Nothing ventured; nothing gained. Take a chance. Push your boundaries. What do you have to lose? Get out of your box. Turn questions around. Put yourself in situations where your only option is to learn and grow. You will not learn or grow in your cozy den watching television. Ethel Barrymore said, “You must learn day by day, year by year to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about – the more you have left when anything happens.” She is right, but I would say that the more you practice these things, the greater your rewards resulting in a life well lived. When people come to the end of their earthly journey, the most frequent laments are about things they did not do not the things they did do. Let today be a day of new adventures both mentally and literally.
Joyce and I have been friends for so long that I dare not tell you the number of years; however, we were classmates at Furman University. After graduation we did not see each other again until I moved to Charleston and became close friends with her late husband Bennett. Joyce has a great sense of humor and a beautiful singing voice. She sings in the choir at First Baptist Church where she is an eighth generation member of the church. One of the hallmarks of our friendship is built on the respect we have for one another. Joyce and I don’t always agree on matters of politics and religious dogma, but that does not matter. She and Bennett were rocks when my wife died and she welcomed Carol with open arms and an open heart. I am thankful today for my friend, Joyce Murray. Yesterday was her birthday. If you missed it, call her up and sing to her.
Thankful Thursday is a day to select someone that you are thankful for and let him or her know it. Send a note or telephone her or him. You will be glad you did. It is not hard. Just say, I am thankful that you are part of my life.
What Have I Done Today?
Aug 11
What have I done today that moves me toward my goal? This vital question should be uppermost in your mind. It will help you focus on what you are actually doing to move yourself forward. Notice the wording,”What have I done.” It puts the emphasis where it should be. It is not what has someone else done to help me. It is not who is to blame for my current situation.
What means exactly what; be specific. It is asking for specific steps that you took, not steps you thought about taking and not those you wished you had taken. Today means the preceding twenty-four hours or at least those you were awake. Toward is an important direction. We often take many steps that move us away from our goal. We sabotage ourselves. We daydream. We waste time. We are negative. We play the blame game or we play the victim role
None of this matters if you are not specific about your goal or goals. What do you want to achieve? Make it specific. You must be able to measure it. Make it reasonable. It must be possible given your resources of time, money, and abilities. It must be time oriented. It must provide a reasonable challenge. If it is too difficult or too easy you will stop working toward it. I must also be important to you. If you don’t care then what difference does it make?
This question jumped out at me years ago in remarks made by former University of Alabama and Kentucky football coach Bill Curry. It goes right to the heart of the matter. Do not let a day go by without asking yourself this question and spending some quality time answering it honestly. What you did or did not do yesterday does not matter. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not arrived. What you plan to do tomorrow does not matter. You may or may not do it. We all know about good intentions. It is today that matters.
Polish Your Image
Aug 10
In economic down times such as these you need every edge you can get to position yourself as the right person for the right job at the right time. When times are tough, it is time to return to the basics, to the tried and true. People want to feel comfortable with you. In times such as these employers are less willing to take a chance. Manage your image. Everything counts. Remember that you are always on stage. Someone is always watching. You are always communicating. Make certain that you communicate the message that you intend to send. If it is possible to misunderstand what you say or do, someone will.
Be well groomed – hair, fingernails, shoes, crisp appearance.
Be polite. Put the other person at ease.
Be attentive. Maintain eye contact with the other person.
Listen actively. Do not fake it. Listening is key.
Scrub your language. Use absolutely no profanity.
Adjust your attitude. Be positive and enthusiastic – not cocky.
Be early. If you are late, you are dead.
Be prepared to answer and ask questions.
Be honest and tactful.
Under no circumstances criticize your previous employer.
Practice your handshake. It should be firm, but no death grip.
Send a thank you note after an interview.
Empathize – Key 50
Aug 9
How do we know how we would behave under the same circumstances? Put yourself in the other person’s position before you condemn or ridicule. Feel his or her pain. Share his or her joy. It is easy to judge when we are not involved. We can never know what is going on inside another person. We do not know what his or her world is like. Be kinder than necessary because everyone is struggling with some problem. Do not say that you know how she or he feels because you do not. You may have had similar circumstances, but you are not the same. It is often easier to empathize with pain than it is for joy. Envy often gets in the way of our pleasure about someone else’s joy. Resist envy. You can truly feel joy for someone else.
