When I was 20, I knew everything.
By the time I reached 21, I realized how stupid I actually was.
Somewhere between the ages of 20 and 21 (personal enlightenment), I rededicated myself to education, personal development, and professional development. And I’ve stayed on that track for more than 45 years. My goal then, and my goal now, is learning something new every day.
And the only way that I can achieve that goal, is to expose myself to new information on a daily basis. The great Jim Rohn said, “All the information you need to succeed already exists; the only problem is you’re not exposing yourself to it.”
In today’s world of information overload, I have to be selective about what I subscribe to, and what I read. I feel certain that you are the same.
A short list of my subscriptions include: Selling Power Magazine, SUCCESS Magazine, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, various blogs about selling and business, and about 20 other information sources. At the moment all of my information sources have one thing in common: They are all online.
They didn’t start there, they all evolved there.
I read information from old masters and original thinkers like Napoleon Hill, and I read modern pieces of advice and information from people I respect like Jack Canfield, Darren Hardy, and Seth Godin’s blog every day. I read various tech and social selling blogs. I am closely following Owen Hemsath, the new YouTube guru. One guy I have been following for the past twenty years is my friend and fellow positive attitude advocate, Julio Melara. I read his “Mental Snacks” post yesterday, and had to pass it on.
Here are three of Julio’s tips to inspire you in your life’s journey and help you continue to grow in your character and in your results:
Be a person of your word – the best way to do this is to keep your promises and do what you say you will do. No matter how small the promise is, no matter who the promise is made to, you must keep your word. While some events may prevent us from honoring commitments we made, don’t let a commitment slip by without getting back to people to let them know why you can’t fulfill your promise. Resolve to handle your word as precious currency and watch how your value rises in everyone’s eyes.
Don’t take shortcuts in quality or sweating the details – Henry Ford once said, “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” Do you preach to your team that quality is an important value, yet when there is a crisis, you find yourself telling people to take shortcuts at the expense of quality in order to get the order out the door? If you ever do that it will erode your authenticity in the eyes of others. Eventually, when you speak about quality, they will discount it as lip service. Sweating the details, valuing quality pays BIG DIVIDENDS in Business and in life!
Work constantly on improving yourself – “Work harder on yourself than you do your job” is advice legendary author Jim Rohn used to teach. He was right. We must never stop learning and growing. Part of that work is listening to yourself. When your heart speaks take heed and take good notes. You see … being a person of character has little or nothing to do with the position you hold or the title you carry. It’s all about the way you do your job (the attitude, energy, competency, creativity and perspective you bring to life everyday).
I love how Julio incorporates thoughts and quotes from the masters, and adds his own thoughts and ideas.
Your insight, ideas, and thinking process come from exposing yourself to other insightful thinkers. From Albert Einstein to Oscar Wilde. From Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King. From John F. Kennedy to Benjamin Franklin. From this month’s issue of SUCCESS magazine to its founder Orison Swett Marden – begin to expose yourself to new information – even if it’s 100 years old.
How do you do this to a point where you begin to become more learned and more successful than you are? Julio Melara has a saying that sums it up as well as I have ever seen or read, “It Only Takes Everything You’ve Got.”
A golden statement if there ever was one.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of 12 bestselling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude, and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerVT.com. For information about training and seminars visit www.Gitomer.com or www.GitomerCertifiedAdvisors.com, or email Jeffrey personally at salesman@gitomer.com.
