THE RIGHT THING? THE FOUR-WAY TEST

#RotaryInternational #4WayTest #FourWayTest #DoTheRightThing
Do you always do the right thing?
Well, no one is perfect, and the “right thing” might be debatable. What you consider the “right thing,” may not be what your friend or neighbor believes is the ”right thing.”
Rotary International uses a Four-Way Test of things its members think, do or say to determine what “the right thing” is.
• First, is it the truth?
• Second, is it fair to all concerned?
• Third, will it help build good will and better friendships?
• Fourth, is it beneficial to all concerned?
If you use that test, you probably will do the right thing most of the time.
On the first test, we find that “truth” is also a matter of debate. Facts are usually not debatable, but we apparently live in an age of “fake news” and “alternative facts” that create debate of truth.
Would you change your opinion of something, or someone, if facts changed?
Would you cling to your beliefs in the face of contrary facts, or are “facts” simply what you believe them to be?
The second test involves fairness. Again, fairness is often debatable in this era of whatever happens to you is essentially your fault.
Why should someone else help you out of your jam, when you got yourself into the jam in the first place?
Rotary prides itself in helping those in a jam, because not all jams are self-created. The pursuit of fairness is never ending, and we must decide what is fair to all concerned.
The third test involves building relationships. Relationships require work, and some relationships require more work than others. Whatever relationships you try to build, be they business or personal, build them with the other people in mind. If you think of others above self, you should be well on your way toward doing the right thing.
The fourth test involves benefits. We are taught that it’s a dog-eat-dog world, with winners and losers. This test aims to achieve win-win situations in every encounter. As John Maxwell and other leadership experts advocate, try to add value to someone else every day. If you do that, you’ll be well on your way toward doing the right thing.
So, perhaps you are looking for a vehicle that will enable you to do the right thing for others, while at the same time do the right thing for you.
There are many such vehicles out there. To learn about one of the best, message me.
In short, learn to find and embrace undisputed truth, rather than the alternative. Look to do things that are fair to you and others. Work at building solid relationships. And do things that will benefit not just you, but others, too.
The right thing, truth and fairness should not be debatable concepts. They should be obvious and absolute. It’s best not to let anyone try to tell or show you otherwise.
Peter

BETTER TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART THAN SOMEONE ELSE’S

#FollowYourHeart #dreams #MeaningfulLife
“Following our hearts may involve quieting other voices that may want us to follow THEIR dream.”
So writes John Izzo in his little book, “5 Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die: The Key To Living a Happy and Meaningful Life.”
Izzo interviewed lots of people at various stages in their lives, to determine what their true meaning of life was.
Not only do people live differently, they die differently, Izzo learned.
“Some people end their lives with deep satisfaction and few regrets,” he writes. “Others die with bitterness or with sad resignation at the life they might have lived.”
In the book, he also urges people to give more than they take.
We all pursue life in different ways. Many of us have gotten advice from our parents to work hard, keep our noses clean and crave security.
Security, in the employment and financial world, is becoming more elusive. A job we thought might be there until we retire suddenly is not. Benefits we thought we would get throughout our work life might suddenly be taken away. Promises may be suddenly broken.
Circumstances will hit you, but they shouldn’t define you. And, a setback here or there should not keep you from pursuing YOUR dream. Remember that when you work for someone, you are helping him or her pursue HIS OR HER dream, which may or may not be in sync with pursuing yours.
If we want to, we can turn bad situations into good, and pursue our dreams. Have you ever been told to quit dreaming, that what you dream for yourself is not realistically achievable? Have you ever been told to stay with the tried and true, for security’s sake?
The tried and true may no longer exist, or may be temporary, or may soon go away. What then?
Be open to looking for other ways to achieve your dream. Be open to looking for other ways to help others achieve their dreams.
If you are, you may be able to deal with setbacks not only more easily, but with a smile.
What are those other ways to achieve your dream? There are many, but to learn about one of the best, message me. Learn how ordinary people with the courage to look for another way not only found it, but are thriving because of it.
Despite what others may tell you, dreaming is not only healthy, it’s encouraged.
It’s certainly OK to work for someone else while you pursue your dreams. If you do, live each day with purpose, and plan for the day that you can do what you want. For the courageous, that day will come sooner rather than later.
Izzo’s interviewees talked about taking risks. While we may have been told to avoid risks, those who take risks generally achieve their dreams sooner. Besides, in today’s climate, taking risks is often necessary to survive. Escaping one’s comfort zone may be the only alternative for many.
So, have courage. Take risks. Take a look at an idea you may be inclined to avoid. You could see a whole new world, and your dreams may be lived sooner rather than later.

