Ken Poirot's Blog, page 4
July 10, 2015
NYSE Computer Glitch No Surpise...
NYSE Computer Glitch and Trading Halt
As many of you saw in the news this week, on Wednesday the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suffered a "computer glitch" that caused a halt in trading for about four hours.
After spending almost twenty years as a financial professional working for some of the top NYSE-listed financial services companies (American Express, Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan Chase, etc...), I have to tell you: I am not surprised by a NYSE computer glitch.
My biggest surprise...that NYSE computer glitches and subsequent trading halts do not happen more often!
Charles Schwab and the Dotcom Tech Bubble
I was working as an Investment Representative for Charles Schwab during the dotcom tech bubble era of "irrational exuberance" in the mid-to-late 90's.
The media had a field day with Charles Schwab; they seemingly enjoyed publicly flogging them in the news whenever they discovered Charles Schwab suffered computer glitches or systems problems that occurred those years.
Due to the large volume of stock trading during that time, their systems often reached a critical breaking point which their computers just could not handle.
No matter how much capacity and how many servers Schwab added, it never seemed to keep pace with the ever increasing appetite for stock trading brought about by the "irrational exuberance" of the tech bubble prior to its implosion.
What I will tell you is this: actually working on their computer systems with clients on a daily basis, opening accounts, and placing trades...the media only caught wind of about one-tenth of the computer glitches or system outages.
There were days we were placing trades for clients in their accounts when we could not even check account balances. On those days, we were completely blind to what money or stocks were in (or not in) client accounts!
Charles Schwab's back-up computer systems gave priority to the trading platform over all other computer systems. This sometimes meant cutting off access to client account information in order to shift that computer capacity to trading.
The day 1.2 billion shares traded on the NYSE for the first time (October 27th, 1997) and the market was crashing due to the economic woes in Asia, all of our computers in the branches went down completely!
Clients who wanted to trade online found they could not get access to their accounts on their home computers. They piled into the Charles Schwab branches in droves to place their trades.
All the branch computers went offline!
Investment Representatives, like me, were relegated to taking written, paper-ticket trades from clients, with the idea we would have to physically phone the trades into our main office and/or reconcile the trades at a later time (time/date stamped so the trades would be executed at the proper time and price with Charles Schwab taking the risk for any losses due to the inability to actually place the trades at that given moment).
My Visit to the New York Stock Exchange
In June 2006, while I was the Sales Manager and Senior Vice President over Frost Bank's (a NYSE-listed company) brokerage department, I attended a conference hosted at the New York Stock Exchange.
For a financial professional, standing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is equivalent to a deeply religious experience. It was awe-inspiring to be at the heart of the US financial markets, in the financial capital of the world, observing traders in the heat of battle during market hours.
This was the post-9 11 era of tightened and heightened security, so getting into the New York Stock Exchange itself, the Crown Jewel of the financial markets, was strictly by invitation only.
Due to the constant thought of terror threats and those who might attempt to strike a symbolic victory by obliterating the New York Stock Exchange building (and thereby also unleash turmoil in the USA and world financial markets), you can imagine the NYSE became a very security-sensitive installation after 9 11.
Security getting into the NYSE
For these reasons, post-9 11 the New York Stock Exchange stopped allowing public access and ceased all public tours in order to become an impenetrable, tightly-secured building.
In other words, to receive an invitation to tour the NYSE privately during the day, attend a private party in the evening on the floor of the NYSE, and experience a press conference in the Federal Reserve Board meeting room in the NYSE the next day, was truly a "special invitation" event.
To gain entry to the NYSE you have to be on their daily access list. I recall waiting in line as armed guards checked the photo ID of everyone entering the building at a designated non-employee entrance.
All photo ID's were cross-referenced with a printed list, and upon entering the building, we were all escorted from room-to-room by our specially-assigned NYSE employee.
There was no wandering around the NYSE by yourself; you came with a group, you were escorted from place-to-place with your group, you could not leave your group while in the building, and you left with your group.
NYSE Security Shockingly Lax After-Hours
In the evening, we had a private party on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The guest speaker was Dick Vermeil (ex-NFL coach whose tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles was the premise for the movie, "Invincible," with Mark Wahlberg).
Per the sponsor for the conference, after Dick Vermeil's speech he autographed footballs and posed for photos with the attendees. Below is my photo with Dick Vermeil on the floor of the NYSE:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
There was an open bar and some people were wandering around the floor of the NYSE with drinks in one hand while throwing or catching footballs in the other. My first thought was, "This is crazy!"
My next thought was, "If this is business as usual, it appears reckless. After all, these trading floor computers are not here for decoration. What impact would be felt by financial markets in the USA and around the world if these NYSE computers were inadvertently damaged?"
I was being extra cautious, but any one of us could have accidentally spilled drinks all over the many computer terminals on the floor of the NYSE. We were right next to those computers and walked among them unobstructed.
I would not want to think anyone would maliciously pour drinks all over NYSE computers to intentionally upset the financial markets, but it was certainly possible that evening.
For me, the casual observer, the supervision and security was shockingly lax at this particular private party in such an ultra-sensitive location as the NYSE trading floor.
Computer Issues Happen: System Connectivity, Overcapacity, Outages, Accidents
So my biggest surprise with respect to Wednesday's "computer glitch" at the NYSE is not that it happened...I am surprised it does not happen more often!
As I wrote earlier, even Charles Schwab (known as one of the best-run and most technologically-advanced brokerage houses and trading platforms at the time) had computer issues on a very regular basis in the mid-to-late 1990's.
System connectivity, overcapacity, and outages occur. No planning in the world can prevent computer glitches from creeping in from time-to-time.
As we also know, accidents do happen.
I cannot say what the situation is today, in 2015, with regard to NYSE security, and especially my observation of appallingly lax after-hours supervision on the NYSE floor (allowing drinks and footballs tossed around in the midst of NYSE computers).
What I can say is, from what I observed at the NYSE after-hours during that one private party experience, I am truly surprised there are not more NYSE "computer glitches" and subsequent trading halts.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
As many of you saw in the news this week, on Wednesday the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) suffered a "computer glitch" that caused a halt in trading for about four hours.
After spending almost twenty years as a financial professional working for some of the top NYSE-listed financial services companies (American Express, Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan Chase, etc...), I have to tell you: I am not surprised by a NYSE computer glitch.
My biggest surprise...that NYSE computer glitches and subsequent trading halts do not happen more often!
Charles Schwab and the Dotcom Tech Bubble
I was working as an Investment Representative for Charles Schwab during the dotcom tech bubble era of "irrational exuberance" in the mid-to-late 90's.
The media had a field day with Charles Schwab; they seemingly enjoyed publicly flogging them in the news whenever they discovered Charles Schwab suffered computer glitches or systems problems that occurred those years.
Due to the large volume of stock trading during that time, their systems often reached a critical breaking point which their computers just could not handle.
No matter how much capacity and how many servers Schwab added, it never seemed to keep pace with the ever increasing appetite for stock trading brought about by the "irrational exuberance" of the tech bubble prior to its implosion.
What I will tell you is this: actually working on their computer systems with clients on a daily basis, opening accounts, and placing trades...the media only caught wind of about one-tenth of the computer glitches or system outages.
