Quick Tips - 4

The Art of Giving and Receiving Recognition

People like, deserve, and need recognition? Beau Bryant, the legendary Alabama football coach, once said: "I'm just a plow hand from Arkansas, but I've learned how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how to calm down others, until finally they've got one heart beating together, a team. There's just three things I'd ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it…if anything goes semi-good, then we did it…if anything goes real good, they you did it. That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you."
This quote points to some very important issues concerning recognition. First you must give credit when and where credit is due. People must know you will recognize their efforts. In addition, when the going is tough you must avoid putting the blame on others.
Often people don't expect recognition, believe it's for real or know how to respond to it. Some people will even blush after the recognition, indicating that what they did wasn't that important, or spend time trying to figure out what you're after with the positive compliments. You must be frequent, genuine, and tell people at the onset of their activity that you will be recognizing their performance. In this way your recognition will have true meaning!

The Brain's Potential

Do you use the full potential of your brain? Henry Ford once sued the Chicago Tribune for calling him ignoramus in print. Ford, who had little formal education, could answer very few of the questions. Finally, upset, he said, "I don't know the answers to those questions, but I could find a man in five minutes that does. I use my brain to think not to store up a lot of useless facts."
A similar example comes from Albert Einstein. Someone once asked him how many feet were in a mile. Einstein is reported as saying, "I don't know…why should I fill my head with things like that when I could look them up in any reference book in 2 minutes."
These two important men knew what every successful person learns sooner or later- the ability to get information and then act upon it. This is what gets things done. You must concentrate on solving problems not reciting facts. Your brain is a very sophisticated computer. It is capable of storing and using many pieces of information. You must however, be very careful how you develop your brain's unlimited potential. Avoid useless information collection that keeps you from involvement in production and creative problem solving.

Life Isn't a Dress Rehearsal

A 14-year old boy says, "I know I'll be happy when I reach 16. I can't wait." A 20-year-old says, "I can't wait to be 21." A 61-year-old says, "I can't wait to turn 62 to qualify for early retirement." They are all playing the waiting game. People were taught throughout their lives to play the waiting game, to wait for happiness.
They say, "I can't wait to be married, then I'll be happy. They're continually waiting, trying to find a way to happiness. Or they say, "I can't wait until we retire, then we'll be happy"… "I can't wait to go out Friday night" and one of the best is, "I can't wait till my vacation, then I'll have fun!" There is no special way to happiness. And waiting for happiness to magically show up "someday" can lead to a life of frustration. Happiness can only be found if you're happy today. If you procrastinate happiness, there won't be any time left to have fun.
The future is a continuing series of present moments. Take good care of the present by establishing prioritized goals, so you'll have time to hit tomorrow's dreams. Incremental steps on a daily basis can help achieve tomorrow's goals. Ask yourself, "What can I do today to help me reach my goals and dreams". Don't wait to be happy. It is important to achieve your goals and dreams today, tomorrow, and every other day. This is where you will find abundance, fulfillment, and fun.
Remember life isn't a dress rehearsal. This is our only opportunity to reach our dreams. Go for it and bring tomorrow to the "now!"