Peter

MISERY QUOTIENT UP? NOT WHEN YOU CHECK IT OUT

#misery #poverty #optimism
If you believe that the world is a mess, with billions of people locked in inescapable cycles of war, famine and poverty, with more children than ever dying from hunger, disease and violence, to borrow from New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, think again.
Kristof writes that the number of people living in extreme poverty, defined as $1.90 per person per day, has fallen by 50 percent in two decades. The number of small children dying has fallen by about the same proportion, Kristof writes. His column on this subject was published Sept. 29, 2016, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Meanwhile, back in America, poverty is a thing of the past for 3.5 million Americans, writes Patricia Cohen, also of the New York Times. Her article was published a few days earlier in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cohen uses the example of Alex Caicedo, who went from working a series of odd jobs and watching his 1984 Chevy Nova cough its last breaths, to becoming an assistant manager at a pizzeria in Gaithersburg, Md., with an annual salary of $40,000.
His salary may not look like much, but it enabled Caicedo to move his wife and children out of his mother-in-law’s house and into their own place, Cohen writes.
What we see on the news makes us think that the whole world is in misery. But, as Kristof points out, the media may not be seeing all the good that is happening.
Certainly, there are places in the world where misery is in large supply. But these figures indicate that on a global scale, things seem to be getting better.
“It all came together at the same time,” Cohen quotes Diane Swonk, an independent business economist in Chicago. “Lots of employment and wage gains, particularly in the lowest-paying end of the jobs spectrum, combined with minimum-wage increases that started to hit some very large population areas,” Cohen quotes Swonk.
Overall, 2.9 million more jobs were created from 2014 to 2015, helping millions cross over into the ranks of regular wage earners, Cohen writes.
Meanwhile, on a global scale, as recently as 1981, 44 percent of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty, Kristof writes. Now, that share is believed to be 10 percent, and falling. “This is the best story in the world today,” Kristof quotes Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank.
Still, you might not believe that the world isn’t going to Hades in a hand basket.
And, you might not believe these numbers, because you are not seeing that kind of progress in your life.
Perhaps you think you should just cocoon yourself and get away from it all.
Well, perhaps you should look at what is good in your life, change what you need to change and start seeing the progress others perhaps less fortunate than you are seeing. If you are looking for a vehicle to help you with that change, message me.
Otherwise, these facts would indicate that the country and the world have seen a breakthrough. We all should be optimistic that things will continue to get better, not worse. We all should believe that we can make our own difference in not only our lives, but in the lives of others.
You’ll be much happier if you lose the attitude of misery, and carry on with an attitude of progress and optimism.

