Ultimately Good to Great

I started out slow as a writer.  It almost never happened.  But with tenacity and diligence the skill has come into its own.  Along the way I’ve written a few weak blogs, some lousy paragraphs and have misspelled a few words.

But that is part of the deal.  I continue to pay a price for whatever measure of success will eventually come.

And you too.

Seth Godin says this:  “People who are good in the long run fail a lot, especially at the beginning.”

Has your work and best effort been rejected?  That is only an opportunity to do better work.  Figure out what went wrong and fix it next time.

Ultimately you’ll go from good to great.

As Seth says, “The long run is a lot longer than the start.”

P Michael Biggs

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Hope Smiles

Hope smiles …

In the kind word of a spouse

In a bottle of the right meds

In an email from a long-time friend

Hope smiles …

In the ray of sunshine

In the words of a great book

In a firm handshake

Hope smiles …

In a smartly dressed applicant

In a gesture of grace from a policeman

In a doctor’s reassuring words

Does hope smile through you?

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Investing in Others

This post is all about others.

It involves belief before someone proves him/herself.

It means spending time to develop and nurture another.

It means teaching them the secrets of the kingdom and you relinquish control.

It means placing value on one who has thus far proved valueless.

It means perhaps growing a person to be greater than you.

Do you dare invest in others?

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Positive Emotional Support

Just how important is positive emotional support or a word that says “I believe in you”?

Consider this.

During WWII, a tactic used by the North Korean army was to deprive American soldiers of emotional support.  They accomplished this by sowing a spirit of “it’s not my job” among the soldiers in their care.  One they broke through in this way, they could get the American boys to turn on one another and abandon any spirit of comradery that formerly existed among them.  Once 40 men watched as 3 of their prison mates were thrown out of their mud hut and left to die in the elements.  They said, “It’s not my job.”

Another tactic was to withhold a supportive letter from home while delivering overdue bills from collection agencies and letters of sad news, family break-up and illness.

This had a devastating effect.  The prisoners had nothing for which to live. 

There is great value in a well-placed word of hope, an affirming hand on one’s shoulder and an encouraging word of “you’re going to make it; I believe in you, we’ll get through this together”.

“Positive” is the key word here.

P Michael Biggs

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Grow to Become

What are you growing up to be?  Interesting question.  Here’s my story.

~Born in a small town in Tennessee - population 6,500

~We paid one cent for twelve minutes parking in town.

~A few times each year we made an occasional trip to Nashville.

Did everybody pay a nickel for an hour’s worth of parking?  Did the rest of the world speak with a slow southern drawl and have funny expressions?

Time passed.  I grew. 

I learned more skills, met more people, saw more sights and expanded my thinking.  Learning happened.  In time we grew to become more …

Here is what J.K. Rowling says about this.

“It matters not what someone 

is born, but what they grow to be.”

~J.K. Rowling from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

What are you growing to be?

(For the record – I am very proud of my hometown and my roots.  That was a launching pad for everything that followed.) 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Attitude

Attitude is always a player on your team.  It goes beyond positive attitude verses negative attitude. 

Attitude gets into …

  Trust of self and others

    Belief in the job at hand

      Willingness to do what it takes

        Willingness to cooperate or not

Attitude is HUGE!

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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What Do You Do about That

Oprah was raped at age nine.  Look what she did about that.  She’s a multi-millionaire and a household name.

Bill Gates didn't complete his university education.  He’s one of the richest men in America.

Tony Blair, former PM of Great Britain, once said his teachers used to call him a failure.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison.  He became a respected world change agent and leader.

All have a tragic incident to tell.  All rose above those incidents and made something of themselves.

What do you do about your story?

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Books

Books affect people.

They transport you to faraway places.

 They introduce you to interesting people.

  They take you on adventures.

They take you to the brink of death and back. 

 They teach you things.

  They make your heart beat faster.

They put you to sleep.

 They add to your life.

  They change you.

They enlighten you.

 They make you think.

  They open your imagination.

Books are good for you.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Happy

We are all in pursuit of happy.  Where exactly is it found?  Disneyland claims the phrase as “The Happiest Place on Earth”. 

So are we only happy when at Disney? 

I don’t think so.  Note this.

“Real happiness comes from inside.

Nobody can give it to you.”

~Sharon Stone

We all know how the rat race works.  We say and think …

When I get that dream job, then I’ll be happy.

When I move into that dream house, then I’ll be happy.

When I have three million in my retirement account, then I’ll be happy.

And do we ever reach “happy” when these things come our way?

Usually not.  For we move the bar up a notch and aim for our next happy possession.

I really do believe “happy” is an inside job.  I like living in the moment, making special moments, enjoying the sunset, or the strawberry shortcake, or holding CB’s hand. 

I am happy when experiencing life’s precious moments. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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