:

• sense of urgency
• a little bit of fear, but intense concentration
• deep, deep focus
• crinkles above the eyes and mouth that are a sign of optimism

That’s the face Jane says, “we need to see on millions of problem solvers all over the world as we try to tackle the obstacles of the next century … the face of someone who against all odds is on the verge of an epic win.”

I agree.

We’re Better at Games Than We Are at Real Life
Jane got her got her PhD on why we are better at games than we are in real life.  She says that when we’re in game worlds, many of us become the best versions of ourselves:

• motivated to do something that matters
• inspired to collaborate and cooperate
• the most likely to help at a moments notice
• the most likely to stick with a problem as long as it takes
• to get up after failure and try again

Jane contrasts this with what happens in real life:

• when we confront obstacles, we often don’t feel that way
• we feel overcome
• we feel overwhelmed
• we feel anxious, maybe depressed, frustrated or cynical

Take from the Games and Apply to Real Life
What makes epic wins possible in online worlds?  What makes World of Warcraft, for example, the ideal collaborative problem solving environment?  Jane wanted to figure out, what exactly is it about games that makes it impossible to feel like we can’t achieve everything, and how can we take those feelings from games and apply them to real world work.  Here’s what she found:

• Missions that matter.  Jane says, “whenever you show up in one of these online games, especially in World of Warcraft, there are lots and lots of different characters who are willing to trust you with a world saving mission, right away … but not just any mission …”
• Pushing the limits of capability.  it’s a mission that is perfectly matched with your current level in the game.  So you can do it, they never give you a challenge that you can’t achieve, but it is on the verge of what you’re capable of so you have to try hard.
• A coalition of the willing. Jane says, “there are also tons of collaborators everywhere you go, hundreds of thousands of people ready to work with you to achieve your epic mission.  That’s not something we have in a real life that easily — the sense that at our finger tips are tons of collaborators.”
• An inspiring story.  Jane says, “there’s this epic story, this inspiring story of why we’re there, and what we’re doing.”
• Positive feedback.  we get all this positive feedback, you guys have heard of leveling up, and +1 strength, and +1 intelligence, we don’t get that kind of constant feedback in real life.

As an aside, I find this especially interesting because this is how I lead project teams at work.  I always turn them into an epic adventure, with inspiring stories, missions that matter, and positive feedback along the journey.  This recipe helps me find people who are willing to sign up for the cause well beyond our immediate team.

Four Things Gamers are Getting Good At
Gamers spend a lot of time getting good at what they do.  Jane asks the question, with the amount of time gamers spend, what exactly are they becoming virtuosos at?  She says it’s four key things:

1. Urgent optimism – Jane says, “think of this as extreme self motivation.  urgent optimism is the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success.  Gamers always believe that an epic win is possible and that it’s always worth trying and trying now, gamers don’t sit around.”
2. Social Fabric – Jane says, “we like people better after we play a game with them, even if they’ve beaten us badly.  The reason is it takes a lot of trust to play a game with someone, we trust that they will spend their time with us, that they will play by the same rules, value the same goal, stay with the game until it’s over, and so playing a game together actually builds up bonds and trust and cooperation and we actually build stronger social relationships.”
3. Blissful productivity – Jane says, “we know when we’re playing a game that we’re actually happier working hard than we are relaxing or hanging out.  We know that we are optimized as human beings to do hard and meaningful work and gamers are willing to work hard all the time if they’re given the right work.”
4. Epic meaning – Jane says, “gamers love to be attached to awe inspiring missions, to human planetary scale stories.”

