W = Wonder

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

Always be a wonderer.  Always.  If we ever lose our curiosity, we lose a huge chunk of desire to live a full and productive life.  And if we lose that, often the next step is to give up and let the parade pass one by.  

To be a wonderer is to ask questions.  Wonderers want to know the how and the “why” behind every gadget, every enterprise and every possibility.  

Always, always hold onto your inquisitive spirit.  

People who wonder find answers, make discoveries, and become doers in this world. 

And even, as is or premise, we have failed, that first place to start is to wonder why.  There are dozens of questions that follow when one chooses this approach.

What caused the failure?

What will I do next time?

To whom can I turn for help?

To wonder is to get out of our rut and find new venues to discover. 

To wonder speaks volumes about the wonderer.  He/she is intent on solutions.  A wonderer will turn into a doer once the solutions present themselves.  

The greatest question a wondering person can ask is this:  What next?

What next? 

I see a bend in the road and I must see what is around it.

I heard of a cure and now I must know more.

I’ve heard that person is an expert in my field and I must meet him/her and establish community.

There is profundity in the simple.

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.

Socrates

Wonder often leads to better.  Have you ever wondered at the stories your enterprise has to tell?  It could speak of your initial joys, frustrations, hardships and heartbreaks.  Just wonder and let your mind explore those passages as if a small child.  I wonder what you will discover.

The world is a wonder.  It is ever bursting with some new something.  We have but to open our inner eyes and see new wonders every moment at every turn.

For wonder to work properly, one has to be on the lookout for the new, the obscure, and the right-before-your-eyes vistas.  Sometimes I just wonder for the sake of wondering.  I ask the what, the how, the how come, the what if, and the why not,

When we wonder, almost anything can happen.  For the moment we break free from the bounds of earth and allow all possibilities to come forth.

Wonder as you wander!

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

V = View

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

When we consider any topic, any topic, it is amazing to me how many opinions surface on the subject.  Everyone has a viewpoint.  And so do you.

The only opinion that matters, however, is one’s own, especially in the realm of personal life goals and the march toward achieving our goals and dreams.

How we view ourselves matters more than how we are viewed from the outside looking in.  Do we hold lofty views of ourselves?  Do we see self from an accurate perspective? 

And especially, in our discussion of what to do after a failure, how do we view our life and the ashes of our dreams? 

That view is the critical one.  Can we still see images and reflections of that once worthy dream?  Can we find shards lurking in the ashes of our crash-and-burn dream? 

Perhaps a failure can serve to sharpen our focus.  Perhaps it can bring into clearer view the way things should have been.  And in the viewing and examining we just may discover corrective measures to try “next time”. 

The most important thing – THE MOST – is to never lose our vision – our view.  I love to relate this story for all that it teaches.  Let’s visit it once again. 

A few years ago I had the privilege of meeting Dr. David LaShana, former chancellor of three successful institutions of higher learning.  During our visit I had the chance to ask him about a time when he called on J.C. Penney.  I want to pass this story along to you.

While Dr. LaShana was President of Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana he scheduled an appointment with J. C. Penney, the founder of the chain of stores that bear his name.  When he entered Mr. Penney’s office, he found Mr. Penney sitting behind his desk holding Dr. LaShana’s business card and moving it back and forth as if to bring it into better focus. 

Mr. Penney looked up at Dr. LaShana, cleared his throat and said, “You’ll have to forgive me.  I’m losing my vision.” 

Mr. Penney stopped abruptly, slammed his hand down on his desk and said in a raised voice, “No, that’s not right.  I’m losing my eyesight. I’ll never lose my vision!”

It is all about view – perspective. 

The overwhelming question is this one:  “What am I learning from my experience?”

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Birth of Christ

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, in Galilee, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, favored one.  God is with you.”

Mary was troubled at his words and wondered. 

The angel said, “Do not be afraid Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son.  You are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come and overshadow you.  The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  For with God nothing is impossible.”

Mary answered, “Let it be done to me as you have said. For I am the Lord’s servant,”

Meanwhile, the local ruler, Caesar Augustus, issued a decree that a census be taken of the entire Roman world.  Everyone had to go to their own home town to register.

Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the town of David.  He belonged to the line of David. He took Mary also, who was pledged to be married to him, and she was expecting a child.  While there, she gave birth to her firstborn son.  She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Now shepherds were nearby watching a flock of sheep on this night.  Suddenly the angel of God appeared to them, and the God’s glory shone around them.  They were terrified. 

