Jenson Crew (J. Crew): Lead The Field

Quote #9 - Integrity
Quote #10 - Success is Easier Than Failure

Quote #11 - Tremendous Potential
Quote #12 - Opportunity
Quote #13 - Use of Language

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Attitude Changer: Quote #13

In these related posts, I am sharing quotes from a wonderful book called, “Lead the Field’ by Earl Nightingale.

In summary, the book talks about your attitude. It determines your actions, as well as the actions of others. Mr. Nightingale takes our lame excuses for NOT being successful and refutes them all.

Today’s Quote: “Your use of language is the one thing you cannot hide.”

Mr. JCrew is on a book-buying kick. His latest purchase is "Verbal Advantage." It’s a vocabulary audio book. I think the above quote is what motivated him to get it.

Knowledge is a ladder that enables you to climb to the top. A person should begin with his language and then proceed to study his general area of interest. It is our ability to use our language that will determine our place on the social pyramid.

Knowledge of the exact meanings of a large number of words accompanies outstanding success. Improve your vocabulary and you will improve your income. When you learn one new word you actually add several of their buddies. An understanding of our language is the key to study, learning and everything else. Language more than anything else determines the extent of our knowledge. The more words we know and can properly use, the more knowledge we have. Acquire books that will enable you to increase your vocabulary and improve your English usage. Reading just fifteen minutes a day will enable you to read one half book a week, two a month, twenty four a year; over one thousand books in fifty years.

In Florida, students take the SAT’s as their college entrance exams. In Alabama, I think they focus more on the ACT’s. I’m not sure, but once the kids are in high school, I’ll be much more aware. My SAT’s scores were fine, but I was weak in reading comprehension. One of my first summer jobs was at Silver Springs Park. They rotated our locations in the park, but whenever I’d be stuck in the cart selling crackers to feed the Giraffes, I had my vocabulary book and flash cards with me. I was not much of a reader. I only read the books on the summer assignment list. I was a doer and wouldn’t sit on my butt long enough to read. I thought it was boring. But I will say that when I do read a book, I usually learn a word or two. J My mom taught me a trick of keeping a notebook with me while I read. When I’d come to an unfamiliar word, I’d write it down in the notebook. I’d later look it up and write the definition beside it in my notebook. I was creating my own dictionary of words I was interested in.

I always thought reading made you a better speller, too. Maybe that was just me since I’m a visual learner. Once I saw it on paper, I remembered how to spell it.

Bottom line … words enable us to translate our thoughts and ideas into language that can be understood.

Quote #1 - Acres of Diamonds
Quote #2 - Be Nice
Quote #3- Luck
Quote #4 - Important People
Quote #5 - Believe and Achieve

Quote #9 - Integrity
Quote #10 - Success is Easier Than Failure

Quote #11 - Tremendous Potential
Quote #12 - Opportunity

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Attitude Changer: Quote #12

In these related posts, I am sharing quotes from a wonderful book called, “Lead the Field’ by Earl Nightingale.

In summary, the book talks about your attitude. It determines your actions, as well as the actions of others. Mr. Nightingale takes our lame excuses for NOT being successful and refutes them all.

Today’s Quote: “Opportunity is all around us.”

This tags onto the quote I already shared about the definition of luck (Quote #3.) I really liked both quotes. Luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity; and opportunity is all around us. Are you prepared? Are you qualified?

I received a lot of advice as a new graduate entering into the corporate world. I had a lot of mentors. Some advice I received too late after I had already accepted the job (ie. Negotiating) but all the info about 401k and setting up a career plan was helpful. I had one mentor advise me to show initiative to my functional boss by putting together a career plan. I took it one step further with showing my ongoing training and how it paired with my career goals. I had high aspirations that I wasn’t afraid to share. I’ve since shared this info with other aspiring newbies that are having to report to the same functional boss I did.

