According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully related to truth as a value. This includes listening, and any action in the human repertoire, such as body language and tone used while speaking. The meaning of the word truth extends from honesty, good faith, and sincerity.

Honesty means simply stating facts and views as best one truly believes them to be. It includes both honesty to others, and to oneself and about one’s own motives and inner reality. Dishonesty, at times, has the ability to cause misfortune to the person who displayed it.

Isn’t it interesting that we judge ourselves by our intentions and judge others by their actions. Now go seize the day with truth and honesty!

I want to wish you a prosperous and Happy New Year. May each of you be blessed with caring family and friends and good health in 2012. I am thankful for my community which includes family, friends, business associates and clients. This past year was trying on most of us. However, even though the past few years have resulted in loss of income from investments, employment and/or savings, most of us are fortunate to still have our community. Count these blessings because these relationships are what really matter most. Make a commitment on New Year’s Day to work on SELF…mind, body and spirit. Read, travel and continue to educate yourself; exercise daily to keep your body in shape and your metabolism working at peak; and, take time to meditate or just take some quiet time to let your thoughts flow. Happy New Year!

Success requires planning, focus and patience.

Patience is often the most difficult part of this formula. Success requires doing the things we need to do to get where we want to go. Success requires getting things done. The most difficult part of this process is the ability to be patient long enough to continue the effort required to achieve our goal.

There is something very powerful that results from our ability to be patient and focus on the outcome. It helps our clients feel good about themselves and the effort they are making to achieve their goals. It keeps us centered and focused and gives us the fortitude to be patient long enough to achieve success.

I recently heard a speaker tell a story that I had been told many years ago. It is the story of a man who found and hung a painting of a small row boat. It was a painting of a row boat beached in the sand. The boat’s oars were lying at each side of the boat in the sand. A visitor saw the painting and was startled by how sad and bleak it looked. He was about to ask the man why he would hang a painting with such a dark image when he looked down at the bottom of the painting and read the painting’s title “And the tide will always return.” What this means is that you have the ability to focus on the outcome, work hard with an optimistic attitude and be patient while working for good results that will deliver success.

When Jerry Seinfeld was asked the question, “Why do you think you have had so much more success when there are so many very funny comedians out there?” He replied (and I am paraphrasing this), “There is always a long line of very talented comedians standing off stage waiting for their turn. Many of them are probably better and funnier than me. It takes a long time to practice in front of an audience and perfect our craft. Sometimes it’s brutal when the joke doesn’t make it and an audience can be very tough. I just stood in line long enough. One at a time others who were standing in line would become discouraged and drop out, but I stayed in line. Every time someone dropped out I took another step forward and moved up in line. I stayed in line until finally I was at the front of the line. I had succeeded.”

Ty Murray, the champion rodeo star and professional bull rider, has said that “You’re never really ready. It’s just your turn.” The key is to develop the focus and the patience to earn our turn.

In just a few short minutes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his immortal poem, “A Psalm of Life”. He summed it well in the last stanza,

Let us, then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait.

Reach out and take your turn…

Any obstacles to knowing the right course of action are within each of us, and so is the right course. Sometimes it seems as though a decision truly hangs in the balance, with such equal values on both sides. You can hear yourself saying, “I was so close to saying no, or yes.” We hold our thumb and forefinger a quarter inch apart. That close may not be close at all; we knew all along what was appropriate. If we let ourselves be still and listen to our inner voice, we usually know what is right for us to do. If we find ourselves faced with a lot of decisions that seem so close apart, maybe we are not acting according to our ideas of what’s right. It might be time to reappraise our values. If we believe one way and act another, we are not being true to SELF.

According to Mike Robbins, a well-known author, we get offended by what people say, things on TV, opposing political opinions (especially these days), noise, music, traffic, weather, our family, different view points, and so much more. We believe we are right and others are wrong, if they don’t agree with us. Many of our opinions are self-righteous. Can you relate? What if we allowed others to be as they are? We take so many things personally that have nothing to do with us. When you are reacting emotionally to someone or something, it’s your shadow or mirror that this negative thing is showing you about yourself and life. The more we react to something, the less freedom and peace we have. In life, you have a choice – you can be right or you can be happy, not both. When you’re obsessed about being right all the time – you’re easily offended. When you let go of your need to be right, you have the space to be happy, peaceful, and joyful.

Caring and compassion for others as well as serving others is important in our life. After reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, Jacob experiences the disappointment of his children not showing up for an important event in his life. He also experiences the sadness when he tries to tell his out of date stories and experiences to both his family and others. If you are unable to read the novel, you might want to see the movie. If you have experienced the last few years of an elderly parent or grandparent, their stories and life lessons are important to their feeling valued. These stories are repeated over and over. We remember the stories because we have heard them before; however, our elderly loved ones forget that they told them to us before. Listen with your heart and soul. Even in the workplace, it is imperative to listen to the stories and life lessons of your employees so that they feel valued and respected. Appreciating and listening to the stories and life lessons of others demonstrates caring and compassion.

I had an opportunity today to attend a luncheon that was a networking function that comprised a group of well-educated, entrepreneurial, successful business women. The one thing I learned was that most successful businesses are built on referrals from family, friends and associates. It is these folks who we have established relationships with that know who we are, what we want to give to others, how we work, and why we want to do the business that we do. No only are relationships the key to a successful business, they are also the best teachers in our lives. Maintain and nurture these precious relationships.

What do you want that you don’t have now? Our worries about the economy can lead us to negative thoughts. Keep those thoughts positive. Continue to develop Self which is the mind, body and spirit. “The Art of Managing…How to Build a Better Workplace and Relationships” gives step-by-step process to follow in the development of Self which leads to a better understanding of creating the lives that we most desire for ourselves. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne reinforces this concept by saying that everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And, it’s attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind. You become what you think most, but you also attract what you think most. Think about what you want…keep those thoughts positive!

1. What Are Good People Skills?
A little likeability can go a long way. People consistently and overwhelmingly prefer to work with likeable, less-skilled co-workers than with highly competent jerks. Researchers found that if employees are disliked, it’s almost irrelevant whether they’re good at what they do if other workers avoid them.

2. How Are My Relationships?
Develop and use relationships with others in your company and profession. Those who network effectively have an inside track on resources and information. Effective networkers tend to serve on more successful teams and are more highly compensated.

3. Do I Believe In Myself?
If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Have a can-do attitude and take risks. Instead of saying, “I’ve never done that,” say, “I’ll learn how.” Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. If you do mess up, admit it and move on. Above all, find the learning opportunities in every situation.

4. What Are My Goals?
Failure doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal, but in not having a goal to reach. Set objectives and plan your daily activities around achieving them. Eighty percent of your effectiveness comes from 20 percent of your activities. Manage your priorities and focus on those tasks that support your goals.

5. What Image Do Others See?
Fair or not, appearance counts. People draw all kinds of conclusions from the way you present yourself. So don’t come to work poorly groomed or in inappropriate attire. Be honest, use proper grammar and avoid slang and expletives. You want to project an image of competence, character and commitment.

America, founded by immigrants, is a nation of many cultures. Many immigrants today face the same obstacles as their predecessors. The important issue today for management is how to maximize and capitalize on workplace diversity. Diversity in the workplace is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating each person’s uniqueness. I look at diversity as peeling an onion. The outer layer can be multiple colors, shapes, sizes, but inside, most are the same…just like people. The goal to managing diversity is to develop and expand our capacity to accept, acknowledge, incorporate value, empower, and celebrate the different human talents among people whether they work in a large corporation or a small business because people are still the most important asset in a successful business.