101 TIIPS - Transform Your Image, Increase Your Profits, Polish Your Etiquette...Succeed Read online

  Be reliable in your actions and with your promises.

  “Real integrity is doing the right thing,

  knowing that nobody is going to know

  whether you did it or not.”

  Oprah Winfrey

  ~~~~~

  49. Action Steps

  Living with integrity means……

  “Not settling for less than what you know

  you deserve in your relationships.

  Asking for what you want and need from others.

  Speaking your truth, even though it might

  create conflict or tension.

  Behaving in ways that are in harmony with

  your personal values.

  Making choices based on what you believe,

  and not what others believe.”

  ― Barbara De Angelis

  ~~~~~

  50. Invest

  Invest in yourself, enroll in and complete courses that will give you a deeper understanding of your area of expertise or make you more versatile and marketable.

  Invest in your appearance, your physical and mental health.

  Enrich your mind and broaden your skill sets.

  By investing in yourself you’ll be able to not only help yourself but share your knowledge with your community.

  Invest in yourself, you are worth it!

  “Commit yourself to lifelong learning.

  The most valuable asset you’ll ever have

  is your mind and what you put into it.”

  – Brian Tracy

  ~~~~~

  51. Action Steps

  Make a collage of your goals in words or pictures and take five minutes a day to review them, refresh your mind and focus on the outcomes.

  Make changes to the collage as your goals are accomplished or asthey change.

  Join a mastermind group, or form your own.

  Find a mentor or someone to whom you can be accountable.

  By focusing on your goals, you will achieve them faster.

  “Make the most of yourself by fanning

  the tiny, inner sparks of possibility

  into flames of achievement.”

  Golda Meir

  ~~~~~

  52. Journey

  Embark on a journey to new worlds. Open yourself to new possibilities.

  Reading is a great way to ‘travel’ without spending much money.

  Reading also gives you talking points for lively conversations.

  Journeys of the mind keep you updated with current affairs.

  Travel if your budget allows it; rather than taking the regular tourist route visit the natives (in areas where it is safe), learn about the culture and their way of life.

  Take trips within your country; you might be pleasantly surprised at the beauty it holds.

  “Don’t go through life,

  GROW through life.”

  -- Eric Butterworth

  ~~~~~

  53. Action Steps

  Every journey begins with a decision because…..

  “Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.

  You must travel it by yourself.

  It is not far. It is within reach.

  Perhaps you have been on it since you were born,

  and did not know.

  Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land.”

  ― Walt Whitman

  ~~~~~

  54. Jewelry

  Purchase pieces of jewelry that suit your personality and style.

  Less is more - too many pieces of jewelry or noisy jewelry can be distracting.

  Like clothing, purchase classic pieces of jewelry that will last a long time.

  Of course a few whimsical pieces can be fun; just be sure they are appropriate.

  Be a shining example of a ‘gem stone’ by polishing your mannersand enhancing your image.

  “Diamonds are only chunks of coal,

  that stuck to their jobs.”

  Minnie Richard Smith

  ~~~~~

  55. Action Steps

  Keep an open mind.

  Be willing to try new ideas, designs and styles

  Try to learn something new every day; the payoff is that you will grow, expand your mind and your knowledge base.

  Brush up on your people skills, by being generous and sincere in your dealings.

  Ask questions, be interested (not obnoxious), show genuine interest and watch yourself grow.

  Transform yourself, from a diamond in the rough – to a sparkling, dynamic gemstone!

  “What little thing can you do today

  that will make you more effective?

  You are probably only one step

  away from greatness.”

  Bob Proctor.

  ~~~~~

  56. Knowledge

  Knowledge is power…. or is it?

  Thanks to the web, knowledge about any conceivable subject is available with the click of a mouse. This means that the same information is available to everyone and is no longer the prized possession of a learned few.

  In today’s world - knowledge is power. But, only when you accessthe information and use that information (knowledge), in a way that is beneficial and not just perfunctory.

  Knowledge of one’s self; one’s strengths and one’s weaknesses is only useful when one uses that information to make changes.

  These changes can be to one’s appearance, attitude and skill sets.

  “Real Knowledge is to know

  the extent of one’s ignorance.”

  Confucius

  ~~~~~

  57. Action Steps

  Having knowledge is great but…….

  “Knowledge without application

  is simply knowledge.

  Applying the knowledge to

  one’s life is wisdom —

  and that is the ultimate virtue”

  ― Kasi Kaye Iliopoulos

  ~~~~~

  58. Lead

  Be a leader, not a follower.

