If you are a regular reader of this newsletter you know I’m not interested in being “normal” or thinking like the majority – whether that be politicians, theologians, educators, fashion guides or food buffs.
Just because something is common or popular certainly doesn’t mean it’s the best. In fact, usually the reverse is true. Remember, even a dead fish can move with the current. If you’ve gotten caught up in the bad news and the belief that we are all doomed, you’re probably trying to convince others to your way of thinking. And juxtaposed to that, if you are a beacon of hope, then you are surely sharing your belief in a better tomorrow. I trust you have chosen to be a carrier of enthusiasm and optimism.
*************************** "We must dare to think “unthinkable” thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome and not fear the voices of dissent." -- J. William Fulbright, educator, legislator
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Be careful who you allow to influence your thinking and actions!
In the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki tells the story of the Hawaiian Black Crabs. If you go down to the beach early in the morning you can easily find black crabs. You just toss them in your bucket and continue walking on the beach. Now those crabs start thinking, “We are bumping around in this little bucket making a lot of noise but going nowhere.”
Eventually, one crab looks up and thinks, “There’s a whole new world up there. If I could just get my foot up over the edge, I could get out, get my freedom and explore the world in my own way.” So he stretches up, pushes a little, and sure enough, gets one foot over the edge. But just as he is about to tip the balance and go over the edge --- a crab from the bottom of the bucket reaches up and pulls him back down. Instead of encouraging him and seeing how they could help each other get to freedom one by one, they pull anyone attempting back down into that confining bucket where nothing but a boiling pot of water is waiting for them. Nobody in that bucket is going to end up a winner.
Unfortunately, that’s not an uncommon picture of the world in which we live and work. Many of us live around a bunch of Black Crabs, ready to ridicule any new idea we have and just as eager to pull us back down to their level of performance. Small thinkers find it much easier to tell you why something won’t work than to help you find a solution. People who feel trapped and are struggling at a low level of success are seldom the ones who will cheer you on to a new endeavor. Prejudice and bigotry are rooted in the same mentality – people who somehow feel better about their own miserable existence by pulling others down.
I have found that one of the key characteristics of successful people is that they hang around people who are already performing at the level at which they want to perform.
In Killers of the Dream, Lillian Smith wrote, “We in America – and men across the earth – have trapped ourselves with that word equality, which is inapplicable to the genus man. I wish we would forget it. Stop its use in our country: Let the communists have it. It isn’t fit for men who fling their dreams across the skies. It is fit only for a leveling down of mankind.”
There will always be naysayers and whiners; avoid them. Avoid the Black Crabs around you. Find winners and spend time with them! Even the Bible warns us:
“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25
Who are the Black Crabs in your life? How can you avoid them or move on?
In a workshop this last week, we were hearing from the many participants who were recently “released” from their jobs. The terms for being “let go” became themselves the center of attention as we moved around the room. It seems no one just plain gets “fired” anymore in this politically correct work environment.
In 1980 a person got “fired.” By 1985 it was “laid off.” In 1990 it became “downsized.” Now a person can be “rightsized,” “ restructured,” “ reorganized,” “reengineered” or “put in the mobility pool.” I hear that many people are being freed up to “pursue other opportunities.” In this computer age, some people are being “uninstalled” and receiving their termination notices via e-mail. I’m continually amazed at the fancy words for getting people in the front door and the euphemisms for sending people out the back door continue to grow in creativity as well.
Is it surprising that morale is often low for the remaining employees who realize that their workload has tripled, their salary has remained the same, and they are the “lucky” ones to still be around after all the smart ones took the “buy-out” package and immediately got better jobs elsewhere? Now we have to redefine “lucky.”
I asked our readers to submit terms they have encountered: Here are just a few of the best:
Released to the market place to better achieve your goals
My husband and I work for a ministry. Last week we were told to "transfer" somewhere else. Of course they didn't give us anywhere to go either. In other words, we don't need you anymore after 20 years of service. The reason "It will help your spiritual growth". Whatever that means!
My former company used the term "impacted". I was told that my position had
been "impacted".
My sister was told about the poor economic conditions and the downturn in tourism. She was informed she was NOT being terminated or laid off. However, her supervisor informed her that her scheduled work hours "were being reduced to zero". WHEW! At least she wasn't laid off!
My company calls it Evolving. A person is not fired, they are evolved. That means put on a new opportunity which the company thinks there is no chance of winning. Then when the contract is not won, the person has to leave because the business just was not there to support them.
I was told they were "restructuring" and that the new "structure" did not include me. I had been downsized, but that I should take notice (like it was a good thing) it says "Reduction In Force" on my official pink slip. I guess that was their nice way of saying I was eligible for unemployment compensation.
I tell folks I was DIVORCED from the company, because they sent me away with money and it was an end to our relationship. People seem to readily accept divorce these days.