There were days we were placing trades for clients in their accounts when we could not even check account balances. On those days, we were completely blind to what money or stocks were in (or not in) client accounts!
Charles Schwab's back-up computer systems gave priority to the trading platform over all other computer systems. This sometimes meant cutting off access to client account information in order to shift that computer capacity to trading.
The day 1.2 billion shares traded on the NYSE for the first time (October 27th, 1997) and the market was crashing due to the economic woes in Asia, all of our computers in the branches went down completely!
Clients who wanted to trade online found they could not get access to their accounts on their home computers. They piled into the Charles Schwab branches in droves to place their trades.
All the branch computers went offline!
Investment Representatives, like me, were relegated to taking written, paper-ticket trades from clients, with the idea we would have to physically phone the trades into our main office and/or reconcile the trades at a later time (time/date stamped so the trades would be executed at the proper time and price with Charles Schwab taking the risk for any losses due to the inability to actually place the trades at that given moment).
My Visit to the New York Stock Exchange
In June 2006, while I was the Sales Manager and Senior Vice President over Frost Bank's (a NYSE-listed company) brokerage department, I attended a conference hosted at the New York Stock Exchange.
For a financial professional, standing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is equivalent to a deeply religious experience. It was awe-inspiring to be at the heart of the US financial markets, in the financial capital of the world, observing traders in the heat of battle during market hours.
This was the post-9 11 era of tightened and heightened security, so getting into the New York Stock Exchange itself, the Crown Jewel of the financial markets, was strictly by invitation only.
Due to the constant thought of terror threats and those who might attempt to strike a symbolic victory by obliterating the New York Stock Exchange building (and thereby also unleash turmoil in the USA and world financial markets), you can imagine the NYSE became a very security-sensitive installation after 9 11.
Security getting into the NYSE
For these reasons, post-9 11 the New York Stock Exchange stopped allowing public access and ceased all public tours in order to become an impenetrable, tightly-secured building.
In other words, to receive an invitation to tour the NYSE privately during the day, attend a private party in the evening on the floor of the NYSE, and experience a press conference in the Federal Reserve Board meeting room in the NYSE the next day, was truly a "special invitation" event.
To gain entry to the NYSE you have to be on their daily access list. I recall waiting in line as armed guards checked the photo ID of everyone entering the building at a designated non-employee entrance.
All photo ID's were cross-referenced with a printed list, and upon entering the building, we were all escorted from room-to-room by our specially-assigned NYSE employee.
There was no wandering around the NYSE by yourself; you came with a group, you were escorted from place-to-place with your group, you could not leave your group while in the building, and you left with your group.
NYSE Security Shockingly Lax After-Hours
In the evening, we had a private party on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The guest speaker was Dick Vermeil (ex-NFL coach whose tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles was the premise for the movie, "Invincible," with Mark Wahlberg).
Per the sponsor for the conference, after Dick Vermeil's speech he autographed footballs and posed for photos with the attendees. Below is my photo with Dick Vermeil on the floor of the NYSE:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
There was an open bar and some people were wandering around the floor of the NYSE with drinks in one hand while throwing or catching footballs in the other. My first thought was, "This is crazy!"
My next thought was, "If this is business as usual, it appears reckless. After all, these trading floor computers are not here for decoration. What impact would be felt by financial markets in the USA and around the world if these NYSE computers were inadvertently damaged?"
I was being extra cautious, but any one of us could have accidentally spilled drinks all over the many computer terminals on the floor of the NYSE. We were right next to those computers and walked among them unobstructed.
I would not want to think anyone would maliciously pour drinks all over NYSE computers to intentionally upset the financial markets, but it was certainly possible that evening.
For me, the casual observer, the supervision and security was shockingly lax at this particular private party in such an ultra-sensitive location as the NYSE trading floor.
Computer Issues Happen: System Connectivity, Overcapacity, Outages, Accidents
So my biggest surprise with respect to Wednesday's "computer glitch" at the NYSE is not that it happened...I am surprised it does not happen more often!
As I wrote earlier, even Charles Schwab (known as one of the best-run and most technologically-advanced brokerage houses and trading platforms at the time) had computer issues on a very regular basis in the mid-to-late 1990's.
System connectivity, overcapacity, and outages occur. No planning in the world can prevent computer glitches from creeping in from time-to-time.
As we also know, accidents do happen.
I cannot say what the situation is today, in 2015, with regard to NYSE security, and especially my observation of appallingly lax after-hours supervision on the NYSE floor (allowing drinks and footballs tossed around in the midst of NYSE computers).
What I can say is, from what I observed at the NYSE after-hours during that one private party experience, I am truly surprised there are not more NYSE "computer glitches" and subsequent trading halts.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
July 9, 2015
#AmazonGiveaway - Amazon Best Selling Book Mentor Me by Ken Poirot
NEW...Win 1 of 2 Books of this highly rated Amazon Best Selling Book!
Mentor Me by Ken Poirot.
See why Mentor Me is being quoted around the world!
Ends August 5th...so hurry!
For details and entry click on the link below:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ac1e26a...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me by Ken Poirot.
See why Mentor Me is being quoted around the world!
Ends August 5th...so hurry!
For details and entry click on the link below:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/ac1e26a...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
June 21, 2015
Last Day: 99 Cents Best Selling Book (Regular Price $9.99)...
Today is the last day "Mentor Me" will discounted to 99 cents ($9.99 regular price).
See why quotes from "Mentor Me" are showing up around the world...
Pick up your copy today at the fan appreciation price of 99 Cents(Save $9.00)- Kindle Version:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Thank you to all my fans who made "Mentor Me" a best selling book!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
See why quotes from "Mentor Me" are showing up around the world...
Pick up your copy today at the fan appreciation price of 99 Cents(Save $9.00)- Kindle Version:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Thank you to all my fans who made "Mentor Me" a best selling book!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
June 19, 2015
Mentor Me Hits #1 Bestseller on Amazon...
Mentor Me Hit #1 Bestseller on Amazon today for Journal Writing Self-Help!
Here is the photo of this milestone:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Thank you all for your support!
You are the best!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Here is the photo of this milestone:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Thank you all for your support!
You are the best!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Fan Appreciation: Free Mentor Me Book Giveaway on Amazon and 99 Cents Kindle Version Limited Time Price
In honor of my fans I am hosting a new, 3rd, Amazon Giveaway (the first two ended in just hours)!
I want all my fans to have a chance to win, so this is a 3rd Fan Appreciation Amazon Giveaway using the same Goodreads Blog Posting (entry link changed to the 3rd Amazon "Mentor Me" Book Giveaway)!
Enter to win a free paperback copy of "Mentor Me: (the 11th free copy given away this weekend)!
Find out why "Mentor Me" by author Ken Poirot is being quoted around the world and has become a best seller!
For details of the Amazon Giveaway and for entry use the link below:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/be82690...
In addition, for those of you who enter and do not win a free paperback copy of "Mentor Me," the Kindle version is now available for only one more day at the fan appreciation price of 99 cents (regularly $9.99).
Win a free paperback book or pick up your discounted Kindle version of "Mentor Me" today!
