ARE YOU ALWAYS A TEAM PLAYER? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 171

The words "team player" are used a lot.........not only in sports but in business, in volunteer groups, in communities.  Often times I have thought that men would be more apt to be familiar with that term and to actually behave as team players because of growing up playing sports.  When I was growing up other than gym class there were few opportunities for girls to play sports.  Of course, that has all changed and girls are as active in sports as boys.  Hopefully, that will introduce them to being "team players."

In a family, marriage, business, or sports we are better off if we understand how to function as part of a team.  The responsibility for the success of anything is usually distributed among all of the participants.  It may not always be spread equally based on seniority, position held, or ownership but still members do share in the outcomes.

In my career I like to think I was a team player much of the time, but in truth there were times when the risks were great and the ultimate responsibility was mine.  In those instances I obtained feedback from all the various staff members and evaluated it before making a decision.  Sometimes I disagreed with their feedback and explained that it would be my "neck on the line" so while I respected their opinions I had decided to

DO IT MY WAY!

Remember that sometimes you also may need to do that.  It is not typical pulling rank but rather making a decision that if you are going down you are going down under your own decision.

CAN YOU BE TRUSTED? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 159

In the current political mess there appear to be many untruthful people running our country, and they are not limited to one party.  It makes me sick at heart to realize that we the people no longer know whom to trust or whom to follow.  In the celebrity world there is a well-publicized lack of trust and fidelity between couples; and this is too often also true in the lives of non-celebrities.  Men parent children and then feel no obligation to support, love and care for those children.  Women trust men to mean what they say and end up as single parents struggling for years to raise their children.

In business there are lifetime guarantees given for products and services that may not last five years.  Who in their right mind believes there is any longer such a thing as a lifetime guarantee?  Companies start up and go out of business without so much as a word to the customers who trusted them.  Bernie Maidoff was not the only swindler; there are more scam artists, identity thieves and felons than we can count.  Hit and run accidents have reached an all-time high because the people behind the wheels cannot be trusted to do the right thing.  They think nothing of leaving their victims on the streets to die.  People in positions of authority who should be trustworthy molest the most innocent among us.  Lies and money protect parents, priests, pastors, teachers, athletic coaches, scout leaders and other volunteers who work with children.

People make promises and lie when they do not keep them.  Children are taught to lie because if they tell the truth too often they receive such harsh punishment that they are afraid to speak the truth.  Fraud and cheating are rampant in every facet of our lives and at every age.  There are politicians, doctors, nurses, lawyers, judges, mayors, city council members, military personnel, ceo's, presidents, managers, supervisors, employees, co-workers, colleagues, school board members, school superintendents, professors, deans, teachers, students, nannies, babysitters, housekeepers, neighbors, and friends who lie.  How did we get to be such a society?  Is it just greed?  Is it not a failure to be held responsible or accountable for our own behavior?

I would be wrong to say there are NO trustworthy people, but when I was growing up the majority of the people were honest, hardworking, and knew if they lied there would be consequences.  Now perhaps the majority are liars, and they experience few if any consequences.

The world would be a better place and life easier to live if all people were truthful.  If people had been created like the storybook character Pinocchio there would be a world full of long noses, and we would be certain of who is lying and who is not.  Integrity is a wonderful trait to have because the truth does not change.  You do not have to worry about remembering because facts don't change.

The solution is an easy one, and it starts when you make the decision for yourself and your children to always

TELL THE TRUTH!

ARE YOU STAYING STRONG? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 154

There are days when I feel as if the world is spinning out of control, and that unless I keep hanging on tightly I will be flung out into space.  This feeling comes because it seems so many things which should be easy to deal with or accomplish have become difficult due to bureaucracy, stupidity, incompetence, unemployment, or technology.

What are you trying to do?  Start a business?  Save a relationship? Be a good parent? Pursue your life's dream? Deal with your own illness or that of a loved one?  Are you discouraged for any reason?  Are you thinking you won't realize your objective or have the opportunity to live your dream?  Are you feeling you will never find a job in your field at the salary level you need?  Are you afraid that the outcome will not be that for which you are hoping?

It is so easy to find so many things wrong in the world today, but I encourage you to focus on the positive rather than the negative.  Talk to yourself, and think positively even when you don't  feel like it.  Hang around with positive people rather than naysayers, and determine what you can do about the issue and do it.  Most important

REFUSE TO GIVE UP!

WHEN DO YOU RELAX? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 147

Do you ever get totally wrapped up in family or personal matters, business commitments, volunteer duties, and just life in general so you feel as if you are spinning in circles or even out of control.  I know I can allow myself to  get into that predicament.  Try to reel yourself in and think of all that is right in your life, of all that is important but not critical to that day, of what you actually must do yourself or what can be done by someone else.  When you do that you are able to realize that you are not spinning anymore, and you can take a huge deep breath, relax, and tell yourself

ALL IS WELL!

ARE YOU PUTTING OFF HAPPINESS? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 137

Sometimes we put off more things than we should.  We think the time is not right.  We think we cannot afford it.  We worry about what others will think or say.  We think the current status of our life, career, family or business is not yet where or what we want it to be.  We think we have not yet achieved enough success or made enough progress.  Well, truth be told we should not wait to acknowledge and appreciate where we are in the present moment.

We should not wait too long.  There may not be a better time.  We should step out in faith and

CELEBRATE NOW!

DO YOU SHY AWAY FROM COMMITMENTS? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 31

The words "afraid of commitment" or "commitment-phobic" are typically used to describe a person in a romantic relationship.  That is not why I selected the title for today's blog post.  Throughout our lives we are faced with situations and opportunities that require commitment.  Many people are leery of making any type of commitment for fear things may not work out or that something better will come along for them.  What they refuse to accept is that when things do not work out it is not the end of the word.  It is just an opportunity to start anew.

Are you a deliberate person?  Are you a wishy-washy person?  Are you a confident person?  Are you a late bloomer?  Are you a spectator or a participant in life?  Whether talking about personal relationships, friendships, hobbies, volunteer work, businesses, or career paths it is good to take a stand and commit to something.

Today's message is:

Be intentional.

 

WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 24

Everyone needs to take breaks from business, from home, from blogging, from life................if you want to feel invigorated and happier then take a break and

Go out dancing!

Whether you go to a club, a ballroom, a block party, or just to your own living room...........listening to music and moving to the music will refresh you and cheer you.............try it.  If you don't like to dance or you think you are not a good dancer, no problem.  You don't have to be a great dancer...... just sway or bounce or step to the beat of the music you love.................

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN - CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 11

Are you one of the people who hesitates to make any changes in your life for fear of the unknown?  From my own experience I know that feeling.  I stayed in a marriage longer than I should have because the known was unpleasant but not as scary to me as the unknown.  Finally when things got much worse I decided that no matter what happened in the future it could not be any worse than what I was experiencing right then.

Now when contemplating changes I ask myself, "What is the worst that can happen?"  If I can deal with that then I can deal with anything between my present situation and that so I move forward and make the change.

In life, in business, or in love.............we must be willing to take risks..............so today's message is

Take a chance!