Technology and Relationships

How much of your day is spent looking at some sort of screen? Computer, television, smart phone, tablet, repeat (in any order).

I cannot for a second claim that the schedule of my average day is not similarly organized. Technology and the use of technology have become so pervasive in our everyday lives that is it almost impossible to think about how we would go about our business without it.

I must point out that you are reading this on some sort of screen at the moment, in case you hadn’t already realized. Technology allows us to accomplish wonderful things, particularly with information and information sharing.

I would just like to point out some of the benefits of escaping the world of technology, a least for a few minutes a day. The world of technology, as wonderful as it is, can also be very crowded, noisy, distracting, and it can occasionally move at so rapid a pace as to cause (whether you recognize it or not) sensory overload.

Human beings were designed to be social creatures. We need to interact positively with those around us daily – our happiness literally depends on it. The relationships we have with others, including our families, should be our most prized possessions. Without them, we suffer. With destructive ones, we can suffer even more.

Taking a few minutes per day, to clear your schedule of distractions and to instead spend your time interacting with your family or friends, and building positive relationships, can bestow enormous blessings. These relationships can do for you things that technology will never be able to.

In employing my own advice, I have found this to be the case. I am happy to be able to use technology to accomplish things that just a few decades ago would have been considered impossible. I am even happier to have deep, meaningful relationships with my friends and my family.

It only takes a few minutes per day.

A note about Life and Work

I recently saw a film about an 85 year old Japanese man who is still gets up and goes to work every day. Not only that, he gets up every morning and is ecstatic to just to have the opportunity. He is happy to be alive.

His name is Jiro Ono and he is arguably the best Sushi chef in the world.

In one of the many candid moments depicted in the film, Jiro conveys his overarching philosophy on life, work, and happiness. He says that you must choose your path and then devote yourself to it; “you must fall in love with your work.”

Jiro cites that one of the reasons that so many people of younger generations have difficulty facing the challenges of real life is their fickle decision making. I would add that it may also be a lack of courage – the courage to make a decision and stick with it and even the courage to make a desicion in the first place. I should know. I am speaking from experience.

I’m not sure that I could ever adequately discuss all of the reasons behind this drastic change in generational characteristics. I’m not sure I could pinpoint even half of the possible catalysts. I can however, attest to the validity in power in Jiro’s statement.

“You must fall in love with your work.”

I have read business books, sales books, self-help books, finance books, and all sorts of other books to try and make some sense of the larger world that I am now officially a part of as an adult (I’m not sure when I truly crossed the line into adulthood but I am guessing 24 may be too old to hold on to “young adult” status). They are all valuable in their own way and although a large portion of that material may have been lost due to an inadequate memory, the stuff that stuck, when applied, has helped me tremendously.

Jiro’s statement may be more powerful than any of the ones I have read from any of these books. I also think it it is an invaluable principle to live by and that anyone who has ever worked, or who will ever need to, will benefit from its message.

Our world is a complicated one. Within just the last 200 years, mankind has evolved. The way that we live and work has changed more (and and at a faster rate) in this period than any other time in history. Technology continues to play a pivitol role in these changes and will do so indefinitely. Occassionally feeling lost in the chaos seems to be a normal occurence. It can certainly be overwhelming. All the more reason to choose your path and fall in love with your work.

Think  about the possibilities – wouldn’t the world be a happier place if everyone were happy with themselves and happy to be alive? What if only 50% were happier? I wouldn’t complain.

Are you in love with your work? Are you dedicated to the path you have chosen? If your answer isn’t yes, I urge to do anything necessary to make it so, and quickly.

While you are at it, watch the film “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”

Work Hard

I can’t explain it any better. Work Hard.

I have recently been struggling with certain aspects of what I do for a living. Fortunately, just a few days ago I received a confirmation that despite any of the obstacles I felt were in my way (and they’re still there) my hard work is working. It is paying off. I still have many challenges. I still have a lot to learn but without question, my hard work is noticed and it is respected.

My hard work is helping me to build relationships with those I work with and those who buy from me. My hard work is helping me to learn quickly and to become more proficient in my duties.

My hard work is teaching me about work. My hard work is helping me to better learn and understand what I want out of life; where I want to go, who I want to become, and what I want to do.

Holstee, a company which sells eco-friendly clothing, recently decided to sell posters of their mission statement due to substantial demand. A part of it reads:

“Life is short. Live your dream and share your passion.”

Hard work will help you achieve this. I has certainly helped me.

Be Yourself

Be yourself.

