Quirks. Call them peculiarities, idiosyncracies, habits, oddities, eccentricities …

Okay, we’ll end our tour of the Thesaurus!

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We all have quirks which, to some extent, make us who we are. But some of them get in the way of our bigg success. There’s way too many to cover in a short post, so we’ll discuss a few quirks that perfectionists sometimes exhibit.

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Ah … perfectionism. I have to admit to falling into this one, but I get it honestly – my Dad was a perfectionist. To this day, I have to fight the urge to get it perfect. It’s too high of a standard for most of the things we do. We’re only human; we need to accept it.

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The Compulsive Cleaning Quirk

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Something that goes along with perfectionism is being obsessive about something. For example – the Compulsive Cleaning Quirk. No one could accuse me of this. Maybe the Compulsive Picking Up for the Cleaning Person quirk!

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We’re told from the time we’re kids that cleanliness is next to godliness. So Compulsive Cleaners clean … and clean … and clean. And they pick up … and pick up … and pick up. Obviously, clean and tidy are good things but there are limits. This quirk sweeps away your valuable time.

The Infomaniac Quirk

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This is a quirk I constantly fight. It’s the need to have all the information before you get started. News flash – it’s impossible! There’s just too much information available. There are too many options these days. This quirk deletes your productive time.

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The Minutiae Quirk

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People who fall into this trap get caught up in all the little details and lose sight of the bigg picture. It’s important not to get mired down in the bits and pieces and lose track of the cohesive whole. This quirk turns your activities into trivial pursuits.

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Perfectionism can hurt our productivity. So when you feel your quirkiness coming out, here are some little things that make a bigg difference:

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

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Perfectionists aren’t going to settle for anything less than stellar. You will still put out a high quality product or service, but remind yourself that you don’t have to get it perfect.

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Even though my Dad was a perfectionist, he had this saying, “It’s good enough for who it’s for.” Of course, he usually said this when he was working on a project for himself! Remind yourself that sometimes good enough is good enough.

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Know when to say “when”

Give yourself a deadline – be it thirty minutes or thirty days – to accomplish something. This will help you focus on moving ahead without getting caught up in trying to make something perfect.

Make a decision

Take comfort in the amount of information you have. Remind yourself that you can adapt as new information hits your radar.

Remind yourself that “the devil is in the details” but the destination is the direction. Don’t just begin with the end in mind as Stephen Covey taught us; keep the end in mind. Everything should move you closer to your destination.

A law and a question

The law of diminishing returns underlies this whole discussion. You reach a point where it’s just not worth your time to do anymore.

So how do you know when you’ve reached that point? Ask yourself about materiality.

If you press on, what material difference will you make to the finished product?

If it’s material, press on. If not, move on. It’s a key to bigg success.

Have you battled perfectionism? What have you done to get past it? Share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG (2444) or e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

We think it’s just perfect that you read our post today. Thank you so much!

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Frank Sinatra did it “his way.” Please join us next time when we’ll talk about why Frank wouldn’t make it today. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00397-051909.mp3

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I called Michael, our tech guy. I started talking about an issue with which we needed his help. Suddenly, the guy on the other end said, “Who is this?” I said, “It’s Mary-Lynn.” He said, “Oh, hey Mary-Lynn, how are things?” At that point, I didn’t know who was on the other end of the phone! It turns out I had called a different Michael, my old personal trainer.

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I called my parent’s house. A woman answered the phone. I said, “Hey mom, it’s your son.” I asked how she was doing. She said, “Fine.” I asked if dad was there. She said, “Yes, I’ll get him.” A man came to the phone. I started to explain why I was calling. He said, “What are you talking about?” At that moment, I realized I was talking to a dad, but not my dad. Even worse – I had also talked to a mom, but not my mom in the same conversation!

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Consequential conversations

These conversations made us think about how important it is to talk to the right person. In our stories, there weren’t any repercussions. However, there are times when talking to the wrong person can have major consequences.

Nothing gets accomplished by talking to the wrong person. It’s a huge waste of time – for both you and the person to whom you’re talking.

If you’re talking to the wrong person, you may get misdirected. You could become discouraged. You might even lose your focus.