Peter

DOING THE RIGHT THING

#DoTheRighThing #employers #employees

“Catch someone doing the right thing.”
“Do the right thing, even if no one is watching.”
These two quotes seem contradictory. However, they have much meaning together.
When one does the right thing, it’s sometimes for the display factor. They know they are being watched, evaluated etc., and they do what they’re supposed to do.
If you are a boss, you are more likely to look for people doing the WRONG things, and disciplining them for it. After all, you EXPECT people to do the right things, since that’s what they are getting paid for.
But what if, as a boss, you looked for people doing the right things? Would you think that your staff would be more motivated or excited to witness acknowledgement of what’s right, instead of punishment for what’s wrong?
Now, let’s say you are the employee. Your boss has stepped away from your area. Are you tempted to do the wrong thing, i.e. slack off, take a break etc.? If you are a good person, you keep doing your job, even if your boss isn’t watching. It matters not to you what your coworkers are doing. You just keep doing your job.
Now, as a boss, what if you surprised your employees by doing something nice for them? How would that make them feel? How would that make you feel?
Doing the right thing, no matter what, is always right. When you are in a job, you want to find the things about it that motivate you, other than the money. Finding non-monetary motivators is a key to happiness at work.
Of course, some jobs make finding non-monetary motivators more difficult than others. It’s tough to find such motivators when you clean toilets, haul trash etc. Still, your role in the organization may be vital, and you have to take encouragement from that.
On the other hand, if you are truly miserable at work, or you and your boss are constantly at loggerheads, you might need to find a path to success outside of that environment.
There are many ways out there to spend some part-time hours outside of work so that you can say goodbye to that miserable job. Message me to learn about one of the best vehicles out there to do that.
Sometimes, doing the right thing involves leaving a situation in which you are encouraged to do the WRONG thing. There are some unscrupulous employers out there who might put you in that position. In that case, getting out is doing the right thing.
As humans, we find ourselves doing the wrong things occasionally, even if we are, by and large, good people. In that case, apologize, correct your mistakes and proceed to do the right things.
It doesn’t matter who is watching. Find the right things to do, and do them vigorously and constantly. At the same time, look for others who are doing the right thing, acknowledge them and emulate them.
You will feel good. You’ll make others feel good.

Peter

HAPPY NEW YEAR! LET OPTIMISM RING AND REIGN

#HappyNewYear #2017 #BeOptimistic
Happy New Year!
Americans are hoping for a better 2017 than 2016, according to an article by Emily Swanson and Verena Dobnik, written for the Associated Press..
“Americans weren’t thrilled with (2016). Only 18 percent said things for the country got better, 33 percent said things got worse and 47 percent said it was unchanged from 2015,”reads the article, published in the Dec. 27, 2016, edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But 55 percent believe things will be better for them in the new year. That’s a 12 percent improvement from last year’s poll, according to the article.
“You’ve got to be optimistic and I’m going to try,” the article quotes Elizabeth Flynn, 62, an elementary schoolteacher from Peabody, Mass.
“Next year will be better than this year, because people will have more jobs and they’ll have more money to spend,” the article quotes Bourema Tamboura, who lives in Harlem (New York City) and drives for a car service.
Optimism is contagious. Unfortunately, so is pessimism.
So let’s ask the question: Would you RATHER be optimistic than pessimistic?
Optimists are more likely to innovate. They are more likely to take action to solve their, and perhaps others’, problems.
Optimists press on, believing that things will get better eventually.
Pessimists tend to dwell on the wrongs, or perceived wrongs, that have been done to them.
They tend to cast blame on others, and other things, for their predicament.
They tend to sit still, or decline, because they believe things will get so worse that there is no use in trying to get better.
So, one can sit home, wallow, and blame. Or, he can go out, find solutions and make his life better, indeed, if it needs to get better. For some optimists, life is always good but it never hurts to believe it will get even better.
Most of life is governed by our thoughts. Certainly, uncontrollable circumstances can hit any, or all, of us. But circumstances should never govern us. Instead, they should prompt us to act, to take more control of our lives.
If you are looking for something to come into your lives that could not just improve it, but change it for the better, there are many such vehicles out there. To check out one of the best, message me.
Remember, good luck generally comes to those who look for it. You may live your life forever playing, and never winning, the lottery. But if you are open to looking, someone may come into your life with something that you may, or may not, have known you were looking for.
So, have a great 2017. Give it your best. Worry less about what will happen, and look more for what you can do to help others.
Stay optimistic. Your life will be so much better.
Peter