Focusing On What Matter’s – Page 5 – With the wisdom of the Matter Meter

Focus on Process…Results Follow!

Decide where you are going and how to get there. Then make a start from where you now stand.

When you devote your time and efforts to doing your best at every job you do, instead of developing persuasive arguments why you should be paid more for what you do, the pay raises will take care of themselves. When you approach every job enthusiastically in a spirit of friendly cooperation, you distinguish yourself from the vast majority of people whose primary concerns include breaks, benefits, paychecks, and quitting time.

Don’t complain about your status or your pay to anyone, not even to your best friend. Word will eventually get back to the boss. Which type of worker would you rather have on your team: one who complains constantly or one who is always helpful, cheerful, and reliable?

Willing cooperation produces enduring power, while forced cooperation ends in failure.

No civilization based upon the unjust treatment of its people has ever endured. A tyrant may force the cooperation of others for a time, but that power is never sustained. Only when people are accorded the respect they deserve do they willingly create and maintain successful organizations and societies. When you build a company or an organization based on fairness and justice for every member, you have built a power that will long endure.

The best way to secure the commitment and unending cooperation of others is through the simple application of the Golden Rule. It is the most successful and long-lasting management theory ever developed. When you treat others as you would like to be treated were you in their situation, you will inspire loyalty and enthusiastic cooperation.

Set high standards for yourself and others, treat them well, let them do their jobs, and they will perform miracles for you.

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November 15

Do you Tear Down or Build Up!

Never tear down anything unless you are prepared to build something better in its place.

This rule applies to both individuals and things. It’s easy to criticize other people thoughtlessly for their shortcomings, and equally easy to find fault in their work or in situations that are not to your liking. It is far more difficult to be a builder of people and to create works of art, useful products, or profitable businesses. Make sure you are a builder, not a destroyer of people and things.

When you criticize the actions or work of others — your children, your employees, or others for whom you are responsible — make sure your criticisms are positive and directed at the act, or the opportunity for improvement, not the individual. Include specific suggestions for their application and focus on the potential for success.

Those who can’t take directions graciously have no business giving them.

If you are an irresponsible or argumentative worker who cannot accept instructions from others, you are destined to remain at the bottom of the workforce. Before you can ever hope to manage other people, you must learn to manage yourself and your relationships with others effectively, particularly with those in higher positions in the organization. Unless you can learn how to manage your relationship with your own boss or bosses, you will never be able to manage a relationship with your subordinates.

Faith is the “power” which gives life and action to the impulse of thought!

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November 14

Value by Perspective!

Waste no words on a man who dislikes you. Actions are the only thing that will change their perspective.

Some people think they can talk their way out of any situation, and for a time they may be right. But, if someone already dislikes you, whether from misunderstanding or an error you have made, he or she will be especially difficult to persuade with words. Their emotions will always get in the way of their ability to think logically and reasonably. And words will make the situation worse.

The only true way to alter another persons perspective is through your action. The value of someones perspective must be changed. We all frame things is life to make is easier to function. IE,The sky is blue unless it rains when its grey. Oh today the sky is grey, must be its going to rain.

Consistent actions over a sustained period of time, are the only way a persons perspective of you can be persuaded differently. If you constantly demonstrate that you are a generous, kind, trustworthy and caring person, it will be very hard for even your enemies to dislike you.

Persuading yourself that you can do something differently is a strong beginning. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to begin. Seldom is a plan perfect. If you have a clear vision of your goal and a plan that is flexible enough to allow you to deal with unexpected obstacles or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities, don’t delay another minute.

Just getting into action — even if you do have to make adjustments later — will help focus your mind and channel your energies in the direction of your objective.

Even if the original person cannot see your changes….you will become a better and happier person for having made the effort.

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November 13

Imagination pays – Get Creative!

Clarence Saunders made millions by borrowing the self-help cafeteria idea for the grocery business and naming it Piggly Wiggly.

The founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain was a low-level employee in a corner grocery when he visited a cafeteria and got the idea that the same techniques could be applied to the grocery business. He was ridiculed by experts, but he was convinced that the idea was a good one. Saunders persevered, and his adaptation of the self-service idea to the grocery business led him to become the father of the modern supermarket.

