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You Can Put Lipstick On A Pig, But It's Still A Pig

Written by: Keith Shaw

Article Overview: The cold, hard truth is that the person who does not take the responsibility for the words they choose presents him / herself as unprofessional, lacking self control and self discipline. They will quickly and positively lose the respect of the people they deal with.

You Can Put Lipstick On A Pig, But It's Still A Pig

It seems this colloquial saying, “You Can Put Lipstick On A Pig, But It's Still A Pig”, is making the rounds - and causing quite a row - in the current U.S. presidential campaigns. According to the “Urban Dictionary”, this phrase is slang for when someone tries to dress something up to make it appear to be better than it really is.

Yes, it is true. No matter whether it is lipstick, perfume or a tuxedo, a pig is still a pig. Now, before the animal rights people start e-mailing me let me go on record that - I have nothing at all against pigs!

However, it did stimulate me to think about the way that people communicate. You see, phenomenally successful people work constantly on their “people skills”. In the popular motivation and success system, The Power of Concentration, the author wrote that…

“The first, and most critical, area is the relationships you have with others as well as what and how you COMMUNICATE in those relationships.”

The manner in which you communicate, not only

#1) what you say, that is, your choice of words,
#2) how you say it, and
#3) the situation or circumstance in which you communicate,

can either make you (more) successful OR make you appear or perceived to be just like the “poor pig” in our opening example - all dressed up to look better than it is!

And, with that in mind, here is the key takeaway of my motivational story. Be careful of what I call “the colorful metaphors”. You may also know them as the dreaded “four-letter words”!

For example, last week I met a potential client, who I will call "Karen". Karen, despite her current status in life injected these “colorful metaphors” quite liberally in the conversation. Now, I’m not talking about “shucks” or “darn” as examples, I’m talking about the “queen mother” of all four-letter words among others. Yes, it was the nuclear “F-bomb”!

The truth is, without quality communication with the people that you relate to on a daily basis, whether they are at your place of business, in your personal life or at the shopping mall, you can not attract the building blocks that lead to success.

Poor communication, especially when using "colorful metaphors and four-letter words", affects the way others perceive, understand and react to you. The people who communicate best are the ones that are the most successful. Look at any of the successful people that you know and study the way that they communicate. You will quickly see through their words, body language and tonality their formula for success. You will also notice that they listen more than they talk. When it is time for them to talk, they ensure that they TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY for the other party to understand what they are saying.

And, it does not matter what your current situation or circumstance is. Whether you are on the path to success or already believe you are successful. It does not matter if you already have a high-level of financial comfort, a college or university education, an expensive watch, luxury car or you or your spouse own a business. The cold, hard truth is that the person who does not take the responsibility for the words they choose presents him / herself as unprofessional, lacking self control and self discipline. They will quickly and positively lose the respect of the people they deal with.

Period.

Be aware and watch these simple, yet critical, interpersonal skills every day as they will take you far along your path to success. Be careful not to take the “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach in communicating with others. Manage your thoughts by developing your self control and self mastery. There is a Chinese Proverb that reads, “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” Practice everyday, and soon you will be making a powerful and positive impression, (without lipstick or a tuxedo), no matter where you are on your quest for personal development, success or self improvement.

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Article Tags: cold hard truth, lipstick on a pig, merchantville karate, pennsauken karate, self control, self discipline, shaws karate institute
Referred by: http://www.jimbouchard.org



Related Forum Posts
Lipstick Jungle & Cashmere Mafia - Has anyone been watching these shows? I have been watching Cashmere Mafia and really enjoying it, until I watched Lipstick Jungle last night. Finally - a show that really reflects what successful women are having to deal with! your thoughts??
Cashmire Vs Lipstick - I watch them both and do enjoy them, but the shows are similar and this week I actually mixed up the characters/ shows... cause when Mia (from Cashmire) was sleeping with her X, I had thought she was the fashion designer (from Lipstick)...I said to myself, "What's going on" "I thought she was falling in love with that rich guy who is so smitten with her?" LOL
Someone please FIRE OMAROSA - Ah, Kevin - you hit the nail on the head. I cant believe that Omarosa didnt get escorted out of the building. She is a bully and a vicous backstabber. I dont think Marylou was doing anything wrong - except having to 'watch' her back so much it made her nervous. Omarosa was the one that went full tilt on the wedding theme, and it fact, lied to Trump when she said they asked Vera the same question. They did not! and that is why the end product didnt make the cut. I was really proud of Nelly for standing up for herself. So many times the women seem to forgot how smart and strong they are when they come to the boardroom. In anycase, someone should of brought up the point that Piers made after. Omarosa as project manager, lost both times! You're FIRED!! or someone could run her over with their car, either way I am soooo looking forward to her getting the boot. But I guess she makes for good drama ridden TV. If it werent for her, more real work would get done... Did anyone watch Lipstick JUngle??
Reality in Television - [quote="SueB":2xhla35c]I've been watching Cashmere Mafia but not Lipstick Jungle. What I like about CM is that these incredibly powerful and success business women are imperfect and older. Kudos to Hollywood for hiring 3 lead actresses who are actually 39-40 vs 25 playing older. The 4th is early-mid 30's.... I'm not sure how old the actresses were in Sex and the City when it aired... Imperfect in that they do have challenges balancing the various aspects of their lives. Take Juliet for instance. She's this high-ranking if not head of some large company (I don't really know what she does) yet she let her husband take care of the money! She probably knows the cash flow particulars for her business though. Common error that many women make but that you wouldn't expect a power woman to make. In this week's episode I thought it was rather interesting and perceptive of the Mia character to realize that her ex-fiancee Jack could only be with her if he was on the same level career-wise. Otherwise his self-esteem took a beating and he left. Her fear being that this is a pattern that would continue. Mind you, her character didn't do anything to support his self esteem when they were competing for the same position. Just a few thoughts...[/quote:2xhla35c] Interesting how they are incorporating real life mistakes that many women make and having their characters do the same things. You gave a couple of very good examples. I can't believe the people - male or female - who turn their paychecks over to their spouse or significant other and have no clue where it goes. I have an aunt that did that for 10+ years and then he husband left - with a large chunk of money she didn't know "they" had. Then she got married some years later and did it again. I wonder sometimes what it takes for people to learn a lesson. Shri


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