Message of the Day - Now is Your Time!

Good Morning,

 

My best friend, Howard, implored me to read the following book, and as his taste in books is very similar to mine, I ordered over Amazon and dove right into it. The book is "Now is Your Time to Win" by David Dean (http://www.tremendouslifebooks.net/proddetail.asp?prod=1729). This is a very easy to read and very profound book which caught me by surprise with its simplicity. David Dean was selling books for during his summers during college and put together a list of principles on how to be successful in selling. What he found is not only did they help him be number 1 in sales, these principles applied to all facets of life.

 

While much of the material is covered in other venues and books, the steps here are so basic, so logical that I had to stop and muse on what I have been missing in my growth as a writer and speaker.

 

The seven principles on how to bounce back from failure to success as listed in "Now is Your Time to Win" are:

 

1. Accept Your Situation. No matter where you are, stop and take a look around and see what is really going on. This is one that really needed to read and apply. I often look at the situations in my life and see what steps I would take to get to the next, but never fully took in where I was right there and then and accept it as where I am. It was always where am I going.

 

2. Be Willing to Fail: A gem of a principle that if people are willing to make themselves this vulnerable and then learn from their mistakes they can be unstoppable. Some of my greatest work has come from former failures.

 

3. Make Daily Preparation: The Devil is in the Details. When we don't plan the details, we increase our chances of failing. I need to get my lists out and follow them more often, and more importantly, to keep using them. I have a tendency to make a list of to-do's and then when I finish them I don't add more to the list and keep it going. Lists have been one time events for me, and I need to make them a daily event.

 

4. Be a Professional: This is how you look at what you do. If you are in customer service, then find out what being a professional in that field means and do that. This means dress the part, do the research and putting in the effort to do things right.

 

5. Live in the Present: This goes along with #1. If we keep looking forward to the future or live in the past, then we have limited ability to deal with what is happening to us now, here in the present.

 

6. Do Your Best: When you do something, do it to the best of your ability, and in a way that shows that you really care about what you are doing. This one can be very hard working in a fast-paced world where we are lured and often forced to multi-task and do multiple activities with less efficiency than we can do any one. I have been slowing down and pushing back when necessary to ensure I am doing my best.

 

7. Let God Help You: We can only do so much by ourselves. There is a time when we can power our way through our tasks and there are times when we need help. If we open ourselves up to allowing the Lord to help us, we open the door to doing so much more. (Check Philippians 4:13).

 

Another great read, and one that I need to check and recheck often to help me move forward in my drive to be a best selling author and a successful coach.

 

Thank you all, and enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Message of the Day - Passivity is Passé

Good Morning,

 

My friend Dennis sent me this video clip of Clay Shirky (www.shirky.com), http://laughingsquid.com/clay-shirky-on-cognitive-surplus/ promising it would be an interesting video. This is a keynote speech about  "cognitive surplus" and it was indeed interesting.

 

One idea that came out at the end of the speech really caught my attention. Clay Shirky talked about how eventually every form of media (web, electronic devices, tools, toys, etc.) will come with a way to interact with it. Like a computer which has such peripherals as a mouse and keyboard among others, future devices will also have ways to interact with them.

 

In a bigger sense, this means that everything within our lives will have some facet of being interactive, and by being interactive, it allows us to be connected with others in ways that we never thought of before. For example, Facebook and MySpace opened the door for people to communicate with each other faster and more easily than ever before, exploding the genre of social networking. Some appliances now are internet ready to communicate with the manufacturer.

 

This means that as we move forward, day after day, year after year, we will find more and more ways to be in touch with others through easier and easier ways. Like the telephone to pager, to cell phone, to camera phones to internet enabled phones to social networking enabled devices.

 

Our days of sitting at home or on the beach and doing nothing but relaxing in solitude are in jeopardy. Being unconnected is getting harder and harder with how interconnected many parts of our live current are, and will continue to grow moving forward.

 

With this looming over us, it is up to us to decide how we would like to be a part of this change. The decision to not be a part is probably not possible these days in how we are connected even if we do nothing we feel worthy of being connected about. For example, Google yourself every now and then and see what comes up. You may find your name associated with an organization that you are a part of which has going the route of social networking.

 

As we look to how we want to be a part of the interconnected world, we should all take some time to think about how we wish to be interconnected. And for parents, please realize that your kids are probably more connected than you are.