It is often true that a great idea alone is not enough to achieve success. Implementation may require as much as or more imagination than coming up with the idea originally. Those who study such things, however, report that when you have a really good idea, even if you can’t prove it, you will intuitively know that it is good. If you’re convinced, stick with it. Others will eventually recognize the value of your idea.

Actions, not words, are the greatest means of self-praise.

There are times when you will be asked to put yourself forward, to compete for a position or a contract, and you will have to speak about your accomplishments. Naturally, you will want to put the best foot forward. Be certain, however, that when you do so, you are confident that honest inquiry will support what you say about yourself. If your actions have been wise and responsible, the record will show this. Leaders in any organization are those who say, “Let’s get going. Let’s do something rather than wait around to see what happens.” When your past actions demonstrate that you are a person who accepts responsibility and shows others the way, your career and relationships will benefit you accordingly.

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November 11

When does 2 + 2 = 4+? . . .

You can tap into unlimited power when you connect your thoughts and actions with others in a spirit of perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose.

A Master Mind alliance involves two or more people working together in perfect harmony toward the attainment of a common purpose. Such a partnership creates a superpower that enables each of its members to do far more than either would have been able to achieve separately.

Choose your Master Mind partners carefully. Align yourself with people whose strengths complement yours. If you are a right brain person, for example, a logically-driven left brain person may be a perfect counterbalance to your creative bent. Above all, choose to associate only with people who share your positive values and your commitment to similar levels of achievement.

Any job contains opportunities for personal growth if you approach it as a positive learning experience. Just as every business is required to adapt to new technologies, new competitors, and countless other changes that routinely occur, so is every individual. If you are not learning and advancing, you are stagnating and falling behind. It is impossible to stand still.

View each day as an opportunity to learn something new, to improve yourself, and then do one thing better than you have ever done it before. In a dynamic organization, it is impossible to master every task; just when you think you have everything figured out, things change.

Accept such changes as a necessary aspect of business, one that makes life interesting and exciting. You will find your job much more enjoyable when you do, and you will indeed find that it does more for you than you do for it. If you devote yourself to making small decisions promptly, you will find it much easier to be decisive when the stakes are much bigger. Most important, you’ll find making decisions and acting on them far easier if you act promptly.

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November 6

You must FEEL out your thoughts!

Control your own mind, and you may never be controlled by the mind of another.

The mind is the most powerful weapon known to man. It simply cannot be controlled or contained by an outside force, however formidable that force may at first appear. Throughout history, tyrants have tried to control those who opposed them, but eventually these rulers discovered the power of the imagination was far greater than the threat of the sword. As Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.”

The old adage, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all,” is especially valid today.

In any organization, regardless of size, the rumor mill works overtime when it comes to negative gossip. And you can be sure that unkind things you say about others will very quickly find their way to them, for it is also a truism that those who talk about others to us talk about us to others.

Each of us has a finite amount of time, energy, and money; you must choose for yourself how you will spend them. If you elect to squander your resources by demeaning others in an attempt to advance your own interests, you will soon find that so much of your time and energy has been spent on gossip and slander that you have little time left for yourself. If you deal in malicious information, you’ll rarely be trusted. As the saying goes, “Those who talk about others to us will talk about us to others.”

It is always safe to talk about others as long as you speak of their good qualities.

Not only should you not speak badly of others — you should not participate in conversations in which others do. Spend your time with those who focus on important things, and you will never have to apologize for an unkind word uttered in a moment of weakness.

Your subconscious mind recognizes and acts only upon thought which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.

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November 5

Who’s the Real Boss?

While your time and your labor may be subject to the demands of your employer and others, your mind is the one thing that cannot be controlled by anyone but you.

The thoughts you think, your attitude toward your job, family and what you are willing to give in exchange for the compensation you are paid are entirely up to you. You and only you determine whether you will be a slave to a negative attitude or the master of a positive one.

Your attitude, your only Real master in life, is entirely within your control. When you control your attitude toward events, you control the eventual implication of those events.

