October 1, 2007

Today I want you to think about folk wisdom and what we learn from mottoes, sayings, and teachings. I always encourage you to think for yourself; however, certain things to me have always “rung true.” I invite you to think about the phrases below:

“The A students teach. The B students work for the C students.”

I heard this from a business owner friend over lunch the other day, and it made a lot of sense. Bo Peabody, in “Lucky or Smart? Secrets to an Entrepreneurial Life” also has a variation in his book. www.800ceoread.com/products/?ISBN=140006290X

Basically, an “A” student typically follows instructions well and is very good at what they do. A “B” student typically does those tasks well, too. level. A “C” student, however, is probably thinking outside of the box, daydreaming, and running over other ideas in their mind. While in the classroom, this translates to “not following instructions” or not playing by the rules, or not “going along with the herd.” However, in the real world, the “C” student’s personality may give them an edge when it comes to idealizing, inventing, and envisioning a new tool, product, or service. At that point, the “C” student will need the “A” and “B” students to work that business or put that idea into practice.

“The medium is the message.”

Marshall McLuhan, known as a “prophet” of the technology age, had observed that the “each medium, independent of the content it mediates, has its own intrinsic effects which are its unique message.” His link is here: www.marshallmcluhan.com. Our choice of the medium in which we deliver a message also carries its own “content,” within the choice of the medium. For example, a condolence message or a thank you note is best sent handwritten on stationery, where as a quick memo may be sent via e-mail and followed up with a phone call. Each media type has its own “meta-content” that is coming along with the actual content that you, the sender, are sending. So, if you want to make an impact, make sure to use the right medium for your message.

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

*(also the title of a book by Cheri Huber and June Shiver www.amazon.com/How-You-Do-Anything-Everything/dp/0963625551)

Visual representations of Mandelbrot sets, based on mathematical equations, become gorgeous designs that go on to infinity. At certain points, the set is “self-similar” under magnification, meaning, a small component of the design looks like the overall design as the whole. You could think of this like the design of a shard of rock is similar to the overall silhouette of the mountain which that rock comes from.

I like to extrapolate this idea to my own life: my one ordinary day is almost “self-similar” to my entire life, so if I want to make changes over my whole life, I start by paying attention and being mindful of small steps within my one day.

If I feel messy, disorganized, confused, or ineffective, then I find areas in my life where I practice structure, order, meaning, and effectiveness. If I want big changes, then each day, I make small changes, knowing that those small changes, day by day, add up and result in a life that has my desired qualities.

I just finished reading the latest “What Color is Your Parachute?” (Book review: http://www.asuccessfulwoman.com/success/2007/03/06/booklist-what-color-is-your-parachute/) and I remember again Nelson Bolles’ statement that potential employers are looking at your job search as evidence on how you will do your job. What does your resume look like? What does your website look like? How does your in-person demeanor affect other people? These are some good questions to help uncover the powerful routine behaviors in your own life and make adjustments, if you want changes.

“You get what you pay for.”

When I agreed to go on the Odyssey World Trek, I signed up for 18 months in over 30 countries around the world with just my back-pack, my guidebook, and the goodwill of my teammates, our volunteers, and our hosts along the way. When it came time to pack, we were fortunate enough to receive hooded rain jackets and hiking boots from Patagonia. This brand is dedicated to the environment, they test their products rigorously, and Yves Chouinard, the founder, has fostered a spirit of independent thinking and the highest possible quality since the very beginning. Those jackets and boots lasted me for years after the trek, and they always held up. The jacket was water-repellant: nothing came through even in monsoon weather, and it had thoughtful design details like side vents and zippered pockets. The boots were my trusty companions through pavement, dirt, desert sand, river water, mud, pebbles, and stones. I still have them. I’ve always thought about how much more difficult a position the trek would have been if I used a poorly-made pair of shoes or a jacket that only lasted a few times.

For certain things, I’ve found I’m willing to pay the little more extra it takes, especially when I know I’ll be using that product for a long time.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

One evening years ago, my soon-to-be-husband and I were standing in line at the local movie theater when a man in a station wagon came by, saying he had some discontinued versions of laptop PCs in the back. They were from his wife’s office, he said, and they were headed for the trash in the next few weeks, so he was trying to find some buyers. We thought it sounded good: we could get a cute little laptop, it was ready right there, and if we got it, we would be rescuing it from a trip to the dump. So we paid him two hundred bucks, in cash, and he gave us the box. Later that night, however, we opened the box and it was filled with…. newspaper! Ack! It was too good of a deal, but we bought it.

Next time you think a deal sounds too good (no money down! make thousands of dollars a day from home with my secret! lose ten pounds in two days!), please do reconsider. The typical “sell” includes an appeal to your emotions, a timeliness factor (sale ends at midnight!), and/or a call to your better nature. Any purchase can wait 24 hours, and you always have options to research more, find other competitors, or just use your judgement. In most cases, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!