In the "dismissal" letter I got it was written, "due to declining enrollment and increasing expenses, we are forced to dismiss all 'expendable' personnel." To me it was a slap in the face to think that the dedication and enthusiasm I had brought to this institution, as a student and employee, was 'expendable'.
I was told I was being “made available to the industry.”
As a programmer/analyst for a large bank, I was invited to 'participate in the bank's employee-reduction initiative' last April.
I work for a large electronic retailer, and no one gets fired here, they just get "promoted to customer."
James H. Kennedy, publisher of “Executive Recruiter News,” lists even more of the latest terms in use:
Wow – I get tired just reading through all of those. If you’ve been on the receiving end of one of these terms, the only question is, what are you doing to move forward? One lady shared that in her mind she had been given the “grace of interruption.” Now there’s a term that implies peace and renewal.
Welcome to 48 Days radio where each week I look through the submitted questions and then blast through as many as possible right here to give you the unique tools for your own success.
I want to give you a gift. If you are a regular listener of this podcast, would you please take 3 minutes to complete a survey that will help us know the make-up of the podcast crowd. Podcast Listener Survey -- Thanks
In answering the first question I borrowed from Darryl Worley’s new country song – Sounds Like Life to me.
I followed my passion and dreams and started an IT business in April. Since then life has happened in the form of our son who was born prematurely and required 2 months in a hospital. As a result of the stress and the business not going well, I have become lost. I feel like I have no passion for much of anything anymore, what can I do to become creative and passionate again?
I have a passion for helping people with their marriages and family relationships. I would like to focus on premarital counseling, marriage enrichment and teaching parenting techniques. For the past year I have been torn between pursuing a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, which I began this past spring, and venturing into marriage & family coaching. Is the financial and opportunity cost of a Masters degree worth continuing or should I start moving into coaching?
I love this next question – and it touches on a gold mine available to most any of us.
Being an avid reader, I came across an old book in my collection that was given to me by my mother on my wedding day. The copyright in the book is 1902 and the content of the book could very well be valuable today as when it was first written. I checked online and the company that published the book is apparently no longer. I hear you talk from time to time about books in the public domain and wonder if this falls under that umbrella. If so, how do I go about putting together an e-book or paperback to sell using this book's information?
I’d like to subscribe to your podcasts, but prefer not to have to sit listening to my computer. Perhaps an MP3 player? Well, I find that I miss too much of what’s going on around me if I’ve got ear buds stuck in my ears. Would it be possible to subscribe to a transcript of the podcast, so that I could read it at my leisure?
What are five tips on how to have the courage to start my own business?
(Here are my 5 tips:
Recognize “risk” is the sense that you are not in control. Preparation reduces risk dramatically.
Start with your passion – build the business idea around that.
Share your ideas with everyone. No one succeeds alone. Find people whose skills complement your own.
Recognize that enthusiasm is contagious. Your enthusiasm will act as a talent and money magnet.
Create a clear plan in advance. You can’t hit a target you can’t see.
*************************** If you have a question, just email me at askdan@48Days.com and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
And you can click the link below to listen to this week’s broadcast immediately – no downloading – no wait.
Coaching with Dan
Many of you ask if I still coach people individually. Yes, I do. Feel like you've taken too much time to get to the success you want? Is fear holding you back? These are common issues with the hundreds of people that contact us each month looking for a new start. Give us some brief information and I'll recommend one of my coaching packages or recommend one of the other coaches in our 48 Days network to launch you into the next successful season of your life: Coaching with Dan
*************************** National Bologna Day is October 24th
Yep – there really is a National Bologna Day. And yes, this is in celebration of the cheap meat that is made from “low-value scraps” according to the dictionary. But then sometimes we need to be reminded of the simple things in life. Not everything needs to change. Alan Jackson has a new song titled I Still Like Bologna. Click on the video link to hear him compare bologna to some other good things we need to hang on to.
*************************** Six-figure income? Here’s an “opportunity” for a big income if you don’t mind a little blood, deadly chemicals and decomposed bodies. All you need is a strong stomach and a Hazmat suit. Crime-scene cleaner
*************************** 48Days.net
At 48Days.net you’ll see over 4000 other excited people who have ideas – and plans to make 2010 their best year ever. If you want your life to be different in 2010, get involved with people who are on the same path. There is no cost – just lots of people who are committed to helping each other succeed.
**************************** What sets you apart from the other Black Crabs?
Don't put your time in an area that doesn't even "fit" you.
The most popular resource we have continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. With your unique strengths, what kind of work should you be doing?" You can find out here.
"Tis easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows like a song. But the man worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong." -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small." -- Proverbs 24:10
"A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities." -- Charles De Gaulle
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Confucius
"There are many in this old world of ours who hold that things break about even for all of us. I have observed for example that we all get the same amount of ice. The rich get it in the summertime and the poor get it in the winter." Bat Masterson
Don't put your time in an area that doesn't even "fit" you.
