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Reading

Written on August 17, 2009 by admin in Personal Growth

Back-to-School It’s Back to School season. Summer is about over. For the kids, it’s time to crack the books again. But they shouldn’t have all the fun!

So we’re going to focus on lifelong learning this week and next. Over the next three days, we’ll discuss the basics – the 3 R’s we learned in school. Today we’ll look at reading.

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Listen while you READ today! Click the purple player to hear George & Mary-Lynn discuss today's topic on The Bigg Success Show: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Do you suppose that we read more today than we’ve ever read before? It sure seems like it as much as many of us read online.

Reading is great; comprehension is critical

We ran across a quote that has something to say about that. It comes from the book, Learning to Be A Sage: Selections from the Conversations of Master Chu, Arranged Topically. Chu Hsi said:

“In reading, the greatest failing is to strive for quantity. Don’t value quantity, value only your familiarity with what you’ve read.”

We see so much information every day. However, information isn’t necessarily useful; knowledge is. Physically reading something isn’t that special; mentally comprehending it is.

Create new worlds in your life

You may not read for comprehension. You may read for entertainment. You get a bigg pat on the back!

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george I used to only read non-fiction. I thought fiction was a waste of time. Then I took a short fiction course with one of the best professors I ever had. It opened my mind to a whole new world.

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marylynn Going forward, creativity is one of the most essential skills. It stems, in part, from imagination. When you read fiction, you have to paint the pictures the author is creating in your mind.

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george One of my favorite authors is Dashiell Hammett. I just love the way he describes characters.

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marylynn He was one of my mom’s favorite authors as well. When I found out you were a Dashiell Hammett fan, George, it really endeared you to me.

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So don’t limit yourself to just reading non-fiction in your field. Don’t limit your reading to non-fiction in general. Read some fiction. Expand your mind. Force yourself to visualize new worlds in your mind. It will help you create new worlds in your life.

Terms in context

Bigg success is life on your own terms. On one level, terms means words.

People who read generally have larger vocabularies. They see the same term used in different contexts. So they come to fully understand the richness of terms.

By understanding that richness, they’re able to call upon terms to empower themselves. They’re able to pull out a term, which has a number of layers of meaning, to describe what they want to do with their life. That’s one of the keys to bigg success.

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There’s a new book out that you can’t miss. It’s Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It’s all about relationships. So it will put you at the hub of the action in business today. Get a copy for yourself and tell your friends!

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Thanks so much for reading our post today. Please join us next time as we look at the second R: wRiting. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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Are You Talking to the Right Person

Written on April 28, 2009 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Communication, Networking, Relationships

We each have a story about a wacky experience on the phone. Unfortunately for us, they’re true stories.

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Hear George & Mary-Lynn discuss today's topic on The Bigg Success Show! To listen while you read, click the purple player: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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marylynn 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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george 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!