They Rest Not at Night

Think before you speak Now if there was ever a place to start, this would be it. How many times have you said something and wished you hadn’t? How many times have you said something to someone, somewhere, and didn’t think about it first? Maybe it was fueled by emotion or some knee jerk reaction to a dynamic which you felt was not in your control? Maybe it was during a moment of passion, love or hate, bitterness or exultation or you were just tired and didn’t care at the moment. Whatever, once it’s out of your mouth it is a matter of record. That sounds a little cold and calculating but the fact is, once you put it out there it will be remembered for what it is an official annunciation of where you stand at any given moment about the subject at hand. You said it so therefore it is. Now how’s that for finality? Study yourself to discover your strong and weak points Much like golf you approach the game thinking you know what you have going on. You approach the issues at hand based upon your strong and weak points of personality and personal experience. You believe you know what you can and cannot do and proceed forward. This approach usually is sound and it is a constant process. Through daily situational awareness you modify and adapt to life’s lessons and keep the good and discard the not so good. It is through daily self introspection and study of your arsenal of strengths and weaknesses that you become better at identifying those traits and applying them to the courses of your life. Game on! Return phone calls!! What do I have to say about this? It’s just courteous but downright professional. Even if you don’t like the person you have to know that in some board room or somewhere you are being discussed and at least that person will say “at lease he returned my phone call”. Give yourself a leg up. Beware when things are going well Oh how well you should pay heed to this. It doesn’t mean things are or will go bad but you can never lose your situational awareness or diligence. Have something to write with everywhere!! No better words written: On you, bed side, car, phone side or gym bag. I even have one in my Swiss knife and have used it multiple times. Just saying….. When a person deserves credit for achievement, compliment them. I believe, and have for most of my life, in the premise of credit where credit is due. It has been my experience as both leader and follower that when you are recognized, or recognize someone else, your stock in life is bolstered by orders of magnitude. You know how you feel after giving your all to an endeavor and have that effort recognized by others. It is inspirational. It instills pride and motivation. It builds trust and the bonds that hold you and your team together. Even if that person fails to accomplish a certain task or complete an event, if the effort is there then credit for that effort should be recognized. Admit mistakes and avoid excuses This is really about being humble and swallowing your pride 101. When you screw up admit it, call a spade a spade and move on. When you do this you avoid making excuses which will inevitably be seen for what they are, excuses. People are not stupid and you will only look this way if you chose this course. Suck it up, try to do the right thing, give it your best and if you fail admit it, learn from it, process it and try not to make the same mistake twice. You will only be admired for your courage and honesty. Always, always ask for advice!! One of the most important lessons of this book, one I hope you’ll pay heed to for the rest of your life so Stymie the ego, swallow your pride and just ask. Be firm when ideals, principals, or goals are at stake but try not to give offense. Now begins for you, as it is and was for me, the classic life long battle between ego, pride and self-righteousness and to keep in check your thoughts that you are right no matter what. Be passionate about something!! No secret here. The things I have succeeded in throughout my life have always been driven by a passion and its successful proceedings. Have facts before you reach a conclusion or make a decision. Now what can we say here? Only ill advised or just plain stupid people make decisions without knowing all the facts. Cover your six as we say in the military. Do your home work, ask the hard questions and come to the table with all your ducks in a row. You’ll only appear like you know what you’re talking about and earn the respect of your colleagues and leaders. Strive to develop good judgment Sounds like a plan but easier said than done. To strive is half the battle and good judgment is either a thing you inherently possess or comes through trial and error. I think a key to developing good judgment is to watch those people who instill in others confidence to strive themselves to accomplish and persevere in the face of adversity. Watch how they interact with people and why and whom they chose to interact with. Usually people who show good judgment will be a good judge of character and this is the key. Plan to accomplish goals Start what you finish but take time to think through things first. Make a plan which calls for a thorough definition of your goals and the process you need to go through to accomplish them. If you have a sound plan, only then can you realistically hope to accomplish them. Take notes constantly No better piece of advice than you will ever get. If you have a memory like mine you can’t get through your day them. I have many times had ideas and forgot them and kicked myself for not having something to write on and with. I keep a note pad everywhere I am; bedroom and kitchen, car and even my shaving kit, from driving instructions to how to cook a dish. Notes will get you out of trouble every time so practice this and you’ll see I wasn’t kidding Be supportive There is no better way to advance a cause, both yours and that of others, then to be a positive influence on someone. Give a helping hand and words of encouragement, motivation and advice every chance you can and you will see that it will pay you back ten-fold every time. If you volunteer for a race or any event that people get excited about, help energize that excitement. I found through volunteering for race events and such that standing on the side lines and cheering people on will do wonders for you and the participants. This holds especially true for our youth. Some have it and some are striving for it. Help them along with your encouragement. Remember, you been there and know what it’s like to struggle. Nothing too complicated here that a look, a touch, a word or a shout out will not help the cause. Ask the Unconventional Question This is not an easy thing to do especially if your audience already has a propensity to taking the easy road. It is in fact what the Special Operations community calls “thinking out of the box”. I guarantee it will put your listener on the defense every time but shows a listener you have vision and are actually thinking about the problem at hand. Most people have the tendency to want the easy answer but a real problem solver will ask the hard question and by forcing the thought process to a conclusion, all avenues will hopefully been exhausted and a sound set of answers found. When a leader of a problem solving group explains at the onset that no questions are stupid and that all will be discussed you should consider yourself lucky for it is in this forum you will find the true problem solvers. Wash your hands thoroughly No kidding. I have been in many countries (third world shit holes) and touched many door handles in my time and every time I think about how many other people have done the same thing (and who knows where they have been) that I just can’t think about not washing my hands thoroughly. I will always remember in the third grade when we a school nurse came in and gave a demonstration on how to wash hands.