Information vs. Communication

"The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through." ~Sydney J. Harris

Do you think that you are a good communicator? Why? What most people call communication is no more than exchanging information, not communication. Do you see the difference? Let me explain...

Let's say you are at a networking event and you meet someone and you start talking about your job and what you do. They are nodding their head, and speaking at the right times and at the end of the conversation, you think that you were communicating...SORRY...all you were doing was giving information, not communicating!

Communicating is getting through, being understood and remembered! Are you memorable? Most people aren't. Why? Because they've been programmed to be just like everybody else...Boring...Penguins...all together...staying safe with the group.

So, who are you? No, not what do you do, but who are you? When you are able to answer that question and communicate it, you will start to stand out and be unique. Be a first rate version of yourself rather than a second rate version of someone else.

http://www.perrythepeacock.com/

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through."

Use Your Signature Strengths

“I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.”~Martin Seligman

(Martin Seligman is a psychologist, educator, and author.  His theory of "Learned Helplessness" is popular among scientific and clinical psychologists.)

 

Are you devoting too much time to your weaknesses as opposed to building up your signature strengths? It is a problem that most of us have, wanting to improve where we are not strong, when we should be improving our strengths! What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? I bet you could tell me your weaknesses before you could tell me your strengths!

I was in a Mastermind group and we took a test that measured our strengths and weaknesses, but listed only the top 5 strengths. The funny thing was that a few people wanted to see what their weaknesses were...almost to confirm that, "ya, those are my weaknesses." Like it was something to be  proud of...WRONG!! They were proud of the fact that they were working so hard on their weaknesses...but they had it backwards.

What is one of your Signature Strengths?  What will separate you from your competition and everyone else? Revel in your uniqueness! Let the world see why you have been put here!  Become who you were meant to become!

Your deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.”

Are There Fences Around Your Dreams?

"No Limit Thinking...As children we believe that we might become president, a great artist or a great explorer. But as adults we begin to put fences around those dreams."~Tom Asacker

No limit thinking...what did you want to be when you grew up? Why didn't you do it? Why? Did you or someone else put a fence around those dreams and tell you that you couldn't do that?

Stop putting fences around who you want to become. Become who you were meant to become! Tony Robbins asks a great question, “Who will you have to become to achieve all you want?” Have you ever thought about that? Really?

Success isn't determined by the size of one's brain or IQ, rather success is determined by the size of one's thinking!  How big is your thinking or is it just about as big and the area fenced in for you?

To achieve all that you want, who will you have to become? Are you ready to become that person or are you content to stay small, not bringing to the world your uniqueness.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"No Limit Thinking...As children we believe that we might become president, a great artist or a great explorer. But as adults we begin to put fences around those dreams."

Break Your Own Records

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves -- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today."~ Stewart B. Johnson

Are you getting ahead of yourself or are you trying to keep up and get ahead of your neighbors and friends? See, our society has made it a game about keeping up with the Joneses. All the advertising is directed at making you feel as if you need everything to keep up. And if you don't, well, you might be thrown out of Scottsdale!! I mean, come on, we have a reputation to uphold here...lol

How shallow have we become to buy into that crap? I sure hope that we are finding our way out and just worrying about keeping ahead of ourselves. That's where growth is! That's where change is! That's where happiness is!

Take a moment to think about how you can 'outstrip your yesterday by your today.' What would it take to make today a better day than yesterday? That's all you have to do...consciously think about how you can make today better than yesterday...and then do it!

When you realize that even the poorest American is in the top 3% of people in the world as far as wealth goes it might change your thinking. Or that 60% of the world doesn't have running water or indoor plumbing, or that 50% has never made a telephone call, you will realize that our job is just to get ahead of ourselves and not anyone else.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves -- to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today."

It's None Of My Business What You Think Of Me

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me." ~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Are you conforming to the stereotypes that others have defined for you? Why? I mean really, why? Were you told that you needed to be this way or that way and you did it? What were you thinking?

Here's a favorite quote of mine, "It's none of my business what you think of me." See, if I make it my business what you think of me, then I change who I am to gain your acceptance, trust, love, whatever. But to really live that quote, you need to be confident in who you are, and know who you are!  So, who are you??

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” Too many people today are only pushed by their problems and aren't led by their dreams. Be led by your dreams! But make sure that they are your dreams and not someone elses...

You, and only you, get to choose how you spend each precious moment of your life. Choose carefully and well. It is always your choice.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me."

Be A Trailblazer!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why is it so hard to follow Emerson's advice? Because it is easy to follow the path rather than creating your own path. It's easy to do what everyone else is doing, but at what cost? The cost you pay is that you become another me-too person or a me-too business!! Is it worth it to you to break away from the me-toos?  You were created to be an individual, not part of a collective.  Start acting like an individual!

