Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

You may have heard the old jazz standard song by Johnny Mercer made popular by many famous singers and movies, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive that goes “…you got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative….”  Fun little song, interesting message.

A positive attitude makes a world of difference in your overall happiness and productivity.  It’s the grease on the wheels that makes everything easier.  Some people are naturally positive and other negative, but this is a choice you make that is completely under your control.  Here are some clues on how you can tell the difference:

Positive People vs. Negative People

Choose to focus on the bright side vs. Always complain.

Accept responsibility vs. Shift responsibility & blame to others.

See a failure as a great opportunity to learn vs. Find it hard to admit and accept failure.

Think change is the only constant vs. Hate making or adapting to changes.

Always see the potential in others vs. Constantly find fault in others.

Know when to let go vs. Refuse to focus on the present and themselves.

Grateful for what they have vs. Take things for granted.

Don’t wait for positivity, they create it and spread it vs. They spread resentment.

Look to make those around them successful vs. Look for failure.

Are you positive or negative? Which do you choose to be?

“Positive people produce.  Negative people consume.” – Mike Sadeghpour

“Never wrestle with pigs.  You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” – George Bernard Shaw

#ForumSensei

The Three A's

When I teach self-defense, I focus on the three A’s – Awareness, Avoidance, Action.  The best defense is being aware of your surroundings (don’t walk alone at night down a street with your earphones in, blasting loud music and looking at your screen texting – never know what will run into you….) and avoiding situations that are more risky (choose to walk along a well-lit street with lots of people instead of the dark alley shortcut).  If those don’t work, then take quick, bold and decisive action to make sure you survive the encounter.

Good communication takes the same thing:

·         Be AWARE of what you are communicating, to whom, of what they are saying, did they hear you, did you walk away with the same expectations, etc.  In other words, PAY ATTENTION.  Don’t Communicate While Distracted! (Or, you might just get a ticket!)

·         AVOID the basic pitfalls of poor communication, especially those that make you have to do it a second (or third time) to get it right.  Make sure to include everyone that needs to know, be clear on who has to do what, set deadlines and clear expectations, confirm handoffs, confirm everyone is on the same page, are they focused solely on you when you are talking to them, etc.

·         Take quick, bold and decisive ACTION to correct communication errors as soon as you see them.  The quicker they are addressed and fixed, the less painful they will be.  And, keep the emotion out of it.  Emotion just makes it messier.

“Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich.” – Henry Ford

“Awareness is like the sun.  When it shines on things, they are transformed.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

#ForumSensei

The World's Greatest Invention

What do you think the world’s greatest invention is?  The wheel?  Fire?  Electricity?  The Internet?  Fidget spinners? There are a lot of opinions.  Business consultant John Carlton believes the world’s greatest invention is ….. (drumroll please) …..

…. the deadline!

Without which, he says, nothing else of consequence would ever have been invented or accomplished.  Why?  Because human beings respond to deadlines.  Sporting events are played against the clock, and what is the most intense and important part of the game…the last 2 minutes!  The infomercial….order in the next 15 minutes to get this fantastic deal! WWII was won partly due to the race between the Allies and the Axis for who developed a working atomic bomb first!

Let’s see the deadline as our friend.  For every task, project and goal, set a deadline at the very beginning.  It starts the clock ticking and pushes you into action.  Break down larger projects with smaller tasks…and set deadlines for each of them.  If someone asks you to do something the first question out of your mouth should be – “by when?” – set the deadline.

There is one other step to making the deadline work…. keeping track of it!  If you do not keep track of your deadlines and commitments, setting them won’t matter much.  Use a task manager like Outlook Tasks or Reminders; a spreadsheet or even a note pad will work well; add them to your calendar or put them in an email folder you regularly review.

"Call me braggart, call me arrogant. People at ABC, and elsewhere, have called me worse. But when you need the job done on deadline, you’ll call me.” – Sam Donaldson

“Everyone needs deadlines.” – Walt Disney

#ForumSensei