Jane McGonigal on Gaming Can Make a Better World
Watch Jane in her TED talk on how we really can use games to start to tackle some of the World’s greatest challenges:

Here is the direct URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

Gaming for a Better World
Jane works at Institute for the Future, where you can find out more about some of the interesting research and possibilities.   Jane shares three examples of games that test creating epic wins in the real-world:

1. World without Oil – The idea is to play it before you live it and it’s a massively collaborative imagining of the first 32 weeks of a global crisis.
2. Superstruct – “Superstruct invites players to imagine life in 2019 and to document and record how they, their families, local communities, or extended social networks might respond to a catastrophic population collapse.”
3. Evoke – “The goal of the social network game is to help empower young people all over the world, and especially young people in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems.”

Get Your Game On … in Work and Life
Make the real world more like a game.  Go on epic missions, create inspiring stories, push the limits of your capability, find coalitions of the willing, and unleash a version of your best self.

… and if you fail, get up and try again.

My Related Posts

• Find Your One Thing
• Use Three Stories to Drive Your Day
• Use Metaphors to Find Your Motivation
• Inspire Yourself with Skill
• Find Your Drive – The Keys to Motivation
• Finding Your Values

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Craig Shoemaker on his top 10 lessons learned from comedy.

I figured who better to get some great lessons and perspective on life than from a professional comedian, and Craig happens to be one of my favorite comedians.  Why? … because he makes me laugh.

He’s got his own special blend of comedy from his “Lovemaster” routine to his dead-on impressions of Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show.   He does more impressions than just Barney, including Aunt Bee, and you can’t help but wonder how such a range of voices comes out of the same person. In addition to stand-up, Craig has radio, TV, and film under his belt.  His movie roles include Scream 2, Safe House, and Dark Honeymoon.  In Dark Honeymoon, he played opposite Daryl Hannah as her love interest.

Craig is also a winner of the American Comedy Award for funniest male stand-up comic.  He’s not just an award-winning funny guy … he’s also a comedian with heart.  Craig started the Laughter Heals Foundation where the mission is to provide an easily accessible supply of “laughter therapy” materials for patients, residents and care givers in hospitals, cancer recovery facilities, children’s hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

Without further ado, here’s Craig …

The following are ten lessons I have learned while working in comedy.

Lesson 1- We are not victims.

Many of us have been conditioned to believe that disease and illness comes along like an attacker in a dark alley, when in fact we need to look at how we were the ones who put us in that position to begin with. We attract what we focus on, and this is very much the case with sickness. If we ignore signs that tell us something in our mind/body/soul we need to pay attention to, then an illness of greater significance will result. The polar opposite is true…if we look for ways to enjoy our lives, then good health and wellness will manifest. Personally, I am on a news fast for 10 years now, and I’ve never been healthier. I replace that “information,” that the media outlets choose (to garner better ratings), with “lighter” fare that causes me to smile. It has led to far more creative output, due to the artistic spirit being able to flow, unimpeded by the fear, doubt and worry the media and government promote. In this case, ignorance is indeed bliss.

Lesson 2- Old thoughts should be discouraged.

We have been bombarded with messages that prevent us from laughing more, due to accepting messages that we’ve been given since we were children. “Wipe that smile off your face.” “What are YOU laughing at?” “You look so silly.” “You must take this seriously or you’ll fail.” “Laugh like a fool.” “Grow up!”……These are but a few nuggets that our brains were filled with when we were growing up. It’s no shock that people have difficulty letting go to have a good time with such negative words frequently rattling in their heads. When I let go of the false belief that I look like an idiot if I laugh, then my entire being feels uplifted.

Lesson 3- Children laugh a hundred times more a day than an adult.

Due to the illusion of stress and pressure, most adults do not laugh anywhere near the amount of times a child does. When a young boy or girl relates to their friends, they bond through laughter and sharing of joy, while adults have a propensity to bond by way of gossip and angry thoughts. Parents watch negative programs that demean and deflate, and their kids see shows based on fun and silliness. When I’m around my own kids, we constantly crack up, and that takes away thoughts of lack or worry. When we are joking and clowning, I’ve never once stopped and said: “Whoa… the economy is in the toilet today.”

Lesson 4- The places that put focus on happiness are the most pleasant to live in.