Go instead where there is no path and leave one. Be the trailblazer! Roger Bannister was a trailblazer. He broke the 4 minute mile when scientists said that it was impossible for the human body to be able to run that fast.  Here's the thing, everyone after him that has set the record in the mile has just been faster...but not a trailblazer. Think about that for a while.

Where can you be a trailblazer? Have you ever thought about that? I challenge you to challenge your imagination and come up with a way that you can be a trailblazer! Albert Einstein said "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere else!" Are you ready to go everywhere else?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

It's About Belief!

“When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. But when you believe, really believe, something can be done, your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.” ~David J. Schwartz

Our brain is the greatest computer ever designed. It is a million times more powerful that the most powerful computer and when you believe something, you mind will bring the things to you that validate your thinking. Henry Ford said "Whether you think you can or think you can't you're right." If you believe something is impossible, then guess what...IT IS impossible...FOR YOU. But it is not impossible for someone who believes is it possible.

Here's another view on possible and impossible “If it is possible, it is done; if impossible, it shall be done.”~Charles Alexandre de Calonne Wow, is that powerful? If it is impossible, IT SHALL BE DONE. Do you think this way? Can you think this way? Break out of your self-imposed mediocrity and attempt the impossible.

And don't let the realists stop you, you know who they are, the ones who are always saying, "Oh, be realistic." See, a realist is really a pessimist in disguise. Go for it. Attempt the impossible and when they come to ask you how you did it, just say "It's a secret...but it has something to do with belief..."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“When you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work for you to prove why. But when you believe, really believe, something can be done, your mind goes to work for you and helps you find the ways to do it.”

As Great As Your Dominant Aspiration

"Whatever your present environment may be, you will remain, fall or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." ~ James Allen

You will remain, fall or rise with you thoughts. Wow! Think about that! You get to decide to remain, fall or rise, all based on what you think. I know that you know this...but do you believe it and know it without a doubt? Sometimes that's the hard part, we know it intellectually, but can't make it a part of our consciousness.

You will become as small as your controlling desire. What is your controlling desire. Does it really benefit you? Does it allow for your greatness to be seen? Or is it holding you from your greatness?

You will be as great as your dominant aspiration! What's your dominant aspiration? Is it life changing? Is it world changing? Is it something that drives you every day or just something you pull out when people ask you what it is?

It is your choice! You will become as small as your controlling desire or as great as your dominant aspiration. Choose wisely.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Whatever your present environment may be, you will remain, fall or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration."

Change Is Simple, Not Easy!

"Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don't have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change. The choice really boils down to this...either we manage change, or it will manage us."

CHANGE IS SIMPLE!! But it's not easy Things will always change, so why is it that we try to stop change, fight against it or ignore it? Some things need to change, some things don't. Allow the things that need to change to change and stop the things that don't need to change. It's that simple, but it's not easy.

Here's the thing...we have a choice as to how we respond to change. It is our choice alone, no one elses. Too often we act like we don't have a choice and we have to accept whatever comes our way. NOT!!! It is your choice, your decision, your ability to respond the way that you want to react to change. Respond with your power, with who you are!

So, manage change through your choices or be managed by change through your choice to not choose, your decision to allow life to happen TO you and be a victim of change. Don't allow who you are to become a victim of change. Rise above it. Choose to respond the way you want to respond.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don't have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change. The choice really boils down to this...either we manage change, or it will manage us."

Life's Not Unfair, It's Impartial!

“Difficulties in life are constant and impartial. Not unfair. Impartial. It is up to us to give meaning to the challenges we face, and decide how we will carry on once they've occurred.” ~ PJ McClure

Our difficulties are not unfair, they are impartial. Wow, think about that for a minute. Kinda changes things around, doesn't it. We've always been told that "life is not fair," when it should be that "life is impartial." Now, do things still happen to us? Yes, and some of them we might classify as "bad." But remember what Shakespeare said that "there is no good or bad, only what we apply to them."

Viktor Frankl said "The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one's freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given circumstance." It is up to us to choose the way we respond to any situation. Most people react rather than respond.  Are you choosing to respond rather than react? I hope so 'cause then you are using one of the last freedoms we have.

It is up to us to give meaning to the challenges we face. And remember, that where you put your thoughts and energy is where you will either see the challenge or the opportunity. I hope that you are seeing the opportunity, because we all have our opportunities and it's up to us to make the most of them.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Difficulties in life are constant and impartial. Not unfair. Impartial. It is up to us to give meaning to the challenges we face, and decide how we will carry on once they've occurred.”

Think BIG!

