Never Say No For The Other Person

Never Say No For The Other Person – Harvey Mackay ~ / ~

A farmer’s plow broke, and he thought he would ask his neighbor Murphy if he could borrow his plow. As he was walking to the Murphy farm, he thought to himself, “I hope Murphy has finished all his own plowing. He’s kind of lazy, and he might not have done it yet.”

After a few more minutes he thought, “What if Murphy’s plow is old. He won’t want to lend it to me then.” Then he thought, “Murphy was never a very helpful fellow. He might not lend me his plow, even if it’s in perfect condition and he finished his own plowing weeks ago.”

As he arrived at Murphy’s farm, he thought, “Murphy can be a mean old fellow. I bet he won’t lend me his plow just to watch me go to ruin.”

Finally the farmer knocked on Murphy’s front door.

“Good morning!” Murphy said. “What can I do for you?”

The farmer blurted out, “You can keep your bloody plow!”

Thinking negative has no positive. Negativity makes a person look at the land of milk and honey and see only calories and cholesterol.

I constantly preach: “Never say no for the other person.” People go around all their lives and say – I can’t sell him or her. He or she won’t mentor me. Or in this case, Murphy won’t lend me his plow.

Maya Angelou, one of my favorite poets and authors, said: “I am convinced that the negative has power and if you allow it to perch in your house, in your mind, in your life, it can take you over.”

That is why I don’t hang around with negative people. A negative person brings you down. A negative person sees the difficulty in every opportunity, while a positive person sees the opportunity in every difficulty. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and success.

Dr. Herbert H. Clark, a psychologist from The Johns Hopkins University, discovered that it takes the average person about 48 percent longer to understand a sentence using a negative than it does to understand a positive or affirmative sentence.

Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book a few decades ago, which I reread and study every now and then, titled “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I recommend this little gem to everyone.

One of my favorite aphorisms goes like this: Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

This gives you a choice, a positive or negative path. Clearly, the positive path will lead to a more rewarding, more contented life.

If you think positively, you will be more inclined to speak positively. Positive words will spur positive actions. If you behave in a positive way, you will form good habits. That will lead you to your destiny: what you will eventually become as a person.

Years ago, I came across an essay that really solidified my commitment to positive thinking. It has been credited to several people, most often Robert J. Burdette or the ubiquitous “unknown.” Regardless of whoever authored it, here is the message for you to contemplate:

“There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept from fear and apprehension.

“One of these days is Yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

“The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

“This leaves only one day – Today. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities – Yesterday and Tomorrow – that we break down.

“It is not the experience of Today that drives men mad. It is remorse or bitterness for something that happened Yesterday and the dread of what will happen Tomorrow.”

That’s a difficult formula to improve upon, and perhaps even more challenging to practice. But I promise you, I’m positive you will be better off for trying!

Mackay’s Moral: Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

Anticipation Is The Key

Anticipation is the key! – – Robert Rohm ~ / ~

One of the greatest ice-hockey players of all time was Wayne Gretzky. He was not a much-sought-after player because he was smaller than most other team members. Considering that fact, it is ironic to me that he turned out to be perhaps the greatest player to ever take the ice.

When asked what the key to his success was, he simply stated, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” You see, he was always one step ahead of everyone else, not so much because of his size or his speed, but because of his habit of anticipation. When everyone else skated to where the puck had just been, he always skated to where he anticipated it was going next. That is such a simple concept, yet it seems that many other good ice-hockey players overlooked it.

When I first read the story about Wayne Gretzky, I wondered how he knew where the puck was going next. It turns out that his anticipation was oftentimes just a guess. Yet, because he was willing to take a chance, he would skate in the direction of the anticipated position of the puck and, more times than not, he was correct.

I have come to believe that life is a lot like that situation. We need to anticipate what will happen before it ever occurs. If we are wrong, then we usually are not hurt much by it. But, if we are right, we position ourselves to be better leaders in whatever we are seeking to accomplish. I have a friend who made over 4 million dollars in five days in online sales. He saw something others overlooked. I have another friend who noticed something in the personal growth and development industry that others had overlooked for years. Last year he made 31 million dollars! I realize money isn’t everything, but it is pretty close to oxygen!

Let me show you how to practice this Tip. Last night I noticed my gas tank was about half full. I was passing a gas station where the price was$2.89 a gallon. I didn’t need a full tank of gas, but that was a good price. I stopped and filled it up! This morning I passed a different gas station right down the street and noticed the price was $3.39 a gallon. I know that is not a big deal. But if I am not willing to see little opportunities, do you really think I will be able to see big opportunities when they come along? You see, if you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in big things as well! That is just one example of what I am talking about.

If all of us could anticipate exactly what was going to happen in the future, that would be wonderful. We would be wealthy because we would invest in the right stocks. We would make money in real estate because we would buy low and sell high. We would become experts in business because we would know a customer’s need and fulfill it without the customer saying a word. We would become excellent spouses and parents because we would always be encouraging people to follow their dreams and try harder and work smarter in daily living. However, since it is impossible for us to do that, anticipation becomes the key. We can make “educated guesses” when we begin to look into situations and try to read them in a way that is helpful and appropriate for ourselves and others.

When Wayne Gretzky retired from professional hockey, many people were sad. He brought some magic to the game that might not be duplicated for years to come. I am not a specialist in understanding professional hockey, but I do know that Wayne Gretzky seemed to skate to the beat of a different drummer. Now you know his secret. He was constantly thinking, “Where is the puck going next because that is the direction I am going to skate.” His anticipation ability made him one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

I want to encourage you to start anticipating and making some educated guesses in the areas in which you are involved this week. My entire staff and I had a two-hour meeting this week discussing where we want to go in 2024 as a company. It felt exciting! Even if we are not 100% right, we will be better off because we are developing the skill of anticipation. That will give you the added boost you need to be a leader who is learning and growing in every aspect of your life.

Put on your skates and take the ice. Anticipation is the key!

Tip: Anticipation is the key!

Have a great week! God bless you! Dr. Robert A. Rohm