The angel assured them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.  Today in Bethlehem a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.  Look for this sign:  find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of angels appeared praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels left, the shepherds said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

After seeing all of this the shepherds spread the word about what they had seen and heard.  All who heard it were amazed. 

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Merry Christmas

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words.net

Offering Hope

At Christmas

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where the is injury, pardon;

Where the is doubt, faith

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

At Christmas

One Solitary Life

With one week to go until Christmas, we will be doing a series of Christmas thoughts and resume our regular series on Friday, December 27.  Thank you and have a wonderfully Merry Christmas.

(Based on a Sermon by Dr. James Allen Francis)

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another village.  He worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was thirty years old, and for three years he was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. 

He never wrote a book. 

He never held an office. 

He never had a family. 

He never went to college. 

He never put his foot inside a big city. 

He never traveled more than two-hundred miles from his birthplace.

He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness.

He had no credentials but himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him.  His friends ran away. 

One of them denied Him. 

He was turned over to His enemies. 

He went through the mockery of a trial. 

He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. 

While he was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. 

When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is still the centerpiece of the human race.

I am far within the mark when I say this:

All the armies that have ever marched

All the navies that ever set sail

All the parliaments that ever sat in rule

All the kings that ever reigned

All put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has this one solitary life.

Based on

~Dr. James Allan Francis

The Real Jesus an Other Sermons

© 1926 Judson Press

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

U = Understand

Understanding is the entry point for living.  Knowledge, training, observing, and all other skills are of little use until we understand.  With understanding, we then act on the knowledge, training, etc.

Understanding self is at the front of this list of essential ingredients.  Self-knowledge requires that we ask some very tough questions.

Who am I?

What am I?

What is my best moment?

What is my worst moment?

Am I a leader?

Am I trustworthy?

Do I believe in myself?

Am I willing to do what it takes to succeed?

What extra knowledge do I need?

Who are my role models?

Who is my mentor?

Am I teachable?

What is my personality type?

These self-reflective questions guide us in some vital self-discovery steps.  They become the road signs along the way to keep us on track.

Perhaps we need the wise words of others to help us gain more understanding.

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.  Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

~C.G. Jung

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

~Dolly Parton

“It takes courage … to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.”

~Marianne Williamson

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

~Carl R. Rogers

“If you don’t go after what you want; you could spend your entire life settling for what you can get.”

~Mo Stegall

I shall end with this.

Plato often quoted the following phrase and attributed it to Socrates, who attributed it to “long established wisdom.”  Nevertheless, it stands as the ultimate maxim for self-understanding. 

“Know thyself.”

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

T = Training

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

Training either is or it isn't.  That is such a simple statement, yet the truth is self-evident.

And if we have failed at something, in most cases the root cause lies in a deficit in training in some form or fashion.

Knowledge is easily acquired.  The bigger issue is this … do we have the will to acquire it?

It is the old adage – you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.

The steps are these:

-In what area does one need more training?

-How deeply do we need to plunge in gaining training?  Do we need another college degree, or will a seminar work?  Can a book or two remedy the deficit? 

This topic is not one that is easily laid out in ten easy steps.  The beginning of the journey is found with acknowledging the problem.  The rest of the steps are as diverse as we individuals are diverse.

The will to learn – that is the essence of acquiring training. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

S = Stamina

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

Stamina is our “S” word in this series.  There are some great synonyms for “Stamina”.

Staying power

 Energy

  Endurance

   Resistance

    Resilience

     Strength

      Determination

       Vigor

        Doggedness

         Fortitude

We cannot avoid the “running a race” metaphor with this word. 

~Stamina means we hang in there longer and stronger than anyone else.

~Stamina means we have a dogged determination to see this thing through.

~Stamina means we have conviction and fortitude that we are right.

~Stamina means we are determined to conquer.

~Stamina means we have a strong desire to survive, thrive and win.

~Stamina means we will resist whatever ill winds blow against us. 

~Stamina means we will maintain our vigor till the end, and then we will tie a knot in it and hang on a little longer.

We love heroes with stamina, heroes who stand up one more time than their opponent.  In business, we love to see the underdog become the top dog. 

WE      LOVE      STAMINA!

So how do we develop stamina?

It begins with the dream. 

   -How much do you buy into your dream?