Thank you to all my fans!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
I want all my fans to have a chance to win, so this is a 3rd Fan Appreciation Amazon Giveaway using the same Goodreads Blog Posting (entry link changed to the 3rd Amazon "Mentor Me" Book Giveaway)!
Enter to win a free paperback copy of "Mentor Me: (the 11th free copy given away this weekend)!
Find out why "Mentor Me" by author Ken Poirot is being quoted around the world and has become a best seller!
For details of the Amazon Giveaway and for entry use the link below:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/be82690...
In addition, for those of you who enter and do not win a free paperback copy of "Mentor Me," the Kindle version is now available for only one more day at the fan appreciation price of 99 cents (regularly $9.99).
Win a free paperback book or pick up your discounted Kindle version of "Mentor Me" today!
Thank you to all my fans!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
June 6, 2015
Now: Free Kindle Book on Amazon...Limited Time...
Quotations and Photos: Mentor Me: GA=T+E-A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Quoted all over the world! ...find out why!
NOW FREE on Amazon (Kindle) for a Limited Time...
Pick up your copy here today:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Quotations and Photos: Mentor Me: GA=T+E-A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Quoted all over the world! ...find out why!
NOW FREE on Amazon (Kindle) for a Limited Time...
Pick up your copy here today:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Quotations and Photos: Mentor Me: GA=T+E-A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
May 24, 2015
Memorial Day: Lessons from Soldiers, D-Day, and Success...
Have the Courage to Take Action
How many of us are paralyzed by fear?
The fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, or the fear of getting hurt in relationships, just to name a few fears many people experience.
The result of fear: if we succumb to it and allow it to dictate the direction of our lives, then we are guaranteed to never achieve our dreams.
Taking action requires courage: the courage to commit to a goal or dream. The courage to plan for success and follow that plan. The courage to overcome obstacles along the way to success and repel any naysayers we may encounter along the way. The courage to overcome the inertia in our lives caused by the fear of failure or the fear of getting hurt.
The amazing thing about taking action to achieve your dreams is the reaction from others. You will encounter people along the way who will tell you that you can never achieve your dreams. Or even worse, you may encounter those who try to tear you down or undermine your efforts on the road to achievement.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "The same people who told you what you can and cannot do are only saying that because they gave up on their dreams."
Two Crabs in a Bucket
There are two types of people in this world: those who will support you in your goals and dreams, and those who won't (including those who may even attempt to block or sabotage your efforts).
It is important to surround yourself with people who will give you positive support and cheer you on. Equally important is to separate yourself from those who try to beat you down, hold you back, or undermine you in life.
There is an old adage about crabs in a bucket that illustrates this point.
As the story goes, if you put one crab in a bucket it will easily crawl out.
...but, if you put two crabs in a bucket, the second crab will clamp its claw(s) onto the leg(s) of the crab attempting to crawl out of the bucket. Therefore, the second crab will actively hinder the first crab from escaping the bucket.
The end result is neither crab will be able to crawl out of the bucket.
"Crawling out of the bucket" is a metaphor for getting ahead in life, or achieving your goals and dreams.
The moral of the story: rid your life of any crab(s) who might hold you back and/or keep you from getting out of your bucket (achieving your goals and dreams).
Soldiers Exemplify Taking Action in the Face of Fear
So why do some people take action even though they experience fear, while others are so paralyzed by fear they quit or do not take action in the first place?
...or a better question, how can someone learn to take action in the face of experiencing fear?
I believe the answer to this question is best exemplified by the courage of our soldiers while encountering severe opposition and the real specter of death.
Soldiers come from every cross section of our society and they are taught to take action in the face of fear. They learn to control their panic in war situations which would prevent most people from moving forward; soldiers make decision/take action in circumstances which the average person would be paralyzed by extreme fear into quitting or inaction.
The good news then is this: the average person can learn to take action in spite of fear.
In other words, this is a behavior we can all acquire...the ability to take action in the face of fear!
The D-Day Invasion
First, I would like to take a moment to commemorate and remember all the soldiers, veterans, and our current, active military personnel this Memorial Day. All of these individuals are heroes in my mind.
Anyone who serves our country and is willing to give their life for the United States deserves our thanks and respect.
Likewise, any soldier who has fallen in battle should be honored for giving the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
I am using just one example of the heroism of our soldiers here, the D-Day Invasion, because it is an illustration for which most of us have studied or have a powerful visualization due to all the photos taken of this particular battle.
One cannot imagine the fear and terror soldiers engaged in the D-Day Invasion must have felt while riding in their transport ships to the shores of Normandy, France.
Listening to the seemingly infinite rounds of machine gun fire hitting the ramps of their transport ships, while waiting for those same ramps to be lowered to the sea, guaranteeing death to those stationed in the front of their ships.
As the ramps came down, rows of soldiers were struck and killed before they could even take one step into the ocean.
Soldiers behind them had to crawl over their wounded, dead, and bleeding buddies in order to get into the sea. Then push forward onto the beaches targeted by more machine gun fire, bombs, booby traps, and razor wire.
Sheer chaos and almost certain death enveloped these soldiers in the fog of war, smoke, explosions, and the screams of the fallen. Yet, through all this horror, the pieces of friends and fellow soldiers surrounding them, they still moved forward.
What we forget is, with all the planning that went into the D-Day Invasion and the 160,000 troops that took part in this operation: success was not guaranteed.
The price was high as more than 9,000 Allied soldiers died during this mission.
How can the average person develop courage?
So how can the average person be transformed into an heroic and courageous soldier?
Our soldiers had the courage to take action, to be brave in the face of the unfathomable hell that greeted them on the beaches of Normandy. Against all odds, almost impossible to imagine circumstances, and sheer terror, our soldiers showed unimaginable courage.
What can we learn from our soldiers and their heroism? What can we learn from their courage and how can we use their example to change our lives?
We can break this down into three steps the average person can use to overcome fear and take action in their lives, namely:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have Vision and Commit to "Death Ground"
It starts with having a vision and committing 100% to the achievement of that vision no matter what obstacles are encountered.
As General Dwight D Eisenhower said about the D-Day Invasion, "We will accept nothing less than full victory.” This same commitment was communicated throughout the ranks to every soldier under General Eisenhower's command.
This vision and commitment of our leaders/generals to the D-Day Invasion put 100% of those 160,000 troops into harms way with the only acceptable outcome: full victory (the outcome could have been complete annihilation or failure).
Looking back at the invasion it is easy to forget since we were victorious: the outcome could have been much different.
Heading into that day, no one could guarantee victory...failure and the complete loss of all 160,000 troops was one possible result of the D-Day Invasion.
Another illustration of complete commitment was written by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. He wrote of this complete commitment to moving forward and no return as creating "death ground." This "death ground" is defined as a place where an army is backed up against some geographical feature like a mountain, a river, ocean, or a forest which offers no possible escape route.
Per Sun Tzu, without a way to retreat (a complete commitment to move forward) an army fights with double or triple the spirit compared to combat on open terrain, precisely because death is viscerally present. The soldier has no choice except fight ferociously to live or die!
