Strataverius or Stratadoorstop? It's Your Choice!

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do." ~ Barbara Sher

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? We are trained to "fit in." We are taught to be like everyone else. Don't be different, don't be unique, don't stand out!  Sit still!  Keep your chair in the row!  Line up!  Do what everyone else is doing!

We were each created with special abilities that only we have, but if you have hidden your abilities in the effort to "fit in" then you are doing the world and yourself a disservice. The world only benefits when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing not when you are fitting in.  Stop trying to fit in and become whe you were always meant to be!

You can choose which to be, either a Strataverius or a Stratadoorstop. It is entirely up to you, not your parents, teachers, friends or anyone else. IT IS YOUR CHOICE! Choose wisely.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do."

Questions = The Answer!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"~George A. Ford

Questions are the answer! When was the last time you asked yourself these self confronting questions? Have you ever asked them? Most people just go through life without ever asking these questions and don't know why they do what they do, other than to pay the bills. Without asking these questions, you will never be who you were meant to be, never become the person who can change the world with your unique talents...all because you stayed safe by not asking those self-confronting questions.

Stop playing small!! Be who you were meant to be! Bring your unique talents to the world, because if you don't, the world will never see them. Each of you were meant to bring something great to the world, why are you keeping it to yourself??

Ask yourself those questions and more. Challenge your perception of who you are and who you are becoming. Be who you were meant to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"

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."

Be Your Unique Self - Everyone Else Is Taken

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate." Ralph Marston

You have a perspective that is unique and valuable. No on else has your unique viewpoint! No one else has the same valuable insights that you have. Share the insights and energy that come from that perspective.

You have feelings and longings that flow from the core of who you are. Express those feelings and fulfill those longings in your own special way. The world is waiting to hear those feelings and longings. Don't deprive the world of that opportunity to learn because if you don't bring it to the world, the world will never see it!

There is great treasure in your authenticity. Your authenticity is what brings the world to your doorstep. There are beautiful possibilities that spring from the genuine person you are. Don't hide them, let us all share in those possibilities.

Through you, life experiences itself in a way that is unique and special. If you don't share it with the world, that unique and special experience dies with you, never to be shared. Don't cheat the world from your uniqueness!

Use this opportunity to make a difference in a way that only you can do.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate."

Be Yourself...Everyone Else Is Taken

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”~Judy Garland

Are you a first rate version of yourself or are you a second rate version of someone else? Really, think about it! My feeling is that we start out as trying to imitate someone (a second rate version) and sometimes we break away from that, but sometimes we are stuck in it because we are never able to be as good as the original. What do you think?

While it's good to have role models and people that we can follow, it's imperative that we become who we were meant to be. To bring our unique gift to the world, for the world will never see it unless we each bring it. Too many people have shrunk from who they could have been and are just living to survive or until their "ship comes in." Guess what? That ship is never coming. It's never too late to be who you were meant to be.

Terry Josephson said “Stop thinking in terms of limitations and start thinking in terms of possibilities” That's the challenge for us today and from now on. Think in terms of YOUR possibilities! Wow, do you see how empowering that is? Your possibilities are limitless! You do realize that, don't you?

Action:If you're having a challenge in seeing how you can be a first-rate version of yourself, let's talk about that.  Sometimes you just need a different perspective.  Be You, everyone else is taken.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

There's No Safety In Your Comfort Zone

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."~Charles Darwin  

How responsive are you to change? REALLY? Or are you just saying that you are responsive to change? Most people are afraid to step out of their comfort zones and make changes. They like to stay "safe" in their little area and not venture out. Here's the sad thing about them; they are not safe, they just think that they are safe.  

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher said "The only thing that is constant is change."  In the book Changing for Good, authors James Prochaska, PH.D., John Norcross, PH.D., and Carlo DiClemente, PH.D. detail a six-step program for making purposeful change in your life. What makes this book unique is that, rather than telling you their theory on how to make a change, the authors studied people who had successfully made changes in their lives.

Think about this, Richard Bach said “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." What would happen if the caterpillar didn't make his cocoon because he was scared? Or if once he made it, he didn't want to come out of it. It's safe, warm and a great place to be. Well then, why are you still stuck in your cocoon? What's stopping you from breaking out and becoming that beautiful butterfly?

