You cannot add to the peace and good will of the world if you fail to create an atmosphere of harmony and love right where you live and work.  – Thomas Dreier

I was invited to be a guest of Live on Purpose Radio hosted by Dr. Paul, the “Shrink Who Expands Your life!”  It was good fun and for any of you who may be interested in listening in… below is the message he sent to me with links.

Kirk,    Here are the links to two of the shows you did.  They are actually two of our more popular shows!

http://www.liveonpurposeradio.com/radio/2007/11/20/thanksgiving-with-a-magic-t/

http://www.liveonpurposeradio.com/radio/2007/09/26/watch-your-language-flip-your-but/

Enjoy!

Paul H. Jenkins, Ph.D.

www.drpaul.org

Live On Purpose Radio

Good morning….

 I’m sitting here in total quiet… the whole family is still snoozing… so I will share my morning thoughts with you.  They are bit drafty and need revision but still …here we go.  

I woke up with a thought in my head for one of my presentations next week.  It has to do with how leaders (and everyone else) need to be willing to open themselves up to the greater possibilities of thier own potential and allow others to do the same. 

In order to do that they will most often have to let go of their current posistion or belief.  It doesn’t necessarily mean they must abandon it, but they may need to build on it… to let it and themselves grow into a better place, a higher place, a place of greater light.    So here is my quote for the  training.   

“Often it is not ignorance but education and the certainty of one’s posistion that prevents them from seeing the truth.”  Kirk Weisler

or how about this….  “It is often the unenlightened illusion of believing one knows it already that keeps them in the dark.”

 They both need work… feedback is welcome.  www.kirkweisler.com/t4d

Kirk Out

www.morebetterbooks.com

Miser-Ability ; one’s ability to make oneself miserable is something I have long wanted to write a book about.  My wife thinks its a great idea… my working title is called “How to be a totally miserable co-worker”.  My follow up will be “how to be a totally miserable teenager.   

On Monday a dear friend sent me this link to a clever video illustating 5 ways to be miserable.  Click here to view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOFKsvBn7oQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdrpaulsmpower%2Ewordpress%2Ecom%2F2009%2F03%2F27%2Ffive%2Dways%2Dto%2Dmisery%2F&feature=player_embedded

And if you need more than 5 will here are twenty  more!

1. Use “I” as often as possible.
2. Always be sensitive to slights.
3. Be jealous and envious.
4. Think only about yourself.
5. Talk only about yourself.
6. Trust no one.
7. Never forget criticism.
8. Always expect to be appreciated.
9. Be suspicious
10. Listen greedily to what others say about you.
11. Always look for faults in others.
12. Shirk your duties if you can.
13. Do as little as possible for others.
14. Never forget a service you may have rendered.
15. Sulk if people are not grateful for your favors.
16. Insist on consideration and respect.
17. Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
18. Always look for a good time.
19. Love yourself first.
20. Be selfish at all times.

Make it a miserable weekend or a great one!

Kirk

Chapter 3 of Gerbyshak’s “10 Ways to Make it Great” book is about the 80/20 Rule.

The 80/20 Rule also known as Pareto’s Principle.  The 80/20 Rule says that 20 percent of something always are responsible for 80 percent of the results. Twenty percent of the agents sell eighty percent of the properties; twenty percent of the products have eighty percent of the flaws. Quality Management pioneer, Dr. Joseph Juran, called the phenomenon “vital few and trivial many”. The article Pareto’s Principle - The 80-20 Rule explains the 80/20 Rule in more detail and tells how you can use it to more effectively manage many different aspects of your life.

About.com author John Reh says, “Use caution when you apply this principle. Remember it is a “principle” not a “law”, but it is a good way for managers to stay focused on the few important issues and not get lost in the volume of information and tasks that try to take over our days.” 

Gerbyshak in his “make it great” book invites the reader to review the rule, create a list of our activities and identify the 20% that generate the 80% of most desireable results.  Then to make sure that we spend most of our time focusing on those activities. 

