Be Tactful

“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” - Isaac Newton

"People with tact have less to retract." - Arnold H. Glasow

How we express our thoughts determines how it is perceived. Thus, it is very important to express our thoughts with clarity and diplomacy.

Look at the photo or read the story below that illustrates this point:

A King woke up dreaming about losing all his teeth. He summoned a very well known fortune teller of his kingdom to interpret his dream. "All losing teeth means the death of the whole family...", the fortune teller responded. Like stricken by thunder, the king got very angry, and he was very furious about it. So he ordered a sentence of 20 times whip to be given to the fortune teller.

The king was still curious by then, and so he again summoned another fortune teller of the kingdom.

After listening to the story, the fortune teller with a smile said,"The dream is saying that Your Highness is the luckiest person in the whole world. You will live longer than the rest of the other family members." Having heard the explanation, a bright smile cracked in the king's face. He was delighted and awarded 5 gold coins to the fortune teller.

"Silence is not always tact, and it is tact that is golden, not silence." - Samuel Butler

One of the basic causes for all the trouble in the world today is that people talk too much and think too little. They act impulsively without thinking.

Let us learn to be tactful, considerate and respectful when we speak. What do you think?

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You get what you focus on

“People only see what they are prepared to see.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What can you see from the above picture? Is it columns or people?

According to Leonardo da Vinci, there are three classes of people:

1. Those who see.
2. Those who see when they are shown.
3. Those who do not see.

We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision. How you feel about things - and even the meaning you attach to a particular experience - is all dependent upon your focus.

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Castaneda

"Focus is the ultimate power that can change the way we think, the way we feel, and what we do in any moment." - Anthony Robbins

"Whether you are stressed or fulfilled has little to do with what you're actually doing, or even the results you are producing. If you're stressed, it's a result of where you are putting your focus." - Anthony Robbins

Believe it or not, no matter what you focus on, good or bad, it all will eventually come true. You get what you focus on.

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Quality Expectations

“The Quality of Expectations determines the Quality of our Action.” - A. Godin

According to PBN.com, In the last five years, there is an increase in customers’ expectations in terms of:

• Customer service levels – 81.3%
• Competitive pricing – 75.0%
• Faster turnaround – 68.8%
• Product quality – 43.8%

What about your own expectations about yourselves? Are you happy with how you are living your life now? It is good that we spend some time and think about it. Our wrong expectations may hinder our path in life because it is very seldom that an individual exceed his own expectations.

“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our Attitudes and Expectations.” - Earl Nightingale

“If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.” - Norman Vincent Peale

“When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form. If we are basically positive in attitude, expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness, we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” - Shakti Gawain

“Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.” - Denis Waitley

"Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy." - Brian Tracy

Although, it maybe hard to live up to other people expectations, but don't give up on yourself. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right too! Make very sure that you have great and quality expectations to do better.

Photo by kkimpel taken from this source

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What are you telling yourself and others?

"The casual, instantaneous nature of email and SMS has heightened the potential for misdirected communication and offenders can now achieve worldwide infamy at breakneck speed." - Source

I remembered reading a true story that happened during one of the Valentine's Day. It was about a lady that happened to read an SMS that was sent wrongly to her husband when he was taking his bath.

Well, anybody can get messed up in their lives, if they continue to take actions based on invalid assumptions. We must always avoid jumping to assumptions!

“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.” - Henry Winkler

“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in.” - Alan Alda

“Don't Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.” - Don Miguel Ruiz

"The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives." - Tony Robbins

Stephen R. Covey says, “We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. And our attitudes and behaviors grow out of these assumptions.”

So let's remind ourselves that we mustn't assume anything seen or heard is the final truth. It is always better to validate and find out more first! What do you think?

Photo by kevandem taken from this source

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No choice? - You have choices

"God created us, but he gave us the power of choice to shape our own lives and fortunes."

"We can't choose our relatives, but we can choose our thoughts which influence us much more."

"One of the big reasons, that most people go through life getting so little out of it is that, they do not really know what they want. Thing happen to them more by chance than by choice."

"Everything's in the mind. That's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it." - Mae West

"A person doesn't learn to choose a good alternative without choosing a few bad ones."

"Too many people, instead of choosing their jobs to fit their talents, let circumstances choose them. And what's left to chance gets chance results."

Tell yourself this: "My mind is a tool I can choose to use any way I wish."

So do you know what you want?

Photo by Meredith_Farmer taken from this source

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The Art of Leadership

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it" - Dwight Eisenhower

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” - John C. Maxwell

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be" - Rosalynn Carter

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." - Peter F. Drucker

"Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall" - Stephen Covey

The bible in Matthew 15:14 (NKJV) tell us that "... if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.". Thus, make sure you choose or be a good leader!

Photo by kenyee taken from this source

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Write It Down

Just once in your life sit down to think and decide what one thing you want most out of life - what you want to be, or do, or have.

Then W.I.D. (write it down). Writing down a mere wish works like magic for converting that wish into a goal. And W.I.D. works like DYNAMITE for converting a goal into an actuality - a reality.

One minute spent writing it down will do more to bring it about than ten years of dreaming, wishing, and talking about it.

Whatever you want - large or small, material, mental, or spiritual - write it down as a goal then do something every day to help you reach it. That's the nearest thing to that so called SECRET OF SUCCESS YOU'LL ever discover.

Writing down that statement about our goal will change our whole life. Before we write it down, it was just "some thoughts in our head". Writing it down on paper changed it to something real, on fire, alive. Writing it down on paper was like planting a seed in the ground. It grew.

Photo by Tojosan taken from this source

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Develop your observation skills

"All of us are watchers--of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway--but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing." - Peter M. Leschak

"People only see what they are prepared to see." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To him that watches, everything is revealed."

“Opportunities are often things you haven't noticed the first time around.”

“You can observe a lot just by watching.” - Yogi Berra

Genius compares, combines, and associates -- sees relationships where others see none.

Observe your competitors for they first find out your faults.

Photo by m00by taken from this source

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The Importance of Planning

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail”.

“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” - H. Stanley Judd

“In order to plan your future wisely, it is necessary that you understand and appreciate your past.” - Jo Coudert

“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” - Zig Ziglar

“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” - Tom Landry

“An intelligent plan is the first step to success. The man who plans knows where he is going, knows what progress he is making and has a pretty good idea when he will arrive.” - Basil S. Walsh

"A man with a plan can outstrip ten without one."

“Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised.” - Denis Waitley

Photo by yoppy taken from this source

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Where to set your Focus on

“Focus on your potential instead of your limitations” - Alan Loy McGinnis

"Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear." - Anthony Robbins

“Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” - Denis Waitley

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” - Greg Anderson

To be great, concentrate. Most people remain ordinary because they scatter their energies. Thirty minutes a day aimed at one thing can convert a nobody into a somebody.

"Concentration is the secret of strength." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo by stefan0624 taken from this source

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The Wisdom of Asking Questions

Sometimes questions are more important than answers.

One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

"Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers." - Anthony Robbins

Success is usually one idea away. Ask yourself questions. Compare and combine.

"To find the exact answer, one must first ask the exact question." - S. Tobin Webster

"It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question." - Decouvertes

“The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions.” - John A. Simone, Sr.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

Photo by atomicity taken from this source

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Power of Clarity

The more clear you are on what you want, the more power you will have to achieve it!

We cannot seek to attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique. - Benjamin Jowett

Vagueness is a recipe for getting nowhere. Be clear about what you want. Then go for it!

Eighty percent of success comes from being clear on who you are, what you believe in and what you want. - Brian Tracy

Photo by Abu taken from this source

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