A Chapter For My Life

“My plan to implement one chapter in my life.” – Dr. North

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a powerful book with a lot of helpful information. I think it is a book that everyone should read. Anyone can benefit from learning these techniques, but obviously they must be implemented to work.

The chapter I chose is “How to Criticize-and Not Be Hated for It.” The chapter discusses approaching criticism with praise using an indirect approach. This is probably something I would have never thought of on my own. My natural instinct is to say it like it is, especially if I were a boss. I would expect my employees to follow the rules and be courteous. If they were not I would have no problem reminding them of my expectations. I guess the reason I chose this chapter is not because I am afraid to be hated, but it taught me something new. Maybe my way is not the best way.

We are all creatures of habit and we do want to change or find ways of bettering ourselves. Carnegie’s book teaches the art of keeping ourselves open to change and helped me to realize that where I did not think I needed work, perhaps I do.

Now I must figure out how to implement this into my life. I guess I could be very conscious of my reactions to smaller situations in everyday life. I will stop myself and think about the situation at hand and follow the advice in the book. The more conscious I am of my words the more natural this behavior will develop. I will try to be creative with the indirect approach spoken of in the book. I like the scenario where the woman needed the construction workers, adding an addition to her house, to clean up after themselves. Instead of getting upset she cleaned it up herself. Then, the next morning, she thanked them politely for keeping the yard respectable for the sake of her neighbors. Her approach worked beautifully, they began to come to her everyday after work to get her approval on the cleanup that they did.

 

Overall the book, as well as the chapter I chose, has taught me a lot about human relations. I am really glad I was assigned this book and would highly recommend it.

 

 

 

Difficult Technique for Me

“What would be the most difficult technique in this book so far for you to learn how to do well? Why?” – Dr. North

The most difficult technique for me in Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People would be from the chapter “The Secret of Socrates”. I am not sure I would be good at getting a customer with a no attitude to start saying “yes, yes” immediately. Every person that says no is different, and I wonder if I could assess them quickly enough. Now some people will be easily swayed, however others can be rather difficult. I typically would not let someone disrespect me by nature. I know I would have to learn how to be savvy enough to turn the conversation around and lead the customer to an open minded state where they are willing to work towards the best possible outcome for everyone.

 

In this chapter Dale Carnegie gave the example of a banker in New York City who encountered a customer that wanted to open a account but did not want to give the required information needed to do so. The banker, before studying human relations, said that he would have turned the customer away. I probably would have done the same. He realized that was not making the customer feel welcomed or important. He knew he must make the customer feel that the necessary information was needed for his sake, not just the banks. He turned every refusal that the customer was giving him around, and with a positive reasonable question changed the customers mind. This is where I think I might struggle. Would I be good at analyzing the situation in changing their mind without them even realizing what I was doing and that we actually agree. The banker was even able to get the customer to do more than he originally entered the bank for.

I really feel like I am going to need to work on everything that was in this book. Every chapter offered something and should be taken seriously. I guess the one in my paper stood out a little bit more.

“He who treads softly goes far.” – Chinese proverb

How Important is Trust? – Very

“How important is trust in establishing long-term business relationship?” – Dr. North

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. – 2 Corinthians 4:2

Trust is important in any relationship in life. Establishing trustworthiness and honesty is honoring God. Certainly, in the business world to be successful clients/customers rely on your honesty with them in a relationship. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Integrity is essential to building a strong foundation and reputation. This means you will have an abundance of reoccurring loyal customers. It is known that word of mouth is the best kind of advertising. You know who you would want to do business with, so be that person.

Building trust begins simply with the way you greet the customer. Energetic positive vibes will create the stepping stone needed to begin that long term relationship. After that, continuing to establish yourself as trustworthy requires many other things. Punctuality can prove to a customer their importance to you. Sincerity will also be key in letting your customer know you truly care. Be sure to nurture the relationship by staying in touch with your customer. Always take responsibility when something goes wrong. Apologize and assure your customer you will do whatever is necessary to correct the error. These are just a few things to help a customer to feel like they can trust you.

Trust is synonymous with your reputation and it begins with the very first customer. Maintaining a certain product or service will reassure them that they know what they are getting every time. This gives them confidence in you.

Again, I can not stress enough the importance of knowing your expectations as a customer because this will translate when you are on the opposite side providing the service. I have written my paper as the provider of the service but these are also the qualities I would need to see if I were the customer paying for a service/product.

In the words of Bob Marley integrity builds the greatness of who we are in all aspects of our lives. The fact that this will make us successful in business is a nice reward.

