Be Coachable

Those of you who think you know everything annoy those of us who actually do!

If you know me or have followed this blog, you know that I love a good quote. I enjoy sharing the wisdom and wit of others, especially those that have long since passed from this world. It is a way to learn a little about the personality, as well as the genius, of thinkers I will never have an opportunity to meet in this world.

The opening quote to today's post was a popular bumper sticker/sign/poster/office joke from about 20 to 25 years ago. Someday, I will do a post of many of my favorite over-the-top "I am the Greatest" sayings and phrases that I have picked up and used over the years. They are all meant in fun and have been used to get a laugh poke fun, especially within my family. This one makes a good point for a Life Lesson that I had to learn and others have shared with me about how they had to learn it as part of their growing process also.

I am a fairly intelligent person and learning has come easily to me throughout most of my life. I was once on the arrogant side when it came to learning in that I thought if I could receive, process, and regurgitate information easily, everyone else should be able to do so also.

Mathematics have always been something of a second nature to me. I can still often do computations in my head without realizing that I have done them. One of the struggles I had in school when I was learning math was that I was expected to "show my work." My thinking was, "why do I have to do this if I can just look at a problem and write down the answer?" As I advanced into high school algebra and geometry, I learned to reverse engineer problems to show my work. I knew what the answer was but I had to work backwards from the answer to get back to the initial problem. I irritated friends because they would ask how I got an answer and my reply was, "because that is what you do to get the right answer."

It wasn't that I was trying to be rude or unhelpful, but usually I did NOT know how or why, just that is what was needed to get the answer. To me simple, but to others, not so much.

So what does all of this have to do with being coachable?

Quite a bit, actually.

I bombed out at my first attempt at college, very much because I was not coachable. Learning had always come so easily that I had terrible study habits and NO ONE was going to tell me what I needed to do or how I needed to study once I got to college. This was not something that I wanted to hear. I thought I could continue to do the same things that I always done when it came to studying and still get by. And for a couple of classes, it worked. For others, it (and I) failed miserably.

Not being coachable worked against me in my professional career also. I have always considered myself a salesman to some degree or another. I also have an entrepreneurial itch. It hit me that Network Marketing would be a perfect situation for me. The only problem was that I thought I was so smart, I didn't needed to be trained or taught anyone else's system because I am so smart I can come up with a better idea than the person that had already created a wonderful business for them self.* Unfortunately for me, many lost sales and failed business attempts later, I finally learned that I am often not as smart as I believed I was.

On my last post ("Zest"), I talked about following our dreams. However, no one should open a business without some sort of business training. I don't need to open an auto repair shop without knowing anything about auto mechanics, or finances, or how to hire quality help. I would need to learn many things to be able to open an auto shop if that was my dream. That is not to say I can't pursue that dream but I would need to learn much. If I decided that I know how to repair a car better than a master mechanic, my business would almost certainly fail.

My encouragement to you is this: have an open mind. Listen to others, especially those that are "experts" or successful in the area you have an interest. Find a mentor. Take their knowledge to heart. Learn. And grow. Then finally, see where it takes you.

Final note: I also learned how to be a college student. When I went back to school, my GPA was 3.96. The only reason I didn't get 4.0 was because an A- was given a slightly lower numeric value than a plain ol' A. (Sad face on Eddy.) I had 3 classes where I earned an A-. I didn't get extra value for an A+ and I had 4 of those. (Sadder face.) I did make all A's while working a 40+ hour a week job and 16 hours of class time a week. Sometimes it pays to be coachable.

Smile!!

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

*One of the reasons that I was un-coachable as a Network Marketer was that I just felt that there was a better way to do it than what I was being taught. My mistake was that I should have allowed myself to be coached, learned to do it the way that many others had done it to be successful and then searched for the better way I felt must be out there somewhere.

Fortunately, when I realized that I needed to let someone coach me, I found the the new system to go with the company that makes products that have meant a lot to me. I am developing my new web page to tell everyone about that system. (The nice thing is that you will never have to cold call, bug friends, or family if you don't want to.) I will let you know when my web page is up. In the mean time, if you want to learn about the products that have had such a profound affect on my life, Click_Here_Now!

A Poem

I occasionally dabble with writing some poetry. I was going through one of my "ideas" notebooks and found the following poem. It appears that I wrote it somewhere around October/November of 2007. I must have been feeling the pressure of the daily grind. Let me know what you think.



