There must be something about me and whatever vibe that I display that says to people, “please tell me what you really think about me!” I say that, because folks have always felt pretty comfortable giving me unasked for advice. I wish that I had a dollar for every time someone has said that I needed to take their supplements, or products and my adult weight loss would be corrected immediately. But clearly I’ve got a problem with tiered, multi-level marketing programs. #NoteToSelf
Back to the advice. I’ve had folks tell me how I should comb my hair, what colors to never wear, and that I’m way too fat to sit while I teach…well just bless their heart. #PeopleCanBeCruel. After the multitudes of advice, I thought I might applaud the five best pieces of advice that I have ever received. Here they are:
- Stop thinking out loud! I have a bad habit of thinking out loud without context. When I do that, I can lead people into action and activity without thinking that I have done anything. Lesson: Think and complete your thought internally before you start sharing publicly. Or, be clear that you are thinking out loud and you are looking for collaboration, not affirmation.
- Never assume that you are the brightest person in every room. There are supposed to be places where you simply learn from people rather than leading them. Lesson: Cultivate a willingness to learn…even if it is what not to do.
- Be sure that you read, and then read some more. The only people that do not read are people that are lazy, or unable to read, easily. For the latter, we have audiobooks. For the former, laziness in our personal, spiritual and leadership development will create a rapid arrival of your Peter Principle. Lesson: Choose to read what you like for 20 minutes each day until it becomes a healthy habit. Read novels, history, leadership, theology, the Bible. But whatever you do – READ! After reading for 20 minutes each day for 365 days, you will have read at least 20 books.
- Choose to make three things an essential part of your morning routine. 1) Review and plan your day again (once the night before and once in the morning.) 2) Write down what you are grateful for and never commit to the next step of your day until you do. And 3) MEDITATE!!!!!!!!! Use quietude, solitude, Scripture reading and prayer as your point of focus and centering your heart, mind and soul on what matters most! Lesson: These are cannot fail solutions to most of our stress points and anxiety levels. My life has radically changed, for the better when I committed to these as a daily routine!
- Never whine, never trust a whiner and never hang out with a whiner. Whiners will suck the very life out of good relationships, poison relationships beyond repair and leave you in a whiny pile of poop that smells like whine! Whiners never leave a positive, lasting imprint, but they always leave a trail of dead hopes, dreams and possibilities. Lesson: When you start whining, ask yourself this question? How does the person I am whining to feel right now? OUCH!
There you go. My best 5 pieces of advice, or at least the ones that stuck.
Peace, AChuck
