Pick One or Two for 2023!
Tag: simple wisdom
20 for 2022 — Daily Reminders for a Stellar Year
20 For 2021 — Daily Reminders For A Stellar Year!
Grati-Tuesday Missives — Jan/Feb/Mar 2016
Grati-Tuesday Missives — January, February, March 2016
Grati-Tuesday Greetings, 1/5/16! Thank you, furnace! Thank you, space heater! Thank you, propane! Thank you, hot water! Thank you, electricity!
Grati-Tuesday Greetings, 1/12/16! Reasons to feel grateful? Reasons to be thankful? Reasons to express appreciation? Yes, many!
Grati-Tuesday Greetings: 1/19/16! Gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation – foundations of a meaningful day. Feel it! Express it!
Grati-Tuesday, 1/26/16: More gratitude = _____________.
Grati-Tuesday Greetings, 2/2/16! What goes in your gratitude journal? Things in your life that make you smile. People you love. People that love you. Privileges, blessings and gifts.
Grati-Tuesday Greetings, 2/9/16! “Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” — Gertrude Stein
Grati-Tuesday Greetings 2/16/16! If you’re reading these words, you have much to be grateful for. Hot and cold running water? Electricity? Food and shelter? Take a minute to acknowledge the good stuff. (Makes it easier to navigate the tough stuff.)
Grati-Tuesday Greetings, 2/23/16! Breathe in and think, “I’m grateful I can breathe.” Then, exhale and think, “I’m grateful I can breathe.” Repeat for 60 seconds, and notice where your mind goes next.
Grati-Tuesday Greetings – 3/1/16! “Grateful for the compassionate, caring, constructive people whose lives impact ours.”
Grati-Tuesday Greetings – 3/8/16! From time to time, let your heart overflow with gratitude. How about now? Facebook will still be here when you’re done.
Grati-Tuesday Greetings – 3/15/16! “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” — G.K. Chesterton
Grati-Tuesday Greetings – 3/22/16! Add some gratitude to your attitude (as desired or as necessary).
Grati-Tuesday Greetings – 3/29/16! Gratitude and appreciation to the elementary and high school teachers! Thank you for your service!
12 For 2012 – Daily Reminders for a Stellar Year
12 For 2012 – Daily Reminders for a Stellar Year
by Jerry Posner
1. Keep goals right up front. Review daily.
2. Appreciation, forgiveness, compassion: excellent options.
3. Aim for no regrets.
4. Increase awareness of stress triggers and disconnect ’em.
5. Inspire yourself … inspire others.
6. Inspire others … inspire yourself.
7. Simple acts of kindness – superb cost/benefit ratio.
8. Keep a “to-do” list and a “not-to-do” list.
9. Great daily choices create great habits, that’s what we want.
10. Increase emotional intelligence. Make a list of feelings you’d like to experience more frequently. Put your attention on your list once a day. Edit and revise as you see fit.
11. Express more love than in previous years.
12. Take a daily gratitude break.
13. Give your customer an unexpected little something extra!
———————————————————————–
Click on the link below to download the card.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy?
Don’t worry, be happy!
Easier said than done? Maybe.
Habits of happiness are not difficult to acquire. Practice is essential. So, practice noticing the things in life that make you feel happy, grateful, appreciative, nurtured, glad, joyous, groovy and wonderful. Make a list. Refer to it and add to it daily.
Resolutions and “Focus Phrases” For a Stellar Year – 2011!
21 for 2011
By Jerry Posner
Resolutions and “Focus Phrases” For a Stellar Year!
REMEMBER …
1. Anticipate life’s tests and the best ways to pass them.
2. Compassion is always an option.
3. Confidence just might stack the odds in my favor.
4. Express curiosity instead of becoming defensive.
5. Return all phone calls. Yes, all of them.
6. Make my mom proud.
7. Say, “you’re welcome” instead of “no problem.”
8. Am I worrying for nothing … again?
9. Moment-to-moment appreciation and gratitude.
10. Two great answers: It depends. You never know.
11. Another great answer: I don’t know, but I will find out.
12. Think twice before broadcasting sarcasm.
13. Every eye-roll and frown sends a message.
14. Every smile sends a message, too.
15. Look for the miracles in everyday life.
16. Avoid superstitions … unless they work, of course!
17. Synchronize communication codes.
18. Ask myself, “what do I keep, what do I throw away?”
19. Notice and thank the angels amongst us.
20. Know what I want most, and act accordingly.
21. Wisdom works better when applied daily.
BE INSPIRED – STAY INSPIRED!
BE INSPIRED – STAY INSPIRED!
When I think about “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl or “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pauch … or listen to recordings by The Beatles, Susan Boyle, Stevie Wonder … when I see Shawn White snowboard … when I think about my dad and mom’s kindness or my wife’s artistic ability – I’m INSPIRED!
Inspired to believe that “I can do it also.”
Inspired to make my life just a little better than it is now.
Inspired to refrain from complaining.
Inspired to “do the right thing.”
Inspired to help others.
Inspired to stop eating the “worry curry”Extend the benefits that come from inspiration by remembering and reinforcing the inspiration-triggers.
Suggestion: Make a list –
I’M INSPIRED BY (people, books, music, news):
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Read and revise regularly (4-7 days a week)
EVEN BETTER —
I’M INSPIRED BY ____________________ BECAUSE ____________________
I’M INSPIRED BY ____________________ BECAUSE ____________________
I’M INSPIRED BY ____________________ BECAUSE ____________________
I’M INSPIRED BY ____________________ BECAUSE ____________________
I’M INSPIRED BY ____________________ BECAUSE ____________________
SUGGESTION: When you read a book, hear a lecture or watch a video that inspires you:
- Write down the key points on a little card.