   -How many contingencies have you considered?

   -How much reserve capital do you have, and can you get more?

   -How much grit do you have?

   -How strong is your desire to win, to be successful, and to build your

     dream?

   -To whom do you turn when you are losing your grip?

   -What and in whom do you find inspiration?

On a web site for developing stamina in health, I would like to borrow the gist of this article and apply these principles toward our business model.

1.  Eat healthy.  On what do you feed your mind? Who are your role models?

2.  If you need a lot of stamina for the long haul, you need plenty of reserve capital.  Enough said.

3. Get plenty of exercise.  How well-grounded is your idea.  Have you practiced enough, studied enough, had enough experience or can you hire the experience you will need?

4. Are you in love with your dream enough to see it through?

5. Gradually build up to your peak performance level.  I’m interpreting this to mean grow at a speed that you can handle. 

6. Involve others.  Who is on your team?  Who is your main counselor/mentor?  Can you trust them?

7. Visualize.  Picture your dream and the goal-line.  This is perhaps one of the most important aspects for all of us in our pursuits.  It’s the old adage promoted by Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightingale - We become what we think about.  

We MUST revisit our dream.  Picture the what, the how, and the end result.  After a great visualization session, it is amazing how our stamina can come back to life.

Follow this Link to How to Improve Stamina

In closing, allow me to borrow from Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Believe it or not, rest and reflection is just as important as driving hard every day.  Remember to “take time to sharpen the saw.”  Not only should we take days off, vacations and relaxation times, we also need to step back from the “in-your-face” view and gain a broader perspective.  From time to time we must go back and look at our blueprint to make sure we are building our dream according to the plan. 

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

R = Resist

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

Even though the word “resist” might have a more negative connotation, it is nevertheless a great word in reframing our world after a failure. 

Resistance in weight training is actually a great thing.  With the proper resistance, you are able to break down the muscles, develop more capillaries to promote better blood flow and build strength.  It is a good thing. 

In the failed business model, there are a dozen facts that need to be resisted. 

First on our list is to resist the tendency to belittle self.  Okay, you failed.  Life is not over.  You are not even near the end.  You simply failed.  The put-downs of self, the self-depreciating comments do nothing but put one down further.  This is easy to say, more difficult to do, however, it remains true.  Here are some suggestions.

Accept your defeat.

Analyze the reasons.

Find a different route or better recipes or whatever metaphor works in your situation.

When you are ready, begin again.

Above all – above all, resist self-defeating conversations.

Second, fixing blame on things is okay.  Fixing blame on people never wins games or business success.  Perhaps “people” did let you down, made poor decisions or spent too much too soon.  Once you assess the situations, find redeeming solutions.  The watchword at this point becomes “okay, how do we fix this and what do we do to avoid this in the future?”

I’m reminded of a story I heard long ago.  There was a night watchman charged with the responsibility of guarding a valuable painting.  Unfortunately he fell asleep at his post.  The immediate reaction of the boss was to fire the man. 

The owner of the art gallery, a much wiser person, resisted this action. 

His reason? 

“Okay, so he fell asleep on the job.  After speaking to him and seeing his great remorse over this loss, there is no one more qualified to guard the rest of the paintings.  He now is our most watchful of employees.”

This ties in so nicely with a philosophy that I've been developing for some time – "Just because you failed at something does not mean you are a failure.”

Resist replacing an employee.  You may now have elevated that person into a position of becoming your best asset.  See the dynamic at play here?

“Resist” is a dicey word.  We have to figure out where the lines of resistance lie.  And that is not always easy, but it is necessary.

And now, some quotes to refine our focus.

“If you are paralyzed with fear it’s a good sign.  It shows you what you have to do.”

~Steven Presfield

“Resistance is a powerful motivator precisely because it enables us to fulfill our longing to achieve our goals while letting us boldly recognize and name the obstacles to those achievements.

~Derrick A. Bell

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Q = Quality

(Our premise is this:  If plan A fails you still have twenty-five other options.)

When we come to the “Q” word, the one that stands out most is the word “QUALITY”.  We always want to know about the quality of our work.  We are talking about our value and our worth. 

Quality control is one principle that every enterprise must focus on.  We plan, we create and we promote that our products or services will deliver to a certain level, and our quality control department is the one that assures we meet those standards.  How many restaurants have you seen fall by the wayside because of a change in recipes or cutting corners to save costs and it ends up affecting the quality of their food?

