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What does CHANGE mean to you?

by Rick Baker
On Jan 20, 2012

My friend and I got into an interesting discussion of CHANGE the other day.

We ended up sharing thoughts about the definition of CHANGE.

Obviously, the word 'change' has a very broad definition, including: make different, alter, make radically different, transform, replace with another, shift from one to another, etc1

When it comes to business, we must be able to provide a definition of CHANGE that is:

  • clear and easily understood
  • accepted by the business people who hear and see us use the word
About CHANGE, 2 parameters2 must be considered as most-important:
  1. Consciousness [Yes or No]
  2. Origin [Internal versus External]
Now, to be clear, Spirited Leaders believe People Only Do 3 Things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things.
 
These 3 Things register or show up as thoughts and actions. When Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things register or show up they are within the realm of at least one person's Consciousness. So, for business purposes CHANGE is a Conscious thing. And, for all involved it is has both Internal and External impact and implications. As we blend in Spirited Leaders' view that People Only Do 3 Things, it is clear, CHANGE is pretty much the opposite of Habit. In fact, CHANGE is so close to the opposite of Habit we can say Habits do not contain enough meaningful amount of CHANGE to justify further consideration.
 
So, for business purposes: CHANGE = the arrival of New Things. [that's our definition]
 
There are two types of CHANGES:
  1. CHANGES For The Better
  2. other changes
Business Leaders want to focus their energy on CHANGES For The Better.
 
 
 

Footnotes:

  1. Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary
  2. Origin: we are not going to get all philosophical here, debating chickens-and-eggs about what goes on in human brains etc. Nor will we get all metaphysical here. Those are topics for another day...or another week...or, is it, another millennium.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Definitions - Spirited Words Defined | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things

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Finding the forest around the trees

by Rick Baker
On Jan 19, 2012

Can you imagine what it would be like to be an ant specialist?

I mean, can you imagine making a career of studying ants - being a myrmecologist.

That's what E. O. Wilson did.

What started as a study of ants led E. O. Wilson to some very-interesting conclusions on a variety of topics. He wrote a number of books, including 'On Human Nature'. 

About human beings, E. O. Wilson said,

"We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom."

He went on to forecast,

"The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely."

This forecast makes sense.

The question is, how do we prepare ourselves to be the synthesizers E.O. Wilson describes?

One factor that cannot be ignored is SEEK SIMPLE: at least every once in a while, take the time to look for the simplest solutions.

And, as a piece of Seeking Simple, we must slow down enough to consider the obvious: as an example, we can learn from Obvious Adams. Obvious Adams is a book written by Robert. R. Updegraff almost 100 years ago. Updegraff wrote about common sense and he wrote about the fact simpler is almost always better.

Updegraff also wrote Five Tests of Obviousness. You can use that test when you analyse situations and problems. 

That is one step toward becoming a synthesizer.

 

 

 

Tags:

Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Put Your Best Brain Forward | Seeking Simple! | Solutions & Opportunities

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Thought Tweet #394

by Rick Baker
On Jan 19, 2012
Thought Tweet #394 Change happens when people experience New Things….as in 'Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things'
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
And, those 3 things - that’s all people do. People Only Do 3 Things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, New Things. Here's a link to explain the thinking.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Thought Tweets

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Change or Die

by Rick Baker
On Jan 11, 2012

Most people have trouble making changes.

Even when faced with the choice of 'change or die' most people are unable to change.

I have heard experts say that for quite some time. And, I know from personal experience and from observing other people it can be difficult to make certain changes. So, let's accept that as a fact of Nature.

What should we do about that?

The answer depends upon the future you desire.

In the future, do you want:

To be clear, I am not questioning whether or not you want other people to change...[that pretty much goes without saying]. I am asking, do you want:
  1. changes for the better?
  2. no changes?
  3. changes for the worse?
Unless I am missing something, those are the only 3 possibilities.
 
And,
  • most people would remove #3 from the short list and
  • many people, if not most people, would choose #1
If you choose #1 - if you choose changes for the better - then here is some advice that will help...
 
