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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Thought Tweet #847

by Rick Baker
On Oct 15, 2013

Thought Tweet #847 "You must let go of your attachment to success to attract success." Good Advice - Yes or No?

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Napoleon Hill taught we must have a burning desire and a clearly defined definite purpose in life. [Seems to me he would vote - No]

Joe Vitale teaches Yes [in fact, that's a quote from his 2009 book 'The Attractor Factor']

It's not an issue of The Power of Positive Thinking [Norman Vincent Peale]. Both Hill and Vitale embrace the concept of The Law of Attraction. However, their approaches to it differ in many ways. The Law of Attraction means different things to different people.

When it comes to positive thinking, abundance thinking, and The Law of Attraction - dogma and over-zealous claims trouble me. 

Believe what works for you. Understand your limitations. Package your messages with care.

Tags:

Abundance | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Thought Tweets

Put your foot down...say "No" to "No"

by Rick Baker
On Oct 15, 2013

Beliefs: some good, some not-so-good

Beliefs intertwine with perceptions and patterns in your brain. Then beliefs manifest their influence, acting as your 'internal filters'. These filters guide your view of the world. These filters guide your behaviour. Your beliefs become deeply-held in your subconscious mind. From that strong base, your beliefs generate your habits…some good, some bad. Your beliefs determine your appetite for new things, your attitude toward change, and your ability to replace bad habits with good habits.

Do you know the true nature and depths of your beliefs?

Have you taken the time to 'dig deep' and understand your most-powerful beliefs?

These beliefs, your strong-and-deeply-rooted beliefs, govern your life: deep beliefs are the roots of your greatest joys; deep beliefs are the roots of your darkest fears.

Your deepest and most-strongly-held beliefs aid your efforts toward certain goals while they resist your efforts toward other goals. In these ways, your beliefs are fundamental to your life. They are fundamental to how you feel during your life and they are fundamental to whether or not you achieve the success you desire.

Where did your beliefs come from?

When it comes to questions like this, all of us are students. None of us know with certainty why or how we have beliefs. Yet, certain things make sense to us. As examples:

·         We perceive things and our perceptions of those things are taken to our brains

·         Our brains file vast amounts of information in memory, for future reference

·         Our brains like to simplify our lives so they sort things into patterns/concepts

·         With repetition bits and pieces of information solidify into bigger pieces and then into patterns

·         Diversity of perceptions expand and complicate perceptions, building a hierarchy of sorted/related patterns [and concepts]

An illustration...

When we are infants we hear our parents say the word "No". That's an audio perception. As our parents repeat the word "No" we learn "No" is an important part of our lives. Simple repetition of that spoken word causes neurons in our brains to construct deeper "No" pathways. Recognizing the importance of "No", our infant brains begin to build a "No" pattern. Our infant brains quickly pick up diverse perceptions that will feed into the "No" pattern. A parent may show an angry face while saying the word "No". The visual body language signal and the verbal sound signal send 2 separate messages, both of which feed into the growing "No" pattern in our infant brains. We notice/perceive that different situations precede our parents’ "No" messages. We perceive more diversity, more repetition and the "No" pattern becomes stronger, deeper, and more-nuanced. Even as infants we have a very broad and deep understanding of the word “No”. We recognize its sound, we recognize what it looks like when it is written, we recognize the facial expressions and the various forms of body language that accompany the word “No”, and we know the word “No” is expressed to us as a result of a wide range of different situations.

We learn our parents are not the only ones who deliver "No" messages to us. Other family members, to varying degrees, deliver "No" messages. We meet neighbours who have little people of their own and both those neighbours and the toddlers they bring into our lives add more "No" to our perceptions.

Why all this discussion around the word “No”?

That question begs the questions…

Do you understand how the pattern/concept “No” has fed negatives into your belief system?

Do you understand the extent the pattern/concept “No” throttles your efforts toward your desired goals & success?

Do you understand how to go about repairing the damage the word “No” has done to you belief system?

