Whole Brain Success

Good Morning...

I thought this week about how our physical make-up (our brain function) affects our success...

In a general sense, we have a dominant side...which controls our perceptual and "computational"  preference.

Logic is controlled by one side of the brain...(the left-side)...

...and that happens to be the preference of some...

Whether right or left side dominant...

We spend a majority of our lives working to convince only half-of our head...of what we have to do!

and we neglect the other side!

So for those "left brain dominant" readers...Let's start by talking to the other side of our head!




Music and inspirational messages!

Food to the right side!

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Here is an interesting historical fact...

The first recorded war occurred in 2700 BC...

I thought about the fact that what the numbers meant...

Our species has gone over 4700 years and continues to war...

As I thought deeper I realized that about 2700 BC is also when we began writing!

That historical fact really points not to the first war...but to the first recording of one!

We probably been fighting battles much further back...

Numbers can be VERY misleading without understanding what is not said by them...

The reason why I am mentioning this...is that the number 2700 went to your left side...but as I expounded on the written word...it moved your interpretation to the right side...

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It was that simple bit of research that has pointed me to a critical element in success...

Dominant thinking risks serious bias...

Individual success requires an effort that first resists the urge to draw conclusion and engages the other side to get a BIG picture!

We are programmed to be biased!  It is a survival instinct...

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Although survival could be defined as success...it is not!

Every living thing is programmed to survive...

Surviving is is a minimal requirement...

Unless you have extremely low standards of success...surviving and success do not exist in the same category...

Survival is simply a precursor...a required element...

You disagree?

Look at Maslow's hierarchy...

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Have you found yourself less than the success that you aspire for?

It is probably the result of performing in a biased fashion...(one side of the brain or the other)

I watched a figure skater perform a technically perfect routine...

The judges and the audience saw it...

She received mediocre scores!

I expected the crowd to go into an uproar...

It did not...

In fact I saw a majority of them nodding in agreement!

Why?

Her routine lacked fluidity...

She wasn't "choppy" or robotic...

It just didn't provide what the judges and the audience expected...and therefore was not outstanding...

Her routine lacked "artistic interpretation"

The other side of the equation!

She needed input from the other side...

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If you are finding yourself in a less than "stellar" situation you may need input from the other side!

If what you are doing to be successful falls short of your expectations...you may be working only one side of the equation...you may need input from the polar opposite!

Success is defined by the majority...

In some cases, it is a majority of the population...other times a panel of judges...still others...on your own terms...

Whatever the case...if it isn't success...if there is not agreement on "success" you fail!

This means that you have defined success too narrowly and need to engage "the other side."

Success comes from a directed...a disciplined and concerted effort...

Through a well executed plan that meets the requirements of all of the "judges"

Consider seeking input from the "other side" if you are not as successful as you desire...

Pura Vida!

  

Long Weekends

Good Morning!

I was thinking back on my childhood this week...

Specifically how some of my experiences and subsequent reactions have shaped what I am and how I believe today...

One of my early passions was fishing...

There are an abundance of lakes, streams and rivers where I grew up...

We could fish from trout to carp...and everything in between!

We fished year round...spring "runs"...summer doldrums...on the ice...and fall feeding frenzies!

Few weeks would pass us by without us wetting a line!

You get the picture...we fished a lot!

During my "tween-age" season...we were in to fishing real obscure places...

These were locations that could only be reached via canoes or long hikes...after literally hours of paddling or walking...

It was a lot of work for mostly meager catches...but the spots were pristine!

We would plan our excursions for weeks and when we had a long weekend, convince our parents that we would be safe...pack up our stuff...load our canoes...and paddle off....

Our trips would take us either up or down a stream to our appointed spot...and we would hurriedly set up a tent and then we would fish...

More often than not the fishing was no better than a spot that we could walk to in minutes...but we loved the experience...

One trip in particular took us from our regular fishing lake...downstream...to the next lake.  This required a portage over a dam...and about 4 hours of canoeing through brush and spiders and poison ivy vines...

We arrived at our "secret" spot which we called "The Point" because of a long penninsula that jutted out into this part of the lake.