First: accept that facts, fear, & force will not lead to sustained changes for the better. Positive change, constructive change, has calmer and more comfortable sources. Relax yourself. Set aside time to think about yourself and the changes you desire. Think about baby steps of change. Think about what you want to accomplish...think about the end point. While you do that, set small achievable-action goals. But, don't expect immediate perfection. It takes desire and persistence and time to create Good Habits.
 
Educate yourself...using expert advice. For example, here is a recommendation from Alan Deutschman1:
 
The First Key to Change: Relate -
 
Form a new emotional relationship with a person or community that inspires and sustains hope.
 
The Second Key to Change: Repeat -
 
The new relationship helps you learn, practice, and master the new habits and skills that you'll need. It helps tremendously to have a good teacher, coach, or mentor to give you guidance, encouragement, and direction along the way.
 
The Third Key to Change: Reframe - 
 
The new relationship helps you learn new ways of thinking about your situation and your life. You change the way you look at the world.
 
Putting all of that together:
 
Relax, Relate, Repeat & Reframe
 
That's one way to create changes for the better.
 
 
Footnote:
 

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Change: Creating Positive Change | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things

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Emotions - Defined - Positive & Negative

by Rick Baker
On Dec 20, 2011

Napoleon Hill practiced and taught emotional control, seeing it as one of the keys to a pleasing and attractive personality.

He taught, feelings drive and hurl us...either up or down. It is a matter of self-control, actually - self-control over one's mind. It is as simple as accepting or rejecting emotions as they 'hit you'. It is as difficult as accepting or rejecting emotions as they 'hit you'. 

Self-control: simple and difficult.

Difficult because, when it comes to actions and habits, emotions play such a major role.

As a starting point, Napoleon Hill defined 7 positive emotions and 7 negative emotions.

 

 The 7 Positive Emotions

Love

Sex

Hope

Faith

Sympathy

Optimism

Loyalty

 

The 7 Negative Emotions

Fear*

Hatred

Anger

Greed

Jealousy

Revenge

Superstition

 

Footnote

Napoleon Hill defined 7 Fears:

  • Fear of Poverty
  • Fear of Criticism
  • Fear of Ill Health
  • Fear of Loss of Love
  • Fear of Old Age
  • Fear of Death
  • Fear of Loss of Liberty [he added this fear to the original 6 later in his life]

 

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Change: Creating Positive Change | Definitions - Spirited Words Defined | Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Hero Worship | Optimism & Pessimism

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Tonic for Toxic Business

by Rick Baker
On Dec 16, 2011

Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations.

When People are doing Processes in Situations - when People are doing business - the business culture can be described as:

  • as good as it gets
  • good
  • satisfactory
  • bad
  • as bad as it gets
A survey of business people, regular 'normal' folks, confirms:
 
Given a choice of work culture most people would choose 'as good as it gets' or 'good' or, at least, 'satisfactory'.
 
I would like to feel comfortable when I am working.
 
I would like to feel positive about my work environment.
 
I would like to enjoy my work environment.
 
I would like to be enthusiastic about my work environment.
 
I would like to be passionate about my work.
 
People say things like that.
 
People do not say things like...
 
I want to feel uncomfortable when I am at work.
 
I want my blood pressure to hit all-time highs every single workday.
 
I get a kick out of arguing with co-workers.
 
I like it when my boss takes a big strip off my hide...that's the way to keep me on track.
 
Hating the thought of another workday...that's what turns my crank.
 
Regardless, many business people struggle in a negative work culture every single workday.
 
Sometimes the work environment becomes so negative people become toxic. People become poisonous. Some people become infectious. And, sometimes work cultures become unhealthy. 
 
When work environments become unhealthy people have choices:
  • complain, which feeds spreads the problem
  • be silent, ignoring the unhealthy culture and doing nothing to address it
  • depart...either quit or fire people in an effort to ablate the unhealthy parts, much like a surgeon does
  • make constructive changes
Constructive Change means Constructive People Change, which means Individual People making Constructive Changes by removing Bad Habits and adding Good Habits. And, it means Individual People sharing stories about and celebrating the arrival and spread of new Good Habits.
 
Carefully planned new Actions are the keys to change...new Actions are the tonic!
 
 
 
 

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things | Change: Creating Positive Change | Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Leaders' Thoughts

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