Stop relying on your strength or intelligence and really be responsive to change. Change will create exactly what you want. Step out of your cocoon or comfort zone and become what you were meant to become.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

Questions Are The Answer!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"~George A. Ford

Questions are the answer! When was the last time you asked yourself these self confronting questions? Have you ever asked them? Most people just go through life without ever asking these questions and don't know why they do what they do, other than to pay the bills. Without asking these questions, you will never be who you were meant to be, never become the person who can change the world with your unique talents...all because you stayed safe by not asking those self-confronting questions.

Stop playing small!! Be who you were meant to be! Bring your unique talents to the world, because if you don't, the world will never see them. Each of you were meant to bring something great to the world, why are you keeping it to yourself??

Ask yourself those questions and more. Challenge your perception of who you are and who you are becoming. Be who you were meant to be.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? How am I going to get there? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? ... What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?'"

Today You Are You, Be 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. 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's the price of blending in?  If you were subject to the brainwashing of "the system" growing up, then you probably have this embedded deep within you. 

Why do you think it's so hard for you to figure out what makes you different in your business? 
It wouldn't be hard, except for the DECADES of training you've received that makes you blind to it. 

In the system, there are no rewards for different. In fact, in order to do the bidding of the powers that be, compliance is far more valued than independence. "Get in line, quiet down, listen to the teacher/authority, do what you're told, don't be different or people will make fun of you..." 

Think back to your "training," when were you EVER rewarded for independent thinking and acting?" 
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!

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."

We Were Made To Be Originals!

"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."

You Are Unique And Valuable

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate." Ralph Marston

You have a perspective that is unique and valuable. No on else has your unique viewpoint! No one else has the same valuable insights that you have. Share the insights and energy that come from that perspective.

You have feelings and longings that flow from the core of who you are. Express those feelings and fulfill those longings in your own special way. The world is waiting to hear those feelings and longings. Don't deprive the world of that opportunity to learn because if you don't bring it to the world, the world will never see it!

There is great treasure in your authenticity. Your authenticity is what brings the world to your doorstep. There are beautiful possibilities that spring from the genuine person you are. Don't hide them, let us all share in those possibilities.

Through you, life experiences itself in a way that is unique and special. If you don't share it with the world, that unique and special experience dies with you, never to be shared. Don't cheat the world from your uniqueness!

Use this opportunity to make a difference in a way that only you can do.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate."

Are You A Penguin Or A Peacock?

"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."

You Are Unique, Act That Way!

"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."

Aim Too High or Too Low?

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."~Michelangelo

How high is your aim set? Is it higher than you can ever reach or is it just a little out of reach? Why? Too often our aim is set low, so that we can achieve it and feel good about ourselves, but if it's too low, it is fools gold. We know that we could have done more, made it bigger, made it better, but we settled.

Another of my favorite quotes says "The place for the thing you want is currently occupied by what you have settled for."  Are you settling?  Are you not being all you can be?  Are you playing small?

Virginia Satir said "We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us." But too often, that is just what we do. Our friends, in an effort that they think is being friendly, don't push us, don't spur us on, don't encourage us to make it great. It is their limited perception of who you are that makes them do this. Don't allow it to stand. Friends like that are really not your friend.

Maybe you had a teacher or family member or someone who had a limited perception of who you were,  who said that "you can't do that," or "you'll never amount to anything," and you believed them. Banish that thought now. Create your new thought patterns with the belief that you can do whatever you put your mind to do. It is your choice to believe them or to believe yourself. Believe yourself!

You are a unique creation, with unlimited power and intelligence. What are you waiting for? Permission to become who you were meant to be? Well, if that's the case, I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

Stand Out! Don't Fit In

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do."~Barbara Sher

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? We are trained to "fit in." We are taught to be like everyone else. Sit in straight rows, be still and quiet. Listen, don't talk and have the right answers. Don't think differently. Don't be different, don't be unique, don't stand out!  It's hard to be special when everyone is trying to make you like everyone else!

We were each created with special abilities that only we have, but if you have hidden your abilities in the effort to "fit in" then you are doing the world and yourself a disservice. The world only benefits when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing not when you are fitting in. If you don't bring the world what you were meant to, the world will never see it. Don't deprive the world of your special abilities.

You can choose which to be, either a Strataverius or a Stratadoorstop. It is entirely up to you, not your parents, teachers, friends or anyone else. IT IS YOUR CHOICE! Choose wisely.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do."

Be You!

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate."~Ralph Marston

You have a perspective that is unique and valuable. No on else has your unique viewpoint! No one else has the same valuable insights that you have. Share the insights and energy that come from that perspective.