Sun Tzu advocated deliberately stationing soldiers on "death ground" to give them an edge of desperation which transforms people to fight like they never have before.
Our generals undoubtedly studied Sun Tzu and used this principal in the Normandy invasion. Our soldiers were shipped to the shores of Normandy and had no alternative for escape.
There was nowhere to hide in the waves of the sea where our soldiers were sitting targets for German bombs and machine guns. They were placed on "death ground" and they had no choice but to fight their way forward just for a chance to live.
Implement Training and Practice: Planning
So how can you take the average person who becomes a soldier and turn them into a hero who takes action in the face of fear?
For our soldiers it comes down to their training and practice. The constant drills, basic training, and live fire exercises. Getting used to the feel, sounds, sights, and smells of battle. The smoke, explosions, machine gun fire, and even the screams associated with the fallen.
These drills also expose soldiers to the mental, emotional, and physical stress of fatigue and adrenaline experienced in combat. They are designed as a total assault on the senses while teaching soldiers to maintain discipline, follow orders, control their actions, and press on while experiencing fear.
This training and practice helps to condition our soldiers for the terror they will experience in war. In other words, they undergo a great deal of planning for combat.
What we can learn from this is to plan for the fulfillment of our goals and dreams. Whatever your craft, practicing your craft, and training your skills for success are necessary. Also necessary is maintaining the control and discipline to follow the plan through the mental, physical, and emotional stresses along the way.
Above and beyond this practice and exercise, making a written plan (which also strengthens your commitment to that plan) is crucial for success. Additionally, pursuit of any goal or dream requires a total cohesive physical, mental, and spiritual vision and commitment to its achievement; never taking your eyes off the target and continually focusing (and refocusing) your thoughts on the achievement of that vision.
This is why I dedicated various chapters of Mentor Me to information/exercises designed to commit mentally, physically, and emotionally to creating a blueprint for goal achievement, as well as providing tools for garnering support on the path to success.
It is also why these same chapters are constructed to solidify the belief and expectation of success.
Manifest Belief and Expectation: Execution
As stated in the Bible, Matthew 17:20, "Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you."
The above passage is typically summarized as "With faith you can move mountains." When you have a deep-rooted faith (belief) and expectation of success, you are much more likely to achieve success.
Dwight D Eisenhower, our leaders, Allied generals, and our soldiers were all 100% committed to the vision of success of the D-Day Invasion. They trained, exercised, and planned for victory. Additionally, they believed in the mission and they expected to succeed.
This belief and expectation permeated all who executed this plan, from the leaders at the top down to the foot soldiers who carried out the invasion. All executed this D-Day Invasion plan with a deep-rooted vision, commitment, belief, and expectation of "full victory."
These were the thoughts I had when I penned the phrase, "Take Action: Success is not guaranteed but inaction will guaranty failure." For this reason, I purposefully chose a famous photo from the D-Day Invasion to illustrate this quote, which can be seen here at the link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Remember the sacrifice of our soldiers and fallen heroes today, this Memorial Day. Also remember to take action to achieve your goals and dreams on the way to transforming your life. Yes, taking action cannot guarantee success...but inaction will guaranty failure.
Remember, you can acquire the ability to take action to achieve your goals and dreams, even if you experience fear, by following these three steps:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have the courage to take action and live your life to the fullest in pursuit of your goals and dreams!
Have a great Memorial Day!
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
How many of us are paralyzed by fear?
The fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, or the fear of getting hurt in relationships, just to name a few fears many people experience.
The result of fear: if we succumb to it and allow it to dictate the direction of our lives, then we are guaranteed to never achieve our dreams.
Taking action requires courage: the courage to commit to a goal or dream. The courage to plan for success and follow that plan. The courage to overcome obstacles along the way to success and repel any naysayers we may encounter along the way. The courage to overcome the inertia in our lives caused by the fear of failure or the fear of getting hurt.
The amazing thing about taking action to achieve your dreams is the reaction from others. You will encounter people along the way who will tell you that you can never achieve your dreams. Or even worse, you may encounter those who try to tear you down or undermine your efforts on the road to achievement.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "The same people who told you what you can and cannot do are only saying that because they gave up on their dreams."
Two Crabs in a Bucket
There are two types of people in this world: those who will support you in your goals and dreams, and those who won't (including those who may even attempt to block or sabotage your efforts).
It is important to surround yourself with people who will give you positive support and cheer you on. Equally important is to separate yourself from those who try to beat you down, hold you back, or undermine you in life.
There is an old adage about crabs in a bucket that illustrates this point.
As the story goes, if you put one crab in a bucket it will easily crawl out.
...but, if you put two crabs in a bucket, the second crab will clamp its claw(s) onto the leg(s) of the crab attempting to crawl out of the bucket. Therefore, the second crab will actively hinder the first crab from escaping the bucket.
The end result is neither crab will be able to crawl out of the bucket.
"Crawling out of the bucket" is a metaphor for getting ahead in life, or achieving your goals and dreams.
The moral of the story: rid your life of any crab(s) who might hold you back and/or keep you from getting out of your bucket (achieving your goals and dreams).
Soldiers Exemplify Taking Action in the Face of Fear
So why do some people take action even though they experience fear, while others are so paralyzed by fear they quit or do not take action in the first place?
...or a better question, how can someone learn to take action in the face of experiencing fear?
I believe the answer to this question is best exemplified by the courage of our soldiers while encountering severe opposition and the real specter of death.
Soldiers come from every cross section of our society and they are taught to take action in the face of fear. They learn to control their panic in war situations which would prevent most people from moving forward; soldiers make decision/take action in circumstances which the average person would be paralyzed by extreme fear into quitting or inaction.
The good news then is this: the average person can learn to take action in spite of fear.
In other words, this is a behavior we can all acquire...the ability to take action in the face of fear!
The D-Day Invasion
First, I would like to take a moment to commemorate and remember all the soldiers, veterans, and our current, active military personnel this Memorial Day. All of these individuals are heroes in my mind.
Anyone who serves our country and is willing to give their life for the United States deserves our thanks and respect.
Likewise, any soldier who has fallen in battle should be honored for giving the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
I am using just one example of the heroism of our soldiers here, the D-Day Invasion, because it is an illustration for which most of us have studied or have a powerful visualization due to all the photos taken of this particular battle.
One cannot imagine the fear and terror soldiers engaged in the D-Day Invasion must have felt while riding in their transport ships to the shores of Normandy, France.
Listening to the seemingly infinite rounds of machine gun fire hitting the ramps of their transport ships, while waiting for those same ramps to be lowered to the sea, guaranteeing death to those stationed in the front of their ships.
As the ramps came down, rows of soldiers were struck and killed before they could even take one step into the ocean.
Soldiers behind them had to crawl over their wounded, dead, and bleeding buddies in order to get into the sea. Then push forward onto the beaches targeted by more machine gun fire, bombs, booby traps, and razor wire.
Sheer chaos and almost certain death enveloped these soldiers in the fog of war, smoke, explosions, and the screams of the fallen. Yet, through all this horror, the pieces of friends and fellow soldiers surrounding them, they still moved forward.
What we forget is, with all the planning that went into the D-Day Invasion and the 160,000 troops that took part in this operation: success was not guaranteed.
