Planting Seeds of Possibility
21 Ways to Bring the Best Out of Yourself and Others
Big Ideas
- Famous FailuresDr. Seuss, Oprah, Disney.
- The 21 PrinciplesA Quick Look.
- Keep It SimpleWhat Do You Want? Now What Needs to Be Done?
- Solitude: The Leader’s Secret WeaponThe Leader’s Secret Weapon.
- Fly By The InstrumentsSo You Don’t Crash.
“The best beliefs and businesses are often formed and forged in times of flood, famine, failure, and even ferocious flu viruses.
It would take Michelangelo over two years of tedious and tiring sculpting to shape his magnificent masterpiece. He chipped away anything that didn’t look like David.
I believe your masterpiece is in the making! Throughout this book, I’m going to challenge you to chip away anything that doesn’t look like your dreams.
This book is divided into two sections. It will blend personal and professional challenges by design. Relative to the Coronavirus pandemic, it became especially apparent, the new or next normal, would not be about living separate work and home lives. It would be about life and how we live it in a blended and balanced way. I desire this book to plant seeds of possibility in you so that you can have the best of both worlds in your personal and professional pursuits.
In doing so, my hope is that you’ll discover new dreams and recover old ones.”
~ Dan Whitfield from Planting Seeds of Possibility
I got this book after reading Admiral Mike Manazir’s great book Learn How to Lead to Win.
This is a pretty obscure book but the good Admiral loved it so I got it. And I’m happy I did. It’s a super short, quick-reading book on, as per the sub-title, “21 Ways to Bring the Best Out of Yourself and Others.” It’s fantastic. (Get a copy here.)
Fun fact: Dan Whitfield references a TON of great books we’ve featured including: Relentless by Tim Grover, The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile, The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Jim Huling, et al, Atomic Habits by James Clear, Lead Yourself First by Michael Erwin, Deep Work and Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, Willpower by Roy Baumeister, Grit by Angela Duckworth.
Check out the Philosopher’s Notes on all of those.
As you’d expect, the book is packed with Big Ideas. As always, I’m excited to share some of my favorites we can apply to our lives TODAY so let’s jump straight in!
Download MP3
Download PDFYou cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by avoiding it today.
Get the BookFamous Failures
“CEO David Mattson of Sandler Training states, ‘Failure is a part of the human condition. Everybody fails at something. People who achieve a great deal fail at many things.’ In fact, Sandler rule #1 in David Sandler’s tested and timeless 49 selling principles is, ‘You have to learn to fail, to win.’
Some of the most ‘famous failures’ provide incredible inspiration for us to understand that failure is not final.
Twenty-seven publishers rejected the first book of Dr. Seuss, who went on to be the best-selling author ever of children’s books.
Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job for ‘lack of imagination.’
Oprah Winfrey was demoted in one of her first jobs because ‘she wasn’t fit for television.’
One of my favorite quotes is from Thomas Edison, who reminds us that failure is not final, but persistence pays off. He stated, ‘If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.’
There are lessons to be learned from failure. Make it your friend by ‘failing forward.’
As you pursue new possibilities, realize that failure is not final, nor is it fatal. Get back up. Go at it again. You can do this!”
That’s from the very beginning of the book.
Whitfield shares those famous failures and encourages us to FAIL FORWARD right after he tells us: “I’d like to tell you that the path to new possibilities is painless. [But] there is a price to pay for pursuing your dreams. But the payoff for pursuing them is priceless. Living out your passion and finding purpose in each and every day is yours for the taking. Inspiring and influencing others is the legacy you’ll leave if you pursue this path.”
Remember The Choice of Hercules?
In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, Donald Robertson tells us that, once upon a time, before Hercules was HERCULES (!), he was walking in a forest by himself. He came to a fork in the road. At which point two goddesses appeared.
One barged in front of the other and falsely claimed that her friends called her Eudaimonia. (Her real name was Vice.) She promised Hercules a life of ease and luxury without any hardships.