Why all the talk about attitude…..let’s think about gambling. We all know its fun to put ones opinion on the line against another, but it is imperative to keep the temporary ego boost in check or it ruins ones perspective of life like any other drug abuse. Out of control people who gamble for money tend to be consistent cheaters because they are trying to get something for nothing.

Anyone who risks his or her wealth upon the fickle whims of chance is usually not the type of person you would like to have for a business partner. They are individuals who are most likely to yield to the temptation to cut corners on product quality, overlook unsafe working conditions, and generally fail to deliver on their promises.

It is impossible to get something for nothing for a sustained period of time. The law of compensation is unforgiving in its demands that you get what you deserve. You may feel at times that you deserve better — and you may — but eventually your payback will be commensurate with your efforts.

You must give an equivalent value for the object of your desire. Anything you happen to acquire through sharp practices will have no enduring value for you.

So the moral is….if we can always remember that our attitudes are the real boss….we keep life in perfect perspective and can use the universal laws to life’s benefits.

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November 4

Feeling Lucky?

If you are an American citizen,you live in the greatest country in the world.

The United States is the great experiment in positive thinking; our entire system of government is based upon faith in the inherent goodness of the individual. It was a revolutionary idea more than 200 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was first signed. Borrowing from the greatest thinkers in history, our founding fathers established a form of government of the people that is today the model most imitated around the world.

Economic and political conditions ebb and flow, but as long as we have a democratic society that celebrates the individual, we can achieve anything in life we desire.

All you require to be successful in the United States is the desire to achieve success and the determination to stick with it until you reach your goals.

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November 3

Are you the best you can be?

Don’t be satisfied with being good at your job. Be the best, and you’ll be indispensable.

Experts have consistently found that after a certain point, money ceases to be a motivator. Even though you may not yet have reached that point, if you are honest with yourself, you will probably find that money is only one of many considerations.

When asked if they would continue doing what they do even though it didn’t pay well, most highly successful people reply, “Absolutely. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love what I’m doing.” One of the surest ways to climb the ladder of success is to choose a job that you would do even if you didn’t earn much at it. When you are working because you like what you do, the money will follow. You will become such a rare commodity that others will compete for your services — and pay you handsomely for them.

The habitual procrastinator is always an expert creator of alibis.

If you are so inclined, you can always find dozens of reasons why something can’t or shouldn’t be done — and precious few why it should or could. It is far easier to rationalize that it’s too difficult, too expensive, or too time-consuming than to accept the idea that if we are willing to work hard enough, smart enough, and long enough we can accomplish anything. Instead of making a commitment, we make up an alibi. If you find that you frequently invent excuses for why you didn’t do something or have a million reasons why something didn’t work out as planned, it’s time for a reality check.

Transforming desire into a reality of money requires turning your thoughts and plans into reality.

Stop explaining and start doing!

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November 2

Are you in when opportunity calls

The world is filled with unfortunate souls who didn’t hear opportunity’s knock at the door because they were down at the convenience store buying lottery tickets.

Opportunity wastes no effort looking for the person who is wasting time through idleness or destructive action.

You will be surprised how much your luck will improve when you make sure you are prepared to take advantage of opportunities.

* Open minded
* Optimistic Attitude
* Rested for Action
* Removed from fears of past challenges or failures

Opportunities somehow always seem to gravitate toward busy people who can hardly keep up with those they already have. Logically, it would seem that opportunities would make an effort to seek out individuals who have an abundance of time available, but instead opportunities appear for those who have goals and dreams and a plan for achieving them.

We often think of opportunity as a living, moving thing, something that actively seeks out a willing recipient.

In fact, the reverse is true. Opportunities are ideas or concepts that exist only in the minds of those who recognize them. When you have no goals or plans, opportunities mean nothing to you. They become opportunities only when you recognize them as ideas that you can implement to help you move toward your goal.

How many times have you had a great idea that you failed to act upon, only to discover later that someone used the same idea to start a business, get a promotion, or find a better job? Resolve now to get into action when you have a good idea.

Don’t wait for something to happen — make it happen!

Take a cue from Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1942–50, who famously observed, “Luck is the residue of design.”

Or Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most famous said “Every Wall is a Door”!

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