“Think big and you’ll live big. You’ll live big in happiness. You’ll live big in accomplishment. You’ll live big in income. Big in friends. Start now, right now, to discover how to make thinking make magic for you. Start out with this thought of the great philosopher Disraeli, “Life is too short to be small.” ~David Schwartz

Are you thinking BIG? Why not? Oh sure, you say, "I think big." But do you really think big or do you think just big enough to stretch yourself a little? That's what most people do. They think that their thinking is big when it's really just a little more than they've done before.

Schwartz goes on to say this: “Here is the first step towards success. It’s a basic step. It can’t be avoided. Believe in yourself, believe you can succeed.” This is where most people fall down...they think big but really don't believe that they can do big things. Thinking is a start but if you don't have the belief, all the positive thinking in the world is not going to get you anywhere! Do you BELIEVE you can succeed or are you just hoping to succeed? Belief, beyond a shadow of a doubt is what is necessary, so I'll ask again, do you BELIEVE you can succeed? If not, you need to work on your belief.

So, how does your belief change the way you live your life? Do you not worry about new things and try them without a care because you know that you will succeed? If you can't do this, then your belief is a little shaky. You've heard this question before but, What could you do if you knew that you wouldn't fail? Belief gives you that kind of freedom.

Life is too short to play small! Think BIG. Believe BIG. Play BIG.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Think big and you’ll live big. You’ll live big in happiness. You’ll live big in accomplishment. You’ll live big in income. Big in friends. Start now, right now, to discover how to make thinking make magic for you. Start out with this thought of the great philosopher Disraeli, “Life is too short to be small.”

Don't be Trapped By Dogma

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone elses life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs

Are you living someone elses life? Are you living with the results of other people's thinking? WHY? You only get one shot at this life, live it the way you want to, not the way others want you to live it.

Are you letting the noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice? That inner voice is your intuition and some say it is devinely inspired. Don't let anyone's noise affect your intuition. Don't let your brain drown out the inner voice, because it will try to.

Do you have the courage to follow your heart and intuition? The only thing that can stop us is our fears, real or imagined. Are you following your heart or are you just along for the ride, the ride that started out a long time ago and you have never challenged yourself to change your direction.

When you have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, then everything else is secondary. Go for it. Just do it. Be who you were meant to be!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone elses life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

You Were Born To Be Unique!

"Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive; and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done."~Benjamin E. Mays

You were born to do something unique. Do you realize that? You were born into the world to do something unique! Are you doing it or are you doing something that is normal, mediocre and boring? While you may do something that a lot of other people do, you can make what you do UNIQUE! Because YOU are unique, you can make what you do unique.

When we are sent to school, we are told to "fit in," to "be like everyone else," to "not be different." We need to allow our children to become who they were meant to be, not what the government schools say they should be. Our uniqueness is driven to a point within us where it is hard to find, but it is still there...waiting to get out. If you have not let your uniqueness out, what are you waiting for? It will be the best thing that you have ever done!! But if you don't do it...it will never be done. Because you are here to do that one unique thing.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones  you did do." I ask again, What are you waiting for?

The Reverend Billy Graham said "Since God made us to be originals, why stoop to be a copy?" Become who you were meant to be. Be unique! Be You! Be different! It's never too late to be who you were meant to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive; and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done."

Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty

"Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it's half-empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it's up to you!"~Dr. James S. Vuocolo

Well there are your choices...Is it half full or half empty? Your answer will say a lot about you (but I would imagine that most people will say it's half full, because that is what they are supposed to say...) Why not think of another answer? I say that the glass is FULL! Half with liquid and the other half with air. Just because I only gave you 2 choices, you thought that those were the only answers?  Why limit your thinking?

See, we've been taught to think sequentially, linearly,  not simultaneously. We've also been taught that most questions require an either or answer...Why not think of AND instead of the either or? Let's say that you want to do a couple of things on vacation, so you say well we could do this or that. Why not say, we could do this first AND then that second! You might not get to spend all the time you wanted on one thing but you were able to do them both!

Aristotle said "Happiness depends on ourselves," and Edison said “There is a time for everything.” The choices are up to us AND there is time for everything. Remember, think AND instead of either or!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it's half-empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it's up to you!"

Live Today To Its Fullest!

"Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope."

Are you living today to the fullest? Are you playing full out? Why not? What is holding you back? Tomorrow is promised to no one, so it could never come. Are you planning on doing something someday? Guess what? Someday NEVER comes. Too many people are waiting for that someday.

Are you stuck living in the past? What benefit are you getting from doing that? There must be some benefit otherwise you would have left it behind a long time ago. To be able to live in the present, you have to let go of the past...especially the past that is holding you back. You can't create your future if you are constantly living in the past.