  Leadership comes with great responsibility; make sure you are prepared for the role.

  As a leader do not micro manage.

  Set the example that you want the people following you to adopt.

  Dictatorship is not leadership.

  A good leader cares for those for whom he is responsible.

  An effective leader grooms a successor.

  “Before you are a leader, success is

  all about growing yourself.

  When you become a leader, success is

  all about growing others.”

  Jack Welch

  ~~~~~

  59. Action Steps

  Be a leader or an innovator.

  Monitor and keep abreast of the changes in your industry.

  Know when your look (style, clothing) is passé and make informed changes.

  Increase your knowledge base about leadership strategies, by taking courses, workshops and seminars to keep yourself current.

  “A genuine leader is not

  a searcher for consensus,

  but a molder of consensus.”

  Martin Luther King Jr.

  ~~~~~

  60. Love

  Let love fill your heart, when love is in your heart, there is room for endless happiness.

  Fall in love with your life or the current expression of it.

  You are responsible for the outcomes of your life; by loving yourself, you can create the best outcomes.

  Loving yourself means accepting who you are and being willing to make the necessary changes to produce a better you.

  Loving others means accepting them for who they are and not trying to change them, the only person you can change is yourself.

  “Love yourself first

  and everything falls into line”

  Lucille Ball

  ~~~~~

  61. Action Steps

  Your objective should be to give and accept love….

  “Keep love in your heart.

&nbs
p; A life without it is like

  a sunless garden,

  when the flowers

  are dead.”

  Oscar Wilde

  ~~~~~

  62. Laughter

  It is said that laughter is the best medicine, and as science has evolved there is a greater understanding of the role that laughter plays in our lives.

  Norman Cousins declared that he "laughed himself out of" a deadly disease. Scientists have theorized that laughter has the ability to strengthen the human immune system.

  In 1989, it was finally acknowledged in the Journal of the American Medical Association that laughter therapy could help to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illnesses, and that laughter has an immediate symptom-relieving effect.

  Have you laughed today?

  “Against the assault of laughter,

  Nothing can stand.”

  Mark Twain

  ~~~~~

  63. Action Steps

  You have two choices, you can be loving and happy or you can be sad and miserable....which do you chose?

  Love can soften the hardest heart, allow yourself to love and be loved.

  When you are in love laughter comes easily.

  Babies give unconditional love.....and then they grow up – ah to be a child again!

  Laugh lines add character and say that we have lived.

  “There is nothing in the world so

  irresistibly contagious as

  laughter and good humor.”

  ― Charles Dickens

  ~~~~~

  64. Manners

  Manners and Etiquette are similar but have different functions.

  Etiquette follows a set of rules that tell you how to do things.

  For example, knowing how to identify and use the right utensil.

  Manners refer specifically to what you do to be polite and courteous.

  For example, holding the door, for the person behind you.

  Good Manners - the art of making people feel comfortable.

  Manners are or should be second nature, you do not turn them on an off as you would a light switch.

  “Manners must adorn knowledge

  and smooth its way in the world,

  without them it is like a great rough diamond,

  very well in a closet by way of curiosity,

  and also for its intrinsic value:

  but most prized when polished.”

  – Lord Chesterfield

  ~~~~~

  65. Action Steps

  There will be times when you should.....

  “Remember not only to say the right thing

  in the right place,

  but far more difficult still,

  to leave unsaid the wrong thing

  at the tempting moment.

  Benjamin Franklin

  ~~~~~

  66. Netiquette

  The word was coined ‘Netiquette’ by joining – etiquette and internet – with the purpose of giving etiquette guidelines to people using the internet.

  Netiquette is a collection of rules that like social etiquette offer advice on thebest practices while visiting someone’s web site. Some websites have very clear rules for usage, while others do not.

  As a savvy, well mannered professional it behoves you be courteous and refrain from making inappropriate comments; to use proper grammar; and to generally conduct yourself in a manner that is in keeping with your ethics and morals.

  “Respect for ourselves

  guides our morals;

  respect for others

  guides our manners” 

  ― Laurence Sterne

  ~~~~~

  67. Action Steps

  Your true character shows, because....

  “People are like stained glass windows.

  They sparkle and shine when

  the sun is out,

  but when the darkness sets in,

  their true beauty is revealed

  only if there is a light

  from within

  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

  ~~~~~

  68. Polish

  Polish – to shine, add lustre; a polished image means being appropriately dressed for every occasion - having a professional appearance.