The price was high as more than 9,000 Allied soldiers died during this mission.
How can the average person develop courage?
So how can the average person be transformed into an heroic and courageous soldier?
Our soldiers had the courage to take action, to be brave in the face of the unfathomable hell that greeted them on the beaches of Normandy. Against all odds, almost impossible to imagine circumstances, and sheer terror, our soldiers showed unimaginable courage.
What can we learn from our soldiers and their heroism? What can we learn from their courage and how can we use their example to change our lives?
We can break this down into three steps the average person can use to overcome fear and take action in their lives, namely:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have Vision and Commit to "Death Ground"
It starts with having a vision and committing 100% to the achievement of that vision no matter what obstacles are encountered.
As General Dwight D Eisenhower said about the D-Day Invasion, "We will accept nothing less than full victory.” This same commitment was communicated throughout the ranks to every soldier under General Eisenhower's command.
This vision and commitment of our leaders/generals to the D-Day Invasion put 100% of those 160,000 troops into harms way with the only acceptable outcome: full victory (the outcome could have been complete annihilation or failure).
Looking back at the invasion it is easy to forget since we were victorious: the outcome could have been much different.
Heading into that day, no one could guarantee victory...failure and the complete loss of all 160,000 troops was one possible result of the D-Day Invasion.
Another illustration of complete commitment was written by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. He wrote of this complete commitment to moving forward and no return as creating "death ground." This "death ground" is defined as a place where an army is backed up against some geographical feature like a mountain, a river, ocean, or a forest which offers no possible escape route.
Per Sun Tzu, without a way to retreat (a complete commitment to move forward) an army fights with double or triple the spirit compared to combat on open terrain, precisely because death is viscerally present. The soldier has no choice except fight ferociously to live or die!
Sun Tzu advocated deliberately stationing soldiers on "death ground" to give them an edge of desperation which transforms people to fight like they never have before.
Our generals undoubtedly studied Sun Tzu and used this principal in the Normandy invasion. Our soldiers were shipped to the shores of Normandy and had no alternative for escape.
There was nowhere to hide in the waves of the sea where our soldiers were sitting targets for German bombs and machine guns. They were placed on "death ground" and they had no choice but to fight their way forward just for a chance to live.
Implement Training and Practice: Planning
So how can you take the average person who becomes a soldier and turn them into a hero who takes action in the face of fear?
For our soldiers it comes down to their training and practice. The constant drills, basic training, and live fire exercises. Getting used to the feel, sounds, sights, and smells of battle. The smoke, explosions, machine gun fire, and even the screams associated with the fallen.
These drills also expose soldiers to the mental, emotional, and physical stress of fatigue and adrenaline experienced in combat. They are designed as a total assault on the senses while teaching soldiers to maintain discipline, follow orders, control their actions, and press on while experiencing fear.
This training and practice helps to condition our soldiers for the terror they will experience in war. In other words, they undergo a great deal of planning for combat.
What we can learn from this is to plan for the fulfillment of our goals and dreams. Whatever your craft, practicing your craft, and training your skills for success are necessary. Also necessary is maintaining the control and discipline to follow the plan through the mental, physical, and emotional stresses along the way.
Above and beyond this practice and exercise, making a written plan (which also strengthens your commitment to that plan) is crucial for success. Additionally, pursuit of any goal or dream requires a total cohesive physical, mental, and spiritual vision and commitment to its achievement; never taking your eyes off the target and continually focusing (and refocusing) your thoughts on the achievement of that vision.
This is why I dedicated various chapters of Mentor Me to information/exercises designed to commit mentally, physically, and emotionally to creating a blueprint for goal achievement, as well as providing tools for garnering support on the path to success.
It is also why these same chapters are constructed to solidify the belief and expectation of success.
Manifest Belief and Expectation: Execution
As stated in the Bible, Matthew 17:20, "Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you."
The above passage is typically summarized as "With faith you can move mountains." When you have a deep-rooted faith (belief) and expectation of success, you are much more likely to achieve success.
Dwight D Eisenhower, our leaders, Allied generals, and our soldiers were all 100% committed to the vision of success of the D-Day Invasion. They trained, exercised, and planned for victory. Additionally, they believed in the mission and they expected to succeed.
This belief and expectation permeated all who executed this plan, from the leaders at the top down to the foot soldiers who carried out the invasion. All executed this D-Day Invasion plan with a deep-rooted vision, commitment, belief, and expectation of "full victory."
These were the thoughts I had when I penned the phrase, "Take Action: Success is not guaranteed but inaction will guaranty failure." For this reason, I purposefully chose a famous photo from the D-Day Invasion to illustrate this quote, which can be seen here at the link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Remember the sacrifice of our soldiers and fallen heroes today, this Memorial Day. Also remember to take action to achieve your goals and dreams on the way to transforming your life. Yes, taking action cannot guarantee success...but inaction will guaranty failure.
Remember, you can acquire the ability to take action to achieve your goals and dreams, even if you experience fear, by following these three steps:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have the courage to take action and live your life to the fullest in pursuit of your goals and dreams!
Have a great Memorial Day!
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
April 27, 2015
Relationships, Happiness, and True Love: Take Out the Garbage...
No One is Free From Hurt or Pain
As I think about many of my past conversations with others in life, there is one universal commonality everyone shares...
Each one of us has hurt and pain in our lives...every one of us. No one is immune or free from hurt or pain from time to time.
Throughout life, painful events happen and hurtful situations transpire. Friendships are formed; some of these friendships are enduring and stalwart, while others are fleeting and filled with drama.
Lovers and partners come into and out of our lives...some wound us deeply in ways we may not fully understand at the time; sometimes people betray us or hurt us.
Closure in relationships is rare; often we find ourselves wondering what went wrong, what we could have done differently, or why our relationships ended so tragically.
This lack of closure can cause us to ponder away for lengths of time, without any objective, concrete answers or tidy conclusion.
Hurt and Pain Comes with Living
As I often say, "There is a cost of doing business in life," meaning when we trust someone...when we open up and get close, sometimes we get hurt.
Yet, to never open up or take the risk in a relationship means to never have the closeness we crave, or the love we desire (and deserve) in our lives.
I know so many people who jump from relationship to relationship to relationship, just because they feel the need to always have someone in their lives.
Yes, having someone can make us feel better short-term, but it is only a temporary solution. It is a way to briefly avoid the real problem...our own feelings of unhappiness, loneliness, hurt, pain, and/or insecurity.
For no one can give us happiness and joy (not true long-term happiness and joy), they can only supply a "quick fix" euphoria from the novelty of something new, and our sense of feeling loved and wanted again.
Impossible Expectations Lead to Relationship Sabotage
We cannot expect someone else to fill us up inside or make us whole. This is a terrible and impossible responsibility with which to appoint another person (a task they cannot possibly accomplish because only we can make ourselves whole).
Having this expectation, (and carrying it into any relationship) will only ensure the relationship will not work out, or live up to these impossible expectations we place on the relationship and the other person.
We are setting the relationship, and the poor soul we are involved with (and ourselves), up for disappointment.
