Some good lessons learned last week.
Why the internet won’t replace people: Years ago someone told me to be sure I have the following professionals on speed dial. An attorney, a doctor, a banker, an accountant, a mechanic, etc. I am not sure who else they told me to be on that list, but this is a good start (feel free to add to my list in the comments.)
Last week, I met with an attorney. I am working on several projects and I had a few questions. I went online to try to find some of the answers myself. Maybe it is me, but I can never find what I want exactly. Maybe I don’t know where to look, who knows. What I do know, is that after 30 minutes with this attorney they answered all of my questions and then some. I spent some time online and actually consulted with a few “so-called experts” with very reputable companies. I even called the government offices/agencies that should have had the answers to the questions. So after investing that time and energy, at least a couple of hours. I finally got a referral to an attorney and got all of my questions answered.
So is the internet good for a lot of things? Absolutely! However, meeting with an expert and having them answer your specific questions is still the best way in my opinion.
You really are only as good as the people you associate with: Disclaimer here: I am not saying get in to the comparison trap. Comparison trap is not a good thing, however raising expectations based on what others are doing is a good thing.
I look to my left and I look to my right. On neither side do I see people doing what I do. Do I have some people who may be doing somewhat similar things? Sure. The key to growth and development is to get around people who are doing the things you are doing, but at a higher level. Example: I thought reading a book a week was a good goal, until I got around someone who was reading a 150 books a year. To grow even more is to get around people who are doing things that you never thought of doing. This is really how you grow. These things/activities they are doing are not things that you aren’t interested in, they just might be just outside of what you are thinking about. That is what I learned the last week. I learned it through observation, now I have to apply it. To change your thinking, you have to change your thoughts.
Get away from people who say “use to”: I am not sure why this is so strongly on my mind from last week, but it is.
Let me give some context: Have you ever heard these statements before?
- I “use to” eat healthier…
- I “use to” workout consistently everyday…
- I “use to” be highly engaged and energetic just like you are…
- I “use to” read a lot of books…
Above are just a few examples. Last week, I used this statement myself. I said I “use to” drink a healthy protein shake every morning. But I haven’t done so in about three months or so.
I had this aha moment when I said it. Basically by me telling someone I “use to” do something that was good for me and I stopped doing it, really diminishes my credibility. It does so, because why would I stop doing it if it was so good for me? Secondly, I am not doing it anymore so why even bring it up, it is a waste of breath. It adds zero value to the conversation that I am having. Now if I said I “use to” smoke crack, but I don’t anymore. Or I “use to” drink on days that end in Y, but now I don’t. Those words have credibility. You would be willing to listen to what I have to say.
So I guess the reason this “use to” is on my mind, is I had this aha moment. “Use to” only works, adds value, has credibility, when “use to” is something negative that you were doing and not something positive you were doing.
See if you use the words “use to” today? If so, be sure it adds value or credibility to what you are saying and not take away from your credibility.
To your success and your future.
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