The Smart Ones

I talk to a lot of people. It's part of working in sales. Some of the people are nice and some are rude. There are some with very little mental capacity and then there are the smart ones.

Have you ever wondered how to spot a smart person? 

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. For me, the smart ones reveal themselves not by what they say but by what they ask.

I find a lot of smart people say less and ask more. They are not asking for clarification of what you have said, they are asking for understanding beyond what you have said. They are catching everything you are throwing down. They know exactly what your point is and they are trying to move beyond to the more important information.

If someone cuts you off and doesn't let you finish, they are probably not very smart. The smart ones know to let you finish because you reveal as much by what you don't say as by what you say. They are looking for the information that you leave out. 

Smart people don't often ask difficult or intimidating questions. Those questions don't gather the information that they want. They ask very clear and often very simple questions. When you are talking to a very smart person they have probably cleaned you out and gathered more information than you were willing to give, before you realized you have shared so much.

Smart people also answer questions in a direct manner. They often give shorter answers because they find the subject material easier to understand so they don't feel the need to expound endlessly.

The good thing about identifying smart people is you can keep them closer to help make yourself more successful. Experience is only really good if it has been good experience. 

So, when you find a smart person, someone you can learn from, latch on and try to glean as much knowledge from them. There are a lot of posers out there and even though they may be at their full potential, they may be keeping you from yours.

Bullies

Nobody likes bullies. They aren't productive. They can make your life miserable. America elected a bully as their president, maybe by accident. Here's the thing about bullies, their behaviour stems from a position of weakness.

Bullies are trying to control the situation because they can't have it the way they want. They try to get out in front and cause grief for you before you can influence the situation.

Let me be very clear, bullies are not going away. Despite the anti-bullying campaigns, there will always be some people who resort to bullying tactics. However, the good thing is bullies only have power if we give them power. If they can't get under your skin, they will step up their game. They will become more outlandish in their behaviour. If you still don't give them any power soon they will have no choice but to retreat.

I know it is not easy. It's easy to react and lash out. It's easy to let our emotions drive our actions. We all do it from time to time. However, those schoolyard interactions can teach you something. They can teach you how to find a way. They can teach you how to see what is really happening and find a path to what you want.

Johnny Cash wrote, "Son, this world is rough, if you wanna make it, you gotta be tough." He was right. However, tough doesn't have to be mean. Tough doesn't have to be rude. Tough doesn't have to include standing off. 

So, President Donald J Trump acts like a bully. The thing is we can and will find a way around what he is doing and make the world a better place despite what he tries.

That's right. We can make things better despite Trump. Just like someone that tried to bully you in grade 8, you can move past it and find a way to be successful. The secret is simple. Don't react to what he is trying to accomplish, react to what he is actually doing. There is a big difference. His powers are limited. He is not a dictator, even if he tries to act like one. If he says I'm not paying for it, find someone who will. If he says you can't come here, find somewhere that will invite you in. 

All of this to say the world is going to be ok. We are going to find a way to make the world even better despite what Trump says or does.

It's Time to Listen

I have to start with saying I really don't want Donald J. Trump to run a country. Alas, he is and it's a really big country that has nuclear weapons. There are a couple of things we have to change or others like him will be able to seize power.

First off, America you have to show up and vote. Only 27% of the eligible voters voted for your president. This is a problem. If everyone just went and voted out of a sense of duty and didn't need the motivation of a get-out-the-vote campaign to show up and make your voice heard, then you could reduce the chance of this happening.

America, for a country that talks so much about democracy, you don't do a very good job of practicing it.

More importantly, everyone needs to start listening to each other. There are a lot of disenfranchised people in America. Everyone who voted for Trump is disenfranchised with the system. Why else would they vote for him? He is a terrible person. He's petty. He's not the right person to run your country. 

Everyone who didn't vote for Trump is disenfranchised with his victory. He won the election and is now in power. You can say what you want about the influence of Russia, at the end of the day, Americans went into the voting booth and selected Trump to be your president.

On Saturday, there were rallies all around the continent. People are angry. They marched and chanted and made sure their point was made. Here's the thing, as much as we want to think it will help, it really won't. It's the same thing that was happening during a year of campaigning. How did that help?

The problem is not Donald J Trump. The problem is America has moved to a point where Trump could seize power. It all happened because people have stopped listening to each other. When faced with an opinion different that their own, too many people on all sides get angry and push back. It builds walls and divides people.

When faced with someone different than yourself, you need to ask why they believe what they do. Once they explain why they believe what they do, then you have to ask how their point of view will make things better. How does your idea improve the plight of the population? Once they answer that important question, then you need to ask what drawbacks there are with their position and how do we minimize the impact?

No system is perfect. If one was perfect we would all use it.

A lot of people think the world is going to take a step back over the next four years. This does not have to be the case. We can work to make the world better despite Trump. He can't stop us from helping a stranger. He can't stop us from showing compassion in our dealings. He can't stop us from making someone's life more comfortable. 