In actuality the fishing spot was less than 3 miles from our homes...and could have been biked to in about 1/2 hour!  But it was the journey that was important!

This trip was a bit different.  I added another person to the closed/regular band of explorers and by inviting a new kid to join us...

To this day...I do not know why I did!

He was not adept at fishing...

He couldn't paddle worth a darn...AND I had him in the front of my canoe!

He had never camped and was deathly afraid of the dark...

He wasn't smart...or adaptive...

He talked too much...

We had to set up the tent for him...

His fishing rod didn't have any line...(I gave him half of mine)...

He immediately turn my gift of fishing line into a "Rat's nest"...

He couldn't tie a fishing knot...so we tied every one for him after he threw a half-dozen of our baits away!

Did I mention that he didn't have any bait or tackle?

He couldn't swim...

My list could go on!

Yet he was with me!

While we paddled...for a brief moment I saw reality...but ignored it!

We arrived at "The Point" and set up our camp...and his!

We climbed into our respective canoes and paddled out to fish...

He immediately tangled his line...

I fixed that...
Then he dropped his pole in the water...

I luckily retrieved it for him...

Then he dropped his paddle in the water...

He reached to get it and fell out of the canoe!

I was lucky that I saw that coming...counter balanced the canoe and kept it from swamping!

I retrieved the kid and went back to fishing...

Things quieted down a bit while he untangled his equipment AGAIN...

and I solo paddled the canoe to a promising spot...

I cast a bait and the water exploded!
I caught one of the biggest fish in my experience to date!

A HUGE Pike!

The cool thing was that it wasn't that single fish...

My weekend was filled with catch after catch...

The rest of the party caught the normal fish...

I was on a roll!  I was amazed and exhilerated

After each catch...I would take stock of what I did...so that I could (hopefully) repeat the experience!

What I noticed was that one thing in common with every catch (actually all but 3) was that "the kid" was with me...

I attributed my success to "the kid"  he became my "good luck" charm...

I also noticed that when he wasn't in the canoe...my fishing performance was back to normal...

As a result of this experience...through the next summer...I invited him on every fishing excursion that we went on...

and put up with him...and the pain he brought...

I actually had to remove deeply embedded hooks from my leg and from my shoulder...because he didn't look as he cast!

I paid a high price to have my "good luck" charm at the head of my canoe...

What never happened during the rest of that summer were the monster fish catches that I experienced on the first day!

I was back to normal...even though that Spring trip was still embedded in my mind...much like "the kid's" hooks that had been...in my flesh!

By August...normal catches and hook #3 brought about an epiphany!

"The kid" was no good luck charm!

He was a PAIN both literally and figuratively!

I finally realized that my spring experience was nothing more than being at the "right place...at the right time"

"The kid" just happened to be there...with me!

I gave him credit for success that he definitely didn't deserve!

As a result...he reaped benefits...and I put up with a ton of pain and suffering...

All because I attributed my success to him and that I didn't want to risk not having a good luck charm...

Hook #3 ended my invitations...

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He however continued fishing...

We kept and ever watchful eye out for him...when he was on our side of our lake and if we saw him first...we made our way to the other side of the lake...

Our distancing ourselves from "the kid" and consistent avoidance actually broke routines and expanded our regular fishing  territory...

AND our catches improved!

We actually would watch where he was fishing and do the opposite...because it seemed that we seemed caught more fish by doing so!

For a while we even believed that the best places to fish was where he was not!

You would think that we would have learned something about superstition...

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Many organizations make the same mistakes with their leadership...

A leader is invited to take the helm of the "boat" (canoe)...at the right time and right place...

"The kid's" new-ness buys him time and the rest of the organization ignores the tangles and pains...

It sets up his tent...give him line...ties the knots...and fishes like it always dooes...

It even reaches into the water and pulls him out...while keep the boat from capsizing!

AND...

It catches fish...

Then it looks at its success and attributes it to the leader!

What it doesn't see is that the leader has done no paddling...or even wet a line himself...

If they truly took stock...they would realize that there was more energy expended during that time!

All he has done since the biginning of the trip is complain!

The "kid" undeservedly is tagged a "good luck" charm...