The second goddess (named ARETÉ!), Robertson tells us, was “a less boastful and more modest woman, who nonetheless shone with natural beauty. To his surprise, she wore a grave expression. She warned him that her path led in a very different direction: it would be long and difficult, and would require a great deal of hard work. Speaking plainly, she told Hercules that he would suffer. ... ‘Nothing that is really good and admirable,’ cautioned Arete, ‘is granted by the gods to men without some effort and application.’ Hercules would be called upon to exercise wisdom and justice and to face mounting adversity with bravery and self-discipline. Overcoming great obstacles through courageous and honorable deeds, the goddess said, was the only true path to fulfillment in life.”
Our hero, of course, chose the path of virtue and became the mythic hero most admired by the Stoic philosophers.
Which is why Epictetus tells us this in his Discourses: “What would have become of Hercules, do you think, if there had been no lion, hydra, stag or boar? — and no savage criminals to rid the world of? What would he have done in the absence of such challenges? Obviously he would have just rolled over in bed and gone back to sleep. So by snoring his life away in luxury and comfort he never would have developed into the mighty Hercules. And even if he had, what good would it have done him? What would have been the use of those arms, that physique, and that noble soul, without crises or conditions to stir him into action?”
Now... Let’s take a look at those FAMOUS FAILURES. Think about these stories for a moment.
The GREAT Oprah Winfrey, one of THE most iconic television personalities in history, was once told “she wasn’t fit for television.” (What would YOU have done in the face of that criticism?)
The GREAT Walt Disney was once told he had a “lack of imagination”! (Can you imagine that?)
And, the great Dr. Seuss was REJECTED TWENTY-SEVEN TIMES before he found his first publisher. (Would YOU have endured that many rejections?)
Get this... As we discuss in our Notes on the great biography Dr. Seuss and Mr. Giesel, Ted Giesel (aka Dr. Seuss) was ALSO voted LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED in his Dartmouth class of 1925.
All that to say... We need to LEARN HOW TO FAIL FORWARD if we want to learn how to win.
P.S. In a recent Note on Burn the Boats, Matt Higgins tells us the same thing. He tells us that “Failure is the price we pay for leveling up.”
Great things are accomplished by those people whose thinking is active in one direction. ... who take more pleasure in doing little, secondary things well.
If you ignore the urgent today it can kill you. It’s also true that if you ignore the important, it can kill you tomorrow.
The 21 Principles
“Possibilities begin with one person:
John F. Kennedy—Going to the moon was ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’ It would create the belief that any barrier can be broken down.
Martin Luther King, Jr. — His ‘I have a dream’ speech, and peaceful protests would be embraced by entire nations and promote a better way to live life.
Mother Teresa would create possibilities for millions who suffered from HIV/AIDS, leprosy, hunger, and homelessness by modeling a life of service and sacrifice.
Henry Ford would bring to birth possibilities around not just the automobile, but would bring to life a plethora of possibilities through automation.
Bill Gates would take technology to new levels and create new industries with the vision of ‘a PC on every desktop.’
In 1972, Katherine Graham became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ for other working women.
Stephen Hawking, diagnosed with ALS at 21, was a world-renowned physicist and influential figure in pop culture, who demonstrated the long-lasting impact people with disabilities could make by pursuing ambitious possibilities.
Michael Phelps would become the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals. He would then fall from fame due to personal problems. He battled depression and struggled with thoughts of suicide. However, his willingness to get counseling and be transparent has opened new possibilities for individuals to be honest and to resist hiding from their personal struggles. Perhaps his 2nd contribution will inspire and influence others far more than his Olympic fame and fortune.
New possibilities for planet earth are reached and realized by people. Individuals that will sweat, sacrifice, and serve in unprecedented ways.”
That’s from a chapter on Principle #1: Possibilities Begin with People.”
Let’s take a quick look at ALL 21 principles now...