 

The choice to sit back and wait it out is going away, so unless you have that cabin deep in the woods or on the mount miles from civilization, then its best we come up with a plan to embrace the tsunami of connectedness that is coming our way.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Message of the Day - Fear of Leadership

Good Morning,

 

Have you noticed people who seem afraid to take control. They are horrified and even sickened to step into the lead position of any project or organization.

 

This fear is a fear of leadership.

 

Here is an example. In one of the organizations I have been a part of we looked for volunteers to take care of an important, but not that difficult, part of the organization. We had one person step up saying they had no problem helping out when it was necessary. For this we were grateful. When the next step was added, of having this person who stepped up then coordinate other volunteers, they became very agitated and did not want to do it, pointing out they only wanted to help.

 

In this case, the leadership part of the process would have been grabbing a pad and paper and listing names and dates other people were to volunteer. This task, this taking leadership in this area became a scary and imposing force which frightened and overwhelmed someone.

 

Please realize, it was not the task itself which was intimidating, rather the notion of being in leadership.

 

Leadership is often misunderstood to be something more than it often is.

 

When you commit to be a leader over an organization or a task, it does not necessarily mean that you are going to have to roll up your sleeves and dive into a three year long, 80 hour a week grind of talking to and motivating people to get work done to achieve the goals of the task or organization.

 

Sometimes taking a leadership position is as simple as pulling out a pad of paper and taking a list of names and handing it off to someone else.

 

Leadership, being all the rage in the bookstores, business circles and the internet, is not always the giant it is made out to be. Since most leadership materials are presented by current and former CEO's and larger than life 'Leaders' it is no wonder folks may have a misperception of what it is all about.

 

Throw all of that away, and realize that leadership is as simple as taking the lead in a specific area or over a group and taking the steps to get it moving in the right direction. There is more to it than that, but you don't have to be ready to take over a mega-corporation or mega-church to be a leader.

 

Most leadership activities are just not that scary.

 

Honest.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Message of the Day: Going that extra step

Good Morning,

 

Back when I was in college for the first time in the late 80's I had moved my major from an Engineering major to Classical Civilization (a literary enriched history program). In other words, my engineering degree was becoming ancient history.  In the Classical Civilization program I had to take either ancient Greek or Latin as a language. I chose Latin.

 

A few friends and I were in the same Latin 1 and 2 classes with a teacher who, himself, was a Graduate Student working on his Ph.D. He was also a wonderful instructor and we wanted him to teach Latin 3 and 4. Unfortunately, he was not scheduled to teach those courses. So we asked him if he would if the opportunity opened up. He was agreeable but said that it could not be changed.

 

So we went to the chairman of the Classical Civilization department and asked him to change the teach schedule to allow our favorite Latin teacher to teach Latin 3 & 4. He told us that the schedule had to be approved by the Provost office of the University.

 

At that point, our merry band of about 4 students stopped and thought about what it meant to approach the Provost office. This was only a notch or two below the President of the University. None of us had ever spoken to the Provost, or even knew who they were. We thought it through and decided we wanted this teacher and marched to the Provosts office and asked to speak to the Provost about allowing the schedule change to occur.

 

The Provost's response was that chairman of the department could make that change.

 

The very person who sent us to the Provost office. So, our merry band turned around and marched back to chairman of the Classical Civilization department's office to ask for the change. This time, he was smiling knowing we had seen the Provost.

 

His diversion was not meant as a deception, rather it was to see how much we truly wanted to get this instructor to teach this class, as he would have to switch a bunch of schedules around.

 

When we went that extra step, one that was beyond our comfort zone, we found the barrier to our goal became paper thin.

 

Sometimes it is not how much you are willing to do in order to achieve your goal that gets the barriers to crumble.

 

Going that extra step can make all the difference.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Time Passes

Good Morning,

 

In going through my Mother's treasured keepsakes after she passed I found a large folded piece of Oak tag with the words "Time Passes" written on it huge letters. It was the sign I carried in a 6th Grade play. The play was about Greek Mythology. My job was to carry signs between each act. In two cases, I was to walk in front of the stage carrying the sign "Time Passes". I wore woman shoes (Mom's) to mimic Greek sandals and on more than one occasion as I whizzed across stage, I came within inches of falling off. I thought the crowd was impressed with my sign carrying, rather they were responding to my apparent impending fall off the stage. This luckily never happened. Incidentally, my acting and theatrical careers did crash and burn that night. Never to be resurrected.

