Never Say Never

I'm sure you grew up with sayings in your household that run through your mind every once in a while. I'm also sure that you grew up with some that have become your MANTRAS - a sort of way to guide your daily living. I grew up with a few of those, and yes, some stuck. Here they are:

"Always tell the truth, but don't always be telling it." - We lived on the border of the 'burbs and rural area. There was a dairy farm down the street (and you knew it in the summertime if the wind blew just right), but we lived in a large neighborhood and played outside all day long with our parents and the neighbors watching us - you know the whole "it takes a village..." thing. Our church was on the corner of our same block and the preacher and his wife only lived a couple of houses down. This little nugget actually came from her (thanks Marge!) and it's never left me. It's actually a great way to live when you think about it - don't lie, but you also don't need to advertise all of your business :)

"Never say never." - Never is a mighty long time and I am constantly reminding my kids of this (much to their dismay). We would always say things like, "I'm NEVER going to finish this," and "Even though you are my brother, I'll NEVER like you!" Mom would then remind us that never is a long time and we should think about the things we are going to say before we commit to them. Needless to say, the work DID get finished and my brothers and I are closer than ever.

I was actually reminded of this this morning when I checked my email. I belong to a great online networking group called Mom Masterminds. I check out the forum daily, participate in the conversations and also take advantage of the great resources available. Every now and then they send out emails - little reminders and snippets of information. Today's came through entitled "The Power of Can't." Here is a portion of the email:

"I can accept failure - everybody fails at something - but I cannot accept not trying." Michael Jordan

We've heard it on message boards more than once, "I know I should be doing this or that, but I just can't!"
We would like to see you banish the word "can't" from your vocabulary where it comes to your business. What are you afraid of? Failure? The only thing a failure can do in the long run is teach you something valuable. So don't let fear of failure stop you from trying anything.

Don't be afraid to fail. Lord knows I have gained some powerful lessons over the last several years about failure...in business and in life. You have to try, though, or your life will be full of "what if's?"

Last but not least - I say this one almost EVERY day. "Don't ask any questions you don't want the answer to." - I know you're not supposed to end a sentence in a preposition, but this is a powerful statement. I'm not even sure where I picked this one up along the way, but it sure did stick! Make sure you are prepared for the answer before you ask the question. Simple and to the point.