Even though it was simply "the right place at the right time!"

The "kid"  reaps benefits...quite undeservedly...

The "kid" refuses to change...because he see himself and convinces others that he is competent...and may even believe in his "charmed" existence!

He continues to drive hooks into his supporters who tolerate the pain because of that "right place...right time...." experience of days gone past...

Then...reality sinks in...like hook #3!

and the invitations to lead disappear!

and the astute organization realizes the error of their beliefs!

They see "the kid" for who he really is and act accordingly...

I hope!

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My experience of that "tween-age" year has a direct parallel in the organizational arena...

It may have even influenced how I believe leaders should act...

Many times organizations experience success and wrongly attribute it to "the kid" when it was simply a matter of placement and timing...(LUCK)...

The successful 21st century organization needs to look at its plight (leadership) realistically...

Leadership (at EVERY level) must be scrutinized for its contribution to success...

If it is a matter of timing and luck...then the questions must be asked...

• How many hooks and rat nests?
• How many times did we pull him from the water?
• What price did we really pay to carry our "good luck" charm?

Happy Fishing!

The Message of a Message in a Bottle

Good Morning...

I have been pondering the role that our pasts play in our present levels of success...

On the surface...the answer to these thoughts seem very self-evident...

Certain experiences shape us positively and others negatively...

Or do they?

For most of my life...I accepted that conclusion...but as I dug deeper I now have to say...

I think not!

Even though...It would be so cool if they did...

Because if it were true...we could build a success equation and a plan that would make everyone successful!

We could control every one's experience and shape a person from "birth to adulthood" and control their success...

When you think through it...that belief is pretty stupid!

The fact is...what we are is determined not by the events of our lives, but by how we react to each event!

This may sound like a seemingly insignificant difference and simply semantic...but it is not...it is critical!

Why...while working to address a specific customer issue for a company, I came upon an interesting epiphany of the utterly obvious...

1 - "Nothing is new under the sun!" which mean that there are few if any rare and unique events in an individual's life.

2 - There are no differences in the events experienced by successful and unsuccessful people

I was looking for and expecting some unique events or experiences and found exactly the opposite! 

By type and frequency the successful and unsuccessful people had the EXACTLY same life experiences and events...it was what they did with them...HOW THEY REACTED!

The only difference I could find was that some people were successful and some were unsuccessful...

Despite what they encountered!

All I could conclude at that point was...

The events in a person's life had nothing to do with their success...

When it came to events and experiences...

What shapes one individual positively...could have extreme negative effects on another.

That makes our success a very individualistic thing and somehow completely within our control!

If the events are still important...I concluded that "what we are" is about how we react to events...

This means that we can not blame the outside world for our successes or failures...

It removes almost every excuse people use to explain or justify their failures...except for those that point inward toward said individual...

That begs the question...

What REACTIONS from your past have shaped you into what you are today?

Why?

What things are you encountering today and decisions to react...are you making...that are shaping your future?

These are interesting questions to ask of yourself...if you are seriously pursuing success!

There is no value in a quick answer...

My advice...DO NOT answer them superficially!

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There is a line in a song that comes into my conscious thoughts often...

It has shaped who I am and how I work...

"...if you get the message...you can refuse it..."


"...if you get the meaning...you'll never lose it..."

This simple combination of 18 words has shaped the way I think about how I communicate...

Not just the messages that verbally convey...

or the messages that I write...

But also what I do and the messages that my actions and reactions send...

Have you thought about that?

Does that matter to you?

Probably not...that was simply one of my life-shaping reaction to 18 words in a specific order...

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I was walking on the beach the other day and there was a clear bottle bobbing in the surf.

My "promotion" of the 21st century philosophy of "Quantum Obligation" has shaped me to the point that I feel obligated to leave every moment better for my having been there...

That obligation often guides my behaviors...(I hope one day that it is apparent in EVERY MOMENT)

As a result, I waded out to collect a piece of trash (which I assumed ) was left by some irresponsible "beacher!"

When I grabbed it, I could see that it was more than trash...it had a message in it!

I was totally intrigued by what it had to say...

I imagined that it was from an some exotic location...far from where is stood...

