Be a Better Watcher

Most people are content to watch things with their eyes.

"What else would they watch with?" I am glad you asked.

Watching anything requires more than just your eyes. Your ears help you watch my detecting sounds, which in turn causes your eyes to redirect towards where the sound is coming. For example, at a baseball game when you hear the crack of the bat after making contact with the ball, you start looking for the ball.

If you are in a kitchen, the smell of good food can definitely cause your eyes to redirect towards where the good smell is coming.

When you are watching anything, don't just look at what is immediately in front of you, take in the whole atmosphere of where you are. You will enjoy it more.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. The person will most likely appreciate the fact that you are looking out for him/her.

Be a Better Listener

You will solve far more problems by listening than by talking.

This does not mean that you don't ask questions. This means you need to listen to the answer when you ask a question and/or listen to what is being said as it might answer your question prior to you asking it.

When you listen attentively, you generally know what you need to do for any task you are given and can then complete it in the alloted time, given details are not missing.

By listening, you know what questions you need to ask - and what questions not to ask.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as listening.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But most importantly, do what you say you are going to do.

Actions speak louder than words.

It is better to do something good rather than just talk about it and do nothing.

Your word is your bond. But your actions speak volumes on who you are.

Do rather than just say.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It is an action that will speak loudly about you.

Big Fish, Small Bowl

Are you the biggest fish in your bowl? Are you the smartest person in your group? Are you the person that everyone goes to for answers?

You are either very fortunate and you are the smartest person around or you have limited yourself and need to expand your horizons. You've boxed yourself in and set your goals too low.

The boss is not always the smartest person in the group when it comes to knowing everything there is to know. If he is a smart boss, he hired people who are smarter than him in areas that he does not have time to be the expert in.

If you are always the smartest person in your group, please, expand your horizons. Challenge yourself and start associating with experts in your field that are quite possibly smarter than you are. This is the way to make yourself better.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. Not only do you help the person, but you help yourself as well because you never know, the person could be an expert in something you are not.

One Step at a Time

We live in a day and age where we expect everything to be fast and ready at our finger tips whenever we want it.

Examples:

• Fast food drive thru's - we don't even want to get out of our cars.
• Same day dry cleaners -not only do we not want to clean our own clothes, but we want someone else to clean them today.
• Computers - no matter how they go, they are never fast enough for us. Back in the day, the computer power that we carry around in a laptop could not even be found in a block full of computers and was slower than anything we have today.
  
• 1-Hour photos - What picture is so important that we can't remember what it looked like an hour ago but we really need to remember it.
  

Sometimes the faster we go, the behinder we get. Just because we try to go faster does not mean we are going to get things done any faster. Generally when we rush, we end up making mistakes and it ends up taking us longer to get the task done.

Take one step at a time and do the job right, and you will be amazed at how much you get done in a reasonable amount of time.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. Lending a helping hand might be what that person needs to get the job done right.

Be Proud

When you were little, your parents probably yelled at you to sit up straight and stop slouching. All I knew was that I needed to sit up straight, I had no idea that they were trying to make sure that I presented the image that I was proud of who I was.

Always be proud of who you are.

If there ever is a time that you don't feel proud about yourself, take a look at yourself and determine what you are not proud of and then do what you can to fix it.

Always put your best foot forward.

I would rather do my best at an activity and fail then not try because I thought I thought I couldn't do it.

When you work or when you play, always do your best and you can always be proud.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It will show that person and yourself that you are proud of who you are and you are not afraid to share it.

Friends

When I was a little kid, I always had difficulties spelling the word "friend." I was told the best way to remember how to spell it was that a friend is a friend until the end, which is how "friend" ends.

Childhood has come and gone, but this particular lesson sticks with me to this day.

Friends are with you in both good times and bad. They tell you when you are doing well. They also help lift you up when you are not doing so well. They are the people in your life that you are willing to take constructive criticism from to make your life better.

Your friends are your friends no matter where you live or how long it has been since you last saw them.

Remember that friendship is like any relationship; it is a two-way street and it takes both people to make it work.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. You never know, you might end up with a new friend.

Like What You Have For What It Is

Be grateful for what you have. Be happy that it does what it does.

If you have a screwdriver. Don't be disappointed that you don't have a hammer, or wish your screwdriver would work like a hammer.

