Mid-Life Crisis Character Builder

Mid-Life Crisis Character Builder, by Helen Keller:

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quite.  Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, and success achieved”.

In everything, give thanks.  Even our infirmities.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Is it worth all the hard work?

Is it worth all the hard work?

I submit to you it is worth all the hard work.

The challenge is, for most of us, we quit before we realize this.

We get so close.

So close in fact, that just a little more effort, time, patience, sweat, fear, worry, or creativity, would have led us around the corner to amazing results.

Take this past Friday for example.  A friend, colleague, partner, leader, boss, wise person, mentor, mentee, fellow human, etc., made the following comments to my new boss:

And I’m paraphrasing the best I can remember:

“No one on our team applies more of what we teach”.

And then he added:

“I’ve said this before, and it’s as true now as it was then, (at our organization) no one works harder, cares more, thinks deeper, or reaches higher than Jeff Noel”.

One word, “WOW”!

There have been times, as I’m sure there have been for you, that I’ve felt absolutely insignificant.

Self-doubt creeps in.

My advice to myself, which may or may not work for you, is:  “Stay the course”!

That brief, but significant moment on Friday has to be the highlight of my career.

Those who really know the humility I attempt to bring into daily living, will not be surprised by the boldness of today’s post.

Sometimes, in order to “prove” a point, you must put yourself out there as an example.  This time the example looks like an Olympic Gold medal.

And I humbly bow my head, as our National Anthem plays in the background, to accept the lifetime achievement award.  🙂

Carpe diem and stay the course, jeff noel

PS.  You may have to change course, to stay the course.  This is difficult, but critical to your success.

We are all metaphorically heading north and there are many ways to get there, but “north” always remains the goal.

Mid-Life Peace

Mid-Life Peace.

“There is no peace without forgiveness.  No happiness without peace”.  — unknown

Profoundly simple.  Simply profound.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Notes from Pinch

Pinch is a relative.  He lives in New Hampshire.

He’s 50-something.   A little older than me, and I turned 50 on June 8.  🙂

He visited us March 31, 2009.  Here’s what I wrote as he spoke.  (BTW, I normally don’t write notes when I speak with family)

He’s smart.  He makes a lot of money.

He has a brilliant mind.  He’s not physically fit.

He has had more varied work experiences than most, including internationally.

He’s an ENTJ.

He speaks C-Suite.

Move.

Add.

Change.

EBIT – Earnings before interest and tax

TCO – Total cost of ownership

Goals versus needs – find out what needs to be done to reach the goals

People Types & Tiger Stripes

Lead generation for the organizational sale

Proactazyme?  Huh?

What does all this mean?

Pinch speaks a different language than me.

That’s OK with me. 

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Mid-Life Marriage

Mid-Life Marriage.

Today marks my 26th wedding anniversary with my wife.

I believe I’m the luckiest man in the Universe.  Seriously.

We met 30 years ago in a job interview.

She interviewed me for a Resident Assistant position at our Alma mater, West Chester University.

I got the job.

The story is so much more interesting than what’s contained here; however, it’s a tale for another time.

Until death do us part.  Words to live by.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