August 29, 2007
May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller
Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com
WORKPLACE WISDOM NEWSLETTER
MY LEARNING TREE
Your resume looks good.
Your spouse, kids, house, neighborhood look good.
Your career is moving upward.
Your retirement is "in sight"!
How did you achieve all this?
How did you arrive at this point?
The
truth is that your life is the result of many, many contributions by other
people.
A fascinating exercise for a quiet afternoon is to draw a
"Learning Tree" for yourself.
Draw the tree so that YOU are the main trunk -- and then, as you
draw each branch,
write the name of someone who has made a lasting contribution to
your life. Some of
your "learning limbs" will have off-shoots that led to
others who helped you be who you
are today.
YOUR TREE
Use
a LARGE piece of paper! You WILL need it.
On
each limb, write the person that influenced you positively.
Keep
going...make it larger....make it even larger.....
Come
on! Make it a huge tree! Now, you're thinking....and remembering!!!
As
I drew mine several years ago, I grew more and more sensitive to those
who
meant so much to me. I realized that, without their influence, I would
have
lacked the character quality that they demonstated so effortlessly.
August 29, 2007
May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller
Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com
Here
are some of my "limbs"...the people that have made a difference to
me:
• Family members who taught me love and laughter
• Teachers that encouraged excellence
• Friends who have helped me through difficult times
• People who have demonstrated amazing life-lessons
• Individuals who have made me feel appreciated and special
• People with whom I enjoy spending time
Here
are people that are newsworthy, but who have not lived on in my
memory:
• Academy Award winners
• Heisman Trophy winners
• MVPs
• Politicians of years past
• Nobel Prize winners
• Beauty pageant winners
The people
who make the most difference in your life are not the ones with the
most
credentials, the most expensive political campaigns, the most money, or the
most
awards. POSITIONAL IMPORTANCE is like the ocean tide; it flows in ---
and flows
out.
The people
who make the most difference in your life are the ones that show you
they care.
As
a teen-ager, I heard - and remembered - this quote:
"People may not remember what you say or do, but they'll
always
remember how you made them feel."
My
Junior English teacher mercilessly graded my English papers
with
a red ink pen!
"Redundant!"
"Foolish comment!" "Unnecessary paragraph!" she wrote.
My
feeling? I was humiliated.
By
fate, I had her again in my Senior year.
I knew,
now, how to write, however! And this is what she wrote with her red ink
pen:
"Excellent!"
"Beautifully said!" "Nice and clear!"
My
feeling? I was elated.
I
made straight A's in English at the University of Missouri.
I had
someone who cared enough to force me write well!
My
feeling? I was proud!
August 29, 2007
May not be reprinted without the consent of Sue Miller
Contact: Sue@suemillerpresentations.com
Mrs. Johns died before I could ever personally thank her.
But,
without a doubt, she is a huge limb on my tree!
I am sorry
I never told her what she meant to me.
You have not succeeded ALONE -- nor have I.
It takes a "village" to make us all that
we CAN be!
My suggestion is to tell people NOW what they've meant to
you...while you still can.
Step 1 - Draw your tree.
Step 2 - Pick up the phone, send an email, or write a note to your
"LIMBS"!
Step 3 - Thank them for what they've meant to you.
Recognition precedes gratitude!