Damien B General Life, Leadership, Skill Building

6 Points to Positive People – Ready for 2013!

More on Being Positive!

The Chicken or the Egg?  Are positive people successful or are successful people positive?

2012-11-12_17-50-57_HDRToo much too fast? Ok, I’ll slow it down and just say it, all in one!  People with positive attitudes are successful people!  Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say:  People with a positive (yet realistic) attitude and outlook are more likely to achieve success than those who have a negative outlook on things.  This positive attitude and general happy demeanor comes before the success, and then only feeds the success in a great, success & positivity circle!

I really wanted to pull up some measurable and relatable statistics that correlate a defined “positive attitude” or at least a defined list of behaviors that can be described as those exhibited by one with a positive attitude – and their correlation to benefits.  Well – Being as I am a full time Real Estate agent in my first year, I am too cheap to pay for the access of the scholarly articles that will display any of that information.  So, for the most part, any of my statements in this article are some sort of loosely-tied, personally bought-into ideas between my personal experiences, observations, and the thoughts and theories I’ve read in a myriad of books on business and psychology.

Short Answer – Positive People do more; thus creating more positive; thus getting more out of life.

–          Positive people do things for others.  There is nothing better about being in a good mood than sharing the good mood with others and seeing positivity passed on.  Think about it, when you get good news and are smiling ear-to-ear, how hard is it NOT to tell someone and NOT expect to see them smile and excited for you?  We WANT to pass on the positive feelings!

–          Positive people set goals.  We’ve all heard or even said “I feel like I could take on the world right now!”  It’s a perfect example of how a positive attitude will influence someone to reach for a goal that he would otherwise not have the motivation to WORK towards!

–          Positive people have less negative self-talk.  Forgive the lack of citations, but feel free to google all the articles on Self-Talk. Negative self-talk is the top inhibitor of ambition!  Positive people reword their self-talk, taking the same could-be negative experiences and turning them into a positive opportunity. (e.g. Negative: “I’ve never done this before” => ‘I don’t wanna’ v. Positive “What an opportunity to try something new!” => ‘Let’s do this’)

–          Positive people have an internal locus of control.  Positive people take responsibility for their influence on life and their own actions.  They more often see consequences as a result of their own influences on the situation and that they had an impact in how a situation turned out. (e.g. Neg: “That was just a bad recipe, IT made the cookies too crisp” V. Pos: “I think I cooked them too long; I can check on them sooner next time, but this batch will be GREAT with ice cream”).

–          Positive people seek due credit given to those around them, not for themselves.  Positive people are confident with their self and are always looking to grow and bring others with them.  Not to mention, a good leader is more focused on those she can develop, not how to simply excel herself. A positive person is more likely to deflect a compliment for a professional accomplishment toward the team’s actions.  Not only is it a sign of confidence, but also a sign that the person will more than likely have others around when he needs them – reciprocity is a great thing!

–          Positive people are magnets for other successful people.  Positive people like to be challenged, grow, and all the while enjoy the synergetic power of other positive people where 1+1=10 (See Stephen Covey’s The 3rd Alternative).  It’s like going to the gym with a work out partner that is just as excited to see you push your limits as you are to see him do the same.  You just work harder – again reaching new levels of performance that you are consequently HAPPY about!

I hope you have enjoyed this year’s entries and ideas from LifeByDamien.com.  It was my first year, and a complete year of running my own blog.  Needless to say, I have lots to learn.  Reflecting, I have found myself to be more productive and more active in my blog when I am reading more often.  Perhaps that will be something I contribute to my “Game Plan” that I will be pursuing at the beginning of 2013.

I hope you have been able to take away value from what you have found here – be you a repeated visitor, or this being your first read.  Whether you agree or disagree – I consider it a success if anything you read hear at least provoked thought and hopefully some sort of action in your life – it certainly has for mine!

Damien B Leadership

A Brief Case on Synergy… It IS About ‘Practice’

A new song by artist, Don Trip, has been gaining popularity on Youtube and SiriusXM satellite radio [CLICK HERE to watch/listen].  I can’t speak for broadcast radio being as I don’t really listen to it often.  The song, “Allen Iverson” includes sound bites from a interview with Mr. Iverson in regards to his tribulations with the NBA, and general growth as a man just like any of us.  I can relate to much of the song and the intent and message both the artist, and Iverson convey.  However, I do feel that perhaps, Iverson doesn’t really understand why “practice” is important, and contrary to his statement, he view does “shut it to the side”.

First, let me make a ‘seat-of-the-pants claim’ and say that there is a big issue I see with the NBA today, version the NBA in the days of the Dream Team:  There are too many skilled individuals, and not enough team-members.  I admit that the individual skills of players have created high tempos and high demands on the requirements to make it into the NBA.  However, in sort of a capitalistic way, and exemplified by the constant desire for more “compensation” the boycott displayed, too many players are more worried about how they can market themselves, than how they can build a team.  It seems in a rush to be a “star player”, individual players lose sight of their team in search of “me”.  This is what Stephen R. Covey would describe as the opposite of synergy.

There will never be another Dream Team, another Michael Jordan, another Magic era Lakers, not another TEAM until players realize that their individual skills will never add up to the value created when individuals drop their personal marketing campaign, pick up their TEAM campaign, and create more from synergistic interaction amongst players.  Why were the Giants able to beat the higher-ranked Patriots (Not once but TWICE in the Super Bowl?)  It wasn’t individual talent.  And inversely… why did the New York Knicks win 10 straight w/ Jeremy Lin starting, in C. Anthony’s absence and then lose the first two games upon their star players return? I’ll give a hint, look at the other players’ stats when Lim was on the court, vs. the other players’ stats when Anthony was on the court…  A team will play better as a WHOLE than any collection of individuals.

So, on to my point about Iverson’s argument about “practice”…  The “star” player MUST be at practice!  ALL players must be at practice. Not just for himself, but for the TEAM!  In the military, a squad is not going to prepare for a war, or deployment, or an operation, and then have their squad leader show up only for the day of execution b/c their squad leader is already so great he doesn’t need practice.  The team needs all parts, to come together, to train together, to be a TEAM together. Forgive me for not being able to quote correctly, but I saw the following mounted in the gym, on a poster:

“Everyone has the will to survive in battle; it is the will to prepare for that battle that few possess.”

Being a leader and being a part of something greater than yourself is not about being the best at what you do; it’s about making those around you the best at what they do.  They too can reproduce the same, and together any team or organization will produce results FAR beyond those imaginable by any, single, person.

I look forward to feedback and welcome constructive dialogue at all times.  Please feel free to share with your friends and subscribe to be informed of the latest contributions to LifebyDamien.com!