Stop Being Selfish

Stoic Quote of the Week

Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: Not to give in to adversity, never to trust prosperity, and always to take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as less of a shock.

—Seneca

What I learned this week:

I had one of those days this week. You know, the type where it feels like nothing you do is right. Where everything you have already done didn’t work, you feel like you not only screwed up, but you are letting those around you down too. It’s a pretty shitty feeling. That day lasted all day for me. I had plenty of opportunities to change my outlook throughout the day with interactions with clients and friends, but I chose to sulk, to feel sorry for myself. The thing about that choice is that you can’t come out of it. When we choose to feel sorry for ourselves, there is no solution until we decide to change. None of the events that built up to that point were really that bad, but I chose to make them feel bad. Truthfully, at that moment, that day, I chose to be selfish. When we feel sorry for ourselves and have a woe is me attitude, it is nothing but a call out for “hey everyone! Look at me! I’m sad, and I want attention.” Our attitude is nothing but a choice that we make. There are no events or actions of others that have an effect on us until we allow them to have that effect—our choice. The other piece of this that I want to share is that as long as we feel sorry for ourselves, we are preventing a solution from happening, and we are unable to serve others. Serving others is our true purpose in life. When you feel sorry for yourself, all your energy is focused internally. That internal focus prevents us from seeing opportunities in our lives and, more importantly, prevents us from serving others. The next, you want to feel sorry for yourself and feel like screaming, “woe is me, my life sucks,” remember, you chose to be there, and as long as you choose to feel like this, you cannot serve others nor find a solution to the reason you feel like you do.

Planning thought of the week:

If you know your plan, does your team know your plan? Do they know what is expected of them to do? One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen in leaders is assuming that their team understands what they are supposed to do. What right looks right. This very poor assumption causes failures and breakdowns of teams. As part of your plan, ensure your team understands it; they know what they should do to succeed.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

Book writing has been around for a long time and has always been looked at as a means of establishing the author as an expert in their field. The reason is that there is a belief that most of us that could never write a book. When I talk to people about how I wrote my book, they are taken aback by the time it takes to sit down and transfer thoughts into a coherent story that makes sense when someone else reads it. Well, those days have gone. Of course, you can still sit down and type out your novel or memoir on your computer or even old school typewriter. But that isn’t how it works now. Now there are businesses out there that will interview you over a period of time, record the discussion, transcribe it, edit it and send it to you for review. I contributed a chapter to a book that way last summer. The book was released on Amazon 60 days after the recording. Compare that to a 2-year traditional process. I don’t believe the new approach will replace the traditional, but it is another way to share your story and get it out to the public much quicker.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

If you are transitioning, one of the many programs out there is American Corporate Partners (ACP). This program is different because ACP matches the new veteran with a mentor working as an executive in corporate America. This mentor relationship is an excellent way for the new veteran to get introduced to the culture of corporate America. Learn more .

Someone I met this week:

I met St. John through a common coach program he and I were in. We were paired up several times in small groups and seemed to have a natural connection (similar values). We chatted a couple of times, which given the fact he lives in New Zealand, isn’t always that easy. I was on his podcast, The Science of Sales Podcast (for Rural), and we are returning the favor by having him on The Cam & Otis Show in a few weeks. Nothing that spectacular there. What is different about St John is his desire to serve and help others. As a matter of fact, we have a call set up to review the Tribe + Purpose sales process at his request! That is service to others. Thanks, St John! Here is the link to his business site, Agrarian, to learn more.

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Link to current The Cam & Otis Show podcast episode, EP 196 Every Second In Life Counts-Tia Cristy-Tips From Tia .

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