Denmark was named the happiest country in the world, with surrounding countries like the Netherlands rounding out the top five happy countries. What do these areas have in common? An emphasis on leisure and fun, and very little focus on war and destruction. Scandinavian countries are not known for their war machines, and are contrarily people of peace and happiness. The quality of life for the people of these lands is at a higher level than the depressed, dark and gloomy vibration so many in this country live by. I choose to see the goodness and light in the majority of people and circumstances, and the results of this choice are profound.

Lesson 5- People who laugh more live longer.

A tribe in the Himalayas called “The Happy Hunzas” have long been known for their laughter based conditioning. The average Hunzakut – as they called themselves – live to be well over 100 years of age and typically die in good health and with every tooth still intact and cavity-free. When I say they died healthy, what I mean is that their physically strong and able bodies simply gave out from so many years of living a good, natural life. They rarely ever died from glandular, organ or system failure, as is so common in our modern world.

Lesson 6- Simply By Being Around Laughter Can Lead to Better Health.

There is a long list of standup comedians who lived long and enriched lives, even performing right up until their death. Milton Berle, George Burns, Bob Hope are three legendary comedians who passed away in their late 90s. Don Rickles, Phyillis Diller and Joan Rivers are still going strong after 80, and are energized by the energy of roomfuls of laughter. Laughter is indeed contagious, and simply by being around it, the benefits will be felt. The opposite is true as well, for if you are in a room of angry people, it will be a tall task to rise above that pervasive and invasive energy.

Lesson 7- Laughter lowers stress hormones, increases our heart rate, helps us breathe more deeply, and stretches many different muscles in our face and upper body.

A positive attitude will not only help us feel better, it also has a general beneficial effect on our health. Laughter lowers stress hormones, increases our heart rate, helps us breathe more deeply, and stretches many different muscles in our face and upper body. Laughter really is good for you, and scientists have now begun to prove what everyone else takes for granted.

Lesson 8- Laughter changes our condition, and therefore changes our perception that something is wrong or heart breaking.

As Elle Woods from Legally Blond said, “Exercising (or in this case, laughing) gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t kill their husbands!”

Yes, a fictitious character from a goofy movie should not be given as evidence to further a cause, but the message is clear, concise and simple – the chances of violence diminishes once we laugh.

Lesson 9- Living joyful is a choice and ANYONE can transform from making that choice.

Finding humor and fun in a lot of things can help you keep your mind and body healthy. Laughter lightens your mood and your burdens. Whether you believe it or not, laughter and humor have some health benefits that could enhance your immune system, give you added energy, and lessen the damage that stress brings into your daily life.

When you laugh, your body releases the body’s feel-good chemical, which in turn can give you a mood booster and relieves you from pain in the process.  It also improves the oxygen’s flow from your heart and brain. It strengthens your immune system since it can cause cell regeneration, and keeping the active cells healthy. Since stress causes your healthy cells to die out, laughter can prevent such occurrence. It also relaxes your mind and body, relieving you from tension and pain.

Lesson 10- Search for more ways to laugh, and discover new parts of our consciousness.

Even without listing down all the scientifically proven benefits of laughter and humor, laughing is without a doubt one of the best things in life.  It helps you focus on the more positive things in life rather than dwelling on everything that seems to go wrong. It allows you to feel good about yourself, around your surroundings, and about your circumstances. Laughter is even better when shared with someone else, since laughter is meant to be contagious. Laughter strengthens people’s connection with each other and thus, can bring people together.  The bond that is formed between individuals who share humor, laughter or even a simple smile will help the individuals involved to cope better with emotional or mental stress. It may also be therapeutic for painful conditions such as arthritis or joint inflammation. It opens up new and previously unexplored aspects of our journey and enriches our soul.

Early documents speak of laughter being the best medicine, so just open up and say “haa-haaa!”