I imagined a cry for help...or a piece of insightful wisdom...

I left the water and hurriedly opened the bottle and shook the note out...

The note read...

I put this note in the bottle on (it was actually the same day's date)
I threw it in the ocean at Hollywood Beach, Florida (the was right where I was standing)
When you read it, please contact me...
Name
Address
Telephone Number 

I an not conducting an experiment or looking for someone to talk with...
I just want to know that someone read this note...

I was disappointed!

The message was "blah"

It was thrown in the water at the same place that I found it...AND...

Probably just a few minutes before I happened upon it!

It wasn't going anywhere!

The tide was coming in!

Moreover...

The message really did or said nothing but was sent to serve the sender's need to know that they were heard...

Beyond my picking up a piece of trash from the beach...I felt that the effort that I expended was a total waste...

More on this later...

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Let's chase another interesting thought...

Humans have a unique capability...that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom...

Let's start with agreement on a simple word...

"Run"

To "run" means to increase one's pace beyond what is normal.

Agree?

What I realized is that humans are the only animal that can "run" for extreme distances...Marathons...Tri-athalons...

We can push ourselves beyond that of any other animal!

Other may be faster...but none can run as far as we do!

We are built to run like that!

It is our legs...our pelvis and rib cage that allows this...

That combined with our psychological construct...

I can not find any other species capable of that!

Can you?

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Where is this all going?

Even to me it sounds like rambling!

The first realization that this week brings is that it is not events that shape us into what we are...or going to be...

It is our reactions...

Also...there are no external excuses for our current state...

Stop blaming what you are encountering...your parents, or some other person...

...It is you and you alone who control your reactive state!

Have you heard the message...of this...or have GOT the meaning...

OK...let's go a bit further...

It isn't the message in the bottle that was important...but the message of the bottle...

We have to become fully aware what message is really being sent...whether said or not!

The bottle carried many more messages by its very existence than just the words on the paper it held...

You do too!

We are all little "message bottles" bobbing in an ocean...some of us are far from shore...others just coming in...still others are heading out...and still others where thrown in at the wrong time!

You have a message, sealed tightly within you...

Does it match what your entire being conveys?

Will those who listen to you get the message...or your meaning?

OK...let's go a bit further...

Do you think I forgot about the REACTION part of my comments?

We are (figuratively speaking) success or failure containers!

The messages that we send are meaningless unless the listener has a reaction...

The messages that we carry and send are of our own choosing...

It is more important to observe the messages that we convey than those we carry...

The bottle that I found conveyed that the sender knew nothing about tides...or littering!

The message itself told me that the person just wanted to be heard...

Both wasted my time...

The bottom line...it is your past reactions that determine your present state...and combined with those...your current reactions that determine future...

Spend less time on channeling events and more time on controlling your reactions and you'll be significantly closer to success...

OH YES!  We (some of us) can run 25 miles and no other species is built to do that...

How do these fit together to guide us closer to an understanding and action toward success?

Life isn't a sprint!

Successful people understand that the "success race" is terribly long...and mostly uphill...

AND the fact of the matter is...

You are built to achieve it!

Message or Meaning?

PURA VIDA!

Seeking Success? Get a Second Opinion!

Good Morning!

Your doctor commits to calling you when the results of blood tests are reviewed...and will call you if there are any concerns...otherwise...no call is good news!

A few days later your phone rings!

As he promised...the news is not good...

What is your next move?

Human nature has created an automatic defense mechanism...denial...

In other words...you doubt the accuracy of the conclusions...and want it tested again!

You repeat and confirm the tests AND get a second opinion from another physician...probably a Specialist...

RIGHT?
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How do you treat "self-perception?"

You believe yourself to be one way...

Do you automatically seek a second opinion?

I bet that happens very seldom!

The fact of the matter is...this is when you should most often seek a second opinion...

The person who probably has the highest probability of error...on assessments of yourself...is you!

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Successful people know themselves...but what differentiates the truly successful from the rest is...

HOW THEY KNOW THEMSELVES!

A person can not be successful if their self image is just from inside...

It is like putting on make-up...while looking at a photograph of yourself...

