Trust vs Risk – Burn and Learn

Before we can sell our products or services, Trust must be established.

Trust is fragile, dynamic, elusive and must be earned. It is slippery – you can spend days, weeks and months earning it, then lose it in a moment.

It is the power behind every decision to do business.

Risk is the sense of exposure coupled with uncertainty that accompanies Trust when Trust is new or when a business relationship enters new turf.

We exercise Trust and it either works out or fails.  We get burned or we do something stupid and burn it;  from both, we learn. Both elements are in constant movement. We can’t avoid risk but we can be aware of where we feel it and we can talk to it.

We can “hope” that we do enough to build Trust or we can take it head on. Hope is too passive for me.

To me, that starts with the conversation I am having with you.  I raise the question – What do you want to be Trusted for?

In my blogging and in my business I want you to trust me for the following:

My thinking will thoughts about you, your interests, your life and your experience in the topics I explore and the writing I do.  That means I will be considerate of the impact that I have on your thinking and make sure that everything I deliver is designed to make some kind of contribution to you.

You can Trust me to know that my ways are not the only ways to do things.  I am only speaking the truth according to my views.  I take a position about things or seek input from readers to help shore up my own thinking and seek to help us all build the best life possible.

You can Trust that I am interested in your thoughts and will respond.

You can Trust that you can disagree with me and say so and you can Trust that if I disagree I will say so. That means you are free to be open with me and won’t be made to look stupid or humiliated for telling your truth.

You can also Trust that I will account for my results in the keeping of our agreements.  If I make a mistake or simply screw up, I will make it right.

You can Trust that I will be open with you as well as thoughtful and direct.

Before I can add value to you or what matters to you, I believe it is mine to do – to create a field of Trust. I also believe this is the way forward, regardless of the economy. Of course Respect is intertwined here as well as other traits – so included with the desire to have a good Relationship, I start with Respect and seek to grow Trust.

These are things I want to be Trusted for and it speaks to the Relationship I want to have with you.  I will probably add others but I want to know what you want to Trust me for and what I can Trust you for…

Louie Anderson – Still Amazing?

We went to see Louie Anderson at the Palace Station Louie Anderson Theater in Las Vegas last night.

Is he still amazing?  Is he still “that really funny guy” that Johnny Carson first introduced to us nationally?

You bet and he is as funny now as he was then. He is smart, really smart.  He knows how to pace himself and his audience. He is engaged with us, he is very comfortable in his own skin and he is patient with himself as well as us.

When I see a comedian, I am waiting for them to make me laugh.  Louie invites you to laugh with him, not simply because of him.  Very cool.  Very interesting.  Clean show, unpretentious, timely and worth whatever it takes to see him.

I hope he is there for good long run. If you come to Vegas, make it a point to see him. He is worth it.  The people on his team were really good (Anthony Pedilla, opened for him and is very good while on his way to even better) and the “Sound Guy” (apologies for not remembering his name) helped seat people, provide the audio/lighting and was gracious. Louie made a team here and it shows all around.

What a guy, what a gentleman. He will probably run out of breath from reading this much – but you just have to give him his due. He isn’t an accident, he clearly works hard, thinks hard and lives large (no pun intended).

We are local Las Vegas type people and loved every minute of it – but Louie (himself) is a good enough reason to justify a visit Las Vegas.

Reminder:  They don’t serve food at the show, so eat before you go; but they have great cocktail service.

One of my favorites –

 

Kudo’s to a friend on Ecademy.com for sharing this.  I love this and hope you enjoy too.

“I have forgiven mistakes that were indeed almost unforgivable.
I’ve tried to replace people who were irreplaceable and tried to forget those who were unforgettable. I’ve acted on impulse, have been disappointed by people when I thought that this could never be possible.
But I have also disappointed those whom I love.
I have laughed at inappropriate occasions. I’ve made friends that are now friends for life.
I’ve screamed and jumped for joy. I’ve loved and I’ve been loved.
But I have also been rejected and I have been loved without loving the person back. I’ve lived for love alone and made vows of eternal love. I’ve had my heart broken many, many times! I’ve cried while listening to music and looking at old pictures. I’ve called someone just to hear their voice on the other side. I have fallen in love with a smile. At times, I thought I would die because I missed someone so much.
At other times, I felt very afraid that I might loose someone very special (which ended up happening anyway.) But I have lived! And I still continue living every day.
I’m not just passing through life… and you shouldn’t either.
Live!
The best thing in life is to go ahead with all your plans and your dreams, to embrace life and to live every day with passion, to lose and still keep the faith and to win while being grateful.
All of this because the world belongs to those who dare to go after what they want. And because life is really too short to be insignificant.”
(Charlie Chaplin)

Live large; very large.

