Mark S. Brown – Page 27

Three Keys to Earning Trust

Trust is given to us by others. We have to earn it, and we usually don’t recognize its importance until it is gone. So how can we increase the trust that others put into us?

Why do you trust the people you trust? Trust is gained by being consistent, being competent, and being positively connected with others.

One way to make yourself more trustworthy is to develop your character. Your character displays to others the traits that make you trustworthy.

1. Consistency: Your decisions and actions are driven by your values. Knowing your values and following your values will make you more consistent.

2. Competency: Without developing the required skills, people will find it difficult to trust you. Would you have dental work performed by someone that has not developed the proper skills? In the same manner, people rarely follow people that have not developed their leadership skills.

3. Connection: Trust is all about how people see you. Putting other people first, and creating a positive relationship will enable the connection you need for trust.

Practice becoming the person you want to be, and people will identify you as being trustworthy.

One Simple Method to Keep Your Mind Clear of Clutter

A few weeks ago I read the article, Are You Lacking Focus? This Easy Week-Long Ritual Can Help. It suggested a method for keeping clutter from my mind and improving my focus. I tried it.

Here is the suggested practice. Set an alarm to sound every four hours. At the alarm, write down anything in your head that is not directly associated with the task at hand. Become aware of that thought. Be ready to eliminate it from your mind the next time you recognize it.

So I set the alarm on my phone for 8 am, noon, 4 pm, and 8 pm. After one day, I decided to adjust to more conducive times, 8:45 am, 12:45 pm, 4:45 pm, and 8:45 pm. I used blank 3×5 cards to capture my thoughts every time the alarm sounded.

Did it work? My result was mixed. Some alarms went off when I had no cards or a pen. Some alarms occurred when I was in a meeting. I even had an alarm sound when I was in the checkout lane of the grocery store. After a week, I had recorded only 60% of the scheduled times.

I found it strange that this exercise didn’t give any guidance on what to do with your written thoughts. The article assumed that these thoughts didn’t need attention. That they should be banished. But what if they were important? I think a better practice would be to review the cards from the previous day, and add actions or projects as needed to your own planning system.

As a practitioner of David Allen’s Getting Things Done for over 15 years, I already have a habit of capturing my thoughts. This exercise had some redundancy with the Getting Things Done system.

Did it help? I liked the alarms every four hours as a reminder about capturing ideas and staying focused. Going forward I plan to keep the 8:45 am, 12:45 pm, and 4:45 pm alarms on weekdays. This simple addition to my day will enhance the systems I already have in place.

Overall, this exercise was enjoyable, and a learning experience. If you struggle with focus (squirrel!), maybe this exercise can give you insight into how you may improve.

Just Going Through the Motions

There are times I complete my to-do list, and yet, I feel like I have not accomplished anything. Do you ever experience those days?

Habits, consistency, and perseverance help me achieve my goals on a daily basis. But if I don’t continually challenge my habits, then I risk becoming complacent.

That’s why I enjoy learning about people that are highly successful. Most have worked a lifetime to hone and perfect their skills. They always seem to be at their best, and authentic in their ways.

Just this week, Paul McCartney signed a new record deal with Capital Records. At seventy-four years old, Paul still writes and records great music. He is not complacent, and definitely not just going through the motions.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once as a member of the Beatles, and once as a solo artist), Paul McCartney also has 21 Grammy Awards. He is the writer or co-writer of 32 Billboard 100 number one songs. I think you would agree, Paul is highly successful.

Most successful people truly enjoy what they do. For them, their work is fun.

You can find similar examples in any field… authors, actors, businessmen, inventors, and investors. You have to like what you do, so you can do it over and over and over. Never tiring of the discipline and the routine. It is not going through the motions, but sincere love.

I have been writing weekly articles for over five years. Writing these articles for me is not just going through the motions. It is fun, challenging, and enjoyable. I may not be a great writer, but I am better than I was five years ago. And it is still fun.

If you catch yourself just going through the motions. Take a break. Discover where the fun disappeared. Then find a way to put the fun back in your day.

Do You Keep a Positive Outlook When Reflecting?

We all can get frustrated by events not happening the way we want. But it takes action on our part to prevent ourselves from being dragged into a world of negativity.

Last week I attended Gen Con along with 60,000 other people. Gen Con is one of Indiana’s largest convention, and trademarked as “The Best Four Days in Gaming.”

The four days are filled with nearly all types of gaming. There are card games, board games, miniature games, role playing games, and countless tournaments. Beyond gaming, Gen Con hosts a very large writers symposium, art shows and related activities, an independent film festival, and of course you can find people in all kinds of costumes.

I greatly enjoyed the convention. Although after it was over, I wished I had taken in more of the diverse activities available. Nevertheless, I was dead tired by the end of the weekend.

This week I have been reading comments from other attendees. Like me, there were many who really enjoyed their time. But I was disturbed to read all the complaints from people also.

Not everything went perfect for me, but I have no complaints about the weekend. I am already looking forward to August 17, 2017 when Gen Con returns. For those that had a list of complaints, I would imagine they have chosen to focus on the negative rather than the positive.

A positive outlook, a positive attitude, and a positive reflection of the events can make all the difference. Keeping a positive attitude results in a much more enjoyable time.

I find that if I take time to complain, then I am missing out on opportunities. I know any frustration and anger I might feel in a stressful situation is within me. It is a reflection of my attitude and my environment. All I have to do to change the environment is change my attitude.

How do you keep your focus positive when you are faced with a situation you initially perceive as negative?