Back to the negotiating of salaries. Money is a scary subject. People know what they’d like to be making, but may not feel worth it. (and some people think they are worth more than they truly are.) The amount of money we receive will always be a direct ratio to the demand for what we do, our ability to do it, and the difficulty of replacing us.

I think that explanation really helped Mr. JCrew decide what he wanted to do with his career. He’s had a lot of "ideas" while in school. All college kids wonder what they want to do when they get out of college. It's hard to make a decision that affects the rest of your life so soon in your young life. I didn't pick my major until I was a junior in college. My AA was in general studies. And most degrees have nothing to do with what your job. It's just a piece of paper employers want to see that shows you can handle responsibility and stick with something.

Mr. JCrew’s job is so specialized and is not taught in school. He wasn’t sure for a while whether it was something he wanted to keep doing. He even thought of putting school on hold and becoming a mortgage broker! (I cried at the thought.) But that’s where this book helped him. He’s realized not many do his job and he would be hard to replace. An engineering degree is the best degree to support his current job. He has eight years experience that he’s not willing to throw away to start all over as a recent college grad in a new industry.

Mr. JCrew is preparing himself for future opportunities. You can’t control the future but you can prepare for it.

Quote #1 - Acres of Diamonds
Quote #2 - Be Nice
Quote #3- Luck
Quote #4 - Important People
Quote #5 - Believe and Achieve

Quote #9 - Integrity
Quote #10 - Success is Easier Than Failure

Quote #11 - Tremendous Potential

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Attitude Changer: Quote #11

In these related posts, I am sharing quotes from a wonderful book called, “Lead the Field’ by Earl Nightingale.

In summary, the book talks about your attitude. It determines your actions, as well as the actions of others. Mr. Nightingale takes our lame excuses for NOT being successful and refutes them all.

Today’s Quote: “You have tremendous potential.”

You are much more than meets the casual eye. You are unique. Every person is

building a life and thus is really in business for themselves. Think of yourself as a business; which you must increase. You must not concern yourself with the past but with the present and future. You cannot go back and you cannot stand still. You must grow or go.

Knowledge is power! You have the advantage. Your future is unlimited. To grow 10% and improve yourself is an easy goal. You only need to put out 10% service to get back 10% more reward. Why settle for just 10%? Try 20%. To stay vital, ongoing education is vital.

It’s in my nature to always be learning something. At times, the direction of learning changes. I took over a year to research being a mom! That sounds silly, but I think we all do it. I had my instincts, but there was a lot to learn! (There are a lot of opinions out there, too. You can listen but you don’t have to act.)

When I was in school, my time was full. I managed to still keep up my highly demanding performance schedule with my ballet company. I definitely learned time management. But this was before being married and having kids. I earned my undergraduate degree and went straight into my Masters. At the same time I took on a full-time job in a corporation. Still, no family of my own. I did back down on my performing then. I gave what I could. When I completed my graduate-level degree, I went searching to fill my time. I took a second job! This job was being hostess at an upscale restaurant. I learned so much from that job. I quit the second job a few months before moving across state lines.

When we bought our current house, it was my first house with a yard. I dove into learning about landscaping. And I’ve done the same with house projects. There is always something to learn out there. With our jobs, they require training courses and encourage continuing education, but most don’t do it. They become comfortable in the routine and think they know all there is to know about their job. I know at times I can fit into that category. It’s been three years since I got my last certification related to my job.

Mr. JCrew is amped up with his schooling. He is getting his Electrical Engineering degree with a business minor, and he doesn’t plan on stopping there. He wants to always be learning and challenging himself. However, once he completes his current degree, he will slow down the pace. I can only hope he continues on this path.

Summing it up… don’t limit yourself and think you know everything. Challenge yourself to learn more. You have the potential!

Quote #1 - Acres of Diamonds
Quote #2 - Be Nice
Quote #3- Luck
Quote #4 - Important People
Quote #5 - Believe and Achieve