Additional Resources

• Craig Shoemaker’s Blog
• Craig Shoemaker.com (Site)
• Laughter Heals Foundation
• Craig Shoemaker on IMDB

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” — Maria Robinson

He’s big.  He’s green.  He tries to do the right thing.  His name is Shrek.

I finally got to see Shrek Forever After. It reminded me a bit of It’s a Wonderful Life with a twist.  Shrek is tired of the routine and wants a change of pace.  He wants just one day to be an ogre again.  He makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to trade a day from his past, for one day to romp and play without his everyday responsibilities.  The problem is Rumplestilskin is a shady guy with some hidden agendas.

Why is it that striking a deal with shady characters never works out how we planned?

Here are my three take ways from Shrek Forever After:

1. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.  It really can be hard to know the value of what’s right in front of you until it’s not there anymore.  You might even be surprised by what you miss.  Shrek had it all and didn’t appreciate it enough until it was gone.  Another way to look at it is, things can always be worse.  Maybe if Shrek practiced some more attitude of gratitude he could have coped better with his day to day frustration?  After all, he was living a fairy tale.
2. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Poor Shrek. I learned this lesson too after falling for too many scams.  Now, I know how to check my gut, check the fine print, and when in doubt, I get another pair of eyes on it.  When you know the right questions to ask or the evidence to look for, you can almost always find the scam.
3. True love isn’t always love at first sight.  Sometimes you have to get to know someone, to love someone.  It was nice to see a fairy tale show another path to the heart.

We all have those days where the grass looks greener somewhere else.  I think those are the day we really have to look at what we have right in front of us.

My Related Posts

• 3 Take Aways from Robin Hood
• What 16 Movies Can Teach Us About Life and Leadership
• Lessons Learned from Peaceful Warrior

Photo by Happy Batatinha.

“Calm and careful, make it count.” — Robin Hood (Russel Crowe)

I watched the movie Robin Hood last week.  There’s nothing like watching the birth of a legendary archer to get me reflecting on my old archery skills.  Robin Hood and his band of merry men always entertain me.

When I was a kid I thought it was actually “Robbing” Hood because he was known for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor.  There’s more to the story though than just a bandit with a big heart.  It’s a story of adventure, daring, and courage.  It’s the story of a highly skilled archer who rises from commoner to hero.  In the movie, as the story goes, Robin Longstride (Robin Hood) promises a dying knight that he’ll return his sword to his father, Walter in Nottingham.  When Robin returns the sword, Walter convinces him to impersonate his dead son, to protect their land from confiscation.  Robin ends up quite the rebel rouser and proves himself a highly capable leader, even beyond his band of merry men, when he inspires everybody to fight for their home and land and protect from the French invasion.

Here are my three take aways:

1. Never give up.  On the hilt of a sword are the following words: “Rise, and rise again. Until lambs become lions.”    Simply put, when you get knocked down, get up again.  And again.  You’ll grow stronger in the process.
2. You can change your lot in life.  You can rise above your station.  Just because you aren’t born to land or position, doesn’t mean you can’t become the person who can have those.  You don’t have to be a natural born leader — you can become one.
3. Shared values bring people together.  Whether it’s a common threat or a common goal, it creates a common bond.  In this case, there was a common threat, both the invasion and the evil doers leading up to it.  Robin had “right” on his side, and he created a common goal around defending their land.

If I were to add another take away, I would say it pays to be skilled.  Shooting arrows with precision through obstacles and over a distance, makes for some memorable movie scenes.

Photo by Will Hale.

You know those moments when you feel fully alive? … those moments when you are fully in the moment and you want the moment to last forever?  This quote puts the search for these moments front and center:

“There is a central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a man, a town a building, or a wilderness. This quality is objective and precise, but it cannot be named. The search which we make for this quality, in our own lives, is the central search of a person, and the crux of any individual person’s story. It is the search for those moments and situations when we are most alive.”

– Christopher Alexander, A Timeless Way of Building, 1979

Photo by Sara.Nel.