 

Anyway, I find it somewhat ironic to see this particular sign some 30 years after I first carried the sign. In other words, time passed

 

In that moment of realization, I thought about the person I was back in 1979, when I was a mere 12 year old boy. I thought of what has changed in my life from those young years of innocence to where I am today, with over two decades living in the 'Real World'.

 

If I had the chance to tell my younger self something, what would I say? Would I advise against getting involved in some of the groups I had been affiliated with? Would I tell myself of the women to avoid and who to get to know sooner? Would I have told myself to accept Christ sooner? Would I tell myself to stay in college and get that degree back in the 80's, or even to avoid going to college for Engineering altogether and focus on business?

 

Thinking it through, I realized that in all the time that has passed, that who I am today, is a composite of all that I have experienced in the past. The mistakes I made, the poor choices, and there were many, all had their hand in helping me be the person who I am today.

 

Those experiences, good or bad, helped me be the person who types to you now. I am not saying this because there is no way to change the past, but rather that we have the opportunity to learn and grow from our experiences.

 

Time Passes for all of us. The question is will we learn from our past and find ways to be a better person because of our experiences and what we learned from them as we move forward in life.

 

What do you see when you look back?

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Message of the Day - Its Not Leadership when....

Good Morning,

 

I remember days when a bunch of my friends and I would take a road trip to some new and exciting place. There would be between two and seven cars in the caravan. As we drove, when I was in the lead car, I drove like I had the cars behind me were actually attached to me. That is, I would make turns and stops as if it directly impacted the cars behind me. This meant I drove slower and often slowed down to make a check to see that everyone who was supposed to be behind me was.

 

Then I remember the times when I followed and the lead driver seemed to be looking out for themselves and as often happens in highly trafficked areas, they would move ahead and disappear from view. Those of us in the cars following would then have to figure out how to get to our destination by ourselves, sometimes without directions...

 

The Lead driver may still think that they are leading, but when they look behind them, there is no one there following.

 

At that point, are they truly leading or are they just out there taking care of themselves.

 

This raises the question about leaders in general. Are they leading when they are taking actions which are for their own benefit at the detriment of those who are trying to following them?

 

I would say no, they are not being a leader at that time. Some would say that this is the difference between a manager and a leader, but even a good manager is making the best use of their unit's resources for the good of the organization.

 

Taking selfish actions while in the leader's chair is then not leadership, but self-serving actions.

 

To be a leader, one must lead, and to lead, there must be those who are successfully following. This means that you may have to slow down and look back over your shoulder to make sure that those you are leading are successfully following.

 

It's not leadership when what you are doing is centered on yourself and your accomplishments.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Message of the Day: Taking Others to the Next Level

Good Morning,

 

Each morning when I take the dogs out for a walk I have started seeing the change in the seasons. The fall and winter have left the neighborhood trees barren and skeletal. Over the last few days the ends of each of the branches and twigs are new bulbous growths appearing throughout the trees.

 

This new growth is the potential, the beauty that will come, the new blooms of flowers and leaves which will transform these empty trees into the beautiful foliage which we have come to love over the summers and falls.

 

When I see these little buds growing and on the verge of bursting into the colorful spray of natures colors I think of all the other potential that I find in the world around me. These the people who work with me, the people I meet in the course of my days and weeks. These include children as well as adults.

 

Each of them has the potential to be a bud about to bloom to into something wonderful.

 

Like the trees which need the water and warm weather to help them grow, these people need the love and support of organizations and groups around them to feed them and help them grow.

 

That is where we can play a part. We can be the water and nurture by giving the knowledge, the encouragement, support and advice that each of these people need to move from where they are now, trees of winter, to where they could be, mighty trees of grandeur.

 

When you look at those around you, maybe see them as what they could be, instead of what they are. And then see what you can do to help you get them to the next level.

 

It will be well worth it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336 

Message of the Day: The Little Things We Do

 

 

Good Morning,

 

This evening past as I thought of something profound to write about I kept thinking of an email I received earlier this week from a friend of mine which was a 'thank you' message. He thanked me for being there and caring about him and in effect, thanking me for being me.  It touched me that I was recognized and appreciated for the simplest of things. For being a caring person.

