Yogi Berra "Pair up in threes"

Yogi Berra's baseball career record:
15 All-Star Game appearances

10 World Championships, and
three MVP honors

WOW!!!!

But, Yogi is probably remembered most by his famous phrases. Berra's hilarious and insightful malaprops have become ingrained in everyday language.

Here's a collection of some of his most (given credit for) famous phrases.

Read and enjoy the fun contained within...

YOGI-ISMS

"Pair up in threes"
"It ain't over 'til it's over"

"It's deja vu all over again"
"When you come to a fork in the road ... take it"
"I usually take a two hour nap from one to four"
"Never answer an anonymous letter"
"I didn't really say everything I said"
"I want to thank you for making this day necessary"
"We made too many wrong mistakes"
"You can observe a lot by watching"
"The future ain't what it used to be"
"It gets late early out here"
"If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be"
"If the people don't want to come out to the ballpark, nobody's going to stop them"
"Why buy good luggage, you only use it when you travel"

My favorite - "It's deja vu all over again."

What's your favorite?

Amazon.com: The Wit and Wisdom of Yogi Berra

Thanksgiving before Expectations

My professorial looking friend James Henry McIntosh, consultant, speaker, coach and writer, has allowed me to post the following article during this Thanksgiving week. (A thanks gift.)
Look further at his volume of outstanding work at http://www.nonsenseatwork.com/.


Thanksgiving before expectations.

This week we enter the period of gratitude and then we jump straight into the period of great expectations.

Actually, this is the correct order of things. Gratitude first, then expectation.

A common mistake we make is to withhold gratitude until we have received. In other words, until we can judge whether what we have received is worthy of our gratitude.

Imagine being served by a waitress who treats you poorly because she doesn’t know whether your gratuity will be worthy of better service. Or by a salesman who is aloof because he does not yet know how much you plan to spend.

Successful businesses don’t treat customers that way. They do two things differently. They are pleased to serve you before they expect you to reach for your wallet.

And their understanding of the word ‘expectation’ is different. They ‘look forward to’ you reaching for your wallet; they don’t act as if ‘it is their due’.

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh
www.nonsenseatwork.com

Improve your ROE

Here is number 3 on my list.

3. Say Thank You

Hello! How will this increase my ROE?

Here's a just do it and find out exercise:

1. Tomorrow count the number of times you say "thank you".


2. The next day double the number times you say "thank you" from the day before.


3. The next day double the number of times you say thank you" from the day before.


4. By the fourth day you will be a NICER different person.

The people around you will notice a more pleasant you but won't know why.

Research shows that, people who are encouraged to express gratitude report feeling happier, more excited and joyful, and even have fewer headaches and colds.
—"Counting blessings vs. burdens: Experimental studies of gratitude and subjective wellbeing in daily life," by R.A. Emmons and M.E. McCullough (2003).

Thank you for reading this blog.

ROE = Return On Energy

>

A metaphor for success.

At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degrees, it boils.
And with boiling water,comes steam.
And with steam, you can power a train.

One degree more =Exponential results.

What a great metaphor for success. Operate at 212 degrees in all you do and steam your way to the top.

Watch the 3-minute video.

Written and directed by Sam Parker

Economy in Turmoil

Go for it!

Go for the opportunities.

In an article written by Gayle Turner, a consultant with Catch Your Limit Consulting, points out...

"The Chinese symbol for crisis contains the symbols for danger and opportunity. With the global economy in turmoil most people are sitting around holding their breath; hoping and praying they will be able to survive the threat. There’s no question this time of change is threatening. But, this is also a period of great opportunity; one of which is the opportunity to get to know your customers better and to strengthen your relationship with them."

Go for the opportunities.

You have just gotta check out ... http://catchyourlimit.com/. Lots of ideas available to help you "Catch Your Limit" in these Down Times.

Improve your ROE

Here's number 4 on my list.

4. Don’t make excuses.

Don't make excuses. Make things happen. Make changes. Then make history.

Doug Hall
The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse.
Jules Renard
Don't make excuses - make good.
Elbert Hubbard
He who excuses himself accuses himself.
Gabriel Meurier
Maybe you don't like your job, maybe you didn't get enough sleep, well nobody likes their job, nobody got enough sleep. Maybe you just had the worst day of your life, but you know, there's no escape, there's no excuse, so just suck it up and be nice.
Ani Difranco
How strange to use "You only live once" as an excuse to throw it away.
Bill Copeland
No one ever excused his way to success.
Dave Del Dotto


ROE= Return On Energy

Flying on a Wing and a prayer.