These expectations result in a weak relationship that folds at the first sign of trouble, or "red flag," we feel inside.
Our first reaction to this feeling is to shut down, close up, distance ourselves, or walk away for fear of getting hurt again.
Ignored Past Hurt and Pain Destroys New Relationships
Ultimately the past pain and hurt creeps in again, typically in the form of putting up barriers to true closeness in our relationship.
Predictably, this behavior causes problems and destroys our current relationship. Typically (without even realizing it), we allow the past hurt and pain from which we originally tried to flee to victimize our new relationship.
These are all destructive behaviors in any relationship. We end up sabotaging our new relationship all because we are too afraid to get hurt again (which ironically, causes us to get hurt again by keeping us from having a close, open, and fulfilling relationship in the first place).
This in turn causes even more hurt and pain, which is then added to our ever-expanding, existing pile of emotional baggage, which we carry into our next relationship.
It's a vicious cycle we repeat over and over and over again. So what is the solution to this vicious cycle?
Grieve and Then Find Happiness Within You
The best solution is to take a break; to allocate the time to work on ourselves.
Instead of jumping into the next relationship in order to run from the pain we feel inside (which we cannot truly escape anyway), a healthier long-term solution is to grieve (confront the pain of past events and relationships).
Only by acknowledging this hurt and pain, allowing ourselves to experience it, taking the necessary time to work through it (heal), can we truly become ready for future strong, healthy, and fulfilling relationships.
The fact is, true long-term happiness and true joy comes from within us...not from outside of us.
It is up to us to find this happiness and joy within ourselves. No one can supply us with happiness and joy permanently from outside of us; no one can make us whole.
We can't place such unreasonable expectations on others to complete us for only we can complete ourselves.
So I will ask you, what makes you happy?
Maybe it is spending time with family and friends, being more involved in your community, an organization, or church. Or maybe it is a hobby, an activity, a setting like the beach or mountains, music, sports, going to the gym, writing, etc...
Regardless of what makes you happy and gives you joy, we all need to take the time to build ourselves up again...make ourselves whole again after the trauma of hurt and pain enters our lives.
Take out the Garbage
I liken it to taking out the garbage; if we travel from one relationship to another to another, without first taking the time to make ourselves whole inside, finding the true long-term happiness and joy within us, then we are just adding to the piles and piles of garbage (emotional baggage) in our lives.
Harboring this ever-increasing mound of garbage burdens us, creates emotional exhaustion, and causes fear (the fear of getting hurt).
If we let it continue to expand, it takes up residence as a landfill burying our hearts and souls, preventing us from having the love and closeness we want (and all deserve) in life.
While working through this past hurt and pain (taking out the garbage), spend time doing the things you enjoy the most.
Take out the garbage...true happiness comes from within not from without!
Completely and solely within you is the capacity for true happiness...it is already within you!
Once you feel the true happiness and joy inside you...then you can give all of yourself to someone else.
Then you will be ready and able to experience and realize a strong, healthy, fulfilling relationship; the true love you deserve!
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
As I think about many of my past conversations with others in life, there is one universal commonality everyone shares...
Each one of us has hurt and pain in our lives...every one of us. No one is immune or free from hurt or pain from time to time.
Throughout life, painful events happen and hurtful situations transpire. Friendships are formed; some of these friendships are enduring and stalwart, while others are fleeting and filled with drama.
Lovers and partners come into and out of our lives...some wound us deeply in ways we may not fully understand at the time; sometimes people betray us or hurt us.
Closure in relationships is rare; often we find ourselves wondering what went wrong, what we could have done differently, or why our relationships ended so tragically.
This lack of closure can cause us to ponder away for lengths of time, without any objective, concrete answers or tidy conclusion.
Hurt and Pain Comes with Living
As I often say, "There is a cost of doing business in life," meaning when we trust someone...when we open up and get close, sometimes we get hurt.
Yet, to never open up or take the risk in a relationship means to never have the closeness we crave, or the love we desire (and deserve) in our lives.
I know so many people who jump from relationship to relationship to relationship, just because they feel the need to always have someone in their lives.
Yes, having someone can make us feel better short-term, but it is only a temporary solution. It is a way to briefly avoid the real problem...our own feelings of unhappiness, loneliness, hurt, pain, and/or insecurity.
For no one can give us happiness and joy (not true long-term happiness and joy), they can only supply a "quick fix" euphoria from the novelty of something new, and our sense of feeling loved and wanted again.
Impossible Expectations Lead to Relationship Sabotage
We cannot expect someone else to fill us up inside or make us whole. This is a terrible and impossible responsibility with which to appoint another person (a task they cannot possibly accomplish because only we can make ourselves whole).
Having this expectation, (and carrying it into any relationship) will only ensure the relationship will not work out, or live up to these impossible expectations we place on the relationship and the other person.
We are setting the relationship, and the poor soul we are involved with (and ourselves), up for disappointment.
These expectations result in a weak relationship that folds at the first sign of trouble, or "red flag," we feel inside.
Our first reaction to this feeling is to shut down, close up, distance ourselves, or walk away for fear of getting hurt again.
Ignored Past Hurt and Pain Destroys New Relationships
Ultimately the past pain and hurt creeps in again, typically in the form of putting up barriers to true closeness in our relationship.
Predictably, this behavior causes problems and destroys our current relationship. Typically (without even realizing it), we allow the past hurt and pain from which we originally tried to flee to victimize our new relationship.
These are all destructive behaviors in any relationship. We end up sabotaging our new relationship all because we are too afraid to get hurt again (which ironically, causes us to get hurt again by keeping us from having a close, open, and fulfilling relationship in the first place).
This in turn causes even more hurt and pain, which is then added to our ever-expanding, existing pile of emotional baggage, which we carry into our next relationship.
It's a vicious cycle we repeat over and over and over again. So what is the solution to this vicious cycle?
Grieve and Then Find Happiness Within You
The best solution is to take a break; to allocate the time to work on ourselves.
Instead of jumping into the next relationship in order to run from the pain we feel inside (which we cannot truly escape anyway), a healthier long-term solution is to grieve (confront the pain of past events and relationships).
Only by acknowledging this hurt and pain, allowing ourselves to experience it, taking the necessary time to work through it (heal), can we truly become ready for future strong, healthy, and fulfilling relationships.
The fact is, true long-term happiness and true joy comes from within us...not from outside of us.
It is up to us to find this happiness and joy within ourselves. No one can supply us with happiness and joy permanently from outside of us; no one can make us whole.
We can't place such unreasonable expectations on others to complete us for only we can complete ourselves.
So I will ask you, what makes you happy?
Maybe it is spending time with family and friends, being more involved in your community, an organization, or church. Or maybe it is a hobby, an activity, a setting like the beach or mountains, music, sports, going to the gym, writing, etc...
Regardless of what makes you happy and gives you joy, we all need to take the time to build ourselves up again...make ourselves whole again after the trauma of hurt and pain enters our lives.
Take out the Garbage
I liken it to taking out the garbage; if we travel from one relationship to another to another, without first taking the time to make ourselves whole inside, finding the true long-term happiness and joy within us, then we are just adding to the piles and piles of garbage (emotional baggage) in our lives.