You have feelings and longings that flow from the core of who you are. Express those feelings and fulfill those longings in your own special way. The world is waiting to hear those feelings and longings. Don't deprive the world of that opportunity to learn.

There is great treasure in your authenticity. Your authenticity is what brings the world to your doorstep. There are beautiful possibilities that spring from the genuine person you are. Don't hide them, let us all share in those possibilities.

Through you, life experiences itself in a way that is unique and special. If you don't share it with the world, that unique and special experience dies with you, never to be shared. Don't cheat the world from your uniqueness!

Use this opportunity to make a difference in a way that only you can do.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Your most important job is to be you. There are contributions you can make, and gifts you have to give, that no one else can duplicate."

Be Yourself

This is Ralph Waldo Emerson Week: Day #2
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Are you really yourself? Really? Or are you playing a role that someone else has decided for you? The world around you is constantly trying to make you something other than who you are. The world wants you to conform to it, how do you deal with that?  Or is it just easier to give in and be like everybody else?

What makes you different, or do you try to fit in and NOT stand out? We've always been told to be like everybody else, fit in, don't be different, don't be unique. What a crock! You were created to be unique...Live that uniqueness. Don't back away from it, revel in it.

“Insist on yourself; never imitate. Be original” As much as we like to think of America as a land of individuals, we don't often enough insist on being ourselves. We imitate others, we fit in, we don't rock the boat.

Action:
Today, STAND OUT!! When given an opportunity to be yourself, DO IT! And watch the difference it makes

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Day #3 Dr. Seuss: 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. 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?

Action:
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!

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."

What Makes You Come Alive?

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”~Harold Whitman

What makes you come alive? Your work? Only if you are a part of the 22% that like/love what they do...as 78% of Americans hate their job. Wow, what a depressing statistic. 78% of people hate their jobs!!! My question to those of you that do...WHY? Why are you still doing what you hate to do? To pay the bills? To keep up with the neighbors? To get that next toy? Is it really worth it???

Do what makes you come alive!!! The world needs more people who have come alive and are willing to share it with the world. I talk with people all the time who say they can't do what they want to do because of this reason or that reason. The main reason is fear (thought they won't say that) and it's holding them back and keeping them stuck where they are. So sad.

If you are doing what you love, congratulations. Are you remarkable doing it? I hope so, because the world needs remarkable people and each of you are unique and if you don't bring that uniqueness to the world, the  world will never see it...because only you have it to bring to the world!

If you are not remarkable, then maybe we should talk. Remember, being remarkable doesn't mean being remarkable to you...it means being remarkable to others.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What Have You Settled For?

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."~Michelangelo

How high is your aim set? Is it higher than you can ever reach or is it just a little out of reach? Why? Too often our aim is set low, so that we can achieve it and feel good about ourselves, but if it's too low, it is fools gold. We know that we could have done more, made it bigger, made it better, but we settled.

What have you settled for?  A favorite quote of mine is "The place for the thing you want is occupied by what you have settled for."  So I ask you again, what have you settled for?

Virginia Satir said "We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us." But too often, that is just what we do. Our friends, in an effort that they think is being friendly, don't push us, don't spur us on, don't encourage us to make us great. It is their limited perception of who you are that makes them do this. Don't allow this to stand. Friends like that are really not your friend.

Maybe you had a teacher or family member or someone who had a limited perception of who you were, who said that "you can't do that," or "you'll never amount to anything," and you believed them. Banish that thought NOW. Create your new thought patterns with the belief that you can do whatever you put your mind to do. It is your choice to believe them or to believe yourself. Believe yourself!

You are a unique creation, with unlimited power and intelligence. What are you waiting for? Permission to become who you were meant to be? Well, if that's the case, I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

Strataverius or Stratadoorstop?

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do." ~ Barbara Sher

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? We are trained to "fit in." We are taught to be like everyone else. Don't be different, don't be unique, don't stand out!  Sit still!  Keep your chair in the row!  Line up!  Do what everyone else is doing!

We were each created with special abilities that only we have, but if you have hidden your abilities in the effort to "fit in" then you are doing the world and yourself a disservice. The world only benefits when you are doing what you are supposed to be doing not when you are fitting in.  Stop trying to fit in and become whe you were always meant to be!

You can choose which to be, either a Strataverius or a Stratadoorstop. It is entirely up to you, not your parents, teachers, friends or anyone else. IT IS YOUR CHOICE! Choose wisely.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do - can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do."