The Belly-Button Rule

The belly-button rule is simply stated in a few words –

Turn your belly button toward the one 

to whom you are speaking. 

Former President Bill Clinton was famous for this behavior. 

He had a way about him that made people want to engage and they felt special, esteemed, and listened to.  He turned toward the person to whom he was speaking.

If I turn away from you when engaged in a conversation that signals that I’m not really into our conversation and I’m not interested in whatever it is you have to say.

If you are in the people business this is a good rule to remember.  Turn your belly button toward people if you want to appear interested and hold their interest. 

If you don’t care, give them you back and walk away.  Of course, you would then be labeled as an unworthy individual and your sales and personal relationships will plummet.

Who would have thought that a simple body position such as this would matter?

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

What's in a Book

Some estimates say that there are over 129 million books on the face of the earth.  Wow!  That’s staggering.

Ever wondered what’s in all those books?

Only enlightment

          -adventure

         -knowledge

         -joy

         -insight

         -life changing concepts

         -how-to ideas

         -the road map to better.

Have you taken advantage of any good books lately?

Books are the greatest travel agent in the world.

Books are our friends.

Bookstores are fun hangout spots.

  

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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One Word at a Time

A Handshake Tip

The next time you are leaving someone and you seal your departure with a handshake remember this.

After you let go of the individual’s hand keep eye contact with that person for an extra second as if to say, “I hate to let you go.”

Can you see the effect this small gesture might have?  You are silently communicating esteem, trust, cordiality, like-ability and a hundred other signals.

Just might make you memorable when it matters most.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

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A Word about Goals

There are many guru’s out there who speak about goal setting and goal achievement.  They all, however, will buy into this idea. 

Here it comes.

Pretty simple, right?

Also amazingly profound.

People don’t like to be sold, but love to buy.

We buy our own goals and reasons long before we buy something handed to us that other’s say we ‘should’ do.

Whatever your dream, whatever your ambitions, determine the playing field, determine the time line, and commit to your own goals.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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How to Put the World Together

Let me tell you a story.

There once was a father working in his home office while his three-year-old son played nearby.  The little fellow got bored and kept interrupting his father until his father came up with an idea.

He tore a picture of a map of the world out of a recent magazine and gave it to his son in pieces and said, “How about putting this puzzle of the world together for me? 

Here’s the tape.  Have fun.”

In no time at all the young lad came to his father with the picture all put together and proudly showed it to his dad. 

The dad remarked, “How did you put the world together so quickly?”

The son explained.  “Well Dad, there was a picture of a man on the back.  Once I got the man together, the world was together.”

THAT is a heavy thought. 

Just how do we put mankind together? 

To answer that one we need to read many books from around the world, but for now let’s consider this.

We start with a 1 cup of integrity, mixed well with a TSP of honesty, a dash of respect, a pinch of thoughtfulness, a full packet of understanding and tolerance, and then bake it in love at 98.6 degrees.

Truly.  Put man together and I believe the world will come together as well.

Think about it.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

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10 Ways to Stimulate Imagination - Pt 2

From Psycho-Cybernetics, by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, with revisions by Dan Kennedy, we finish our series on these pertinent thoughts on sparking the imagination.

This is the second in this two-part series.

6-Imagine Performing Perfectly

Dr. Maltz says, “Always imagine yourself performing perfectly.  Realize excellent results in the present tense." 

The mindset is “I am doing …” not “I want to do ...”

7-Resist Left Brain Interruption

The left brain will often want to dominate.  In order to tune into our creativity side, we have to quiet the left brain – logical, facts and figures side.  The left brain is great at lists, schedules, filling out forms, 

Allow your right brain with its picture mindset, emotional sparks and sensory instincts to dominate when attempting to stimulate the imagination.

8-Use Instant Replay

What have you done right in the past?  Use those images and relive those experiences as examples to build upon in creating new imagined scenarios. 

9-Mental Movies and Mental Rehearsal

Movies of the mind is a buzz phrase to describe this concept.  And as Denis Waitley and others encourage, use perfect practice when playing your movie.  Picture yourself performing a flawlessly gold medal routine.  It works.

10-Capture Great Ideas

Many of the greats keep some kind of capture net handy for the times that ideas strike.  For me, it is an ever present Moleskin pocket-size book.  Others use digital recorders on smart phones.  Key idea – use what works for you to capture the idea before it flies away.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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One Word at a Time

10 Ways to Stimulate Imagination-Pt I

From Psycho-Cybernetics, by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, with revisions by Dan Kennedy, we find these pertinent thoughts on sparking the imagination.

This is the first in this two-part series.

1-Vary input

We love variety and multiple sensory experiences, and our creativity needs that as well.  Dan says that on business trips he will often buy two or three magazines that he would not normally read simply for the stretching of ideas these magazines might offer.  Good advice.

For me, I read three or four books at a time, and I try to occasionally stop and ponder.  I also find a highlighter a handy tool. 

2-Exercise Your Imagination

If you are a Caucasian can you imagine your life as a black man or woman?

If you live in Seattle, can you picture what life is like living in the jungles of Africa?

Can you list ten different ways to go to work?

List five outrageous vacation trips your family might enjoy.

Now, use your imagination to create more imaginative scenarios.

3-Block Distractions

Dan tells of a man who rented a small office space ten minutes from his business office.  This space was used specifically for thinking time.  It was equipped with a comfortable chair, a lamp on a table, and pens and paper within reach.  As often as he could, he would retreat to this creative space simply to be alone in peace and quiet and think.  He was blocking all distractions. 