Harboring this ever-increasing mound of garbage burdens us, creates emotional exhaustion, and causes fear (the fear of getting hurt).
If we let it continue to expand, it takes up residence as a landfill burying our hearts and souls, preventing us from having the love and closeness we want (and all deserve) in life.
While working through this past hurt and pain (taking out the garbage), spend time doing the things you enjoy the most.
Take out the garbage...true happiness comes from within not from without!
Completely and solely within you is the capacity for true happiness...it is already within you!
Once you feel the true happiness and joy inside you...then you can give all of yourself to someone else.
Then you will be ready and able to experience and realize a strong, healthy, fulfilling relationship; the true love you deserve!
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
April 19, 2015
IMPORTANT: My most important epiphany and message for others...
Epiphany: What Makes Someone Successful?
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
April 15, 2015
Give Compassion: Death in Poland and Germany...
There are many stories I remember from my career both as a financial services representative (financial advisor) as well as from managing financial advisors.
Yet, one story sticks out in my mind above all others.
It was my first job as a financial advisor working for a bank. I had been with the bank for about three months and a gentleman left his card at the front desk asking the teller about buying some US Treasuries.
The gentleman had an office in the same building as the bank; the bank was only leasing about half the first floor of that particular building.
Everyone in the branch knew the gentleman was very wealthy, yet his business with the bank averaged about $15,000 a month in a checking account. That was the total extent of his relationship with the bank.
Everything is relative in life...for a gentleman worth hundreds of millions of dollars, that was not much of a relationship with the bank...it was obvious the bulk of his business was somewhere else.
All the bankers knew the gentleman; he had a reputation for being quick-tempered and difficult. Other professionals the bankers knew had told them stories about bad experiences working with him, sudden outbursts, extreme anger, and renegotiating hourly billing/fees after services had already been rendered.
I also found out the previous financial advisor who had worked at my location for over five years had met with him multiple times. They had never done any business together.
One of the senior bankers gave me a great piece of information right before my meeting, he said, "Did you see the tattoo on his wrist?"
It was a good observation because I had not noticed it, nor did I have any idea what kind of tattoo it could have been.
I said, "No." ...the senior banker looked at me and said, "It is a tattoo from a Nazi concentration camp...he is a World War II concentration camp survivor."
I was fairly young at the time. I had studied some about the World War II concentration camps and seen some of the horrible photos...but I had never met anyone who had survived or been through such a horrific experience.
I said "Thank you" to the senior banker and proceeded to my meeting with at least some idea this gentleman had an unimaginably terrible past.
My goal with him was the same goal I have with anyone I meet:
...ask questions, listen, let the person know I care about their situation, and offer assistance if I can.
True empathy and caring is the one trait that is either part of someone's DNA or it isn't.
You can't train someone how to care or teach someone to be a caring person if it is just not part of their nature.
Whenever I interview or hire employees, I specifically ask questions to see if the candidate exhibits characteristics of high empathy; a deep-rooted, sincere caring for others.
I can train someone to be more productive, I can train someone to be more effective, or more proficient at their job...but I cannot train someone to care who just does not have it within themselves.
Similarly, in personal relationships, you can't expect empathy or care from someone who is just not a caring person; they will not change.
If someone hurts you, does not care about your feelings, and displays no empathy for you or others...it is best to reconsider that relationship.
You can't turn someone into a caring person who does not have caring or empathy as part of their DNA. If you are with a selfish person who does not care about you or your feelings...they will never become a giving, caring, loving person.
Through the coming months and years in my relationship with this gentleman, I learned of the true horrors of life in a Nazi Germany concentration camp. One can never fully imagine or understand the experience, but only listen in dread to the every day atrocities.
I learned he was in hiding with his family in Poland during the German invasion and occupation. He, his mother, his father, older brother, and youngest brother.
They knew they were putting other people at risk, the families who were harboring them, so they decided to hand themselves over to the Nazi's. They had no idea, nor did anyone at the time, what the Nazi's were really doing to the Jews they rounded up and captured.
The last day he saw his mother and youngest brother was that day, the day they turned themselves in; his mother and youngest brother were taken to a different concentration camp and he never saw them again.
His father and oldest brother were transferred over and over again to four different concentration camps in five years. He said the worst experiences were the train rides from camp to camp. People packed in, as many as could fit in a sealed train car in the searing heat of summer. People defecating, peeing, literally dying and laying on each other, corpses decaying for hours and hours in the sweltering heat.
The most excruciating part he said, was the constant hunger and thirst every day. People eating rocks in the field just to put something in their stomachs. A cup of turnip soup the only sustenance for anyone, self digesting, starving with hunger and thirst, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, second after second...literally the hunger and thirst driving people mad.
As he told me, death was something you saw, experienced, and lived with each day. People dying from sickness,weakened by starvation, dehydration, or from being shot right next to you by a guard.
Feeling the sound of the gun reverberate through your ears and chest, as your ears rang and you felt the blood spatter on your face. You dare not move or even look anywhere but straight ahead for fear you would be the next one shot just for blinking.
In the final moments of his incarceration, the Nazi's took the remaining survivors on a "death march." The Allies were coming and they were evacuating the concentration camp.
He was with his father and oldest brother...they were all together and had survived five years of hell during the Holocaust.
He offered to carry a backpack for one of the German soldiers, in exchange for some kindness...in hopes for a piece of bread.
The soldier offered him some bread and when he returned to sit and share it with his oldest brother and father...the soldiers tried to physically restrain him and stop him. They asked him loudly in German, "What are you doing? That was for you, not them!"
He explained...the two men are his father and oldest brother. The soldier called all the other soldiers over and they pointed and marveled...speaking in German. They were shocked any family members related to each other had made it out alive together. The German soldiers were amazed by this. They allowed him to share his tiny piece of bread with his brother and father.
The Allies came...they were finally freed and liberated.
The next memory he shared with me was the feeling he had sitting down on a curb in New York City after having just arrived in the United States. He recalled eating a sardine sandwich and that it was the best, most satisfying, and greatest tasting moment of his life. After years of starvation and thirst, that could and did literally drive people insane...the sensation of eating...the texture, the feeling of real food in his mouth was the best memory of his life.
It is also important to remember. All these people in the Nazi concentration camps...these were just average people.
These people, men, women, and children who lived through this experience and those who died...they were not soldiers. They were just average citizens who were one day stripped of their freedom and made to endure these atrocities in the Nazi concentration camps.
That is what I was thinking when I wrote this quote, “Give Compassion: Every day the average person fights epic battles never told just to survive.”
You just do not know what someone has been through in their life. When you meet someone, if they are mean, terse, or a bit nasty to you...there is always a reason why.
Try to find the reason...ask, listen, care...give compassion. It makes all the difference in the world. You will be surprised how quickly some people will change their tone if you just ask, listen, and show real, sincere empathy.
So what if my client, the Holocaust survivor, could be a bit difficult, angry, or cantankerous at times? After all the epic battles he fought in his life...he had more than earned the right to be angry or distrustful of his fellow man.
He had seen and lived through the worst of humanity...horrors you or I could never truly understand or ever fully imagine.