 

These little things: giving someone something you no longer use, buying someone a cup of coffee, listening to when someone needs a caring ear, etc. all may seem trivial to us.  What we sometimes miss is that impact of our loving kindness is far greater than any one of us may have ever known. That cup of coffee we picked up just to be helpful could be that kind gesture that gets another through a very tough day. To us it was a dollar or two, but to them, it was pat on the back, a loving acknowledgement and message saying that they are loved and someone truly cares about them.

 

It's the little things that have such a profound impact that keep us going when they come to us. And its when we need them most that they tend to show up.

 

A few weeks ago I was pondering why I was still pushing myself to read and learn and to help others. It seemed to me that I was becoming stale and I was wondering if I was having any positive impact at all. I felt like I was in a rut, that I hit a plateau. I thought about it hard for a day or so. I considered whether I should change my course of action. I questioned if I should be doing what I am doing, or just take back the time I use for improving myself.

 

Within a day of this soul searching I received an email from a friend who I had coached and who reads these messages telling me of the impact I had had on their life and the recent successes they enjoyed. Later that same day, I was contacted by someone who I had networked with a few months back who was interested in my coaching them.

 

These seemingly little things had a profound impact on me, much like that well placed cup of coffee to the overworked and and under-rested coworker who was looking for any sign of support and love from their peers. I received my answer and I am continuing onward.

 

When we get what we need, no matter where it comes from, it has a huge impact in our lives. It may even change the course of our lives.

 

Know that all that we do, no matter how little, can have a huge impact in the lives of others.

 

We all matter, and what we do matters.

 

Thank you all!

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336 

Message of the Day - Doing What Needs to Be Done

Good Morning,

 

Last night I saw a man I knew working late night as a janitor at a local private school. This turns out to be his second job. When I asked him why he was at the second job, he told me that it helps pay for his three kids who go to this private school. That is, he worked extra hard, a second job, to help make a future for his kids and family.

 

It struck me that this is the legendary dedication you hear and read about in an ordinary person. This was the guy who put in the time and energy to do what was right for his family. He was the unsung hero for his family who got to see less of him due to his sacrifice for them.

 

When I think of my needs, a new roof, replacement windows, dishwasher, etc., I realize that I could be worried and upset about these needs, or I could do something extra to help resolve them. I know I could be that guy who stepped up for his family, or I could choose not to be. The important point is that is my choice, all of our choices, to go the extra mile to get the job done. To do what needs to be done. 

 

Seeing this man reminds me that the answer is rolling up my sleeves and doing more for the family, for my home team. This does not mean that I will get a second or third job, but it does mean that I will look at ways to step it up improving myself and my abilities to help. It may mean doing more chores around the house, and cutting back on spending. It may mean taking a few more college classes to better position myself for the future.

 

Whatever the path may be, the answer is that it is up to us to evaluate the situation, make a decision and then do what needs to be done.  Nothing more , nothing less.

 

In any of the challenges we face in life, we know that we are to choose how we react to them (sometimes this happens after we vent, freak out, or blow a gasket and then get ourselves together again).  It is also crucial that we then do something to move us toward our goals. This may mean changing something in our daily routine to re-evaluating our own core beliefs.

 

Ultimately, whatever we choose to do, we must roll up the sleeves and get cracking. Often times there are more than just ourselves impacted by what we do or don't do.

 

Choose to go the extra mile and make the difference.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336 

 

Message of the Day - Getting Through the Day

Good Morning,

 

Did you ever have such a rough day that when you got home you just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep until the New Year...2020? And worse, there are times when these days hang out with each other and give us a week or more of woe...

 

How do we get through these tough spells, especially when we know that there is another tough one coming around the pike?

 

Giving up is not an option. Well, it is an option, but after we give up, life still comes at us and we still have to get through it.

 

What helps me get through the day is what I do for other people. In the middle of an extremely tough day I had the chance to speak to someone and help them with some of the challenges they were facing. Being able to listen and give objective feedback and advice, tapping into the knowledge I have been accumulating over the years, is such a blast! I know I was having a rough day, but this act of helping another just kept putting a smile on my face.

 

I think back to helping others, and the rough spots of the day don't feel so bad.

 

Could it be that simple, that just helping another person, group or organization can help make us happier and better able to get through those rough spots in our lives?

 

Well, in a word... Yes.

 

When we help others, we show ourselves and the world that we are a part of something greater than just our own person. We show that we are connected to a larger world, and that we are not adrift, alone and forgotten. We matter, we make a difference, we have worth.

