Life Training: The Advantage of Another Vantage Point

Just between you and me, I'll share with you a secret that has been passed down from generation to generation. It has been whispered from father to son, mother to daughter and holds the key to unlock treasure chests to great fortunes. Are you ready?

Everyone wants to make an impact in what they do; they want to make a difference so to speak. And they want it to be their own idea!

One of the most essential life skills to learn is to listen to the ideas of other people! It will make a huge deal of difference in the world of relationships. A single most important sill that you can utilize through your meager existence is listening with great intent to the ideas that other people have.

The scripture denotes the iconic saying "Iron sharpens iron." Heat and friction forges character and indomitable will… When this happens sparks may fly but both will get sharper in the end.

This ultimately beckons us to compromise but not as a sign of weakness or cowardice but for the possibility of learning and gaining experience that would prove to invaluable later on in life.

The ability to reorganize your idea does not necessarily mean that it was wrong in the first place. But mainly to improve on it and formulate something twice as better and shows that we have the humility and are smart enough to maintain a learning posture. It also connotes that you will often time disagree, but we need to realize that we can disagree agreeably. We should opt to disagree without being disagreeable.

The cold hard truth is we need criticism as a matter of perception of other people's view on our personal opinion, belief, culture or just plain desire.

Since what we often see is greatly dependent on our perception and are quite often twisted by our own preconceived ideas. An example would be like going out for a walk and while looking up to the sky we might see a cloud. Another might see irregular shapes of white streaks drifting beyond a blue background. An artist might see it as a picture worthy of his talents; a poet might commit to write the emotions that moves her with this vignette. A weatherman might see the signs of a changing weather patter while a sportsman could see this as a perfect day for golf or an outdoor jog. If you look at it these people see different with this sensory information.

This illustrates that we not only see with our eyes, but with our hearts, dreams and desires as well as our own preconceived ideas. So through opening up to other people's ideas we can gain access to a combined hundred's of years of experiences reference points and value systems.

As an integral part of our life training skill building is a definite necessity and through listening to other people we are moving towards our personal good and personal mission.

Here is an essential checklist for a productive and worthwhile team meeting.

Number 1. Don't compete with group members.

Number 2. Give their ideas precedence over yours.

Number 3. Listen to everyone.

Number 4 . Paraphrase, but don't judge.

Number 5. Don't put anyone on the defensive.

Number 6. Acknowledge with due respect that everyone's ideas have value.

Number 7. Control the dominant people without alienating them.

Number 8. Realize that your interest and alertness are contagious.

Number 9. Keep all participants informed about where they are and what's expected of them.

And Number 10 ... Sometimes it may be beneficial to give others a turn at running the meeting. They will grow ... and so will you!
Crucial signs that indicate the years are catching up with you?

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10. You know you're getting old when ... They turn down your bed while staying overnight at a hotel, and they leave a chocolate Ex-Lax on your pillow.

9. You know you're getting old when ...You read the obituary section of the newspaper first.

8. You know when you're getting old when ..."Getting a little action" means your prune juice is working.

7. You know when you're getting old when ...You're working your way through the three ages of hair: parted, unparted, and departed.

6. You know when you're getting old when ...You stop buying green bananas.

5. You know when you're getting old when ...You take up jogging so you can hear heavy breathing again.

4. You know when you're getting old when ...You decide to procrastinate but never get around to it.

3. You know when you're getting old when ...Every new person you meet reminds you of someone you already know.

2. You know when you're getting old when ...People keep telling you how great you look.

Once you have fathomed that you are at your twilight years, your ambition, enthusiasm and drive for adventure has finally subsided. Ultimately prompting you to live in the meager shadow of yester years, and reminiscing the memories from bouts of nostalgia from time to time.

Elbert Hubbard once said, "It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to discover ability in others is the true test."

And remember both the sinking of the Titanic and the attack on Pearl Harbor are tragedies that might have been avoided ... if people had listened.

Life training is a never-ending process. Remember: continued learning through constant change is necessary to have a competitive advantage and improve for your personal good towards your personal mission.

Gary Eby, a member of the Jim Rohn Speaker Bureau, is gifted to teach deep truths in a clear and easily understandable style. His messages are power-packed and often filled with laughter and practical illustrations. He has shared the stage with great speakers such as Jim Rohn and Les Brown. Not only is Gary a sought after speaker, but he is also an author whose personal development book Lefthanded Soldiers has received worldwide attention. You may receive a free copy at http://cli.gs/garyeby