Using Spreeder

“What would it take for Dr. North to persuade me to use Spreeder for 10 minutes a day?”

This was asked of me by my Business 1 teacher. Spreeder is a website that is used for increasing your reading ability. Helping you read faster and comprehend more.

At first I was doing it everyday for the recommended 10 minutes, then I got behind on my writing assignments in December when I had the opportunity to take a holiday vacation on a cruise. When I got back it just got away from me. I actually noticed a difference in my reading since I have not been doing it. I feel like it has slipped a bit. So I guess Dr. North does not need to persuade me, because I do feel guilty and really want to get back to improving my reading. Reading faster will help me be more productive with my reading assignments thereby allowing for better time management.

The holiday season was and still is a major challenge for me. Between vacation and the holiday itself, it really set me behind. It interfered with my sleep schedule, healthy eating habits and working out. These things are important as they help me to stay in focus. I just forgot about Spreeder. It is only 10 minutes a day so there is no excuse for not doing it. Anyone can take 10 minutes out of their day. This will only enforce good habits that can help me in my future endeavors.

Would I Sell my Business?

“I will sell my business when it makes a profit of [$??] a year, so that I can [??].”

When asked this question, I think I would sell my business when it had reached what I feel is the peak of it’s performance. In other words, if the revenue is the same after 2 or 3 years in a row, regardless of the amount, then I would say it has reached it’s full potential at my hand. So now I would have to consider outsourcing some aspects of the business so that I may grow the company. However, for me, honestly I am not sure what I would do at this point. There are a couple of options I suppose. If I were to sell my business, I would use the money to invest in a new company. I would work really hard to grow the new company bigger and better than the one before it. Now I would have some capital behind me at the beginning rather than at the end. Of course, on the flip side of this, maybe I would not sell my business. What if I took the profit to hire more people. Then I could produce more product quicker thereby getting a bigger return on my investment? If I did choose this option I would have to be careful my expenses did not cause my revenue to decrease. After writing about both of these options I do think I would be more inclined to sell my business at it’s plateau. I would not want to compromise the quality of my product after working so hard to grow the company to the point where it was at. Maybe I could take a small percent of the money from the sale of my company and put it in a secure investment for my future and use the rest to reinvest in a new company. Although it may be difficult to sell a company that I would have put my heart and soul into I know that it is important to recognize when it is time to let go.

Time is Money

“Which three time-allocation changes could increase my productivity the most. Why?”

This was the question asked of me by Mr. North. Probably the most important thing that comes to mind first is getting up earlier. Although this is a difficult task during the winter months when the days are shorter and the weather is dreary, the challenge is met. I find by getting up earlier my body naturally responds to the early hours of the day. When I do get up later I seem to feel more sluggish and not as productive. My dad always says, God created us to rise with the sun and to be quiescent with the darkness.

Secondly, I find keeping an hourly log/planner is very helpful for keeping me on the right track, not allowing me to waste time. I know what each task is and what time I have to do it. I even log in breaks and appointments and restructure my schedule if need be. Each passing hour that I see myself accomplishing my tasks encourages me to continue to allot each task a time slot. Mentally, it just makes me feel good. I am also thinking about using some time management apps that may eventually replace my written log that I use now, if it is good enough.

The last change for me would be turning my leisure hours into making money. That would be using Facebook and Instagram less and more of eBay and other sources that will help me get money. I recently pulled out some of my moms old curriculum books and I will be selling them for her. She said I could keep all the money for doing this. Plus it cleans out the garage where they were all stacked up. So, as you see, there are many benefits to using your time wisely. It is a win-win situation. A win for me and a win for mom.

“The hardest thing about being productive is not the work, but the split second it takes to decide to take control.” – David Allen

Increasing My Efficiency

In this assignment I was asked, “What can I cut out of my weekly schedule in order to increase my efficiency?” There are probably many ways that I can achieve this by making just small changes that add up.

First of all, before I was given this assignment I began keeping an hourly log of my day. By setting a time for each project and staying on track I was forced to realize how much time was being wasted. Each hours goal had to be met before I allowed myself to become distracted or take a break. Even breaks and lunches had to be scheduled in. I also realized what Gary North had advised me about, which is time is speeding up and priorities are essential to be successful in life.

Another way of being more efficient is to make a to-do list. Things I need to do for myself I try to prioritize and check them off as they are completed. I have self imposed deadlines and I stick to them.

I realized the times I have gone on my phone during school inevitably took longer than I wanted it to. When I just focus on school and nothing else, it gets done much faster. So powering down my phone will become a must to be most efficient.