4-Relax

When we put our bodies in a relaxed state, we enhance the creative part of our minds.  Ideas will flow to us. 

What does relaxing look like to you? 

What music, if any, is playing? 

Are you sitting or lying down? 

Find your relaxation sweet spot and go there whenever you want to do some imaginative thinking.

5-Be Detailed Oriented

Ideas spawn ideas.  If we can give ourselves permission to paint our dreams in vivid detail, it will be amazing to watch how more details come into focus. 

  

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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What Do You Call Yourself

When you go inside your mind, what do you call yourself?  This is an important principle.

Perhaps, the best news of all is this … if you happen to be a victim of negative self-talk, you can put a positive spin on it beginning now. 

We listen to our mind’s chatter all during our waking hours.  We can sometimes really do a lot of damage to our psyche based on this one factor alone. 

Do you need a good dose of belief in self? 

Search out some great books or some professional help. 

Only your self-esteem is listening.  Feed it good stuff to build upon.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Strength not Weakness

Have you ever needed help?  Most of us have at some point in our lives. 

John C. Maxwell reminds us …

“When the vision gets bigger than you,

you really only have two choices;

give up on the vision or get help.

I choose the later.”

~25 Ways to Win with People

Remember this:  Getting help is strength. Not weakness.

Love this idea …

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” 

~Henry David Thoreau

Got a problem?  Seek help.

Can’t do it all yourself?  Ask.

And if you manage others, especially remember this one:

The person who feels needed consistently performs better.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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Improvisation

I am a jazz lover.  That means I really get into great jazz improvisation.  I could name names, but will move on.

I've had to improvise in life a few times – more than a few times.

So have you.  We improvise or we stop!

And do you know what happens when the music stops?  The crowd leaves and we’re left alone. 

I've improvised in …

~Marriage

 ~Divorce

  ~Bankruptcy

   ~Job changes

    ~All other relationships

     ~Places I've lived

      ~Neighborhoods

       ~Cultural experiences

Improv means you adapt to your surroundings.  What has life handed you and how has it changed, and the big questions is – what new melody can you make of it.

How are your life improvisational skills?

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

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Desire

I want to tell you a story.

I was in a mattress store recently and noticed another couple  doing some shopping.  I couldn't help overhearing their conversation and found out they were fresh from Saudi Arabia.  They've only been in Seattle two weeks.

The sales clerk commented on her excellent command of the English language.  He asked how she had been able to pick it up so easily.

She replied, “I watched American movies for ten years.”

That is amazing. 

That is DESIRE. 

She didn't take language class.  She didn't do an audio program.  She watched movies in English.

She desired to come to America, and to do so she knew that she needed to speak and understand the local language. 

It took ten years of movie watching for her to master our language. 

What do you desire?

What are you willing to do to achieve it?

First we have the desire.

And then, focus kicks in.  We devise a plan.

And then comes the doing – the working of the plan. 

Ten years is a long time to endure thousands of English-speaking movies, but when the desire is there, is any price too high to pay?

Young lady, whoever you are, I admire you.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

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Imagination VS Fact

Startling news!

Imagination is more 

important than fact.

Really?  Are you sure?

Consider this:

Fact:  I’m over weight.  And I can imagine being slim. 

Fact:  I’m unmarried.  And I can imagine being married.

Fact:  I’m broke.  And I can imagine financial gain.

 

See what I mean. 

No matter your condition, you can imagine and make better happen.  Are you willing to do the work?

Steve Jobs is famous for saying “Let’s go invent tomorrow.”

That is pure imagination.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

Relationships

Life is in a relationship with life.  What?

Everything that exists is in relationship …

~Husbands and wives

  ~Boss and employee

    ~Company and client

      ~Parent and siblings

        ~Stars and planets

          ~Earth and tides

            ~God and man

Even in music a relationship exists between notes, rhythm, balance, volume, tone and texture. 

Jack Canfield shares a great illustration about this in “Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive”.

“Once upon a time there was a manager who couldn’t use his concert tickets for Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and gave them to his efficiency expert.  After the performance the manager received this report.

1.     For considerable periods, the four oboe players had nothing to do.  Their number should be reduced, and their work spread over the whole orchestra.

2.    Forty violins were playing identical notes.  This seems unnecessary duplication, and this section should be drastically cut.  If a larger volume of sound is required, this could be achieved through an electronic amplifier.

3.    Much effort was absorbed in the playing of demi/semi quavers.  This seems an excessive refinement, and it is recommended that all notes be rounded to the nearest semi-quaver.  If this were done, it should be possible to use trainees and lower-grade operators.

4.    No useful purpose is served by repeating with horns the passage that has already been handled by the strings.  If all such redundant passages were eliminated, the concert could be reduced to twenty minutes.  If Schubert had attended to these matters, he probably would have been able to finish his symphony after all.”

What a funny little piece of writing.  This makes me laugh as a human being, but as a musician I cringe.

What if I said to my wife, “Honey, on my wedding day I told you I loved you, and if I change my mind, I’ll let you know.”?  That might be efficient but hardly prudent for maintaining my marriage.  

Sometimes we need to shelve efficiency for good old fashioned time well-spent with someone just because they exist.  Relationships, like music, need the full spectrum of sights, sounds, emotional highs and lows, and resolutions of chords. 

You can’t strip down relationships to “do as I say, not as I do.”  You can’t ignore the human factor in relating to people. 

One book that touches on this idea is Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni.  To whet your appetite, listen to this short video clip of Pat talking about this book. 

Pat Lencioni Video

 Order Getting Naked by clicking HERE>

Bottom line – relationships need nurturing.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time