Look Up ~ Smile.

"You must not blame me if I talk to the clouds." 
~ Henry David Thoreau.

Have you ever laid down on the ground and looked up at the sky?
Just watched the clouds? Most of us have at some point in our life.
We can relax, think, and day dream about possibilities. Sometimes, when things are especially difficult, we forget. ~ We forget to look up. 

We Forget To Be Thankful And Smile.

When I was a boy I'd lay in a field, watch the clouds go by, and dream. I'd dream about coming to America, of being a soldier, and a father.
We all have dreams, reasons to be thankful, and plenty of clouds.

So Dream ~ Be Thankful. ~ Look Up At The Clouds ~ And Smile.

Tough Advice.

"Do good, and disappear."

Some words, some advice, tends to stick with us forever. It's great because it's so tough to take. "Do good and disappear" was the essence of his personal code and it really struck a chord with me.

The challenge is truly immense. We all crave recognition, reward, and acknowledgement when we help others or when we accomplish stuff. We all seem to need gratitude and appreciation. It's an insecurity. A weakness shared. Just be a quiet professional he said. Do your job. Let the work you do speak for itself. "Just do good and disappear."

The toughest advice to take is always the best.

"Do Good And Disappear."

Most Feared Word.

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less." 
~ General Eric Shinseki.

What is the most feared word in all of business? ~ What word does a salesperson hate the most? Is it change? ~ No. ~ The word that makes you, and your business, irrelevant is the one that stops every person who wants to move forward with anything. ~ It's the word that says " I don't care ~ You're not important ~ You're really not relevant to my needs at this time" ~ The most feared word in any business is:

Yes the dreaded "Ni" ~ meaning  ~ Not Interested ~ Not Important.

There are knights, and maidens, that echo this fearsome word to any idea, person, or proposal they deem not worthy. Ni is the word that halts every idea, every thing, and every one from going any further.

Question ~ How do we defeat Ni? ~ How do we turn  "NI" into "IN"

Answer ~ We identify an "Immediate Need."

An immediate need is the only thing that can defeat the dreaded Ni and those knights and maidens who guard the path to our success.

To get past Ni ~ To get In ~ Identify an Immediate Need.

On Sympathy.

"I have always despised the whining yelp of complaint and cowardly resolve." ~ Robert Burns.

Ok ~ Let's get this out of the way right up front ~ Some of us are not too good at listening to people when they whine. It's a problem usually caused by our jumping to next actions and proposed solutions instead of... Well listening ~ and letting a person vent about how tough things are for them. A lot of people believe that lacks sympathy ~ Perhaps.

What's strange is when we meet someone who has all the reasons in the world to complain about their lot in life, but don't, we feel a huge amount of sympathy toward them. It's when people talk about their difficulties ~ that the words to a famous song start to play in our head.

"O Fortuna."

It's one of the most powerful pieces of music ever written. But do you know what the words are translated in English? ~ Well it ends with ~

"Everyone weep with me".

Circle Of Life.

"Some say eat or be eaten. Some say live and let live."
 ~ The Lion King.

From the day we arrive on the planet 
And blinking, step into the sun 
There's more to be seen 
Than can ever be seen 
More to do than can ever be done 




Some say eat or be eaten 
Some say live and let live 
But all are agreed as they join the stampede 
You should never take more than you give 

In the circle of life 
It's the wheel of fortune 
It's the leap of faith 
It's the band of hope 
Till we find our place 
On the path unwinding 
In the circle, the circle of life 

Some of us fall by the wayside 
And some of us soar to the stars 
And some of us sail through our troubles 
And some have to live with the scars

There's far too much to take in here 

More to find than can ever be found 
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky 
Keeps great and small on the endless round 

In the circle of life

What Dogs See.

"Look at everything as if you are seeing it for the first or last time." 
~ Betty Smith.

If you have a dog you'll know what I'm talking about. How they're so happy to see you when you return home from work. As if it's the first time ~ every time. I love dogs, especially my German Shepherd, Winston. ~ He's simple, sincere and... well you know what I mean.

We can learn a lot from dogs. They see things a bit different than we do. They appreciate life. Human beings get to a point in our lives where we "know" stuff and it makes us jaded doesn't it? Perhaps dogs don't let what they know get in the way of how they look at things. They seem to see, and appreciate, things as if it were the first or last time.

But we stop looking at things as if we were seeing them for the first or last time. Don't we? But isn't that the answer? Isn't that how we can keep learning, growing, striving and appreciating all the remarkable things, people, and experiences that this life has to offer?

Got to go now ~ My dog is waiting to see me for the first time ~ again.

Think In Threes.

"Just Do It."

Brian was a bit of a legend but he always kept to himself. The man had the trifecta of traits that I admired so much. He was Tough, Smart, and Humble. A lot of guys had one or two but all three? ~ Not many.

They said he spoke at least seven languages. He could kick pretty much everyone's butt on base and for some reason he paid attention to a simple young guy who wanted to learn. It was really appreciated.

"You've got to think in threes.~ Our mind seems to pick up stuff in threes". Think about the rule of three in writing or trichotomy in philosophy. 3 is the number of truth. It's past, present and future.

Want to motivate yourself? Here's what you think "Can't means Won't." ~ "Just one More" and "Don't be Weak". Those three will get you through pretty much anything in life, here or anywhere, he said.

When you need to come up with a plan. Think of Three  ~ A, B and C.
How about ~ Vendi, Vidi, Vici? ~ Want to make a point?  Always remember what Churchill said ~ Hit it once with a sledgehammer, Go hit it again, and then come back again and hit it with a mighty whack.

Do you want to teach someone something? ~ Tell them what you are going to say ~ Go Ahead and Say It ~ Then tell them what you said.

Remember soldier ~ "Your mind is your most powerful weapon and for some reason it works in threes". Heck If all else fails, and worse comes to worst, you can always go with ~ "Rock, Paper, Scissors".