Money Vs Performance

"You don't get a raise on the promise of better performance; you get a raise only by demonstrating better performance. You can't harvest money unless you plant the seeds that grow money. And the seed of money is service. Put service first, and money take care of itself." -David J. Schwartz

To ask for a raise, before demonstrating better performance, is like wanting an apple from a tree we haven't yet planted. Find ways to hone your skills and do more prior to ask for a raise and you'll be more likely to get one.

Things Change

Life doesn't always go our way. Sometime, things change for the worse even when we give it our all.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" -Elbert Hubbard

Having a positive attitude during those times is good but not enough, we also have to be proactive. To find solutions to our problems to move us forward. We grow the most during life's storms than we do during good days.

Thoughts Define You

"The key to winning what you want lies in thinking positively toward yourself. The only real basis other people have for judging your abilities is your actions. And you actions are controlled by your thoughts. You are what you think you are." -David J. Schwartz

Sometimes, confidence in yourself is all that is required to get the important task at work. Maybe the person who doesn't have confidence in himself could also do the task but people don't believe he can do them since he doesn't believe in himself (or talk positively to himself).

"Other people see in us what we see in ourselves." -David J. Schwartz

We all have our bad days but lets make it a goal to kill the negative thinking towards ourselves and feed the positive. Lets control our thoughts!

Quit trying to keep up with the Jones's...

"Quit trying to keep up with the Jones's because the Jones's are broke." -Orrin Woodward

Some people put reputation above all else and they believe that if they don't have the latest gadget-it will hinder their social standing.

"We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." -Dave Ramsey

There's a difference between looking successful and being successful and that's not determined by how good a car looks.
True wealth is how long you can maintain your current lifestyle without having any source of income. In other words, the guy who makes 1 million a year but spend 1.5 million is worse off financially than the guy who makes 30k a year but has a couple month's worth of savings, according to his lifestyle, in his bank account.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post originally created on December 11, 2013 and can be found here.

Dress Right

"How you look on the outside affects how you think on the inside. How you think determines how you act. How you act in turn determines how others react to you." -David J. Schwartz

We do tend to feel more confident when we dress properly. A psychology professor would ask of his student to dress sharp during exams. He believed that when you dress sharp - you think sharp. David J. Schwartz said that "Your physical exterior affects your mental interior."

"Dress Right. You Can't Afford Not To!" -American institute of Men's and Boy's wear.

Hey! Listen

Everybody likes to be heard and understood. We win more friends from listening than we do from talking. Orrin Woodward said “We have two ears and one mouth- use them in that proportion.” Do twice as much listening as talking, seek first to understand and then be understood.

Now That's Self-Control In The Parking Lot

The parking space, where I work, is very limited we therefor have no choice but to report the cars that don't belong there to either have them removed or have the owner pay a fine. This towing company uses a device to lock the wheel and they attach a cord, from the driver's door to the device, in order for the person to notice something is on the wheel.
This particular lady, however, had to get in the car from the passenger door because the driver's door was broken. She never noticed something was on her wheel so she started driving off with it - completely destroying the rim and the tire on that side.

Seeing this (only too late to warn her), I got out to offer my help. A young lady, with a big smile, came out of the car and said "something is wrong isn't?" to which I said "Yes - you wheel was locked and is now broken. You'll need to replace the thing." That news, which would had the ability to wreck anyone's day, didn't phase her one bit. She took responsibility over it as if it was the littlest of things.

The amount of self-control that lady had that day is truly inspiring. If it would of happened to me, I would of been upset but she didn't let that little tragedy wreck her day. I learned a lot about attitude and self control from her that day.

Pointing Out The Good Vs Pointing Out The Bad

"A lie repeated often enough becomes the believable." -Orrin Woodward

Anything we repeat to ourselves becomes believable. Therefor, pointing out the good in people not only allows them to go beyond what they would normally do, it also helps us notice it more of the good as we have "brainwashed" ourselves in that way.
The opposite is also true, pointing out the bad in people not only makes them worse, it also makes us notice more of the bad.

We should point out the good 10 times more than the bad. There are benefits of pointing out blind spots in people so they can be aware and grow out of it but it shouldn't be all that we focus on. After all, who are we to know what's good and bad in other people?

Living Risk Free

A life lived without any mistakes, from attempting nothing, will still have an end. Why not take more calculated risk? Is there such a thing as making it safely until death? Is such a life worth living?

The belief was to go to school and get good grades, find work and you'll be set for life. This "security" mindset no longer works - security is the new risky. Nobody will take care of you but yourself - life requires us to take chances.

The best thing we can do is invest in our brain because while we can loose everything else, nobody can remove our thoughts.

Emotional Control, Energy and Exercise

Those who don't possess emotional control over their being are difficult to interact with. They either fail to express themselves properly or things said to them triggers unwanted emotional responses (like anger).

Energy has a lot to do with how much control we have over ourselves. Not only is working out help provide more energy to the body, it also help train the mind - giving us even more control over ourselves in the long run.

Crowd Psychology

"For some time it has been known that people in large groups are more suggestible and can be easily manipulated; the area of study is known as crowd psychology." -Harold H. Titus / Marilyn S. Smith

Have you ever wondered why companies are so focused on creating a group culture? It's easier to steer a ship when everybody is on board. When the top few are convinced, the others usually follows.
There's nothing wrong with that per say (unless the intentions are wrong like those Hitler had for WWII) - just remember who you are and where you want to go. If it's not in the same general direction as the current ship you're in, jump in the water towards the ship that is going where you want to go.

"The brain simply believes what you tell it most."
-Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D

Companies that still use cubicles but, at the same time, wants people on the same boat should realize that communities can't be built when everybody is surrounded by walls.

Keep A Journal

Keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings you've had during the day is a great way to start understanding yourself and the improvement you've made on your self-improvement journey. We can't really know how good we're at something if we don't keep track of it.

The improvement I see in myself when ever I read an old entry in my journal is a great feeling. The things that used to hurt me don't anymore. My writing skills got better over the year and I can pretty much tell how interesting my reading was in a given month based on the quotes I wrote down (I also like to keep track of good quotes).

Some like digital journals while other prefer physical ones since they can carry it anywhere they go. When buying a physical journal, I would recommend you to choose something that will last you a couple of years. Usually, you can get some at around 20$ that are sturdy and of quality enough to last.

What is your favorite journal?