The long green blades of springtime grass
Performing for no one as they dance in the breeze.
The wild flowers allow the zephyrs to spread their scent
Putting the random and rare visitor at total ease.

The clouds randomly float silently across the vast expanse above
Providing brief moments of relief from the midday sun.
The leaves of the majestic trees rustle their whispers to one another;
Their secrets safe as they are shared with none.

A place of beauty so rich and complete
Where solitude provides replenishment to the empty soul.
Damaged by the trials and troubles found in the daily sojourn,
Pressures of civilization build and take their toll.

Quiet screams from all of nature.
Peace and tranquility can be found here.
God has created a beautiful masterpiece,
So those that seek Him will be drawn near.

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

A Quick Quote

"I am easily satisfied with the very best." ~Winston Churchill


So very often, we as a society and as individuals have "settled" for what we get in life. I think the best example is to remember the hopes and dreams most of us had when we graduated from high school. There were hopes and dreams. We were going to have the best of everything. We would own and live in a large, comfortable home. We would drive a top of the line automobile, if not two. We would have the job of our dreams and quickly move up the ladder.

Slowly, however, we began to "settle." First, we decided to settle on a slightly lesser degree in college or even with just taking some courses. Then we settle on a less than satisfying job because it paid the bills or met the needs of the moment. Next, we settled on the used, low mileage, run of the mill car. I could go on and on. Very few of us have not "settled", at least on some things.

Most importantly though, we have learned to "settle" for less than the best from ourselves. It is one thing to live a modest life with modest means, if we are giving our best. It is another, for us to live that life because we have not given our best. We cheat ourselves and others if we do not give our best.

As I have mentioned, I love to watch people. Too many people are willing to accept mediocrity. Too many of us are willing to go through the motions as we live our lives. Go to the grocery store sometime and watch people. Just observe and see how people behave. See how many people appear to be robotically moving through their shopping.

My challenge to you and to myself: don't settle. Learn to be satisfied with the best, especially from yourself. Be the best you you can be. Be the best worker, employee, boss, etc., at work. Be the best friend you can be. The best father, mother, son, daughter, husband or wife. In everything, strive to be the best. Accept only the best from yourself. Then you can learn how to to be satisfied with the best in everything else.


Smile!!

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

Do you need a speaker for a company meeting or seminar? Send me an email to this address: Click_here

Are you interested in making money while helping others and yourself live a healthier life, check out my site at this link. Health_and_Wealth

Horn Tooting

It is one thing to toot your own horn; it is another to try to play every instrument in the orchestra on your own behalf.

I have a business associate, who, if you spend any amount of time with him, will start telling you about how wonderful he is at everything he does. I have actually heard him make the claim that if it weren’t for him, nothing in his company would get done. On the grand scale of things, his company is not large but there are several departments with a total number of employees of over 100. I am sure many of these people appreciate that opinion of them.

After a meeting recently, I gave the following comment based on his behavior during the meeting.

“If you listen to Jim (not his real name) long enough, he will tell you how he created the heaven and earth in 6 days. He rested on the 7th, because he finished ahead of schedule and under budget.”

Do you know anyone like this? I know many although “Jim” is the worst of the people I’ve dealt with on a regular basis.

To clarify, “Jim” is good at what he does. He has made himself and others lots of money. I believe he has some ethical issues and he has a problem following company procedures that he holds everyone else to when it suits him. And while he is good, there are others who are better. I feel his ego has hindered his successes from being even greater. There are many rich and successful people who have big egos and high opinions of themselves but they work with it instead of allowing it to get in the way.

As I mentioned earlier, “Jim” does not do a very good job of sharing the credit with others. I feel this has created a lack of loyalty among those that work for and with him. Sure, he will spread some praise around on occasion, but again, it is usually to gain some benefit for him.

I have no problem with “tooting your own horn.” I believe you need to have self-confidence and I believe it is okay to tell others about your skills and abilities. I even believe the old axiom, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s a fact” is okay. However, humility has to be part of the equation somewhere. If you have a talent or skill that you developed or came naturally, it is still a blessing and you need to be thankful that you have been allowed to have it during your short time on this earth.

Here is to “tooting your own horn” but keeping it in tune and not trying to play every instrument in the band!

Keep Smilin’!

© 2009 Eddy Seegers

Do you need a speaker for a company meeting or seminar? Send me an email to this address: Click_here

Are you interested in making money while helping others and yourself live a healthier life, check out my site at this link. Health_and_Wealth