Right now, someone you know needs more Confidence and Self-Esteem

Right now, someone you know needs more Confidence and Self-Esteem

You might know someone who is struggling with these two items right now.  Share this with them.  Also, check it out for yourself, because we all experience dips in these from time to time.

Too many work environments are “Toxic” right now.  All the focus is on survival at any cost and too many people are getting too chewed up in the process.

When things improve in the economy, there will be an exodus at your place of work.  You can influence your future, but you need to start it now and focus on some short term things.

We all know what we “need” to do in order to take care of ourselves and too often make someone else responsible for it by giving our all to our company to our own detriment, thinking that through gratitude and appreciation, we will be made whole again.       I’m afraid that this is Not going to happen.

So here is a quick way to take some of your own platform back and give yourself some forward momentum while you make good things happen.

You can’t really look to your company for anything useful other than accomplishments that you create for future appreciation by hiring companies. (This isn’t 100% true, but you know whether it lives where you work or not.)

As to confidence, one thing you can be confident in is that you consistently take “ownership” of the outcomes you seek and push for them even when you know it is reasonable to quit.  You also frequently stop yourself from trying to do stupid things and you always seek to have what you do make a meaningful contribution.

There are a few people that run around like this – unfortunately you will find a couple around you and this is too few.  Make it a point to make sure you know “how” what you’re doing makes a contribution or potentially contributes.  It gives you all the confidence and self esteem in the world because you know you are being true to who you are and your values.

Also, walk around “being” attractive as a human (not simply as a male or female), make a compassionate space for people who aren’t ready to be as deep or real as you are – but are doing what they know.

Above all, because you are someone who makes things happen there is a lot of respect for your words.  Focus on finding things to appreciate and letting people know them.  Yes, let them earn them, but not have to reach too far to find a kind word from you or encouragement about what they can be or do.  Be real, be your true or authentic self, whatever word you use to tap into your core self; speak from that place.  It has real power.  Allow yourself to be purposeful and focused for the next couple of weeks.

You no doubt have a lot on your plate, but you also know how to focus on the things that matter and move them forward meaningfully.

“Do” the you that makes you proud of you and the rest will follow. We constantly notice what we are doing and constantly check to see if we “measure up” to our own standards.  If you know you are contributing, everything else will follow.  I promise.

Looking through the “Eyes” of your Heart

For the next 7 days, just for 7 days, really hold out for 7 days – spend your days looking at the world through “The Eyes of Your Heart”.

To me, this means see with your Heart first and then let your Brain do what it does.  I don’t mean for you to be a sissy or a weenie, but instead to see from your Heart as the Lion or perhaps a Spirit. The Lion is pure, is real, is courageous and doesn’t try to talk itself out of doing what it knows is the “right” thing.  It is nobody’s fool and is protective of boundaries and generous in its care.  I don’t mean ferocious, I mean “real”, deliberate, intentional and to move with grace and a sense of belonging, every step of the way. This is my experience of a Spirit as well.

It’s an amazing shift for me and maybe for you. I know that you know what I mean.

Look at the things you have to do, the people you meet or spend time with, the meals you have, the problems you solve – let your Eyes be first with making meaning about what you see, what you notice and what it means to you from, not simply your Brain.

Don’t worry, your Brain can’t stand to be too far from everything, so it won’t let you be naive or foolish. It will however, give a richer view of everything and everyone.

This is just a moment between you and me.  My Heart made this suggestion to me today and so you can count on me to do this. I will also do a follow on writing to share what I have learned and what I have heard. I would enjoy “seeing” what you have to say.

To me, the difference between the Heart and the Brain is this: the Heart knows purely, easily and elegantly, the right answer.  It is fully integrated in our Values, our Beliefs and our Passions.  It doesn’t waver, it is always consistent and it “knows” what is right and what is not.

So during this time, shake hands with your Heart, make decisions with your Heart as the lead (the Brain will argue and negotiate, but it will not let you be easily exposed.) If you catch yourself drifting, simply notice it and then put yourself back on track – even if you have to do it a thousand times.

Notice what you accomplish in your experience and in your important results.  Let nothing important go unsaid, your Heart can only be true to you – let it do the primary deciding for the 7 days. Draw upon the experience you have gained through living and let your Heart set the course. Have fun, make money, make a difference and enjoy the people you are with.