Knowledge is Power - Or is It?

“Knowledge is Power.” -Francis Bacon

Knowledge by itself means nothing if you don’t do anything with it. If you know how to cure cancer but don't do anything with that information - what good is it to you or the world?

“In all this it is key to understand that to be a leader, you have to do more than sit in a corner knowing what’s right but never expressing that knowledge or using it to fix wrongs in meaningful ways, by actually doing something about it.
And you should follow the same pattern when you’ve been wrong - be wrong in the right ways: be wrong because you were boldly standing for what you believed in, and rush in with boldness to make things right again when you realize you are in error.”
-Page 77 of “ Revolutionary Leadership” by LIFE Leadership

It Pays To Plan Ahead

Whenever you’re in a situation where you desperately want something to occur, you’re setting yourself up to be taken advantage of.

“People who plan ahead will never be at the mercy of those who don’t.”
-Claude Hamilton

How many times have you sold an item for far less than you originally intended just because you needed the sale?
On the flip-side of things, you will always get the best deals out of people who desperately want to sell you something.

While we can’t plan the unexpected, there are many things that we have control over. The better prepared we are, the less likely we’ll be on the losing side of a given situation.

Leadership Exposure

The great thing about leadership positions is that it exposes you to your faults. Of course, you can only do your best but being in the spotlight will make you prone to criticism from those around you.

For a leader, a bad decision is better than no decisions at all. Followers lookup to you and, for many, they won't move until you tell them where to go (because they assume you know what you're doing and they don't like making mistakes or being in the spotlight themselves). If you ever make a mistake in the process, you can be sure someone will point it out to you.

There was a time when I believed people would fight for leadership positions. Today I realize that not many wants to be a leader let alone are qualified for it.
This was made evident to me when the company I work for was looking for someone to take on additional responsibilities for the social committee. It felt like people were on a death sentence more so than anything else.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the perception that there is something far more important at stake."
-Robert Morrisette

I don't necessarily like to be in the spotlight but I have a burning desire to get things done and there's nobody around to take the bull by the horns - so I'll do it.

Relationship Value

I read a comment from a relationship article that I thought was interesting. Mr A was asking for advice on how to keep a relationship to which Mr B replied that in order for a partner to choose you, you must provide something of value. If all you can come up with is "I'm Nice" to the question "Why should someone choose you?" then there's your problem.
He then advised Mr A to travel, workout or learn a new skill that could add value to someone else's life.

Mr B is right; relationship is about selling yourself. Can we say we add value to someone else's life when we entertain ourselves excessively? Can we say we add value to someone else's life when we spend most of our time at work?
It's not enough to hangout with somebody and just hope for the best. As I once heard, "Love is a verb - it's something that you do". There needs to be something that's shared that can benefit both party. Can you sing? Can you cook? Can you talk about that funny thing that happened to you when you visited your grand-mother?

Are you prepared to make one of the biggest sales of your life?