THE VALUE OF SECOND (THIRD, FOURTH, ETC.) IMPRESSIONS

"Be not deceived with the first appearance for show is not substance."

English proverb

People, you and me included, are not real until we show ourselves to be.

First impressions are of little value.

THINGS ARE GOOD, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND . . .

"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds; the pessimist knows it."

Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) American nuclear physicist.

Which one, the optimist or the pessimist, do you think is the realist?

Your answer says a lot about which you are.

THE SCOURGE OF SELF-DECEPTION

"Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?"

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman/scientist/philosopher

Makes sense for a couple of reasons.

One, how often do we encounter people who have motive to deceive us?

And two, who thinks about us more than we do ourselves?

REALITY OR PERCEPTION OF REALITY?

"It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves."

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychologist/psychiatrist

This raises an interesting question, one obviously not limited to business.

Is "reality", whatever that is, more important than perception of reality?

There is only one reality but many perceptions of what it is.

I'll go with perception.

I am far more effective as a marketer when I address consumer perception of reality than I will ever be attempting to change what they perceive to be true.

What do you think?

WHEN YOU GOT NOTHING

"How many people make themselves abstract to appear profound. The most useful part of abstract terms are the shadows they create to hide a vacuum."

Joseph Joubert

18th/19th century French moralist

Better to acknowledge you don't know than to pretend you do.

ARE YOU REALLY REAL?

"Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there."

Eric Hoffer

20th century American philosopher/author

"The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there."

In you and your company.

If you know the value is not there sooner or later others will as well.

Probably sooner.

WHAT YOU REALLY ARE MORE THAN WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO APPEAR TO BE

"Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one."

Baltasar Gracian

17th century Spanish philosopher/writer

Aspire to be smart, concerned, empathetic, engaged, etc. rather than aspiring to appear smart, concerned, empathetic, engaged, etc.

Appearances count, however ultimately, not for much.

Expecting? What?

"We love to expect, and when expectation is either disappointment or gratified, we want to be expecting again."

Samuel Johnson

18th century British author

Anticipation is often better than having what is anticipated.

How do you use that to your advantage in business?

How do you deal with it when you can't?

Truth Be Told

"The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names."

Chinese proverb

While denial is often more comfortable it rarely is long term.

Acknowledge reality, the sooner the better.

Don't Like It? Change It!

"Circumstances do not make the man they reveal him."

James Allen

19th century British born American essayist

Some, including me, believe we can alter our circumstances.

If you don't like where you are, change.

In The Balance

"One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead."

Oscar Wilde

19th century Irish poet

When it comes to business we need to be real.

But we also need imagination.

How do you balance the two?

(Is It) All In Your Mind(?)

"The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body."

Publilius Syrus

1st century BC Roman writer/poet

Agreed.

I've never experienced a physical pain that could make itself worse than it was meant to be, however my mind has done so.

How (do) you check the validity of what your mind is telling you?

Life Beyond the End of Your Desk

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world."

John LeCare
Author

Mr. LeCare writes crime stories and is suggesting he couldn't do that well without the perspective of reality.

Nor can we manage our business if all we see is in our office.