Ask, listen, and give compassion!
For the reasons written above, I chose a US military photo for this photo quote. It was taken after liberating those who had lived through, suffered, and experienced the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. In this case the camp's name is Gusen (Austria).
Look into the eyes of the gentleman in the photo and remember my client's personal story.
Remember this photo when you encounter someone who is a bit upset, angry, or even downright mean. Just remember, you don't know "the epic battles never told" that person may have been through in their life just to survive.
Ask, listen,...give compassion!
Below is the photo quote:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Yet, one story sticks out in my mind above all others.
It was my first job as a financial advisor working for a bank. I had been with the bank for about three months and a gentleman left his card at the front desk asking the teller about buying some US Treasuries.
The gentleman had an office in the same building as the bank; the bank was only leasing about half the first floor of that particular building.
Everyone in the branch knew the gentleman was very wealthy, yet his business with the bank averaged about $15,000 a month in a checking account. That was the total extent of his relationship with the bank.
Everything is relative in life...for a gentleman worth hundreds of millions of dollars, that was not much of a relationship with the bank...it was obvious the bulk of his business was somewhere else.
All the bankers knew the gentleman; he had a reputation for being quick-tempered and difficult. Other professionals the bankers knew had told them stories about bad experiences working with him, sudden outbursts, extreme anger, and renegotiating hourly billing/fees after services had already been rendered.
I also found out the previous financial advisor who had worked at my location for over five years had met with him multiple times. They had never done any business together.
One of the senior bankers gave me a great piece of information right before my meeting, he said, "Did you see the tattoo on his wrist?"
It was a good observation because I had not noticed it, nor did I have any idea what kind of tattoo it could have been.
I said, "No." ...the senior banker looked at me and said, "It is a tattoo from a Nazi concentration camp...he is a World War II concentration camp survivor."
I was fairly young at the time. I had studied some about the World War II concentration camps and seen some of the horrible photos...but I had never met anyone who had survived or been through such a horrific experience.
I said "Thank you" to the senior banker and proceeded to my meeting with at least some idea this gentleman had an unimaginably terrible past.
My goal with him was the same goal I have with anyone I meet:
...ask questions, listen, let the person know I care about their situation, and offer assistance if I can.
True empathy and caring is the one trait that is either part of someone's DNA or it isn't.
You can't train someone how to care or teach someone to be a caring person if it is just not part of their nature.
Whenever I interview or hire employees, I specifically ask questions to see if the candidate exhibits characteristics of high empathy; a deep-rooted, sincere caring for others.
I can train someone to be more productive, I can train someone to be more effective, or more proficient at their job...but I cannot train someone to care who just does not have it within themselves.
Similarly, in personal relationships, you can't expect empathy or care from someone who is just not a caring person; they will not change.
If someone hurts you, does not care about your feelings, and displays no empathy for you or others...it is best to reconsider that relationship.
You can't turn someone into a caring person who does not have caring or empathy as part of their DNA. If you are with a selfish person who does not care about you or your feelings...they will never become a giving, caring, loving person.
Through the coming months and years in my relationship with this gentleman, I learned of the true horrors of life in a Nazi Germany concentration camp. One can never fully imagine or understand the experience, but only listen in dread to the every day atrocities.
I learned he was in hiding with his family in Poland during the German invasion and occupation. He, his mother, his father, older brother, and youngest brother.
They knew they were putting other people at risk, the families who were harboring them, so they decided to hand themselves over to the Nazi's. They had no idea, nor did anyone at the time, what the Nazi's were really doing to the Jews they rounded up and captured.
The last day he saw his mother and youngest brother was that day, the day they turned themselves in; his mother and youngest brother were taken to a different concentration camp and he never saw them again.
His father and oldest brother were transferred over and over again to four different concentration camps in five years. He said the worst experiences were the train rides from camp to camp. People packed in, as many as could fit in a sealed train car in the searing heat of summer. People defecating, peeing, literally dying and laying on each other, corpses decaying for hours and hours in the sweltering heat.
The most excruciating part he said, was the constant hunger and thirst every day. People eating rocks in the field just to put something in their stomachs. A cup of turnip soup the only sustenance for anyone, self digesting, starving with hunger and thirst, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, second after second...literally the hunger and thirst driving people mad.
As he told me, death was something you saw, experienced, and lived with each day. People dying from sickness,weakened by starvation, dehydration, or from being shot right next to you by a guard.
Feeling the sound of the gun reverberate through your ears and chest, as your ears rang and you felt the blood spatter on your face. You dare not move or even look anywhere but straight ahead for fear you would be the next one shot just for blinking.
In the final moments of his incarceration, the Nazi's took the remaining survivors on a "death march." The Allies were coming and they were evacuating the concentration camp.
He was with his father and oldest brother...they were all together and had survived five years of hell during the Holocaust.
He offered to carry a backpack for one of the German soldiers, in exchange for some kindness...in hopes for a piece of bread.
The soldier offered him some bread and when he returned to sit and share it with his oldest brother and father...the soldiers tried to physically restrain him and stop him. They asked him loudly in German, "What are you doing? That was for you, not them!"
He explained...the two men are his father and oldest brother. The soldier called all the other soldiers over and they pointed and marveled...speaking in German. They were shocked any family members related to each other had made it out alive together. The German soldiers were amazed by this. They allowed him to share his tiny piece of bread with his brother and father.
The Allies came...they were finally freed and liberated.
The next memory he shared with me was the feeling he had sitting down on a curb in New York City after having just arrived in the United States. He recalled eating a sardine sandwich and that it was the best, most satisfying, and greatest tasting moment of his life. After years of starvation and thirst, that could and did literally drive people insane...the sensation of eating...the texture, the feeling of real food in his mouth was the best memory of his life.
It is also important to remember. All these people in the Nazi concentration camps...these were just average people.
These people, men, women, and children who lived through this experience and those who died...they were not soldiers. They were just average citizens who were one day stripped of their freedom and made to endure these atrocities in the Nazi concentration camps.
That is what I was thinking when I wrote this quote, “Give Compassion: Every day the average person fights epic battles never told just to survive.”
You just do not know what someone has been through in their life. When you meet someone, if they are mean, terse, or a bit nasty to you...there is always a reason why.
Try to find the reason...ask, listen, care...give compassion. It makes all the difference in the world. You will be surprised how quickly some people will change their tone if you just ask, listen, and show real, sincere empathy.
So what if my client, the Holocaust survivor, could be a bit difficult, angry, or cantankerous at times? After all the epic battles he fought in his life...he had more than earned the right to be angry or distrustful of his fellow man.
He had seen and lived through the worst of humanity...horrors you or I could never truly understand or ever fully imagine.
Ask, listen, and give compassion!
For the reasons written above, I chose a US military photo for this photo quote. It was taken after liberating those who had lived through, suffered, and experienced the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. In this case the camp's name is Gusen (Austria).
Look into the eyes of the gentleman in the photo and remember my client's personal story.
Remember this photo when you encounter someone who is a bit upset, angry, or even downright mean. Just remember, you don't know "the epic battles never told" that person may have been through in their life just to survive.
Ask, listen,...give compassion!
Below is the photo quote:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