 

As I am learning from Dr. Lance Secretan's book, "One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership" when we understand that we are all interconnected, that our world is a world of connections, we can see that when we help others, we are in fact helping ourselves.

 

I may not be able to do a lot to change the chaos I have to face every day, but I can help make the lives of others better, and that helps me. I look forward to each of my coaching sessions and how I can help others improve, and the challenges of the day are diminished.

 

When you find yourself in that same boat; frustrated, overwhelmed and feeling powerless, maybe the solution is to stop looking within. Maybe look outward, to what you can do to help another. 

 

Sure helping others may not solve your problem, but it will help you feel better, and when you feel better, you are in a better position to objectively help yourself. Additional the help you give to others does come back to help you, and often in ways we never expect.

 

When the days get rough, remember, getting through can be a lot easier when we have others to help, and pick us up in the process.

 

Enjoy! 

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

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Message of the Day - Walking Your Talk

Good Morning,

 

My current read is Lance Secretan's "One: The art and practice of conscious leadership" (http://www.amazon.com/One-Art-Practice-Conscious-Leadership/dp/097331155X). This book was recommended to me by one of my friends, John Mark, who was so passionate about this book, I had to get it.

 

The book focuses on showing how we are all interconnected with each other, and that true leader is conscious of this connection and works through this connection to effect positive change in our world. Dr. Secretan also includes his leadership model which uses the acronym C.A.S.T.L.E. This acronym is comprised of:

 

Courage

Authenticity

Service to Others

Truthfulness

Love

Effectiveness

 

It really struck a cord when going through the section on Authenticity. So often we see people who act one way in one arena and act another way in a different arena. This difference is actually a lack of authenticity. The boss who is over the top and driven in the office to get his people to get the job done, who then goes home and is a humble mild mannered person is actually living a double life.

 

Who we are in the workplace should be who we are everywhere else in our lives. The person we are in Wal-Mart should be the same person we are when are at the ballgame or driving down the highway.

 

When we show different faces in different situations, we are showing people that in some of those faces we are not always being authentic.

 

A few years ago I did a values exercise where I looked at what I valued in the office. I then did the same exercise with my values at home. When I compared the two I noticed that they were a bit different, but not by much. By comparing the two and working through differences, I found that I could create a list of values which was the same for my work life and my personal life.

 

These values are authentic for me, in all situations. And for those keeping score, those values are: Accountability, Adaptability, Caring for Others, Learning & Empowerment.

 

This, though was not always the case in my life. I have come a long way (and I still have a long way to go). I used to be a different person for different groups and situations. It took a lot of work and a lot of soul searching to find my way to where I am now. Part of that discovery was doing an introspective look into myself to see where I was not being authentic.

 

It is not easy, but it is worth it, to be the best we can be.

 

And in this way, we can walk our talk.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336 

 

Message of the Day - Taking Yourself Unseriously

Good Morning,

 

My current read is Og Mandino's "A Better Way to Live" (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Way-Live-Og-Mandino/dp/0553057170). This is my fourth Og Mandino book and like the rest, it is personable and easy to read. This book contains 17 rules or lessons, each giving us a better way to life.

 

My favorite rule is Rule Eleven. Let me share it with you.

 

Rule Eleven is to "Laugh at yourself and life...Never take yourself too seriously." This rule is about reducing stress and tension in our lives by not getting so caught up in life that we see only seriousness and rigidity.

 

Every now and then we should stop and look at life around us, and if we can, laugh about the funny stuff. And please realize that there is a lot of funny stuff out there. It could be seeing yourself in the morning to noticing the way everyone in a meeting or conference call introduces themselves.

 

There is a lot of silliness in our world, and when we take time away from trying to hide it or ignore it, we can find that the humor in it all can be a great reliever of stress.

 

I used to strive for perfection in all the things I did. I had a particular way of dressing, a way of presenting reports and setting up presentations. Every facet of these was important to me. So important that anyone who put a note out of place or did not follow the patterns I had set up would irritate me. It was as if everything I did had to perfect or something horrible would happen to me.

 

When I realized that I am not perfect, and in most cases, not even close, I was able to lighten up a bit and even laugh at myself. Nowadays I laugh at myself often. It is not that I am comedian, no, just ask my coworkers about my jokes and timing..... nope, not a comedian. But, I am pretty funny when you look at the silly things I do from time to time.