“Principle #1: Possibilities Begin with People
Principle #2: Powering Through Pain Is a Part of Realizing Possibilities
Principle #3: The Power of No!
Principle #4: Keep It Simple
Principle #5: Motivation Is Way Overrated
Principle #6: Choices, Not Chance, Will Determine Your Destiny
Principle #7: Don’t Settle. Shoot for the Stars
Principle #8: Being a Lifelong Learner Puts You in the Best Position to Realize Possibilities
Principle #9: Procrastination Comes with a Price Tag
Principle #10: A Millionaire’s Mindset Can Turn Minimal Returns into Maximum Results
Principle #11: Rethinking Rejection Will Help You Face Your Fears
Principle #12: Solitude Plays a Significant Role in Reaching Your Dreams
Principle #13: Turn Mistakes into Milestones
Principle #14: Small Wins Break You Out of Slumps
Principle #15: Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
Principle #16: Get Willpower Working for You
Principle #17: Concentrate on the Source, Not the Symptoms
Principle #18: The Grind Is What Gets You to Your Goals
Principle #19: Change Can Make You; Not Break You
Principle #20: Listen Your Way to Success
Principle #21: Fly By the Instruments”
Each of those gets its own chapter. We’ll check out a few of my favorites... Before we move on...
REMEMBER: Possibilities for a better future start with a SINGLE INDIVIDUAL.
You know who that is? YOU.
Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines, stated, ‘In my spare time, I work.
Keep It Simple
“Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson, led one of the most innovative engineering teams in history, and coined the KISS principle, i.e., ‘Keep it simple, stupid.’
Johnson was a renowned aeronautical engineer at Lockheed Martin for more than 40 years. He headed their secret division named Skunk Works, a now-common name for R&D departments that was initially an inside joke. (They worked near an awful-smelling plastics factory.)
Johnson came up with the KISS principle during World War II. It was a way to remind his team that their state-of-the-art jets still had to be repaired by average mechanics with basic tools. By eliminating unnecessary complexity, Skunk Works developed some of aviation’s most significant breakthroughs in record time.
Johnson died in 1990, but ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ lives on as a valuable motto for all of us.”
Welcome to Principle #4: Keep It Simple.
If you ever wondered about the origin story for the whole “Keep it simple, stupid” or “KISS!” principle, there ya go. We have Clarence “Kelly” Johnson and his Skunk Works team to thank.
Now... Let’s talk about simplicity, Hero.
Here are a couple of my all-time favorite quotes on the subject.
Da Vinci tells us: “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.”
Einstein once told us: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Then we have Tom Morris. In Stoicism for Dummies he tells us: “But in the Stoic view, there is a pure simplicity beneath all this complexity: Virtue alone can guarantee happiness. So if you want to be happy, don’t seek that goal by chasing external things that can’t do the job, but rather by working on the inner virtue of your own soul. That is the only true and reliable path.”
Let’s simplify things and shine a spotlight on YOU...
What’s ONE thing in your life that YOU want to optimize?
Imagine what success would look like...
Got it? Awesome. Now...
Think about THE #1 thing you think you can do to make that vision a reality.
Got it? Awesome. Now...
What’s ONE thing you can do RIGHT NOW to move from Theory to Practice?
Got it? Awesome. Now...
GO DO IT.
Remember: Keep it simple, Hero.
The personal cost of procrastination, according to their study, is depression, irrational beliefs, low self-esteem, anxiety, and stress.
You don’t have to be great to start. But you have to start to be great.
Solitude: The Leader’s Secret Weapon
“Cal Newport challenges us to take back command of our lives. Choose a focused life in a noisy world. As army officer Michael Erwin would say, ‘lead yourself first.’ Human beings are not meant to be constantly wired. The greatest gift you can give yourself and your business is to exercise the seldom-used secret of solitude. Spend some time in solitude planning, dreaming, understanding, and expressing gratitude.