The most successful people know themselves from others perceptions...

Ahhh,,,these people are putting on make-up...using a mirror...(for the male readers...shaving by using a mirror)...

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What is my advice?

For those aspiring success...

SEEK A SECOND OPINION!

This takes bravery!

The first question..."Do you think I can be successful?"

The second question..."What do you think I can be successful in?"

Does it match your perception?

or...

Is it something you want to do?

If not...get another second opinion...

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An important characteristic of success is that you do not go after it...on your opinion alone...

You may see yourself as the greatest thing since sliced bread...

But you may be moldy from an angle that you can not see...

Get a second opinion!

Pura Vida

Success is NOT just about ACTIVITY

Good Morning...

I spent a good portion of last week...writing and rewriting an "Update" about the messages that we send...

When that one is complete to my satisfaction...I will share it with you...

One of the things that I try to do (with some level of consistency) is to share thought provoking messages with my friends on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook...

Some things I think are gems...are simply glossed over or ignored...by people who are way too busy or distracted to stop and think them through...

That is OK, I am persistent and will keep messaging and changing my messages until they are heard and understood...

Then again...

Perhaps what I have to share has no value and is totally off-base...

For now...I believe that each message does have value...AND...until I am convinced otherwise...I will continue down my path...

I wrote (on FB) this evening...

"Are you persistent and consistent in the pursuit of success...or are you just another "A.D.D.'er"  in an ocean of like minded failures?"

Why do I say this?

Many people confuse activity and action...

Activity can simply be described by the phrase..."I am doing something"

Action, on the other hand, can be described by the phrase..."I am doing something about..."

Activity is often the purposeless expending of energy...

Action is  energy expended with purpose and direction...

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It makes sense to me that if you are going to commit to pursuing success...you do so with direction and intent...

It also makes sense to me that it is important to simply start doing something!

Why?

Because...you can guarantee that you'll never achieve anything...if you do not start doing something...

Even though what you are doing may not be exactly correct and in the right direction...it is better than simply sitting and doing nothing!

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Combining these two simple concepts in a non-contradictory manner and using them together, can direct those who desire success...

First...One must START!

Second...One must assess what they are doing...

Third...One must separate activity from action...

Forth...One must stop doing valueless activities...

Fifth...One must start again and repeat steps 1 and 2 and 3 and 4...

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I am not going to belabor today's "Update"

Simply remember that you can be guaranteed that you will never win a race that you do not start!

Then remember that you can not win without running in the right direction and finally...

You must run faster than all of the other competitors...

This means that Success is not about activity...

It is Action!

Consistent Action...

Persistent Action...

Enough Said!

Pura Vida!

The Secret of Personal Success from a Unique Perspective

Good Morning!

Global citizenship is a concept that has been pondered by philosophers throughout the ages.  That fact alone indicates that they recognized that it was important...but everyone missed its true significance and their insight and wisdom fell short of capturing the real role that it has...especially in terms of the impact that it has in relationship to an individual and a meaningful existence...

In other words...What most missed...is the role that one's global responsibility has in their personal meaning, purpose and their true success...

Perhaps I should be placing these thoughts in the "21st Century Philosopher"...but because it is more focused on one's personal success...I have placed it here...This concept parallels my braoder philosophy of "Quantum Obligation."  I will explain more...but this is the philosophy that the 21st century NEEDS! 

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In the BIG scheme of things you are nothing and yet everything...

Do you realize that your very existence is evidence of the universe's (specifically the earth's) investment in its future?

When I say earth...it is more than the physical entity...it is that plus the life function that it represents...

It is like a giant cultured petri dish...

It some sense it is a life source with a purpose...

From this arises the question...

Are you a contributor to the earth's future?

...or...

Are you a liability?

Are you providing a Return on the earth's investment in you?

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(REVISION: 04/16/2011) Yesterday an VERY good friend and I made contact after more than 30 years!  I was an awesome experience!  He began reading the updates yesterday and gave me a suggestion...I explained that I used the term "earth" so as not to be offensive to any of the readers...I assumed that the term "higher being" would subconsciously be inserted in its place...while you are reading this...please do not take offense...but feel free to put the correct word in place of the earth!