The other thing I would like to mention here is not something I think I should cut, but instead add. That would be sleep. A well rested person can accomplish much more than a slow exhausted person. Plus it is not healthy to lack sleep. I think these “tired” minutes will really add up to productive minutes.

“Lost time is never found again.” -Ben Franklin

Something I realized about myself regarding this assignment is that I am not the best at multitasking. I am better at focusing on one task at a time rather than juggling a bunch of them. I am trying to find my groove and what suits me best because that will certainly help me achieve more with less. I remember reading an article about just this. The article stated “When it comes to attention and productivity, our brains have a finite amount.” Therefore multitasking is really task switching. I definitely think I agree with this.

So to sum up I think being more efficient is not just about taking things out of my schedule, but also putting things in as well. Of course, nothing I wrote about will work if not applied diligently.

 

 

 

Richard Koch – The Breakthrough Principle

The Breakthrough Principle of 16x written by Richard Koch is a book about how to do less and get more out of what you do. It is about the 80/20 Principle, also known as the Pareto Principle. An analogy in this book which is basic and simple to understand is this, you may have a closet full of clothes and only 20% of your clothing will get worn 80% of the time. Another analogy would be this, our banks show that 15-25 percent of their customers actually generate 80-95 percent of their profits.

Koch goes on to explain that this 80/20 principle responds to every aspect of our everyday lives. For me the 20 percent of this book that influenced me the most was the Endnote. It gave the most information in the smallest increments which is the very definition of the 80/20 principle.

Having stated my feelings on the Endnote section, more specifically the chapter that resonated with me was chapter six “Do It Your Own Way.” In this chapter I learned doing what I am best at and pulling from my strengths will help me to achieve the most and enhance whatever that may be instead of struggling with my weaknesses.

“High performers are not 10 or 20 times more intelligent than other people, it is the methods and resources they use that are unusually powerful.” – Richard Koch

I want to be sure to use my “brilliance” to experience the power of 16x and to use it intensely in the “full spectrum” of my life.

Why Shouldn’t I Borrow to Buy Something that Depreciates?

Borrowing money to pay for something that is losing value is not the right thing to because I plan on being wealthy. The most obvious example of this is buying a new car. While owning a car is a necessity, owning Cadillac or a Lexus is not, especially if it means financing the payment and now adding interest on top of that. When I sell that car I will never be able to get back what I paid for it. Why do people do this? I do not understand.

Then there is the additional stress of paying for these high priced items over a long period of time. Financial situations could change or the burden could become just too heavy robbing me of quality of life. I want to enjoy life and not worry about making a payment on something I do not need. I suppose everybody’s perspective is different though. I would hate to think that a fancy car or house would determine my happiness.

I also realize a lot of people use credit cards for all their purchases. Let’s consider a fancy meal being bought on credit, if you are not paying your full balance at the end of each month then you will be charged interest. Now that fancy meal has just cost you more and it is no longer of any value to you. I think credit card debt is something that God does not want for us.

Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

If I do borrow money I want it to be for something like starting my own company. This is something that I can continue to watch grow and profit from. I want that money that I borrowed to make money. I want to see my money spent produce tangible things that will only add to my wealth without all the stress.

Saving 10% of Income

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason is a book about financial advice. Through many stories there are lessons about managing your money. The stories take place in ancient Babylon but the wisdom carries through today. So what have I learned from this book that I can apply today to help me save?

I am obviously still a teenager living at home with my parents and I currently do not have a job, so I will have to speculate. There are some easily discernible ways to accomplish this, like setting a budget for my entertainment. Things like eating out, going to the movies and concerts, although they are important for mental health, need limits. Even spending money on Starbucks coffee daily can really add up. Keeping a record of these things for maybe a month or so would help me realize how much I am actually spending. Which is probably more than I could imagine.

Now if I were living on my own I would look at things like groceries. How much money am I spending at the supermarket? Cutting back on food by growing a garden can save money and it is way healthier. I would also cut back on heating and air conditioning, it is okay to be a little too hot or a little too cold. Giving up a little can add up to a lot. Paying attention when shopping for clothes and necessities could easily save 10% of my hypothetical income. I would make the effort to look for sales and discounts. I would not be afraid to be thrifty. I have found cool things in the past at yard sales and second hand stores. I would even be willing to clip coupons.

To me accomplishing all of this comes down to self discipline. It is really the only attribute that any of us need to save 10% of our income. If you think about it 10% is not really that much. It would only take a little cutting back to reach this goal.