Solitude is not separation. It doesn’t require you to be miles from another human being. Solitude is where your mind is free from the input of other minds. It can be enjoyed in a coffee shop, taking a walk, driving in your car, or, as President Lincoln discovered at his cottage, sharing your lawn with two companies of Union soldiers.
Take some time to unplug. Set some time aside for solitude. It’s a life accelerator. You’ll be better for it. And when you get better, possibilities become much more probable.”
That’s from Principle #12: “Solitude Plays a Significant Role in Reaching Your Dreams.”
Dan references both Cal Newport and Michael Erwin in that passage.
As it turns out, we have Notes on both of the books he’s talking about. Check out the Philosopher’s Notes on Digital Minimalism and Deep Work by Cal Newport and Lead Yourself First by Michael Erwin.
AND both Cal and Mike taught 101 classes with us you can watch in the app: Digital Minimalism 101 and Lead Yourself First 101.
For now… Know this… In Lead Yourself First, Mike Erwin tells us that: “To lead others you must first lead yourself. That, ultimately, is the theme of this book.
Leadership, as Dwight Eisenhower defined it, is ‘the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it.’ That does not mean that leadership amounts to using people; like anyone else, a leader must recognize that each person is an end in himself. It means, instead, to make others embrace your goals as their own. But to do that you must first determine your goals. And you must do that with enough clarity and conviction to hold fast to your goals— even when, inevitably, there are great pressures to yield from them. To develop that clarity and conviction of purpose, and the moral courage to sustain it through adversity, requires something that one might not associate with leadership. That something is solitude.”
Which begs the question... How can YOU create a little more solitude for yourself today?
Long-term planning is often undervalued by our indefinite short-term world.
Fly By The Instruments
“Two sets of rules govern all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations. They are ‘visual flight rules’ (VFR) and ‘instrument flight rules’ (IFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Instrument Flying Handbook defines IFR as: ‘Rules and regulations established by the FAA governing flight under conditions in which flight by outside visual reference is not safe.’ All commercial pilots are IFR certified. They have to be. The high percentage of flights they pilot are flights where ‘the outside visual reference is not safe.’
‘Fly by instruments’ vs. ‘following your feelings.’ There are going to be days on this journey where you don’t ‘feel’ like pursuing possibilities.
Pilots who ‘fly by their feelings’ run the risk of crashing. Pilots who ‘fly by the instruments’ regardless of how they feel are on firm footing. The path to your possibilities won’t always involve ‘flying the friendly skies.’ You’ll need to be able to traverse the turbulent ones. There won’t always be ‘visual reference’ points. Trust the ‘possibilities panel.’
Piloting to our possibilities requires discipline, dedication, and a determination to have a system and structure around you that keeps you safe. Success in securing possibilities will go to those that practice persistently ‘principle-based practices.’ Simply put, fly by the instruments and trust the process.”
I love that for so many reasons.
First, Admiral Manazir and Captain Cardone are Top Gun Pilots.
Did you know that if you want to be the Commanding Officer of an aircraft carrier you MUST be a Top Gun pilot? Yep. It’s true.
Of course, those guys and ALL PILOTS need to know how to fly by “visual flight rules” AND by “Instrument Flight Rules.” The question is... DO YOU?
Do you let your “feelings” drive your behavior? Or... Do you START with a clear sense of who you are at your absolute best and let that IDENTITY drive your behaviors then let those behaviors drive your feelings? We want to make sure we get that order right.
I REPEAT!
The entire Heroic app is basically your instrument panel for life.
On those days you don’t insert-whiney-voice *feel* like doing what you know you need to do, all you have to do is pick up your Heroic app, tap-tap-tap to commit to being your best self then Target swipe-swipe-swipe all day to make SURE you don’t crash.
Here’s to flying by the Heroic App Instruments as we actualize our Heroic possibilities.
It’s Day 1. We’re ALL IN.
Let’s go!
The best thing that can happen to a human being is to find a problem, to fall in love with that problem, and to live trying to solve that problem, unless another problem becomes more lovable.
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