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. 

The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”

– Earl Nightingale

Netflix Has Awakened My Movie Bug…

Last night I was watching one of my favorite movies from long ago… “THE ABYSS”.  It’s a wonderful film and unintentionally offers lots of opportunity for dialogue about leadership and management while under extreme pressure.  (Play on the word pressure is intended)   J

It’s also an incredibly engaging and entertaining movie and it didn’t take long before me and the three oldest were sucked in deep.  

At one point there is a bit of dialogue that got me racing for my leadership journal… I just had to write it down.  Here it goes… I could kill you with context…but will try to be brief.

They are really deep in the water in a life threatening situation that continues to deteriorate.  Lindsey, a member of the crew is outside the submersible making repairs when she has a prolonged close encounter with an alien being.  She manages to get a picture as it zips away into the Abyss but the picture doesn’t show anything but a swirl of light in darkness.

In the next scene she is showing the picture to the crew and trying to describe her spectacular and indescribable encounter.  There are a couple major problems she has in doing this.  The first is she has no words to describe something which is unlike anything she has ever seen or experienced.  The second problem is that the rest of the crew has a similar problem… they have never experienced anything that will allow them to comprehend or understand what she cannot describe.  

The result is a frustrating fragmented conversation that quickly deteriorates into people saying things like “What you probably saw was…” or “You’ve been under a lot of pressure…” as they try to make sense for themselves and her as to what she experienced.  

Others just make fun of it using humor as a way to move past the awkwardness of it all.  

And some, like the military guys with them, believe it is the Russians trying to take secrets or nuclear weapons off the downed submarine that they are close too.

None of them are getting it and the more she tries the more frustrating it is to Lindsey.  She really wants to be understood and believed.  Finally BUD, the team leader, sees that all of this is upsetting an already emotionally fragile crew and he pulls her aside to calm things down.  What follows are a few excerpts from their conversation.

BUD  the team leader says to her… “Tell us again what it is”

Lindsey - I am telling you what it is…you’re just not hearing me.”

BUD - Maybe you did see something maybe you didn’t

Lindsey - I DID SEE SOMETHING!

- Will you step into my office, please ?

- Certainly.               

I– Come here.   - Calm down , Linds.

- Oh, Bud, come on. Something really important is happening here.

- I’m trying to keep this situation under control.  I can’t allow you to create this kind of hysteria

- Who’s hysterical ?

- Nobody’s hysterical !   All I’m saying is, when you’re hanging’ on by your fingernails, you don’t go waving your arms around.

Look, I saw something. I’m not gonna say I didn’t see it when I did.

You are the most stubborn woman I ever knew.

Yes. I am.   But I need you to believe me right now. 

Come on, look at me.  Am I stressed out ?  You know me better than anybody in the world.                 

Now watch my lips.   I saw these things.

I touched one of them,   and it wasn’t some clunky steel can like we would build.  It glided.

It was the most beautiful thing  I’ve ever seen.           

Oh, God, I wish you’d been there.                

It was a machine — It was a machine, but it was alive.

It was like a–  like a dance of light.                 

Please. You have to trust me.         

Now, I don’t think they mean us any harm. I don’t know how I know that.  It’s just a feeling.

I’m supposed to go on a feeling ?

How can I ? You think Coffey’s gonna go on a feeling ?

Well, we all see  what we wanna see.                  

Coffey looks,  and he sees Russians.  He sees hate and fear 

You have to look with better eyes than that.

So what are we to do then? 

Well the next time someone begins to get frustrated with us because we just can’t seem to “get it” …perhaps we can step back for a moment  remember that to even begin to see what another person sees will require more than listening with better ears…. We may need to look with better eyes.  Only then may we be able to stop seeing just what we understand and what makes sense to us… and begin to see and catch the vision of their experience so we can share in their understanding.

I probably really mucked that up…but I hope that it made some kinda sense to you guys.