This is what I call skill at the heavenly level.
Just another day in the sky.

Improve your ROE

Here's number 5 on my list.

5. Listen more talk less.

God gave you two ears and one mouth. Why not use them in that proportion.

Ask lots of questions and actively listen to the response. Active listening goes like this:

1. Look at the person, and suspend other things you are doing.
2. Listen not merely to the words, but the feeling content.
3. Be sincerely interested in what the other person is talking about.
4. Restate what the person said.
5. Ask clarification questions once in a while.
6. Be aware of your own feelings and strong opinions.
7. If you have to state your views, say them only after you have listened.

These steps, quoted from The Self Transformation Series, Issue no. 13, are simple; however, becoming skilled in active listening requires considerable practice.

So practice, practice, practice and become a "Magician in listening".

ROE=Return On Energy

Be a kind boss.

It's just common sense - Right?

Kind bosses inspire greater effort and loyalty from their employees, according to a study completed by the American Management Association.

Of people who described their boss as kind, 84% reported that they planned to stay in their jobs. Of people who described their boss as a "bully," only 47% planned to stay in their jobs.Click here to learn more about kindness in management.

Coaching available for Managers. Check out www.wilsonmotivational.com

Improve your ROE

Here’s number 6 on my list.

6. Work smarter not harder.

So how can you start to work smarter? Well, its very simple. If you just step back and analyzed everything you did during the day you could probably see a better way to do many of the things you did. Just by making a few small changes you can make things work out better.

ROE = Return On Energy

Good times ahead.

Do you see problems or possibilities?

Stay Positive and Thrive in Any Economy!

Action plan...
Reframe your thinking. See difficulties not as problems, but as possibilities.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.

Consider the lesson you'll find in meeting each new challenge.

Improve your ROE.

Here’s number 7 on my list.

7. Stop blaming other people.

Everyone blames someone else at one time or another. Nobody's perfect. And you may even be thinking, "But it WAS my spouse's/parent's/boss' fault that I missed my plane/don't trust others/don't make enough money."

And it very well may be, but the key to living a long and happy life is knowing how to accept personal responsibility and not blame others -- even when it may be their fault. This does not mean you have to go through life letting others walk all over you. On the contrary, accepting personal responsibility means you have to take the high road and be the bigger person, even when it's hard.

ROE = Return On Energy

Personal earnings. What do you think?

It's up to you. Don't believe everything you read.

According to recent article about birth order on CNN, your unique position in your family may have helped to determine your career... and your earning potential.

Research shows that firstborn children - as well as only children - are most likely to earn $100,000 or more a year. Middle children are the least likely to earn big bucks, while youngest children are the most likely to work in sales, advertising, and the arts.

While it may be fun to trace the influence of factors like birth order, keep in mind that your own determination to succeed also has a tremendous effect on your career.

Most of the time all it takes is a little coaching to get more of what you want out of life.

Check out http://www.wilsonmotivational.com/

A new President

Congratulations to our newly elected President Obama.

I have lots of questions about his readiness and qualifications to be the President but only his performance will deliver the answers.

I will trust in God.

Incidently, there was a rumor that our new Dollar Coin did not have "In God We Trust." It was incorrect. Here's the real story:

According to the U.S. Mint, an unknown number of new one-dollar George Washington coins (at least 50,000 of them, by one estimate) were erroneously struck without the motto "In God We Trust" and found their way into the batch of 300 million issued on February 15, 2007. A rumor began circulating soon afterward to the effect that the religious slogan, which has been a standard inscription on U.S. coins since 1938 and the national motto since 1956, was intentionally omitted from the entire run of one-dollar coins. The rumor is false, though it remains unclear whether it was inspired by the minting error or the fact that the newly designed coin, properly manufactured, bears the inscription "In God We Trust" on its outer edge instead of its face, per the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005.

Improve your ROE

Here's number 8 on my list.

8. Accept that life isn’t always fair.

If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.

Check it out. http://gprime.net/video.php/lifeisntalwaysfair

Improve your ROE

Number 9 on my list --

9. Think good thoughts about yourself.

Check the voice in your head. As a little person you were conditioned to say more negative things than positive things about yourself. Now that you are grown up you can change the ratio to more good than bad words during the day.

Here is some nonsense that works.

Start the morning by looking in the mirror and saying out-loud, while smiling...
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself

Periodically through out the day stop and say inside your head...
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself
I like myself

Do this for two weeks and you will be well on your way to thinking more good thoughts about yourself.

Thoughts create feelings, so guess what? Good thoughts create good feelings.

Are you a Leader?