It sounds so simple, but in my estimation it is sort of like riding a bike. You see people doing it and it appears so easy. Turns out, at least when you are first learning, it isn’t. Then comes the AH-HA moment; that wonderful moment in time when you finally “get it.”

Turns out, being yourself is not just a good idea. Turns out that being yourself is essential. Turns out that being yourself may in fact be the key to happiness (in my opinion, it is). How do I know this? I spent a long time being who I thought I should be and not necessarily who I wanted to be. Luckily, the two versions of myself are not all that different. I don’t have an angel on one shoulder and a pitchfork weilding devil on the other. The two versions however were divergent enough to have an effect on my personality and my ability to find happiness in virtually anything I engaged myself in.

Are you acting like the person who you truly are? All the time? Be honest.

Why in the world do we do this? Is it the outside pressure of the world at large? Is it a lack of confidence? Is is worry – worry about your job, your family, money?

These problems can all simply melt away.

When you are yourself you can say and do the things that make you truly happy. When you are yourself the anxiety of neurotically obsessiving over things that don’t matter (what people think of you, what you should look and act like, what car you should drive, what activities you should enjoy) disappears. When you are yourself, the only person that determines your happiness is you.

The ability to find happiness in this life is not something you have to earn. This is a God-given right. Nothing, not anyone or anything, can take this away from you. We live in a world with a seemingly infinite amount of attention grabbing distractions and outside pressures. The world is noisy and it is getting louder everyday. Attmpting to conform to every social norm, current fashion, stereotype, and everyone else’s opinion is not only exhasuting – it is ludacris. It is impossible.

Make yourself happy first. Everyone around you will be happier because of it.

I read an article a while back that discussed the differences between the way negative and positive feelings spread from one person to another. Although I cannot recall all of the specifics, I do remember the most significant finding of the study that was conducted. A negative feeling, displayed with either a negative attitude, a complaint, or a frown, would spread to a handful of people through a chain of personal interaction. A positive feeling on the other hand, seemed to spread like wild fire reaching as many as five times the number of people. Are you convinced yet? I am.

Be yourself.

Planting the Seed

Difficult times getting you down? The challenges of  life seeming insurmountable at the moment?

One of the most fascinating anomolies of life – the more effort you put into something (anything), the more you get out of it. Seems simple enough, yet I still call it an anomaly and I believe I always will. The fact is that it is an anomaly precisely because it is so simple.

Want to have more fun at work? Put more effort into having fun at work. Want to have a better relationship with your spouse? Put more effort into having a better relationship with your spouse. Want to make more sales? Put more effort into making sales. Want to one-day own a Porshe 911 Turbo S?

You get the picture.

Most people go through life wishing for things to be better. Better homes, better cars, better jobs, better TV’s, better clothes, better bodies, better relationships. Unfortunately, that’s where is usually stops. Wishing. Think about all of the things you’ve ever wished for in your life. How many of them just miraculously came true? I’ll bet you 99 times out of 100, the things you wished for came to fruition through some type of work or effort on your part. I’ll also bet you that the bigger and better your wish, the more unreachable it may have seemed at times, the more you had to work for it and the sweeter the reward was.

Next time something gets in the way of your dreams or goals – the road you’ve deemed best to travel on your journey towards personal success – look for the seed of equivalent benefit. Don’t let the obstacle distract you and don’t let it fetter your ambition. Figure out exactly why you are now facing the challenge, find that deeply seeded benefit to pulling yourself through, and continue your journey as a stronger, more capable individual.

Finding that hidden benfit in what may seem like a terrible, unfair, “why me??” moment, as counterintuitive as it sounds and as difficult as it may be, will encourage you to engender a positive outlook and attitude regarding your circumstances, no matter what they may happen to be. In fact, it will enable you to maintain the necessary stamina to continue reaching for your goals.

The next time you encounter a setback on the long and arduous journey towards success, seek out the reason – seek out the benefit. Understand that by doing this you are not only working to orient your mind to view your circumstances in the most positive way, but that you are simultaneously increasing your efforts and your ownership of the situation. Your candid assesment of the circumstances which you face and how face them will put you squarely back on your path more quickly that making excuses ever will.

Want to have a better life? You can! Put in the effort, maintain a positive outlook and you will.

It may not be easy, but it certainly is simple.

The Long Haul

Well, as if sales itself wasn’t enough of a daunting prospect, it looks like being a successful salesman will be an even greater challenge. How am I dealing?

