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Open Mind, Close Mouth

Guest post by: Jim Stovall

Article Overview: As you have more milestone birthdays-the ones that end in "0"-you come to learn the myriad of things you don't know. Life's experiences give us wisdom, but for every answer there seems to be two questions that pop up that are not answered. When you were a teenager or a young adult, everything was simple, easy, and fully understood by you. As time passed, the simple black-and-white world faded into complex shades of gray. We come to realize that people are products of their environment, their thinking, and their attitudes.

Open Mind, Close Mouth

As you have more milestone birthdays-the ones that end in "0"-you come to learn the myriad of things you don't know. Life's experiences give us wisdom, but for every answer there seems to be two questions that pop up that are not answered.

When you were a teenager or a young adult, everything was simple, easy, and fully understood by you. As time passed, the simple black-and-white world faded into complex shades of gray. We come to realize that people are products of their environment, their thinking, and their attitudes.

Often, it seems that ignorant and uninitiated people want to tell you everything, while wise and learned people seem reluctant to speak. I believe that it is almost a universal law that people's opinions that are forced on you are generally worthless, while those individuals who really have something to say must be sought out and questioned. Don't ever ask anyone's opinion that doesn't have what you want. On the other hand, when you find people who have succeeded in the arena of your interest, you must specifically ask them for their wisdom.

As younger people, we find that there is only one side to an issue. As we get older, we discover there are two sides, and when wisdom is really gained, we learn that there are many sides with varying angles. Time, experience, books, and travel all expand one's field of reference. Meeting different people from different places either in person or through books will cause one to think. Small-minded people often only associate or read material from people with whom they agree. Wise people will discuss issues or read books written by people with whom they may not agree.

Wisdom is achieved by keeping an open mind and a closed mouth. On the other hand, ignorance is exposed by having an open mouth and a closed mind. Commit yourself to listening more than you talk, and be sure that you are listening to people who have something worth saying. Each day, you either make a deposit or withdrawal in your life's bank account of wisdom. Be sure to invest and save wisely.

Today's the day!

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Article Tags: attitude, Jim Stovall, knowledge, life experience, wisdom



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Measuring Word of mouth - [quote="jvprosperity":2l2ujat4]I couldn't find the Part 1 Doctrine on the site but I believe from reading the blog posts it had to do with the distractions entrepreneurs and their customers face daily. He may have also talked about Word of Mouth and the true way of measuring it.[/quote:2l2ujat4] Hi Andy, So how can one measure "Word of Mouth" marketing then?
Re: New McDonalds McCafe concept... - When it comes to Japanese service and quality control, I tend to take it for granted... until I return to Britain! Mind you, when it comes to cafes... You can't beat a good old British tea shop!
Re: High price of entertainment - [quote="TheAnonymousMan":dadh8m1p]Kevin, I went to a Justin Timberlake concert recently where the bottled water was selling for $4 a bottle! I'm talking about the average 600ml bottle that sells for about $1.20 in the supermarket, now that's a rip off but people were buying it because they needed water.[/quote:dadh8m1p] Hi TheAnonymousMan, Can I ask how much you paid for the concert tickets? And more importantly, was the show worth the price? At the Tennis US Open, I had to pay $3.25 for a 500ml bottled water, $8.00 for a "travel size" Hawaiian Tropic bottle of sunscreen, and $13.00 for a Carnegie Deli pastrami sandwich, $4.25 for fries and $2.77 for a Sharpie pen (for autographs), etc... And to make things worse, they don't allow you to carry a backpack for security reasons, so it's very inconvenient to bring your own things to the event (keep in mind I was at the US Open for 7 hours). I mean who wants to carry around 10 lbs worth of stuff (if I were to bring my own necessities like food/water/sunscreen/etc. and have to carry a bunch of souvenirs) in a plastic transparent bag for the whole day?! It's an obvious scam for more profit.
Word of Mouth - Word of Mouth marketing by its very nature takes time. You need to develop relationships before people will refer you. Why not boost it a little by making a few partnerships? You could partner with a gym or put on seminars. Think who else targets the same people and how you can work with them and help them. You can also write articles and become and expert in your field - put them online, write a column for a community paper on health, etc. Even a door to door flyer drop with a simple one pager can help drive some clients. Good luck!
Big Button! - Hey Evan, there's a big button bottom right! Mind you, it's always interesting when people miss what might seem obvious to others - how many others might be in the same boat? So it's always great value to consider all feedback! Personally, I liked the button, yet perhaps it could be a bit brighter maybe...


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