- Look at the little card for a minute or two daily as you feel the feelings that energize you, focus on and remember your goals, vividly imagine the outcomes you desire most … and the steps necessary to achieve them, and feel excited about all this.
- Keep doing it. Create a collection of little cards.
- Read those little cards every day. With attention, not by rote. Feel the feelings!
- I mean it. Daily.
If this process, and techniques like this, seem a bit dorky to you, we’ll just keep it between us. No one else has to know. It can be our secret.
But, will it work? Try it and see for yourself!
©2010 Jerry D. Posner
I LOVE LISTS!
I LOVE LISTS!
Yes, I love lists. They keep me focused, remind me of important things, and reinforce my motivations. Lists are cost-effective, too!
You might have found it useful to keep a “to-do” list of errands you need to run, tasks you have to complete, and projects you need to work on. Generally, keeping a “to-do” list results in more accomplishments, and over time, a sense of which jobs are important to you … and which aren’t.
So the “to-do” list also provides some valuable feedback and increases self-awareness. And, there is the great pleasure and pride that comes from the accomplishment … followed by the cross-off.
But tasks and accomplishments are just one area of life to manage. What about emotions? Beliefs? Philosophies?
To better manage emotions, you might have good results keeping a “to-feel” list. On that list, note the emotions you want to feel more of. Such as: happy, secure, confident, and grateful. Maybe you want to feel calm, easy, flexible, and smart. Make a list, review it daily, edit as necessary, and see what happens. By focusing attention on these things, you might make better choices, and eventually develop habits that support the emotional states you desire.
I also really like keeping a “to-remember” list. This one might have sayings, quotations, and clichés that remind us how we want to behave and our best philosophical, spiritual and ethical advice to ourselves.
The “to-remember” list can help us ride the ups and downs of life with greater ease. Here are some examples:
TO REMEMBER
Change is part of life.
Appreciate the moment.
Why worry about things I can’t control?
Notice the good things in my life.
Each moment is a miracle in potential.
Be kind.
Make choices based on the outcomes I most desire.
Tell the people I love, that I love them.
Go with the flow.
Win some, lose some … however, since I’m breathing, I’m a winner!
I find that this kind of daily reinforcement is priceless. It makes sense. No cost. Doesn’t take too much time. Nothing stopping you! So, do it. Put it on your list!
SOME “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” TRIGGERS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND ELSEWHERE
SOME “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” TRIGGERS
IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND ELSEWHERE
More simple wisdom from Jerry Posner
If you’ve ever attended my workshops or talks, you’ve probably heard of “The Butterfly Effect” (By the way, I do not recommend the movie).
In short: “The Butterfly Effect” refers to the notion that small, seemingly insignificant changes in one part of the world (the flutter of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil) can affect or influence conditions far away (tornado in Texas). Or … as the cliché goes, little things can make a big difference!
If indeed, a butterfly flutter can set off a tsunami, then I’d like to know which butterfly, where and when? And what happens if we capture that particular butterfly and bring it to the Bellagio in Vegas? Will the entire universe be changed forever, as so many science fiction stories and films strongly suggest?
It does seem to me that, yes, every little teeny-tiny variable in choice, habit, and communication … has the potential to trigger destiny-shaping events.
Maybe not ALL of the time, but certainly MUCH of the time, we can choose between:
Bad moods / Good moods
Speaking with a kind tone / Speaking with a mean tone
Expressing hospitality without boundaries / Ignoring your guests
Gratitude / Pettiness
Every choice sets into motion some kind of cause/effect ripple. How significant? How life changing? Only time will tell! It’s much easier to look back in the past to see those patterns, than it is to accurately predict the final result of any action or choice in the present.
But we can certainly increase probabilities!
In business, for example – attentive, friendly, customer-centered service stacks the odds for some positive results. This is obvious and cliché.
I was staying at the Holiday Inn in Concord, NH where I thought the treatment of their guest (me) was exemplary. Soon after that, I stayed at another hotel where the service could have been much better. I wrote an article about my experiences, posted it to my blog, and e-mailed it to clients and friends. Here is an excerpt:
I checked in to the Holiday Inn, Concord NH, and was pleasantly greeted at the front desk, given a few amenities that come with my Priority Club membership (including two free snacks or beverages from the hotel store), and an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and read a HANDWRITTEN note card welcoming me back, thanking me for my business, and reminding me that, if I had any problems or needs, to contact the manager on duty, and it was signed by her. This impressed me. So much so, that I’ve been reading it to my workshop and seminar attendees.
My wake-up call the next morning was made by a real person. Pleasant voice, good tone, just right for 5:30 AM. I liked that. And, not only was the required USA Today at my door, but a local newspaper as well. Nice touch.
These small things have increased my own loyalty, and helped to convert me from a satisfied customer into a raving fan and apostle. I speak their praises in my speeches, blog about them, and mentioned them in my Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn missives.
If you’d like to read the entire article, titled “A TALE OF TWO HOTELS” just scroll down.
So, some “hospitality without boundaries” from the Holiday Inn Concord NH staff “butterfly effected” some excellent positive publicity … which might earn them more guests, the praise of their parent company, and other goodies.
What can YOU do today that will “stack the odds” for some positive results for you and your company? Identify some worthy behaviors and actions, and like the Nike ads suggest, JUST DO IT!
JerryPosner's Blog 