Designer Bags

Often, the perfect complement to a nice pair of shoes is a designer bag.  For ladies, it might be a handbag.  For men, it could be a briefcase.  For students, it may be a backpack.  The bag is not as significant as the contents carried in it.  What you carry around influences how and where you are able to move.  Your bag may be packed with a variety of items, both good and bad.  Take an inventory of what you are carrying and identify what needs to be kept and what should be discarded.  Think of bags in terms of the following: blame, ambition, gamble, and stamp.

Blame - There is usually a negative connotation associated with the word blame.  It is used to assign responsibility for something that has gone wrong.  Remove blame from your bag.  It is heavy and will slow you down and restrict your mobility.  Focus on correcting the problem and helping the person learn something positive from the mistake.

Ambition - It is good to have personal and professional goals.  They can be connected to your purpose and may contribute to your confidence, relationships, and success.  Ambition can be a healthy tool for your development.  It is important to remember that you need to control your ambition and not let it control you.  Make sure there is room for other things in your bag other than ambition.

Gamble - A gamble, or risk, is something that has the potential to benefit you or cost you.  There should always be a supply of calculated gambles in your bag.  You may be familiar with the saying, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".  Timing, consequences, and experience are key factors to help you determine if a risk is worth it.  When you take appropriate action regarding the risks in your bag, they should ultimately mature into rewards.

Stamp - When you approve of something, you can choose to give it a stamp of approval.  Your stamp is personal and is indicative of your support.  It can move things forward in a timely manner.  Use it wisely so that it has value.   Make sure that it always accessible in your bag.  It may be needed for unexpected opportunities.

Leave a comment and share which item in your bag will be used this week.

Fair Question

The best way to get answers is to ask questions.  Questions are often characterized as being good, relevant, or fair.  If a question is fair, then it is probably relevant.  Whether it is good or not will vary and depends on the perspective of the person that has to respond.  When you are asking or answering questions, try to be fair.  What you say should have characteristics of a science fair, health fair, and job fair.



Science Fair - When you were in school, the science fair was the event that allowed you to use your creativity to invent something that would impress the judges.  You were evaluated on originality, execution, and presentation.  Use that same criteria when assessing how your ideas will be received by others.  You want your efforts to be remembered in a good way.

Health Fair -A health fair offers services and information to attendees.  You can check your vital signs, talk to professionals. and create a plan to improve your physical and mental health.  Your thoughts contribute to your overall well being.  When they are positive and help you grow, the impact is felt by those that interact with you.  Do regular checks to make sure what are you are sharing makes others feel better.

Job Fair - Typically at a job fair, companies have needs and you attend in the hope that you will be selected to fill an opening.  Do you think of ways that you can be of service to others?  Let your words be a platform to support people and their attempts to prove themselves.  Give feedback that will enhance their chances of making a favorable impression. 

Leave a comment and share which fair you will focus on this week.

Handle With Care

When you see the words "handle with care" on packaging,  the implication is that the contents are fragile and may break easily.
You do not want to drop the container or let it bang against anything.  However, sometimes things can be damaged without being broken.  Your feelings, confidence, and reactions may need to be handled with care.  The following quotes illustrate the significance of how you handle things and what happens when you care.

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.   Henry Ward Beecher

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.  Maya Angelou

Flying off the handle sometimes causes hammers and humans to lose their heads, as well as their effectiveness.

William Arthur Ward Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. Theodore Roosevelt If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit. Bill Clinton If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of me. Dwight L. Moody  The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way. Robert Kiyosaki Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work. William Arthur Ward Leave a comment and share which of these quotes spoke to you.

High Five

Have you ever been excited about something and given someone a high five?  The high five can used to acknowledge a good job, completion of something, or agreement with another person.  It is a symbolic gesture of success.  Do you have some high places that you want to reach?  Try these five tips to help you get there.

1. Climb at a pace that allows you to carry your responsibility without experiencing burnout or extreme fatigue.  You will need an energized body and fresh mind when you reach the top of the mountain.  Endurance leads to resolve.  Resolve facilitates creativity.  Creativity produces flexibility to maneuver around stumbling blocks.
2. Display humility, focus, and enthusiasm.   Every encounter that you have is a potential interview to get you from Point A to Point B.  Strive to been seen as an asset, not a liability.  Know and be able to communicate the benefits that you bring to the table. 
3. Choose your battles strategically.  Some things are not worth the effort you will expend on them.  You may miss the moment you have been waiting for because you're busy paying attention to a mild annoyance that won't matter to you next week. 
4. Believe that you can do something new.  Do not become complacent where you are.  Be ready, willing, and able to change.  Move in the direction of progress, possibility, and productivity.
5. Differentiate yourself from the crowd.  Others may be able to do what you do, but they cannot do it the way that you do it.  Use your perspective to your advantage.          

Leave a comment and share which of the five tips you will use this week.

Well Wishes

Well wishes can be sent for a variety of reasons.  They apply if someone has health issues or if they are pursuing their goals.  You demonstrate compassion and support when extend well wishes.  However, there will be times when you are the recipient of the wishes.  When that occurs thank the person for the expression and activate the wishes.  You can activate the wishes you receive when you work, invest, study, and help.

Work on enhancing your strengths and improving your weaknesses.  Work with others that are willing and able to help you.  Work through disappointment, distraction, and discord.

Invest your time in order to gain knowledge and experience about what you want to do and where you want to go.  Invest your money in people and things that are growing.  Invest your words to build credibility, connections, and opportunities.

Study patterns related to your objectives to determine an approach.  Study your challenges to identify your purpose.  Study your environment to find the positions, advantages, and choices to support your efforts.

Help yourself by being aware of the specific things that you have to offer.  Help others to see how they fit into the big picture.  Help the situation with productive participation.

Leave a comment and share how you will pursue your wishes this week.