  Polish – accomplished and skillful, refined, cultured, professional

  Polished – a polished image conveys confidence and can be defined as well put together - Etiquette enables you to present yourself in a manner that shows you can be taken seriously.

  Polish as it relates to etiquette simply means displaying refined manners.

  “Before a person can achieve

  the kind of life he wants,

  he must think, act, walk, talk

  and conduct himself in

  all of his affairs as would the

  person he wishes to become.”

  Zig Ziglar

  ~~~~~

  69. Actions

  To achieve anything worthwhile, a vision must first exist...

  “The greatest danger for most of us is not

  that our aim is too high

  and we miss it

  but it is too low

  and we reach it!

  Michaelangelo

  ~~~~~

  70. Perseverance

  Perseverance – to continue steadfastly in the face of obstacles and roadblocks.

  Perseverance requires hard work, some sacrifices, respect for thegoal and faith that you will attain it.

  Perseverance is seldom on the fast lane, but on the slow and confidenttrack, that eventually pays off.

  Perseverance entails falling down, or failing but also having the strength to get up and move forward.

  “It always seems impossible until it's done.” 

  ― Nelson Mandela

  ~~~~~

  71. Action Steps

  Some tests require mental and physical strength....

  “The brick walls are there for a reason.

  The brick walls are not there to keep us out.

  The brick walls are there to give us

  a chance to show

  how badly we want something.

  Because the brick walls are there

  to stop the people who don’t

  want it badly enough.

  They’re there to stop the other people.”

  ― Randy Pausch,

  ~~~~~

  72. Permission

  You need to give yourself permission to succeed!

  You need to give yourself permission to love yourself. For it is only after you have loved yourself that can you truly love another.

  Always seek permission before invading someone’s privacy or ‘taking’something that does not belong to you.

  Give yourself permission to say ‘no’ – because, there are times when you need to put yourself first.

  There is good in every situation, permit yourself to see beyond the facade.

  “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” 

  ― Mahatma Gandhi

  ~~~~~

  73. Action Steps

  Each day strive to understand that.......

  “Loving and accepting yourself,

  is not a permission slip

  to stop growing”

  Unknown

  ~~~~~

  74. Posture

  We should all adopt good posture; it should be second nature as it is one of

  the first signals that your body gives off as to how you feel about yourself.

  Your posture affects your professionalism or lack there off.

  Some of the advantages of good posture:

  It raises your level of confidence

  It allows for a richer sounding voice

  It helps you to appear taller and slimmer

  It tells your audience that you know that you are worthy

  “Our bodies are apt to be our autobiographies.”

  - Frank Gillette Burgess

  ~~~~~

  75. Action Ste
ps

  Winners wear the posture of confidence.....

  “I remember an interview so terrible

  with CNN’s Jon Klein,

  I nearly blurted out

  ‘Forget it, I am a loser!’

  But I didn’t need to say it.

  My face and my posture did.”

  - Mika Brzezinski

  ~~~~~

  76. Professional Presence

  There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a picture of you worth....and we are not talking photographs here, but how you present yourself, your professional presence.

  Professional Presence encompasses your appearance, whether you are appropriately attired and groomed for the occasion or not; your attitude and behavior; your business and social etiquette and your verbal and non verbal communication.

  Improve your vocabulary, be up to date on current affairs and only address topics with which you are familiar.

  Listen to yourself – make a recording and play it back, you may be surprised at how you sound....work on upgrading your speaking ability.

  Your professional presence determines how you will be treated!

  “There are men (people) whose presence

  infuses trust and reverence.”

  T.S. Elliott

  ~~~~~

  77. Action Steps

  Although the impressions that we form of others, and those others form about us, are based on the superficial (impressions are formed within the first thirty seconds to three minutes); it is in our best interest to present our best self at all times.

  You are a walking billboard for what you do. Take a page from the big corporations who guard their brand jealously.

  Go the extra mile to accommodate your clients and customers.

  Offer more than they expect.

  Mind your manners in big things as well as small.

  Cultivate a ‘can do’ attitude and follow through.

  “I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece.

  I challenge you to join the ranks of those people,

  who live what they teach, who walk their talk.”

  –Anthony Robbins

  ~~~~~

  78. Respect

  In order for people to respect you, you first need to respect yourself.

  Treat everyone with whom you come into contact in the same manner.