Words Make a Difference

Highly successful people know, that before speaking, they need to consider the purpose behind their words. A little thought before we speak will make our words have more meaning and be more effective. I don’t care what your objective is … to help, persuade, inspire, teach, or sell … whatever your intentions are, choose your words wisely. Here are 6 words/phrases you should avoid saying. They detract from your ability to make a point, your desire to continue a productive dialogue or they may simply offend the listener. 

Corporate Decision Process

The great news is my wife’s emergency surgery was a success and she is on the mend. Taking care of her while she was recuperating was not an issue. That is just what you do … BUT … taking over “ALL” the things she does for the family, well that was a different matter. I needed to become Annie, and I had no idea what that entailed. Every time I turned around, there was something else that needed to be done or some errand that needed to be run.

It Seemed That Time Stopped

Time never stops. Well, it seemingly did for me on February 24th at approximately 8:00 am. My wife called out, and I found her on the floor, writhing in pain. We had no clue what was going on, so we headed for the emergency room. Time seemed to stop. Nothing mattered except getting to the ER. Meetings would be missed, Zoom calls cancelled, interviews for programs would have to wait. TIME STOPPED.

Shorten Your Learning Curve

If I have learned one thing in business, it is “WHY” experience the pain to learn something when you don’t have to; the more knowledge you can gain from others, the better for you. Go to school on other people’s experiences. Learn from their wise words or from their mistakes and shorten your learning curve. I heard it once said: “He is truly wise who gains wisdom from another’s mishap.”

Nothing Happens Until You Decide

“DECIDE” is an enormously powerful word. How powerful is it? You are one decision away from an entirely new life. I would say that is extremely powerful. Every accomplishment starts with a decision, so nothing happens until you “DECIDE” to make it happen. We also need to understand that decisions can be hard to make because sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same thing.

Welcome Criticism

Welcome criticism? Those are two words that are hard to swallow. Don't you just hate criticism? I mean, think about it. It doesn't make you feel good. You tend to question the agenda of the person giving it; is their intention to help them look better in the eyes of others at your expense? Pure and simple, criticism is a painful experience. So why should we welcome it?