3 Things I learned last week…3/7-13/2016

There is always someone better:  Have you ever felt like:  “I got this figured out. I am really good at this.”  Or “I have been doing this for a while, and my results speak for themselves.”   Come on you know what I mean here.  You get arrogant or to say it nicely, you get really confident.  I believe confidence is critical to anyones success.  It is an absolute.  However, whenever you get arrogant or not open-minded to learning is where the issue can arise.  Last week, I had the chance to watch someone do something that I have done myself at least a hundred times.  I felt pretty confident I did it pretty well.  However, after watching this person do the same thing, I said WOW, mine could be so much better.  Very few of us are the Michael Jordan’s of our respected fields.  Sure we are good, but if we were at the Michael Jordan status, the chances are others would know about us. So what I learned and I encourage you to think about is this. What are you really good at?  Go find at least five people who do the same thing as you and see how you rank.  Maybe you are really good, but be sure you keep an open mind to learn.

To avoid criticism: Say nothing and Do nothing.  Now, most people, including me already know this.  However, how often do we practice it?  We don’t speak up, because we think we might sound stupid?  Or we don’t step out of our comfort zone, because we are worried about what someone will say.  As I have mentioned before, the reason I write these posts and blogs is because it stimulates thoughts for me.  This week my goal is to say a lot and do a lot, both of these with purpose and mission to pursue my passions. 

Speed trumps everything: I have a joke, well I guess it isn’t really a joke, more of an observation.  And that is: Some people only have one speed.  Now some people have one speed and it is really fast.  And others have one speed and it is really slow.  The latter is what I am talking about. Years ago, one of the owners of my company said to me.  “Brian, you can tell everything you need to know about a person by looking at how fast they walk.”  “Are they slumped over just kind of moving their legs.”  “Or are they walking with their back straight and with a purpose and on a mission.” Since then I have watched that with every single person I have interviewed.  It is true in almost all of the cases.  A person that walks with a purpose and moves with a purpose, like they have somewhere to be and something to do, tends to get things done.  So when it comes to running my business, getting out of my bed in the morning, taking a shower, eating breakfast, going to my car, and doing just about anything I can think of.  I am sure to do it with a purpose.  In business and in life speed matters.  Now the haters out there are saying.  “Well, you better slow down, you’ll make more mistakes.”  Oh well, I’ll learn quicker as well. Today and everyday be sure you are moving with a purpose. When you are making a decision, be sure to do it quickly (after you thought about it enough).  Speed always wins.

To your success and your future.