When you look at yourself up close and personal, what do you see?

"Great impressions can be made from a distance, but reality can only be tested up close." Howard G. Hendricks

Up close and personal, thats where we feel the most vulnerable in both our business and personal relationships. We think that from a distance we can keep up the impression or the illusion of who we want people to think we are. Up close, is where it becomes very intense to maintain the artificial reality of what we want people to believe about us.

For most, the testing up close means we eventually have to let people in and give them a chance to see the real us. This means letting them behind our protective curtains which is very scary if we are trying to be someone we are really not.

The older I get, it becomes easier to make the real impression up close first, realizing it becomes so much clearer to everyone from a distance. To let the real you be seen here are four things that will make it easier for you.

1. Establish and maintain a peace with your self about who your really are.
2. Don’t expect people to think you are perfect, your not and they already know it
3. Don’t expect everyone to be like you, because they won't.
4. Be an encourager not a discourager up close and from a distance.

If you can put these four thoughts in your mind and internalize them, the impression you will make up close and from a distance will be changed forever.

Go for Greatness Today!

Bouncing Back from the Bottom

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom"  General George S. Patton.

Bouncing back is not something we tend to measure in American Business. Too often we simply look at achievements and resumes without any knowledge of "bounce back". This is hard to measure and yet vitally important when trying to surround yourself with people who will not let you down when the storm clouds of business roll into to your life.

If a person is being honest they have hit bottom at least one time in their life. Rarely does a person go through life without failure.

The key is how they bounce back.  There are several examples, some lay flat at the bottom, others quickly get up but are gun shy to try again, others process and learn from their failure or the situations.

As you push your own square rocks up very steep hills, be aware that as you add people to help your persue your dream what is their "bounce back" experience.  If they do not have it, they may earn it under your leadership, and that could be a painful experience for both of you.   Rock Pushers have no patience for those who will not get back up from failure.