So we want to discuss three situations where it’s important to talk to the right person.

Are you talking to an expert?

A friend of ours says this best. If you want to make a million dollars a year, don’t talk to someone who’s making $999,999!

Don’t seek advice from someone who hasn’t achieved everything you’re trying to achieve. A lot of people like to give their opinions. They may be family or friends. We love them dearly, but they can’t help us if they haven’t done what we’re trying to do.

It doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to offer. It just means you have to filter what they say.

Are you talking to the decision-maker?

This is particularly important when you’re trying to make a sale. By “sale”, we don’t just mean in the typical sense of the word. You may be trying to sell someone on giving you a loan. Can they make the decision? If not, find out who can and talk to them.

This also applies to buying. You may want to negotiate a better deal. Does the person you’re talking to have the authority to give you a better deal? If not, find someone who does.

Are you talking to the person who knows the person to whom you need to talk?

You may not know the person to whom you need to speak. Do you know a person who knows him or her? Do you know The Connector?

If there’s more than one person between you and the person with whom you want to have a conversation, it’s tough. It will probably be more productive to get a direct referral to the person who can help you reach bigg success!

Do you have a funny story of talking to the wrong person?

We sure hope we’re not alone!

Please share your story with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG or sending us an e-mail at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

We thank you so much for reading our post today!

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Next time, a member of our community shares what life on his own terms means to him. Please join us. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00382-042809.mp3

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“Any man can be a father, it takes someone special to be a dad.”
 - Author unknown

Here are three things we each admire about our dads:

Mary-Lynn

Dad’s love for my mom.
Toward the end of her life, mom was very sick. Dad would go to work, drive to the hospital (which was about 45 minutes away) to be with mom after work, and then go home and get ready to go back to work. Dad was always there for mom.

Dad gives respects and gets it in return.
Before he retired, he worked for the Department of Corrections, as a prison guard and then a Captain. Dad was respected by his co-workers. He was also respected by the prisoners. When there was an issue with an inmate, dad was often the one who they called in to calm things down.

Dad encouraged me, but let me make my own mistakes.
I remember one time I was hanging out with a crowd that wasn’t exactly a group of high-achievers. I finally realized that I needed to move on from this group. I discussed it with my dad, who told me he was proud of my decision. Then he said,

“You can’t fly like an eagle if you hang with turkeys.”

George

Dad’s love of family time.
I remember sitting in the living room with dad. The rest of the family was dispersed throughout their house. I can still see dad sitting in his recliner with that “cat that got the mouse grin on his face.” He said, “I just love it when the whole family is together.”

Dad’s pride in his workmanship.
My dad was a bricklayer. I worked for him when I was in high school. By noon one day, we were almost finished with one particular job. He decided to break for lunch. When we came back, dad spotted a brick that he said was “upside down.” It was the second brick he had laid that morning. Dad ripped them all out and started over.

Dad gave everything he had to everything he did.
He expected the same from me. One day, he was pitching the baseball to me. He got frustrated because I wasn’t hitting the ball like he knew I could.

“Swing like you mean it,” he said.

Well, on his next pitch, I did just that. The ball rocketed right back at him, hit him on his shin, and knocked his feet right out from under him.

As he got up, he looked at me and said, “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

George’s unforgettable breakfast with his dad
One Monday morning, I walked into my office at about 7:30. We were coming off our busiest month of the year. I had been away from the office a lot and was excited about getting caught up in the office.

Within a few minutes, my dad dropped by and said that he had a meeting at 9 and wondered if I’d like to grab some breakfast before then.

I told him I had so much work to catch up on … that I better pass. He said, “Okay.” and asked if he could use my copier. I said, “Sure” and started working, but this little voice in my head said,

“Why in the world can’t you take the time to go have breakfast with your dad?”

So I went up and said, “Hey, dad, I will take you up on that breakfast offer.” That made him happy. We went out to breakfast and I don’t remember another thing about it.

But that was the last time I saw my dad before he passed away. I’m so glad that I took the opportunity that was made available to me. 

So tell us … what do you admire about your dad? Share your dadmirations by leaving a Comment below.

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