Category: Character

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Is your Character a special Character?

By: Carlin Day

What are your favorite characters in movies, television shows, or plays?

I could name a few of mine. I really enjoy funny and outgoing people. If you have seen my pinned tweet on twitter, you know I like Chris Farley. I also enjoy comedians and story tellers.  Tim Hawkins is a good comedian.  Jim Rohn is a story teller who makes things simple.

Now, the same question goes for real life. What characters do you enjoy most?

Positive:  Do you like the people who are fun and outgoing? How about the people who have something to say that is interesting, positive, and exciting. 

Negative: Do you like people who share something negative? Do you enjoy people who are critical? Do you enjoy people who are talking about the worst news story they have heard this week?  

Now, there is something that greatly distinguishes people you know vs people you see perform.  The big difference is their character.  The more you know someone, the more you know their character.  Their character includes things that other people far away from them may not see. This is more than if they are fun, entertaining, positive, or negative. There are real character traits. Are they liars? Are they hurtful? are they people that you can not trust?  Are they loving, caring, someone you can trust. The real character of a person will greatly affect the way you feel about them.  

Quotes about character:

Let us not say, Every man is the architect of his own fortune: but let us say, every man is the architect of his own character. – George Dana Boardman

A man’s character is like his shadow, which sometimes follows and sometimes precedes him, and which is occasionally longer, occasionally shorter, the he is.  – Madame de la Rochejuquelein

Question about Character for you to answer:

Who’s characters is most important? Is it your character or the character of others?

I believe that your character is the only one you can alter. You can change your character. You cannot change others unless they are willing to change their own character. 

Do I know the character of Chris Farley, Tim Hawkins or Jim Rohn? No, I do not. I only enjoy their work.  

Do you know your character? Is your character elevating value?

 

 

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The Chains of Events

I recently was reading a story in the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The short story was called the Red Headed League. Once Sherlock Holmes had figured out a mystery, He was asked how he was able to figure out the case. He said something to the effect of – The chain was long but, as always, every link was connected.  This line made me think. Did you know that everything we have done, and the thoughts we have had are connected to our previous actions?

Each day is connected to the last

Each thought is connected to a previous thought

Everything you learn builds on your current chain of knowledge

If your actions are making a chain that is dependent on your thoughts and actions, it will be important to make sure each action and thought is as strong as possible. Also, you will have to realize that all the chains in your life were put together by you, and that you did not make all the links simultaneously. They have to be made, and put together, one link at a time.

Maybe a guy says, “I have been doing good things and thinking good thoughts but my results do not reflect my actions” This could be true, because there are so many variables in life. The main thing to know when things are not working out, is to make sure you are doing the things necessary for you to have the best opportunity to accomplish your goals. This way, you can be proud of the chain you are building. Someday, the chain will be called upon to do a big job. Proverbs has something to say about this.

Proverbs 18:16

A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Once you have went to the Bible for answers, the next place to look is fantasy football – lol

Pictured above is the current standings for my family’s fantasy football. My team, Prestige Worldwide, is currently in second. I would like to brag, but oddly enough, the last place team has scored more total points than the first place team. How can this be? If you would look at the entire chain of events, the last place team has scored a lot of points but the opponent just happens to score more in each individual game. The same thing happens in regular sports.

What does this tell us? The main thing about this example is that you have to know that what you have done is what you have done, and no matter what the actual results, you do not base your success or your value on the current standings. A person must see there value of what they actually are. 

What chains are you building that are worth keeping? What chains do you need to throw away and stop using?

Think about the chains in your life. You want to keep the ones that elevate the value of your life as well as the value of the people around you.  Some chains takes more links than other to finally be chains that are elevating value.

Thanks,

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email me at carlin@elevatingvalue.com

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Farming Without the Farm

Are you a Farmer? If so, you know how to farm with a farm. What you may not know is that all people, farmers and non farmers, need to know how to farm without the farm.

If you will look up the definition of farming, you will find a definition that says farming is the agricultural activity of producing an agriculture product. By definition, it would appear that you would not be able to farm without a farm.

I grew up on a farm but transitioned to a businessman lifestyle. In my study of business practices and principals, farming is always flowing through my mind. That is where farming without the farm exists. It exists in the mind. Just as experienced farmers work and act, so must we all think. If a person can learn to think like the farm works, you can farm without the farm.

Two simple and familiar farming practices are planting and harvesting. You may have heard this called sowing and reaping. These two things are the most important practices in farming. Both are needed to produce a crop. I work with a client who is a farmer. He said that if he could always be planting, he could be sure he would have something to harvest. If you are farming without the farm using your mind, make sure to understand the idea of planting and harvesting in your mind.

Planting:

Whatever goes into the mind is a seed. A seed will always take root. It may not be favorable for growing but it is there. It cannot go away. Whatever seeds received water and nutrients grow. It does not matter if the seed is a fruit or a poisonous plant, the seed will grow if it receives what it needs. If the ground(your mind) is open, it will receive anything that comes in and the seed(thought) will be begin to work towards its purpose(harvest).

