How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

If you have ever been in London I am sure you have noticed the blue commemorating plaques they put up on houses where best selling authors, composers or famous scientists either were born or used to live in. Last time I was in London I walked past the house of Charles Dickens for example. Now, if one was written for you today what would it say? If not happy with the answer what would you like them write on the blue plaque commemorating your life?

On Service And Reward

You tend to get in life what you put in. It is a fair value exchange process. You basically get rewarded for the service you provide others. If you are not happy with the reward you receive, increase the level of service. Radio personality and motivational speaker Earl Nightingale said: "We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service."

Decisive Decision Making

Develop a sense of urgency and become known for speed. Keep the pace up in your decision making processes! Inertia; the law of momentum will come to your aid. Don't worry too much about making mistakes every once in a while. We all do sometimes and waiting to make a decision is probably the biggest mistake of all. It is easier to steer and self-correct in a vehicle moving forward rather than one standing still, if necessary.

Consider Opportunity Cost

Opportunity cost is the cost (sacrifice) incurred by choosing one option over the next best alternative. Thus, opportunity cost is the cost of pursuing one choice instead of another. Every action has an opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is not restricted to monetary or financial costs: the real cost of output forgone, lost time, pleasure or any other benefit that provides utility should also be considered.

Don't Interpret Or Judge

Don't interpret, judge or condemn what other are saying to you. This is difficult as we all carry our preconceived notions and ideas into every conversation. Let the other party define and explain their own value judgments. For example, what does a customer mean when he says: "I need quick delivery, good support and high quality."? How quick, how good, how high? There is only one way to find out; ask!

Listen Louder

The art of active listening is high in demand and sometimes very short in supply. Studies point out that parents listen to their children on average seven seconds (!!!) per day. If we listened more intently I am sure we would benefit in our communication amongst adults and children alike. The young daughter of a friend of mine once told him: "Dad, you need to listen louder!" That is actually pretty good advice for all of us. Let's try it!

Impulse Control And Achievement

In an interesting marshmallow experiment conducted by Stanford University, impulse control was tested on a group four year olds, by giving them one piece of candy, offering a second piece if they could just wait for twenty minutes before eating the first one. Some kids could, others could not. Years later the children were tested for scholastic achievement and it was found that the kids with better impulse control had far better grades. The ability to delay gratification is one of the keys to success.