Billy Arcement’s
News From the Swamp
Issue # 38
Bringing you ideas from The Results
Group Office
on
“Working
with business leaders to produce a culture of teamwork, productivity and
profits.”
Please recommend this newsletter to a friend or associate.
When you
receive this newsletter, print, three-hole punch and place it in a binder for
future review. Place the binder in your
bookcase. Take the binder with you on
trips to read in down time. Review it
while you’re sitting down glancing at your TV screen or create your own unique
way to re-read the words. Reviewing the
messages reinforces the content and expands the possibilities of retention and
implementation of information shared.
Put the ideas to work for you.
This is how winners learn and grow and I believe you are a winner!
It’s common sense to most that before you begin to travel towards an unfamiliar location by car, you should study a map to determine the most efficient method to get where you want to go. What about your life? Do you have a road map? Have you determined your destination? Are you even traveling in the right direction?
These are all common sense questions one must answer so that our life is one of achievement. We all want to succeed, that’s common sense. But sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We destroy ourselves and our destiny simply because we don’t do the common sense activities of detailed planning about how to best take our life’s journey.
Don’t get
caught in the all too common trap so many fall into. Be different.
Focus on your life’s destination and never take your eye off the road. Watch for obstacles but resolve to overcome
them. When you do these things, you
become uncommon!
Common sense would tell you that you need friends and acquaintances that are assets to your success. Is that what you’ve done? Have you surrounded yourself with winners or whiners? Do your associates lift you up or drop you down?
No one can achieve success in isolation. We all need a bit (or a lot) of help. And help comes from the people with whom you surround yourself. Make your friends and associates true benefactors of your travels towards success and you can reach uncommon heights.
Think about the people with whom you interact every day. Do they light up a room or blow out the candle? We take on the attitude of those with whom we surround ourselves. Want to be a winner? Then hang around with winners. Interested in losing? Then hang around whiners.
Who Are You Helping On Your Way Up?
As mentioned in the previous section, we need the help of others to become successful. But understand that the common sense approach also includes helping others. If we reap what we sow, it makes sense then that we should help others if we are to receive help.
Ambitious individuals sometimes burn bridges. They never think that those they stepped on as they pushed their way up just might be the same people they’ll meet on their way down. Use all the skills and talents of those who want to support you. Just be sure that you reciprocate in-kind. Give to others first and you will be abundantly blessed on your way to the top. Treating everyone in a civil, honest, and trustworthy manner scores points in the game of life. It’s simply a matter of common courtesy to behave this way.
When was the last time you told your parents you love them? Your siblings? Your spouse? Your children? Your trusted friends? Sharing those feelings can sometimes be difficult. Overcome this difficult feeling by getting into the habit of never letting a day go by without telling someone that you love them. Be genuine. I’m not suggesting clever self-serving deception. Rather, I’m urging you to adopt a most important practice that makes good common sense.
At one time I gave a talk with that title. I always liked the line because it’s very revealing. But many don’t believe it. They think it should say, “I am where I am because of what you did to me.” They would rather fix blame than fix the problem.
The uncommon leader of self has a deep and full appreciation of the role his or her actions play in their success model. Try this exercise to get a better “view” of your actions. Visualize yourself perched high on a hill looking down into the valley. See yourself in action. Do you like what you see? Are you doing what you should be doing? Do you slack off too much, not resting to recharge but drifting and deflating?
Separate yourself from the common man or women by getting your mind and actions aligned in a direction that ultimately leads to where you want to be.
“Your successes in life are directly related
to the common sense decisions you make along the way.”
Common sense tells me that unless I write what you want to read, my subscription rate drops. From time to time, I get nice comments from readers. And, I always appreciate hearing from you. Occasionally, I’ve change the format to make the flow better and hopefully improve the quality. With this issue, I’d like to experiment a bit more and ask that you complete the following question and email your comment to me at barcement@eatel.net. I’ll compile the answers (anonymously) into a report and make it available to you next month. Please copy (cut and paste) the question into a new email, write your answer and send it to me. That keeps your information private. Thanks. I look forward to reading your responses and providing a little “lagniappe” next month.
What challenges
are you facing in your business that relates to the topic of this month’s
newsletter?
The Professional Speaker:
Experience
the wit and wisdom of Billy’s messages at your next meeting.
Executive Coaching / Management Consulting: Use Billy’s problem-solving skills and vast experience base
to improve your leadership and management skills.
The School Board Strategist: Billy is considered by many school boards as their number one
resource for enhancing board performance.
The Author: Get his book, Searching for Success, today. It can make a difference.
Call
Please notify
Children First! Spread the Word
Children First, my newsletter offering parenting tips, continues to grow
very nicely. To subscribe, email me at barcement@eatel.net and place “children”
in the subject line. The next issue goes
out November 1
Value Added
Ideas
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