 

Taking a look at ourselves in this light drops a lot of stress from our lives. It is okay to not be perfect and it is okay to laugh at yourself. It is even okay to laugh with others, so long as it is not in a mean-spirited way.

 

When you take look, you might find that you too are pretty funny.

 

And that is a good thing.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg
502-533-9336 

Message of the Day - Even Greater Significance

Good Morning,

 

Earlier this week I finished "Toy Box Leadership" (http://www.amazon.com/Toy-Box-Leadership-Lessons-Loved/dp/B0029LHX8K/). I really enjoyed this little, easy to read and easy to follow, book which is packed with great and meaningful information. If you have not had the chance, check it out.

 

When I look back at the book in its entirety, I see an even larger message being shared by the authors. This is a message of finding and learning from the significance of all things in our lives, be it childhood toys to home furnishings to our cars and workplaces. All things have a significance which can share valuable information with us.

 

For example, when you look at something as simple as chair, you may just see a chair, but if you look deeper you can see a lot more. For one it is supportive and form fitting (unless you are sitting in those folding metal chairs, etc.). The chair can be seen as a symbol of nurturing support as it is designed to hold us up and do so in a way that is relatively comfortable at the same time.

 

If we let ourselves, we can get truly philosophical in viewing the world around us in how it has such deeper meaning than we may normally see.

 

This is especially true when we look at the actions of those who love us.

 

For example, every morning when I get up for work, there is a small pile of snacks waiting for me on the counter to put together my lunch. This is something my loving wife has done for me pretty much every day since she and I got together.

 

This action has even greater significance than making my lunch. It is a daily reminder of how much I am loved and how much Karen, my wife, wants me to be healthy and have what I need. Some may see a granola bar, zip-lock snack bag of mixed nuts, a bag of chips and a sandwich in the fridge as a pile of food. I see a daily act of love and devotion.

 

It puts a smile on my face each day when I see this daily reminder of how much I am loved.

 

Each of us, if we were to look a little harder in the world around us, in the objects we use, the people we interact with, etc., we will be able to find a greater significance all around us.

 

Toy Box Leadership opened the door to this greater understanding. What a wonderful gift!

 

Remember, in life, and even in a granola bar, there is even greater significance if you look for it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg
502-533-9336

Message of the Day - Superior Strategy

Good Morning,

 

On Monday night at a Toastmasters Meeting, I presented a speech on 'Superior Strategy' and felt it would be interesting to share with you. The premise of the speech is that when we are in competition, we often look for weaknesses in our opponent, or more so, a mistake or oversight to capitalize on.

 

What then, do we do when our opponent has made no mistake, there there is no oversight to capitalize on. How then do we overcome and win?

 

The answer is with using a superior strategy.

 

Using an overview of an ancient Roman battle as an example, I shared how two opponents can engage each other without either making a mistake, or having an oversight and one side still defeating the other soundly.

 

The Battle of Zama took place in 202 BC between Hannibal from Carthage and the Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio. Both Generals positioned their troops in the most advantageous of positions, and used their best strategy and tactics against their opponent.

 

Hannibal sent a line of war elephants against the front lines of the Romans. A tactic that always caused confusion and devastation to the enemy. This time, Scipio was ready and used a superior strategy. He sent up a line of trumpeters who blew their horns and caused confusion in elephants, some of whom turned around and charged their own forces. At the same time, the Roman forces had adapted a new strategy of breaking their legion into component parts. This allowed many of the elephants to charge past the Romans without incident. A superior strategy. 

 

Hannibal used his cavalry, which repeatedly dominated the vastly inferior roman cavalry. This time, Scipio, learned from Hannibal and built up an even mightier cavalry which dominated and defeated the Carthaginians. A superior strategy.

 

Finally, when the two main infantry forced met in combat, Scipio spread his front lines out thinner so that they were wider than Hannibal's. This allowed the Roman forces to wrap around the Carthaginian flanks while their cavalry came up the rear and put the final nail in the coffin for Hannibal and his army. A superior strategy.

 

Both Generals planned and gave their best. Neither made a mistake, but one learned from the mistakes of the past and at the same time, learned from what the enemy was doing better. Combining these two elements, the Romans were able to bring to bear a superior strategy to defeat their opponents.

 

A superior strategy will often make the difference in victory or defeat in almost any endeavor. It makes sense to study our mistakes and our losses to find those superior strategies!

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net
http://learnandgrowdaily.com ←-Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg
502-533-9336