Harvesting:

What comes out of the mind is the harvest. The thoughts that started as seed are now expressed in thoughts, choices, actions, etc. It is important to understand that one seed can produce a crop of 100 times the amount of seed that was planted. Farming is a very powerful process. The harvest, is always happening in the mind. For some, it is strategic. For others, it can be almost a default kind of process. I think everyone would agree the most beautiful farm does not happen by default. The most valuable farming operation exists because of strategic farming principals in action.

Farming In your Mind:

I believe we can all begin elevating value by using farming principals in the way that we think. If your farm(your mind) was examined, would the crops be abundant? Or, would the farm(your mind) be grown up in weeds. The farm(your mind) is always at work. You are always farming, with or without, the farm.

Carlin,

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A Taste for Potential

“It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us”

Isaac D’Israeli – 1834

This quote is an example of elevating value. If you had a chance to become better, you should. In the America that I live in, I find there are so many ways a person can improve. The old saying, you learn something every day really is true. If you make it intentional, you can say that you become more valuable every day

What is interesting is that Isaac D’Israeli spent his life in a constant work of increasing his value and sharing it with others. You can read about him here. I would say that he was close to reaching his potential. A human reaching their potential is one of the hardest things to achieve. All though it is hard to achieve personally, nature does it all the time. Animals and Plants grow to their potential. They do not have a choice.

Animals –

Animals grow and live as big as they can. A fish will grow to the size of the pond or tank and the food available.

Plants –

Plants live and grow as big as they can wherever they are. One plant will grow bigger than another because it has better soil, more water, or more sun. Another plant will not grow as big because it did not have the, soil, water, or sun it needed. The plant does not have a choice and it only grows to the opportunity it has.

Humans –

Humans will live and grow as big as they are capable and decide. Humans have a choice. Humans are limited in their current environment but have the ability to move. They have the ability to change. No one actually knows what a single persons potential is. By observation, it does seem that some people do not reach their potential

I believe the excellent lies before us all. Each and every day is a big day. A day not lived with intentionality could mean a reduction of future opportunity. Don’t develop a taste for mediocrity. Develop yourself and give value to others.

Start Today.

Elevatingvalue website gives away books through the value book giveaway.  This month, I am giving two copies of the classic book by Dale Carnegie – How to win Friends and Influence People.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest books to help a person improve. With no money, no resources, no genius idea, a person can begin improving just by reading and applying the principals of a book.

You can check out the current giveaways here

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Is it too cold? Use Cybernetics

by Carlin Day:

Is it too cold in your house? who is in control of the thermostat? If it is you, change the thermostat. The simple thing about a thermostat is that it will keep your house at the temperature it is set at. It will guide or govern the temperature using a principle called Cybernetics

Definition of Cybernetics:

: the science of communication and control theory that is concerned especially with the comparative study of automatic control systems (such as the nervous system and brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems)

Cybernetics comes from a Greek word meaning – to steer- The word comes from a famous mathematician Norbert Weiner. Norbert Weiner used the term while working with automated missile guidance during World War II. He was working with how missile systems worked together with a network of information. A missile with guidance needs to react with factors from the outside to make changes on the inside.

How Cybernetics is Used

One of the simple uses of Cybernetics is a thermostat. One thermostat that most of us use is a heating and air thermostat. Changing the thermostat allows it to react with the current temperature and keep it at the desired temperature all on auto pilot. No matter whate changes happen at the house, the thermostat will react to its current conditions

Kid leaves front door open – dog gets out, lets outside air in

Fridge door left open – minimal affect on home temperature(adults seem to get angry – kids not so much)

112 degrees – Air conditioner runs a lot!

Elevating Value

Now that Cybernetics is the answer to changing the temperature, how do you use it to elevate value? The way cybernetics will elevate your value is buy using it in your own mind. If you can practice discipline of thinking, you can set your own temperature. The mind is your control center. It is currently working off all the temperatures that have been set from the beginning of your life until today.

Examples of current Cybernetic controls:

Your weight – if you identify as fat, you are not becoming thin and in shape

Your Finances – People who do not see themselves as a millionaire rarely become multimillionaires or billionaires

Attitude – The choice to be positive or negative.

A Better Self Image

Examples of your weight, finance/career, attitude are just the beginning. This is actually a total representation of your spiritual and physical self image. Your self image is the thermostat that controls your current “temperature”. Jim Rohn has a great quote about change. He said. “When you change, everything will change”. This idea is key to elevating value. If you will set your controls and live by them, you will be using Cybernetics instead of letting your current Cybernetics control you. If your told cold, change the thermostat.

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Definition of Cybernetics

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cybernetics

Great Piece on Cybernetics

https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/cybernetics/

Great Video on Cybernetics

Search Youtube video on Cybernetics and Self image by Bob Proctor