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My first sobering thought...

The earth (in that previous context) and your individual genetics that has allowed you to exist for some unknown reason....the only thing that I know with some semblance of certainty is that if you were a mistake...you would not be here!  Mother earth has a unique way of ensuring that!  (More on this later...I hope)

It is that condition (your existence) that shows it has invested (at minimum)...oxygen...water...food...in you...that could have been directed to another life form...

Please allow me to restate one of the original questions for literary emphasis...Are you providing a return to the earth...on that investment or are you a drain on its resources?

The earth (by its very "nature") functions on a trial and error basis...

Will you count among the multitude of the earth's "trial and error" mistakes?

...or are you among the rare successes?

Is your contribution to the earth's survival...worth more than the air that you are breathing?

or the food you are eating?

or the water that you are drinking?

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More sobering thoughts!

Let's ignore the spiritual portion of the discussion and simply focus strictly on the physical...

You are here for some purpose within the earth's process!

Why?

The nature of the earth is to be a survivor!

It refuses to die and constantly adjusts to its current conditions...

To the best of our scientific knowledge, it has recovered from at least 6 huge (global) catastrophes...and despite global changes...life re-emerged...and continues to survive!

Oxygen levels have significantly decreased and so too has average climatic temperatures...

Interestingly...despite those significant climatic changes...each time the earth has recovered, and its life re-emerged...it changed!  Some scientists incorrectly believe that they has improved...I do not believe so...I think that it has simply adapted and is trying to do the best that it can with what it has to do it with...

We (humans) are a part of the latest life form...and an adaptation to the current environment...

We are the best that it can do with what it has to work with...

Genetics has it that each individual that exists is a proverbial experiment...unique...from every life form around it...(and as I stated in previous exposes...ever existed or ever will exist)...

This makes us an attempt at making something different and better...time will tell if that is true...

Our genetics shape us and what we do...

That means...

(focusing on what we do...)

Our individual role (purpose or function) is also an experiment...

Our existence is an attempt to see if the traits and characteristics that we uniquely possess will set the stage for future survival...of our species...and the earth on a whole...

or perhaps...(the worse case scenario) that we are a mistake and a drain on life...which the earth deals with accordingly...because it lacks any emotion...

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Thoughts on relative and individual existence...

Time is of no importance to the earth...

It intends to survive!

AND will survive!

The earth is patient...

It knows that regardless of our short-sided attempts at intervention...only the best survive...

The weak and non-conforming will die out!

The actions of "the self-serving" will be rewarded appropriately...

Extinctions in the recent past show that...  

If you play to your intended role...you will flourish...

If you drain from the whole...it will haunt you!

You can not outlast the earth!  It will assess your performance and decide!

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How this relates to personal success...

I am not going to belabor the point...I could write a book on this concept...and lay out the entire logic behind it...it is not flawed...

I provided the "cliff notes" so that you can see the context...and get a sense of the reasoning...

As a result...

What we do...plays significantly in what we get...

The earth will support those who support it...

Those that don't...will starve...or be written off as a "trial and error" mistake...never to be repeated...

This takes us to how this plays in one's personal success...

We must ask ourselves...at every moment...

Are we fulfilling our earthly intended role?

Are we a contributor or are we a drain?

Are we fulfilling our role...or intentionally or unintentionally sucking undeserved resources from the natural plan?

At every moment...are we leaving the world a better place for our having been there?

Personal success will be driven by your ability to provide a return on investment at every moment...

From this...

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My advice...

If you borrow it...return it at least in the condition that you received it...

If you take it out...put it away...

If you open it...close it...

If you drop it...pick it up...

If you see that it could be better...improve it...

Never leave anything the worse for your having been there...

If you make a mess...clean it up...

If you see a mess...don't walk away from it...

There is a difference between being "done" with something and "finished" with it...

"Done" simply means that you got out of it what you wanted...

"Finished" means that at minimum there is no negative impact for you having been there...

Don't ever be done...be finished!

Make every moment a positive experience and the earth will reward you...

The opposite will draw the appropriate consequences...