Like your grandparents used to tell you, "we had nothing and we were happy to have nothing. Other kids were so poor, they could not even afford to have nothing."

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. They might need the something you have that you wish did something else.

Risk and Reward

For every great reward there is often great risk.

In fantasy football, Randy Moss, is one of the biggest risk/reward veteran players. He has the possibility of putting up huge numbers if he decides to play. If he decides not to play, he could have the stats [42 catches, 553 yards, and 3 TDs] like he did last year with the Oakland Raiders. If you pick Randy in the first two rounds and he repeats last year's stats, you pretty much wasted a pick. But if he puts up stats like he did in 2003 [111 catches, 1632 yards, and 17 TDs] your reward is great. If you don't take him early, some else could. It's all about risk and reward.

Life is the same way. If you want a big reward, you have to be willing to take a risk; make sure the risk does not change your character - see previous post.

If you want things to be different than they are in your life, you are going to have to take some risks. Just remember that when you take a risk, you could get the other end of the stick instead of the rosy one.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. The risk is small but the rewards are great.

Character vs.Reputation

Reputation is what people think about you. You cannot directly control this.

Character is who you are. You control who you are, what you do, how you act, and how you react.

If you build your character into what you want it to be, your reputation will take care of itself.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. The person and your character and reputation will be better for it.

Anchors

Anchors can either weigh you down or keep you stable in storm.

Having a negative attitude and carrying grudges around weigh you down and keep you from being successful in life.

Having a positive attitude, a positive outlook and forgiving people will get you through the troubled times of your life and make you stronger in the big picture.

Take a ship in storm. If the captain does not think the can stir his ship through the storm, chances are he won't. On the other hand, if he believes that he can get his ship to a safe port, he probably will.

There will be other times that the captain must set anchor to wait out the storm. If the anchor hooks into the rocks below, the ship will remain stable. If the anchor just sets on top the sand, the ship will sure be set adrift.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. You might be the anchor that someone needs to keep them stable during the storm.

Peace

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything went right, everyone got along, and there was peace and harmony in the world?

If I am going to dream, I am going to dream BIG.

Since I am not in heaven yet, I will have to live in the world we live and make the most of it.

Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. Offer them your peace.

Living Life to the Fullest

Live your life to the fullest.

Live your life like you know God loves you.

Live your life expecting God to do good for you.

Thank God for not only the good that you have received, but all the good that you are yet to receive.

Live to grab the brass ring.

The more positive you expect from life, the more you will get.

The more good you do for others, the more good that will be bestowed upon you.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. Show them that life is really worth living, not just for existing.

Forgiveness

Forgiving someone is not easy. You might even say that it is unnatural.

It is common to think that forgiveness is for the person that did the wrong.

I contend that it is more for the person that was wronged. It is an incredible burden to carry around holding a debt on someone for something done wrong to you. Not to mention the control that you allow the wronging-person to have over you.

Life would be so much easier if we forgive people. We would not have to worry about trying to get some back; making them pay for what they did to you. You could live your life for the good that happens, rather than worry about the bad that happened in the past.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It could be as simple as forgiving someone. It will make your day as well.

Constantly Changing

The company I work for, CheckFree, was just purchased. Just a few months ago, the company I worked for, Corillian, was purchased by CheckFree.

You always need to give your best no matter what happens. It is a whole lot easier to do your best all the time than it is to only try to do you best when you think someone is watching. So when change comes along, you just keep doing your best and adapt the best you can to the change.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. They just might need some help getting through a change in their life.

Benefits of Having an Inside Job

Scott Adams, the author of Dilbert, points out numerous flaws about working in the corporate world.

Working in a cube is the butt of many jokes, but I am here to point out some of the benefits of working in a cube in an office.

1. Air conditioning. It is supposed to be 90°+ outside today. I am working inside with air conditioning keeping it a comfortable 72°.
2. Window seats. If you are lucky enough, you get a window seat in an air conditioned building.
3. Heating. During the winter time when it is cold outside, you have a nice heated place to work.
4. Clean restrooms. When you gotta go, you gotta go and it is nice to be able to go in a clean bathroom.
5. Relatively easy access to your co-workers. They are only an email, phone call, IM or yell away.
6. You have a job. 'nuff said.

Make someone's day and perform a random act of kindness. It should make their day.