How many companies have lost market share in an attempt to add to their bottom line by sacrificing quality somewhere along the production line? 

Quality is either present or it’s not. 

When we talk about “quality of a person” we are talking about the essentials like integrity, reliability, essence of goodness.

How is your quality rating?  This one takes some focus and attention.

A series of questions begin to surface when we consider this element called “quality”.

What is our standard?

What ingredients are required?

If we change out parts or ingredients, is it as strong, stronger, or weaker?

Do customers appreciate our standards of quality?

Why or why not?

Are there a few ways we can tweak our quality to improve our serve?

It is amazing to me how some companies are able to produce the same flavors to their food whether I’m in Miami or Memphis.  They have unlocked the concept of quality and consistency. 

Ah, perhaps we’ve unlocked the cousin to quality – consistency.  That speaks loudly of integrity, steadfastness, and stability.

And all of that adds up to “quality”.

Henry Ford once said

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”

Two others:

“Quality begins on the inside and then works its way to the outside”.

~Bob Moawad

“People forget how fast you did a job - they remember how well you did it.”

~Howard Newton

The word is “QUALITY”!

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

P = Persist

(I'm on vacation and a book signing tour in TN and will resume with the next post on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  The letter "Q" is next and its a good one.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.)

In Og Mandino’s classic best seller The Greatest Salesman in the World, the third scroll is titled I Will Persist until I Succeed. 

The art of persistence is one of the most critical traits one must master.  Persistence literally makes or breaks us.  It is the determining factor when pursuing any worthwhile goal and dream.

I have used the following two paragraphs often and they are worthy of being repeated here.

One of my favorite books is The Winds of War by Herman Wouk.  In this book, Mr. Wouk recounts a scene in which General E. J. Tillet, military author and one of the Commanding Generals for England during WWII, is speaking to the main character named Pug Henry.  Tillet is making an observation about Hermann Goering.

He said this.  “He’s wasted a whole bloody month bombing harbors and pottering about after convoys.  He’s only got till September the fifteenth.  His mission is mastery of the air, not blockade.  Define your mission!  Define your mission and stick to it!” 

The art of "defining" and "sticking to it" is all about focus.  Giving definition to a goal simply brings your objective into better view.  Once we know what it is we are aiming for, the more likely we are to hit the target.

A personal story:  The red-letter day in my life was the day when I identified my mission statement – Offering hope, encouragement and inspiration one word at a time.  

Those ten words have reformed everything I do as a writer and a speaker.  They give definition, purpose, aim and meaning to my life.

The same will be for you.  Know what you want – purpose.

Determine how you will get there – plan.

Do the hard work, cross the bridges, work your plan until you see success lurking around the corner - persistence.

Perhaps we need a few inspiring 

words as we wrap this up.

“We are made to persist.  That’s how we find out who we are.”

~Tobias Wolff

“The key of persistence opens all doors closed by resistance.”

~John Di Lemme

“Do it badly;

do it slowly;

do it fearfully;

do it any way you have to,

but do it.”

~Steve Chandler

“Thankfully, persistence is a great substitute for talent.”

~Steve Martin, Comedian

And now we return to Og Mandino’s words from The Scroll Marked III.

“The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.  Failure I may still encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road.  Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner.”

~Og Mandino

The key is PERSISTENCE!

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

O = Optimism & Optimize

Our premise for this series is this:  If plan A fails we still have twenty-five other options.

For our “O” word we need to consider two words …

“Optimism” and “Optimize”.

The first word is an attitude word.  It is a forward-looking word.  The popular synonyms are …

   Hopeful

      Cheerfulness

         Confidence

            Brightness

In our premise of having failed at something, the first and most important thought to hold onto is one of optimism.  We have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and see over the failure to a more optimistic future. 

As we evaluate our losses, what do we see?

As we think about our future do we see a bright promise or dismal defeat?

You can readily see the importance of holding onto an optimistic outlook when your situation looks dismal.  If we are of the positive mindset, we immediately begin to see how we might do things a bit differently the next time around.

We see other solutions to dilemmas we faced in the middle of our failure.

We look for answers in the ashes and rubble of our ruin and rebuild with those scraps of what is left of our dream.

An optimistic person is a hope-filled person who sees starting all over again as a bright promise to do better and make better.  Often there arises inside of us a confidence that lets us know we still have what it takes to overcome the immediate obstacles and see with clarity a brighter tomorrow.