The Top 10
statements that help you identify if you are a Leader.
It has been said that the unexamined life is not worth living. Unfortunately we are often too busy to take the time for self-examination. As a result we sometimes don't realize that we are still acting as managers and not leaders in this fast changing world of work.

Where are you in relation to this Top 10 list of statements regarding a leader?

You are a Leader if:

1. You visit your Chiropractor once month to keep your spine flexible.
2. You treat everyone as a winner knowing some folks need more help at winning than others.
3. You predict the future by designing it.
4. You assign your good people to the opportunities and not the problems.
5. You don't wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel, you jog down there and turn it on.
6. You dig a well before you are thirsty.
7. You believe that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
8. You don't let yesterday use up too much of today because if you do, your tomorrow will be lousy.
9. You would rather be a Coach than a BOSS.
10. You get the job done through people and in the process develop them.

How did you do?

Waiting to get lucky?

Successful people don’t wait for luck,
they design luck through careful preparation, dogged persistence, and an eye on opportunity. It has often been said that fate helps those who help themselves. The best way to predict success in any endeavor is to design it. Here are some tips to help you design your own personal luck.

1. Know what you want. Sit down and write out your personal mission statement. Then, design goals to be accomplished to fulfill your mission. (Break down each goal into time frames ---yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily.) Every little daily action will move you closer to being the best you can be. Remember, you got what you currently have - good or bad - as a result of time and practice that turned into habit. Being successful requires use of personally focused energy. Get with it.

2. Make your presence known. Everyone you meet is a potentially valuable source to helping you accomplish your personal mission. Hand out your business card and collect others. Offer to help associates meet their goals and be ready for them to help you meet yours.

3. You can’t stop adversity - expect it! When it hits, double your efforts to achieve your goals. Reflect on the last time adversity struck and remember "this too will pass." Depression and negativity will get results, but they are the wrong results.

4. Work smarter. Soak up information. Knowledge is the source to greater confidence in yourself. Plan time each day to read the newspaper and search the web for material pertaining to your business. Go to the bookstore and get the latest information on how to succeed in your field.

5. Expect the best. Invest in motivational material. Train yourself to think for the best. Learn to manage your moods and show a positive attitude to those around you. Smile - an attitude of gratitude will work wonders. Luck is never expected by true winners. They don’t need horseshoes, four leaf clovers or rabbit feet - they make their own luck.

Start designing more luck in your life. Go back to tip #1 and begin the process of greater success. Take more control of your life. You’re a winner!

This little poem says it all:
Good, Better, Best,
Never let it rest,
'til your Good is Better, and,
Your Better is Best.

Coaching available - www.WilsonMotivational.com

Improve your ROE

Number 10 on my list --

10. Do something nice for somebody every day.

When you do this you increase your seratonin. It's just like taking Prozac.

In fact giving of yourself can be really good for you.

Research shows that people who volunteer just two hours a week enjoy better mental and physical health, according to a report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Specifically, benefits include:
greater longevity
higher functional ability
lower rates of depression
less incidence of heart disease

Click to read the entire report.

Left and Right Brain

Results of my Left and Right Brain Test.

We all use both hemispheres of our brains to some degree
but in most people one side dominates. Check your score.
Site listed below.

My Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 30% Visual : 69%

Left : 50%Right : 50%

Jim you exhibit an even balance between left- and right- hemisphere dominance and a slight preference for visual over auditory processing. With a score this balanced, it is likely that you would have slightly different results each time you complete this self-assessment quiz.

You are a well-rounded person, distinctly individualistic and artistic, an active and multidimensional learner. At the same time, you are logical and disciplined, can operate well within an organization, and are sensitive towards others without losing objectivity. You are organized and goal-directed. Although a "thinking" individual, you "take in" entire situations readily and can act on intuition. You sometimes tend to vacillate in your learning styles.

Learning might take you longer than someone of equal intellect, but you will tend to be more thorough and retain the material longer than those other individuals. You will alternate between logic and impulse. This vacillation will not normally be intentional or deliberate, so you may experience anxiety in situations where you are not certain which aspect of yourself will be called on.

With a slight preference for visual processing, you tend to be encompassing in your perceptions, process along multidimensional paths and be active in your attacking of situations or learning.
Overall, you should feel content with your life and yourself. You are, perhaps, a little too critical of yourself -- and of others -- while maintaining an "openness" which tempers that tendency.

Indecisiveness is a problem and your creativity may not be in keeping with your potential. Being a pragmatist, you downplay this aspect of yourself and focus on the more immediate, obvious and the more functional.

Take the test for yourself...

Click here: Brainworks Left Brain Right Brain Test