Do you want your tomorrows to be full of brightness and hope? Then live full out today!! It is the only way to create the future that you want. Here's a secret...I can see your future! How you ask? You future is being created by the things you do today and the thoughts that you have today. If you are wanting tomorrows that are full of brightness and hope, start today with brightness and hope

Live in the present. Live in the NOW. Be present NOW! There's a reason they call NOW "the present." Enjoy it!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Tomorrow never comes and yesterday never comes back, so live today to it's fullest so that your yesterdays will be remembered with happiness and your tomorrows will be full of brightness and hope."

Dr. Seuss Week: Day #5 Places Quite Out of the Way

"If you want to catch beasts you don't see every day, You have to go places quite out of the way, You have to go places no others can get to. You have to get cold and you have too get wet, too."~Dr. Seuss

What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! If you want to catch beasts your don't see every day, or clients or new products or new things, you have to go places quite out of the way. In other words, do things differently!

When was the last time you changed something in your business or your advertising or marketing? Are you INSANE??? I don't think you are, but sometimes we get into areas of our business or our lives that we feel that we can't change, so we keep doing what we've always done.  How is that working for you?  Take a hard look at the way you do things and examine what things you could do better.  And then start doing those things!

Here's an example.  I used to belong to a lot of Chambers and networking groups.  At the end of the year, I examined all of them to see what was working and what wasn't.  So,  I stopped going to the ones that weren't working.

Change something in your business or life that hasn't been working for you. Don't let the fear of change stop you from doing it. Do it now and reap the rewards that will come.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If you want to catch beasts you don't see every day, You have to go places quite out of the way, You have to go places no others can get to. You have to get cold and you have too get wet, too."

Dr. Seuss Week: Day #4, You Are You

"Today you are you, that is truer than true; there's no one alive who is youer than you."~Dr. Seuss

Be yourself, everyone else is taken!

Too often we think that we have to act the same as everybody else or we need to be like somebody else. Our schools encourage it, our society says "be like Mike" or Bob  or John.  If you are different, they want to "fix" you so that you are like everyone else. WRONG!! We were meant to be ourselves and nobody else. We've been created to be unique, special and one of a kind. To be someone you're not is to waste who you are.

What is the gift that you bring to the world? The gift that no one else can bring to the world. If you don't bring it to the world, no one else will and the world will be robbed of that gift. So, what were you meant to bring to the world?

Be yourself. In everything you do, be yourself. You will find that life is easier when you don't have to remember who you are but just be who you are. Bring your gift to the world will all your might. It will change someone's life!

It's never too late to be who you were meant to be!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Today you are you, that is truer than true; there's no one alive who is youer than you."

Metacognition: Thinking About What You Think About

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”~Dr. Seuss 

As we come to Day #3 of Dr. Seuss week, the great philosopher leaves us with this thought. 
"Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” Do you ever think about what you're thinking about??? Really? It's called Metacognition and we don't do it often enough. We let negative thoughts just flow through our brains without ever stopping them or re-framing them. 

How often do you really think during the day? 5, 6 times? More or less?  Do you realize that your subconscious runs about 96% of your day!  Expand your brain and spend some time thinking!  We think that we think, but most jobs rely on you doing the same thing over and over again without thinking. Who designed these jobs?? When was the last time you thought about doing your job differently? Ever?? 

Today, when you are confronted by a normal challenge, don't solve it the usual way. Think of a better way to deal with it. Who knows? You might create a new way to do things!  "Oh the things you can think up if only you try!"

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference! 

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” 

You Are The One Who Will Decide Where You'll Go

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go."~Dr. Seuss

It's always been your choice...even though you were never really told that. As Dr. Seuss says, "You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." When we were younger, parents and teachers steered us in the direction that they thought best for us...but we really didn't choose it ourselves. Are you still on that same path? How's that working for you??

"You know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go." You are the one who'll decide where to go. If the path that you've been on isn't working, why not go in the direction that you want? It's your decision. Don't tell me about why you can't...tell me about why you can! No one else is in control of you, only you control you.

You are in complete control over where you will go and what you will do.  IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN YOUR CHOICE!  
If the path that you are on isn't working for you, look at why it isn't and see if there is another path that you can go down. There's always another choice, another path...you just have to be willing to take that path and make that choice!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go."

Dr. Seuss Week: Day #1 Troubles Are Going to Have Trouble With Me

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" ~Dr. Seuss

How often do we treat our troubles with a big bat? Not often enough. We don't swat our troubles away, we live in them, wallow in them and stay stuck in them. "Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!" what a great way to face our troubles.  How often do you fester in troubles and let them cloud your mind and grow and grow?  SWAT THEM AWAY!

We all have troubles. The problem is not that we have troubles, the problem is thinking that we shouldn't have troubles. Life is what it is. We get to decide how to respond to troubles or challenges. It is our choice. Sometimes we have good choices and sometimes the choices are not as good, but we always have a choice.

Realize that we have a choice to respond. We don't have to stay in the challenge, we can choose to say "Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"