Optimism is another way of saying “I will try again tomorrow.”

Our next word is “Optimize”.  A great working definition is “to make something function at its best or most effective, or use something to its best advantage.”

We already have some tools that have been placed in our hands with the failure of our goals and dreams. 

What have they taught us? 

Where did we go wrong?

Did we have the right people on board?

Did we manage our human resources well?

Did we manage our financial resources to best effect?

What knowledge did we lack and where do we find that knowledge today?

We optimize the answers to our failures so that we can rise up from the ashes of defeat and build something greater, more solid and more successful.

If a boss, manager or leader is weak in his/her abilities to optimize, maybe it is time to consider a consultant, an expert in the very area of your weakness.  If we can’t see the problems of our past, then allow fresh eyes to see them for us and help build a bridge over what went wrong. 

Optimizing at its core is making use of the good and the bad of a situation and creating something better. 

We use defeat to its best advantage to avoid defeat in the future.  And that is not just a play on words. 

I am often reminded of the Apollo 13 mission and their attempt to land on the moon.  Soon after they heard the loud bag and assessed the situation, they began asking questions.  These three took prominence.

“Where could the problem be?”  (Problem solving question)

“How could it be?”  (Philosophical/operational question)

“What can we do?”  (Attitude question)

With these three questions at the top of their list, the astronauts and ground crew immediately set about finding answers and resolving dilemmas. 

Thankfully they were able to bring Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert home safely by optimizing everything possible both on board the spacecraft and every fact inside the head of every engineer and ground crew member.  

NASA called Apollo 13 a successful failure, and it stands today as a phenomenal example of contained optimism and optimizing every available bit of information they could gather.

A final word:

Gene Kranz, lead flight director for Apollo 13, used this phrase.

That is optimism. 

Optimism is optimized by focusing on solutions.  Solutions come from believing you can solve the disappointing issues at hand.

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

N = Notice

Our premise for this series is this:  If plan A fails we still have twenty-five other options.

The ability to notice in every area of life is a critical skill.  It is at play in our personal world and in our business/income world.  We either notice or we often fail. 

This ability to notice is a learned skill.  It is partly an analytical skill and an observation skill.  We become spotters. 

If we fail to be a good noticer, the world could collapse around us while we fiddle away on our little pet projects. 

I want to approach this article on two fronts – the personal level and the business level.

Personal level:

In our relationship we want our spouse to tune into our spoken and unspoken needs and wants. 

~What are you noticing about your wife/husband?

~When is she/he extremely happy?

~What is she/he sad?

~When does she/he want to be left alone?

Your ability to notice can make a huge difference in your relationship and happiness.

My wife had to have a couple of MRI scans recently for a deteriorated disc and torn tissue problem.  We want her medical team to notice every nuance on those scans so that we can get Carolyn’s pain resolved and her health restored.

Just last evening I came home to an amazing spaghetti dinner complete with homemade sauce, fresh salad, and hot garlic bread and ice tea.  My wife put in a lot of extra work and I took notice of her work. 

In every area of life, we maneuver through every experience by noticing what is going on around us. 

Business level:

With our premise of “if plan A fails we still have twenty-five other options” some questions come to mind to help sharpen our focus and answer the “why we failed” question.

The questions are …

~Where is your focus?

~What are the trends you currently see?

~Who appears to be the front runner in your field of expertise?

~What are they doing well that you could incorporate?

~Where is the future of your industry headed?

~What is new that I should be pursuing?

~What is last year’s news and should be set aside?

The bottom line is this … we pay attention to the details. 

The successful salesperson notices body stance, eye contact, the actual words used and they measure the amount of stress heard in a customer’s voice.  They are attempting to tune into the exact state in which their customer is and find a remedy for their problem.

The fashion industry thrives on the idea of being ‘trend setters’.  Last year’s ideas don’t work.  We need the new, the fresh and the never-before seen look.

When Proctor and Gamble was looking for a way to improve mop sales they studied hundreds of hours of women mopping floors.  Finally one astute observer began focusing on the wringing out of the dirty mop and noticed that the user was continually using a now dirty mop-head to clean their floors.  This led to the invention of the Swifter, a revolutionary approach to cleaning floors.

It always comes back down to having a good eye and seeing what has never been seen before. 

  

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time