Are you willing to make an effort to find out?

Business communication...at its best

by Rick Baker
On Oct 14, 2013

Business communication, at its best, is:

  • Positive & Energized [not negative or over-stressed] 
  • Solution-Oriented & Constructive [not problem-dwelling or blame-pointing] 
  • Clear & Concise [not vague or protracted] 
  • Interesting & Magnetizing [not rote or drawing lines in the sand]
Each step we take to improve in each of these areas:
  • Helps our people feel better about work and more motivated to make the right decisions and take the right actions
  • Improves the results of our work, to the benefit of our people, our company, our clients & suppliers, and our community
  • Increases our long-term profitability and sustainability
  • Causes work to be an enjoyable and rewarding part of people's lives
Yet, many people claim they are too busy to do these things. Those people, by their failure to invest the time it takes to change, are confirming:
  • they accept negativity as an ongoing part of their workday...and they accept the resulting spirit-killing at their workplace 
  • they are OK with higher-than-required stress levels...and they are OK with the resulting physical and mental health problems
  • they follow ego wherever it leads rather than aim thoughts and action at results...so they place little value on achieving goals
  • they favour anxiety over thought-clarity...and they accept the resulting poor relationships and poor decisions
  • they choose to confuse...and they choose to expose their company to the errors that will surely follow
  • they see no need for inspiration in their workplace...by default, they know their people will fend for themselves

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Leaders' Thoughts

Thought Tweet #846

by Rick Baker
On Oct 14, 2013

Thought Tweet #846 How do people who are too busy find time to (1) share their problems with others & (2) watch Reality TV?

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

When 2 pet peeves collide...

(1) People ain't too busy - they just brainwash themselves that way.

(2) Reality TV just ain't - at least it ain't the sort of reality that creates value.

Tags:

Beyond Business | Humour | I'm too busy! - I don't have time! | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #845.5

by Rick Baker
On Oct 12, 2013

Thought Tweet #845.5 “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.


The Thinking Behind The Tweet 

I rarely tweet quotes made by famous people. However, from time to time I find a quote that resonates so thoroughly I cannot resist tweeting it. This quote passes that test for me. John Quincy Adams said this about 200 years ago. While I have not studied John Quincy Adams, I can imagine the experiences he must have lived...the son of the 2nd President of the U.S.A....knowing much about and likely meeting in person numerous great U.S. leaders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin. And, of course, becoming a U.S. President himself. 

Why I find this quote thoroughly resonating... 

Actions: when you boil life down to find its fundamental elements you find Actions. You find positive Actions, which are well remembered by those who do them and those who are influenced by them. You find negative Actions, which are well remembered by those who do them and those who are influenced by them. And, you find Actions that died in thought before they occurred, which are also well remembered...often poignantly on one's deathbed.

Inspire Others: our company is named Spirited Leaders and the Baker family motto is Dum Spiro Spero

Dreams: Vision/Dreams/Imagining what could be...no question, that's a gift and a preoccupation shared by all leaders.

Learn more: Spirited Leaders place much value in life-long learning...[and I am an assessed Learner].

Do more: doing more is even-better Action...it's stepping up.

Become more: that's about growing and adding value and experiencing a fulfilled life.

If one person can inspire and help other people do these things then, clearly, that person is a leader.

Tags:

Leaders' Thoughts | Thought Tweets | Wisdom: Surviving the Test of Time

Thought Tweet #845

by Rick Baker
On Oct 11, 2013

Thought Tweet #845 Do you know the actions that will cause your company to succeed?

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Do you know the actions you need to do in your role for your company to succeed?

Are you volunteering and committing yourself to take those actions?

Are you volunteering and committing to resist taking other actions that have no clear connection with your company's success?

Do you have the tools you need to do what needs to be done?

Do you have the people-support you need to do what needs to be done?

Do you have the self-support you need to bolster the internal drive that will energize you to do what needs to be done? 

Tags:

1-Page Tools | 80/20 Rule | Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Thought Tweets

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