• I realize that the people around me want me to succeed (I hope you find yourself in a similar environment)
• My ability to do my job well benefits those around me in that as a result, their jobs will be easier
• I make money, you make money – after all money is one of the best motivators
• The greatest things in life are those which you work the hardest for. I can assure you I will be proud of any success I experience
• The law of increasing returns – it really exists and I see evidence of it every day

I may as well be in this for the long haul. It certainly seems that the only way I can achieve the benefits of the above statements is by doing as such.

I hope you find yourself somewhere with similar opportunity. In fact, maybe you should ask yourself that question right now…

It’s not my job to give favors

Realization of the day:

Every time some one does you a favor, you should thank them. Even if in your mind, it is their job to do such favors, thank them anyway. They have given you a service or some type of assistance haven’t they?

 It helped you out. You averted a sticky situation. You treaded murky waters and came out clean. Isn’t that worth some appreciation?

It occurred to me today that, many times, people take for granted what they perceive to be other people’s responsibilities. How would you feel (or how do you feel) when people do not appreciate your efforts, even when those efforts are directly a part of your profession? Yes, it is your job, but it helps somebody out doesn’t it? I’m fairly certain that if no one benefited from the service you offered, that the profession you’ve chosen would most likely not even exist.

Some where, some how, some one is reaping the rewards of your services. Wouldn’t you like to be appreciated?

If you have ever read (or listened) Earl Nightingale, then you may have heard him discuss the number of personal servants that each of us, on a daily basis would use, if enjoying the same living standards we do now and such modern-day amenities such as electricity, running water, electric stoves, cars, televisions, and water heaters didn’t exist. Two hundred. That’s the number. Two hundred.

It is easy to forget the level of comfort and ease of living we experience compared to so many of our forefathers.

Granted, we do not have to thank these imaginary servants. Technology has taken their place. But don’t forget those who do assist you day in and day out.

Thank them.

I’ll donate! Or buy.

The length to which some people will go in order to sell a product is astonishing.

 

Having studied the psychology behind sales, I am aware of the benefit of making associations – product placement in movies and television shows, joint marketing efforts between the makers of complimentary products, etc. Associations can be enormously beneficial.

 

Where I have trouble in agreeing to their benefit however, is in the employment of associations which contain a seemingly charitable or honorable mission on one hand, and a product on the other.

 

Since when did “cancer” become a useful buzz word ?

 

If you want to make a statement, or issue a call to arms for the benefit of an important issue, then do so. Don’t try to sell me a product at the same time. I don’t want it. If I am truly interested in contributing either my time or my money, or even both, then I will. If I should happen to have some vested interest, then my interest will influence my decisions.

 

Your product may be wonderful. It may have even assisted those involved in the mission or charity. Unless you are proposing that I purchase more of the product, so as to increase the benefit to those in need or those carrying out the orders on the front lines of the mission, save your effort.

 

A cancer patient benefitted from the use of an iPad. That’s wonderful. Where can I make a donation?

 

No answer there. Only more attention paid to the device.

 

If you have made this association, in order to influence my opinion of the iPads productivity benefits, then you have made an utterly despicable choice.

 

Although I guess I must thank you for the wisdom. I will no longer have confidence in any company, having a similar attitude. I will have no confidence in such foolish arrogance.

 

I believe in people with honorable intentions. I believe in character.  I believe in companies which value these qualities in their employees and in their cultures.

 

I also believe in goodness.

 

Goodness always humbles pride. Always.

 

I hope your intentions are good because not only is goodness always traveling, always influencing worldly direction, but goodness always prevails.

It’s a whole new ball game

Something about the first few days in a new role must wear you out.

Oh yeah, it’s the new-ness.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just know everything sometimes? To simply know all of the new faces, their personalities, likes and dislikes, the way the culture works, who really runs the office, how to do your job efficiently, or just simply be you.

Then again, I guess that must be where appreciation comes in. After all, if no one ever had to work hard or try… well, you get the picture.

Interesting thought of the day: sell yourself to your colleagues first and your customers second – the people in your office will assist you with the latter if you’ve completed the former well.

 

Here goes nothing

Salesman. Day number one.

New location. New people. New culture. New desk. New apartment. New car. New customers. New life.

Is it just me, or does the buck really stop once you can see a dollar symbol and an amount next to your name? Training programs are great, but now the real learning begins.

A few questions I am asking myself currently:

• How will I make a difference here? How will I improve the team?
• How can I begin to make sales, immediately?
• How do I become a resource?
• How do I differentiate myself so as to never become “just another salesman?”
• How can I ensure that the law of increasing returns (the greater and more extrordianry the service, the greater the benefits) will apply to me and my efforts?
• Forget salesman, how do I become the EXPERT?

Time to get to work…