More on "Personality as Leverage"

PERSONALITY CAN NEVER DEVELOP UNLESS THE INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES HIS OWN WAY, CONSCIOUSLY AND WITH MORAL DELIBERATION (Carl Jung, 1875-1961)

Choice? We have a "say" in our personality? An emphatic "yes"! While we may be a product of nature and nurture, there is a lot that we have a say about; we cannot continue to hide behind the cloak of being affected - we must affect!

Life never gives us the perfect settings. We work with bosses and colleagues we do not particularly care for; we drive next to individuals whose vehicular skills are highly questionable; we are affected by whether it is minus forty degrees outside or 100 degrees. Either way, the personality we CHOOSE to display in the face of each of these and other circumstances truly determines just how well we cope with the challenges and joys of life.

Having a personality that beckons others towards us is something that can be worked on! Solomon, the wisest man of the his time, said simply: "If you want friends, be friendly!" It is amazing how such a disposition towards others can draw them to want to learn more about you and what you're about.

You see, the truth is that REAL people aren't truly interested in WHAT you do, they are interested in WHO you are! Try it......you may just shock yourself into amazing circumstances...

(c) 2009, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai. No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.

Personality as Leverage

Carl Jung noted: "Real increase of personality means consciousness of an enlargement that flows from inner sources." I believe that it is this component of who we REALLY are that we hide so much yet it could yield the most satisfying relationships and other great returns.
When we are comfortable with not only WHO we are but also WHAT we are, it means that we never have to rely on "polish" to connect with others. Some call this ability to "just be" one's "charisma" or "the IT factor". I have found that we all have the "IT" factor - we are just not happy with "IT"!
When we operate from the core of our being, we never have to be anything other than what we really are; in other words, we are genuine. And it is the most genuine people that connect better with others and seem to get all the breaks. However, we have to begin my taking stock of what lies deep within our personality.
Psychologist Robert Johnson's 1993 book is perfectly titled "Owning Your Own Shadow." The denials we are so passionate about making with respect to who we really are only show that we have to learn how to own our own shadows - after all, we ALL have them! To flourish in a fast-paced world, we must be adept at being real and honest with ourselves, first and foremost. Only then can we be comfortable and real with others.
There is much in each of our personalities that is wonderful and much that is not so. It is in our ability to take honest inventory that we begin a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment that will shoot us into new heights. What's YOUR inventory looking like?

(c) 2009, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai. No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.

The Fight Against Indifference

"A different world cannot be built by indifferent people"

Part of the "Journey of Significance" requires a layover that gives us the opportunity to choose what kind of world we would like to see in the present and leave for the future. Without this layover, we become nonchalant about the state of our lives, those of our family, friends, neighbors, and, ultimately, all of humanity. Such, unfortunately, is the live we have become accustomed to; we have become indifferent and "don't care either way" as one person said to me once.

If we truly wish the world to be different, we have to stand for something - something grander than ourselves and what's immediately best for us. I believe there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who live my preference, and those who live by conviction. Outside of these, others are simply indifferent; and it is these indifferent people can become an intolerable nuisance to themselves, family, friends, neighbors, and, yes, the world at large. This is because they have made no choice...no decision...and have no sense of purpose and direction for life. They do not stand for anything...so, often, they fall for everything.

The SIGNIFICANT Life is about discovering what we will live for and what will die for. It is easier to become a martyr than to live for something. We quickly stand front and center to die for something (our country, our children, our values) but not a decibel can be heard when we are required to live for something. Such is the state of human experience and existence today; shoddy and indifferent...

**Our discussion on "leverage" will continue over the coming weeks, for those of you following closely. Thank you for your patience.**

(c) 2009, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai.
No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.

More on "Leverage"

"In the new economy, the people that companies are craving - and are willing to pay for - are people who add value to their enterprises. That means people with talent and skills and judgment."

These words appeared in the November 22, 2008 issue of The Australian and only reiterate my last blog point about human resource or, as the paper called it, "human capital".
I cannot stress more strenuously my objection to leveraging the minimum - is that why it is called "minimum wage"? We have to leverage the utmost of our arsenal; but we have to BUILD an arsenal to begin with.
For the next several weeks, we will address some areas that are vital to increase our "leveraging ability" specifically in relation to living The Significant Life.
Our next topic will be "Personality" - learning who we are and becoming more of what we really are.

(c) 2008, Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai.
No part of this blog post may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written consent of the copyright holder.

"Leverage"

As we approach the New Year, some things will need to change within our mindsets about our human resource. You see, we drain natural resources by using them up but waste human resources by not using them at all! In other words, what are you leveraging in your daily life? What skills, abilities, talents, and other resources are you leveraging.
If you think this is moot, consider the following: an individual's payscale (hourly or yearly) is directly proportional to the resources said individual is able to leverage to an organization or client. The individual making $8 an hour leverages different resources compared to the attorney earning $500 an hour.
During a recent conversation with one my students, I mentioned how "time" cannot be the only resource that he leverages the remainder of his life. "To live in that 'sweet spot' called The Significant Life," I said, "You will have to leverage not only your time but your expertize and experience." You see, most people leverage only their time and find themselves exploited by the "system" or employers and clients. When we can leverage more than our time, our intrinsic value increases and means that we are living at a significantly higher plane than we would if all we leveraged was our time.
A colleague of mine, Roger Volkema, wrote an amazing book on negotiation in which he states the Golden Rule of Negotiation: "People will negotiate with you only if you can help them or hurt them." Leverage is what we all need for us to traverse the expanse of this constantly changing and challenging world - especially with the manner in which the global economy has been stood on its head and many 'loose' things are falling out.
Dictionary.com defines leverage as "a small investment used to reduce one's own liability" and also the "power or ability to act or influence people, events, decisions, etc." With that in mind, what investments are you putting in? What influence do you have on people, events, decisions, and others factors of human experience that help you (or hinder you) to live life more significantly? What education (formal or otherwise) have you neglected that is now costing you dearly in terms of your influence? What relationships have you not developed (or kept) that have thrown you off course towards significance? Finally, what are you going to do about it?
Leverage...

(c) 2008. Dr. Kozhi Sidney Makai. No part of this may be reproduced or stored without the written consent of copyright holder.

Patterns

Here we are...only 21 days before Christmas and 27 days before the New Year. I watch as people frantically scurry through "Christmas Shopping" - many acting as though it were a surprise. "Last I checked, December 25th was the same last year. Why the surprise, people?" I wonder.
Patterns tells us a lot about which journey we are on; that is, The Significant Life Journey or the Hustle & Bustle Til You Drop journey we call a life. When we keep following poor patterns, they send us farther and farther away from the fork in the road where we get to choose The Significant Life. So, where are you? Still fighting last year's patterns? Another year is only days away...what will you do different in the next 27 days to help propel you onto the fast-track towards The Significant Life?

Lessons in Significance

How do you define "reach"? Or, more directly, what have you done in the last few days that has the potential of having a reach farther than a hundred-mile radius of your city? Farther than a hundred-year radius from your death? Deep huh?
Well, so is your ability to affect your world - it runs deeper than you can imagine or fathom. It's amazing how it's easy to think no one is watching but be tapped on the shoulder and told: "Thank you for sharing what you did; it made all the difference for me to be a college student." Life is about the significant moments; moments created by people (not circumstances) who refuse to live life on the surface...people who prefer to live life at the nth degree.