So let's take the time to listen to each other and ask questions so we better understand. Then we can know why people feel the need to vote for someone like Trump and we can make the world a better place despite of Trump.

Unoriginal Facebook

I like the tool known as Facebook. When I was faced with a decision to remain in Winnipeg or move to Ottawa, where I basically knew nobody, knowing that I could remain connected to the people in my life that matter helped sway my decision to move. As we all know, Facebook helps you know what's happening in your friends lives without having to call, text, or write a letter. This is most useful if you live a long way from a lot of your friends and family.

Now here's the thing, Facebook used to be a bastion of original content. Users would write on each other's wall and provide status updates about what is happening in their lives. It was a human interaction over the internet. However, as the platform has evolved, different types of users have evolved.

We have the guilt trippers. You know the people who copy and paste someone's status that says a small percentage will copy and paste this for an hour and only my true friends will do it to raise awareness for the cause of the hour. Let's be honest, this is just an extension of hashtag activism. These are so common that I can't imagine too many people read them to the end anymore.

We have the angry re-posters. These are the folks who have a burr under their saddle about something and post meme after meme that says this group is not good or the government should be doing this with a request to like and share if you agree. Nothing here is original.

There are those who share recycled content. It's usually something funny, a meme or a short clip. The content keeps popping up for a couple of months, sometimes from a different source but it gets so much retread action that eventually, nobody is liking or commenting on it. They don't even stop as they scroll past anymore.

There are all the MLM sales pitches. I work in sales. This is my advice to you, prospect with your vocal chords. People don't like to say no, so make them say no, not write no, say no. It's real easy to scroll past you and say nothing, which doesn't make you any money. No matter how well written your post is, it doesn't force action or a response. It's ok to remind people what business you are in but don't expect this reminder to make you any money. Set up a business page and drive users there after they become prospects. Facebook is much more effective at staying in contact with your customers than creating new customers.

There are the people who still post about what's up in their lives. I mostly reside here. I know my posts proclaiming victory for my favourite sports teams are not particularly original. However, I do like to post about what I see, usually something good that's happened to me or info that I feel people would appreciate such as career changes (there has been a few lately) a cool moment, a picture I took that captured my imagination or a selfie (especially with my super-awesome girlfriend.) I like this content. I like to see what is going on with the people who matter to me. I like to share some of what is going on around me.

I admit, I'm no expert at providing the best mix of content on Facebook. I have friends who share and write a much better mix than I do. I look forward to their updates as I'm often surprised, inspired, or provoked. They often generate great discussion. They make me smile and make me think. I wish there was more of them in my news feed. 

So much of Facebook is unoriginal content. So many people don't share what they are thinking. They post an article but don't say why they feel the need to share that piece or simply write is 'lol.' I know that when you say something original you open yourself up to criticism. I know it's discouraging. I know it's easier to post a funny video and there is a place for those. However, be original. It can help you grow. It can make you think. In the comments ask questions. Find out why the poster feels this is important enough to post. Learn about yourself and the people around you. Say something to spark a conversation. Ask why does it have to be this way. Pose a better way. Say something about your day. Cheer for the home team. 

Facebook is a platform. It does not create content, that's user generated. So, to make everyone's online experience better, put more original content on Facebook. It will ultimately lead to a richer experience for everyone.

New Year, New Coat

I live a long way from my parents, so Christmas gifts tend to be in the form of gift cards. They are rather easy to ship. This year, one of the gift cards I received was from a men's wear retailer. So, with it I procured a new winter coat.

As a matter of full disclosure, after 33 years of living in Manitoba, I don't find winters in Ottawa all that long or cold. However, I was getting rather lazy and not dressing for the weather.

Not only does this coat look great, it's so warm. So now, being outside is so much better than it had been for a while. The other great advantage is it fits properly. Most of my winter clothes are from my Winnipeg days, when I was noticeably heavier.

The new coat is making it easier to convince myself to go out and face the elements. So far I've worn it as cold as -20C with only a shirt under it and it's been really comfy.

There are two secrets in my mind for beating the winter blues. First, you have to exercise. You have to get the blood flowing. You have to move. You have to keep the food travelling through you. You need that mental feeling like you are not turning into a blob. Secondly, you have to get outside and breathe fresh air, even when it's cold.

It's easy to hibernate. It's easy to say it's cold, snowy, and slippery. However, when you get out and enjoy it, not only do you feel good, you make some great memories. We don't really make any memories watching re-runs on Netflix. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I enjoy Netflix but I'll save those for the days that are really cold and stormy.

So, if you live somewhere where the snow accumulates over the winter, do your best to stay active and go outside. It will make the days fly by and you will enjoy them a lot more. In about 3 weeks the sun is going to start to feel a lot warmer, that always warms people's spirit and makes the days that much better.