Many people cry out, "Why does it seem like the world itself is against me?"

The fact of the matter is...they are their own worst enemy...

They are reaping...the outcomes from their very nature...and nature itself!

We have been given a gift...a chance to show that we are not a mistake!

Much of life has no choice but to be exactly what genetics has programmed it to be...

The gift that we are given is the ability to make personal and informed decisions...

That is one of the earth's riskiest experiments...

Personal success hinges upon our ability to make the right decisions...CONSISTENTLY...

...moment by moment...

Those decisions must be made within the context of the global drama...

My advice...

Leave every moment better for your having been there and you'll be successful...

Enough Said!

Pura Vida!

The Kind of Networking that Leads to Success...

Good Morning!

I have been watching the activity on a Professional Networking site...

My guess is that you are a member of this site...

What I discovered was that many, if not most people using it...are wasting their time!

More on this later...

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There are weeks that "The Update" is written well ahead of time...and then there are days like today!

I used to think that this disparity was caused by the weekly events...some weeks were insightful and others boring...

Then I realized that life's events are relatively consistent.  Things do not go from exciting to boring as much as I would like to believe that they do...

In reality...the classifications of boring, challenging, exciting, restful...and so on...are a matter of my perception...

One week...one event was exciting...an event very similar event weeks later...was boring...

It was then that I realized that I controlled my days!

From this I realized that "The Updates" depended on my ability to observe, assess and gain insights...

Every week is a gift that is full of insights....to those who have the discipline to stop and look for them...

My ability to write the update is the result of my power of observation and not at the whims of what life gave me!

If I lacked an "Update" at the end of the week...it was my fault!  and that situation itself acts as a reminder that I was distracted!

My advice for those who desire success...look for daily and weekly insights...(THEY ARE THERE!)

If you are not finding them...adjust and make finding insights...and the application of those insights to your journey an integral part of your routine!

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Question:  Why do people use professional networks?

Answer:  A majority of the time...they are building these networks to find employment or seek other opportunities...

Question:  How many people do you know who have been terminated or laid-off from a job...get hired back?

It happens...but it is rare!

Yet I see many people building professional networks based on co-workers...

Think about this...coworkers are of low value...

Networking is about expanding your horizons and possibilities...

Finding NEW opportunities...

Seriously...stop wasting your time connecting with friends on professional networks...

That is for Facebook...

If Professional networking is to be effective...your must expand...to people who you do not know!

ENOUGH SAID

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New Strategy for SUCCESS...

Stop wasting your time connecting with people you know...

Unless they serve as the gate through which your get closer to your goals!

First...determine what you want...

Second...determine who can help you obtain what you want...

Third...create paths (networks) that take you closer to what you want...

PURSUE those paths...

You'll find how infrequently those you know will play a apart in your future...

 If you are working to find your next step-up in your career...or setting the stage for your future (in case you find yourself laid-off)...what good is connecting to your coworkers doing to do for you?

If you are going to use networking to promote your career aspirations...then use it efficiently...otherwise...use Facebook!

Enough Said!

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Social media...

This is...(or can be) another great form of networking...

However...do not allow the pursuit of numbers distract you from reality...

Let me give you an example...

Twitter...

It is an excellent way to efficiently get your message out to a broad audience...

However it requires building a network of followers...

Many people go out a build thousands if not tens of thousands of followers!

What they do not realize is that there are human followers and then there are "robos!"

Twitter is recognized as the first step in an effective social media campaign...

It didn't take very long for creative people to come up with automated systems to "tweet!"

That is what a "robo" is...it is a "robotic tweet machine!"

Many people follow robos...not knowing that they are simply talking to a PC!

There is no impact or value related to having a PC talking to a PC!

500 human followers is much more valuable than 100,000 robos!

When you work to build a following...look for and find ways to ensure that you are communicating with a human...(yes there are systems available that you can purchase to do that too!)

Don't waste your time tweeting to machines!

That network will do nothing for you!

Enough Said!

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Have a great weekend!

Keep focused on your real goals!

Do not confuse your measures of success!

Getting diverted will do nothing but waste your time...and heaven knows...that is a limited resource!

Pura Vida!