 Kirk Out

I thought we might start the week with some humor.   If you don’t need humor just inspiration then skip to the end.

Here are some sayings that should be on buttons.  (I’ve highlighted my favorites…what are yours?)

• 1. Well, this day was a total waste of make-up.

• 2. Make yourself at home! Clean my kitchen.

• 3. Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?

• 4. Don’t bother me. I’m living happily ever after.

• 5. I started out with nothing and still have most of it left.

• 6. I pretend to work. They pretend to pay me.

• 7. If I throw a stick, will you leave?

• 8. You! Off my planet!

• 9. Therapy is expensive - popping bubble wrap is cheap. You choose.

• 10. Practice random acts of intelligence and senseless acts of self-control.

• 11. Bottomless pit of needs and wants.

• 12. First Bank of Dad. Sorry, closed.

• 13. Friendly checkout clerk. Thanks for keeping me that way.

• 14. Does your train of thought have a caboose?

• 15. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.

• 16. And your crybaby, whiny opinion would be…?

• 17. I’m not crazy. I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 30 years.

• 18. If only you’d use your powers for good instead of evil….

• 19. I majored in liberal arts. Will that be for here or to go?

• 20. Allow me to introduce my selves.

• 21. Sarcasm is just one more service we offer.

• 22. Whisper my favorite words: “I’ll buy it for you.”

• 23. Better living through denial.

• 24. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.

• 25. Adult child of alien invaders.

• 26. Suburbia: where they tear out the trees and then name streets after them.

• 27. Do they ever shut up on your planet?

• 28. I’m just working here until a good fast-food job opens up.

• 29. I’m trying to imagine you with a personality.

• 30. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.

• 31. Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.

• 32. Here I am! Now what are your other two wishes?

• 

• 33. I can’t remember if I’m the good twin or the evil one.

• 34. Don’t worry, I forgot your name too.

• 35. Adults are just kids who owe money.

• 36. I just want revenge. Is that so wrong?

• 37. Can I trade this job for what’s behind Door #2?

• 38. Macho law prohibits me from admitting I’m wrong.

• 39. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?

• 40. Not all people are annoying. Some are dead.

• 41. Too many freaks; not enough circuses.

• 42. Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

• 43. Earth is full. Go home!

• 44. Is it time for your medication or mine?

• 45. And which dwarf are you?

• 46. I refuse to star in your psychodrama.

• 47. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.

• 48. How do I set a laser printer to “stun?”

• 49. I’m not tense, just terribly, terribly alert.

• 

Now a few inspirational quotes…..

 A positive attitude will not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.–Herm Albright

 If everything is under control, you’re going too slow.   –Mario Andretti

 We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.–Aristotle

 You cannot get ahead while you’re getting even.–Dick Armey

 It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.   –Yogi  Berra

If you have a family member that is into Magic… then I have a wonderfully illustrated magical book for you to consider.

The AMAZING ALEXANDER… click here to learn more.

Make it a great day!

Kirk

The most important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one’s work seriously and taking one’s self seriously. The first is imperative, and the second disastrous.   ~– Margaret Fontey

And if you get this, you’ll much more fun to work and live with too!  Kirk Out

   Next week I’ll be working on an action item from the 3rd chapter of “10 Ways to Make it Great” - “Using the 80/20 Rule as a Key to Your Success”.   I invite all of you who have your own copy to join with me… let’s get this one done.

     Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.   — Anonymous

In world that is roaring so loudly with cynicism, chaos and corruption… we can roar back quietly with courage commitment and conviction.  ~ Kirk Weisler

“Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances - but to everyone all the time.”  Thomas J. Watson  1874-1956, Founder of IBM

I remember someone telling me something like… “You can tell alot about a person by the way they treat people that they believe can’t do anything for them in return.”

 

I remember reading this really cool article in USA Today about how some CEO’s take potential hires out to lunch for the purpose of observing how they treat the waiter.  Here is the title and link.  CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2006-04-14-ceos-waiter-rule_x.htm