TheLeaderInside.com

Although the idea for this article came from one of my favorite newsletters, I have done quite a rework of it. However, since I’ll be quoting from it to some extent — I feel as though I’d better give credit where credit is due. It’s not really a reprint, but this is where I got the idea …

Reprinted with permission from Kickstart Today by Martin Avis www.kickstartdaily.com

How many things do you do a certain way today because your mother, or a friend, or a business associate taught you to do them that way?

Do you believe that doing those things that certain way is based on true fact, or is it just second-hand information that has been passed down to you?

In his newsletter, Martin tells this story … it’s a great story and one that I’ve heard several times before …

We humans are so easy to program. Those things that we learn over the years are so often accepted as gospel. All those little behavior patterns that we use in our lives, both in business and in our personal world are, for the most part, patterns we learned from someone else — and if we were to investigate further — the person we learned them from also learned them from someone else, and so on down the line.

As Martin points out in his article, one of the old “standbys” in the business world is “The customer is always right!” But is that true? Does that still apply today? Aren’t there times when the customer is absolutely dead wrong? Wouldn’t it be better to say, “The customer you want to keep is always right”? There are some people out there who will drive you nuts with their unreasonable demands on your time and patience. You would probably not want to keep them around.

When we adopt someone else’s habit or pattern without questioning whether it makes sense, we have allowed ourselves to be programmed. We truly didn’t learn anything.

Plus, as that story about the roast points out, it wastes an awful lot of meat!

Take a look at those things that you do because you’ve always done them — or because someone else has always done them. Analyze them to see if those ways are the best ways. Is there another way to tackle the same thing that might take less effort — or less time — or less money?

It could be that the way you were taught was the best way at some time in the past, but if it isn’t the “best” way today — if there is a “better” way and you choose not to adopt a change for yourself, you’re not only stuck in a rut — you’re probably stuck in someone else’s rut.

~~~ DBL-R

Hopw often have you shied away from saying the words, “I don’t know” when you are asked a question? Did you ever stop to realize that there is a certain wisdom in not knowing?

Let’s face it — no one knows everything. There’s always room for us to learn more. There’s always room in the glass for one more drop.

Even the famous people that have mastered the areas of mathematics, literature, psychology, art and yoga don’t know everything there is to know about their area of expertise.

Only when you are able to realize that you may not know as much as people may think you know, will you be able to find room in your “glass” for one more drop. There’s a sort of “freedom” in being able to say, “I don’t know the answer to that”. Once we admit to that, we automatically open up the opportunity to learn.

Have you come across anyone in your life who was a “know-it-all” type? Were you comfortable with them? People can actually end up appearing more foolish when they act as if they know something that they don’t.

It is wise to show great respect for people who admit they don’t know something. They are expressing an honesty to you. Admitting to not knowing is when you open new doors to the unknown — when you can start a journey into new levels of understanding.

The next time you “don’t know” — don’t fake it — don’t act like you do know — just shrug and say, “I really don’t know — but I’d sure like to learn the answer!”

~~~ DBL-R

It happens that I am a true believer of the fact that we do get “signals” from some source outside of us. We sometimes refer to this as “intuition” — or we might call it the “universe” — or perhaps, “God” — or maybe “sixth sense”. The point of this article is about those “red flags” we often get in our daily lives. These sources of ours, whatever they’re called, not only try to provide for our needs, they also seek to protect us from dangerous situations, destructive relationships, and even minor inconveniences.

As we go about our business — making leadership decisions — and decisions in our personal lives — we will sense these psychic red flags trying to warn us of a potential problem. Sometimes we’re aware of them — sometimes we ignore them — sometimes they are no more than a feeling that “something isn’t right”.

These warnings are trying to get us to stop and think — to wait a moment and perhaps to reconsider an action we’re about to take. We’re not paranoid or just imagining things. If you doubt the validity of these red flags, I recommend that you look back in your life to times when you did have these warning signs. Remember whether you listened to them or not, and what the results were. You’ll usually find that the warning was valid. It is rare that these red flags are false intuition.

It is always the wisest path to pay attention to the warnings. If you find yourself with these feelings of “something being off”, recognize that as a signal that the universe is trying to tell you something. Red flags are intended with our best interests at heart. No harm can ever come from stopping long enough to heed a red flag. Take a second to look at the decision you’re about to make, keeping in mind that the universe is always looking out for you.

~~~ DBL-R