America the beautiful,

America the beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims' pride;
I'm glad they'll never see.
Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly
poisoned by cocaine
choosing to indulge their lusts,
when G-d has said abstain

From sea to shining sea,
our Nation turns away
From the teaching of G-d's love
and a need to always pray

We've kept G-d in our
temples, how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government
that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door,


Too soft to place a killer
in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby
before he leaves the womb.

You think that G-d's not
angry, that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our G-d,
from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,
will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face
and mend our evil way:

Then G-d will hear from Heaven;
and forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land
and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,
If you don't - then you will see,
A sad but Holy G-d
withdraw His hand from Thee.

~~Judge Roy Moore~~

This says it all. May we all forward this message for America to wake up and realize what we need to do to keep OUR America the Beautiful.

Love

Love

12 Keys to Improve ALL Your Relationships

12 Keys to Improve ALL Your Relationships

In a world increasingly tense and with international relations more uncertain than ever, it is key that we review how we all get on with each other.

Change however begins in our daily lives and if we improve the one to one relations with all the people around us, ultimately relationships on a global level will also improve.

Have you noticed how the personal conflicts in our lives are reflected in global conflicts around the world?

To bring about more cordial relationships in the world, change begins within us and around us. Make all your own relationships more harmonious and one day we can have more peace and harmony in the world.

Today it is more important than ever that we focus on improving our relationships. It is only by improving our own individual relationships that we can bring about a global shift.

The ultimate purpose of these series of relationship articles is just that – to make all your relationships more harmonious and to bring more harmony in the world.

To learn how we really can be with each other, one simply has to observe young children at play. Next time you get a chance to do so, watch how they get on with each other and how any misdeeds are soon forgotten.

Children just get on with enjoying the moment – and you can do the same.

Once all of us improve our day to day relationships, the domino effect will bring about improved relationships globally. The key is to always do unto others what you would have them do to you.

Keep this in mind and all your relationships will improve. And as everyone in the world begins to feel and behave in a higher and loftier manner, bombings, war and injustice will soon be a thing of the past.

“Be the change that you want the world to be” – Gandhi

So to begin, ask yourself – do you get on well with everyone in your life? Or do you have frequent arguments and misunderstandings?

The state of our relationships with others directly affects our happiness. Remember that during the tough times, it is the people that we love and care about who get us through.

From now onwards, take responsibility for all your relationships.

If someone’s behavior is upsetting you, then you are also responsible for this, as you are allowing the other person to continue such behaviour. Set boundaries with this person about their behaviour, letting them know it is not acceptable and why.

The key is to know that people really appreciate honesty and openness in relationships. Always be true to your word and tell it how it is for you. Speak the truth directly and authentically.

This doesn’t however, mean being brutally rude. It is important to also be respectful of other people’s feelings and opinions. Be tactful as appropriate to the situation.

People will come and go from your life, but their impact and their essence remains with you forever. Every person has a “gift” for you – a lesson – ask what you can learn and receive in each relationship.

You always have a choice in how any relationship should be, even though this might be difficult to see especially with your family or partner.

You also have the choice of ending that relationship.

People appreciate honesty and openness in relationships. So always be your word and tell it how it is for you. Speak the truth authentically and directly.

Assess where improvement is needed in your relationships, and get committed to improving them.

Here are my 11 tips for doing just that:-

1. Show your appreciation in all areas of your life.

Keep a count of the number of times you say “thank you” every day and keep increasing.

Say your thanks genuinely and whole heartedly in your relationships with your partner, colleagues, family and especially the strangers who do so much to make your life convenient and easy, such as shop assistants, the postman and the dustman.

2. Listen to other people.

The greatest gift you can give people is your undivided attention.

Practice listening skills and be completely present for that person. When people are talking to you, stop what you are doing, look straight at them and avoid distractions and interruptions.

Your undivided attention tells the other person that you genuinely value them.

3. Be interested in other people.

The emphasis here is on being interested rather than “interesting”.

People can tell when you are genuinely interested in them or when you are just faking it. It is what you put into a relationship that ultimately determines the quality of that relationship.

4. Make other people feel important.

By showing everyone that they count, you raise their self esteem.

And you will feel great too.

5. Don’t take things personally.

What anyone says or does to you is not personal and merely a reflection of their own reality. So make yourself immune to what others say and do.

Their opinion about you is just that – their opinion.

6. Stop criticizing others.

Criticism can be so demoralizing and destructive for adults and children alike. Become aware of how you speak to the people you care about, and recognize when you are being critical.

Ask people around you to give you feedback about your habits of criticism and be big enough to change your ways.

7. Empathize with other people.

Start to listen and understand the other person’s point of view. This will eliminate arguments and save you draining your energy.

Anytime you are in a tricky situation, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would like to be treated in this situation.

8. Stop dumping on others.

Don’t relieve your own stress by taking it out on someone close to you. This doesn’t help either of you.

Your stuff is your stuff – deal with it!

9. Focus on changing yourself, not other people.

Accept and realize that you can’t change anyone else.

If a situation bothers you so much, then change yourself. It is all about you and what you bring to any relationship.

10. Don’t make assumptions about other people and situations.

Communicate with others clearly so as to avoid misunderstandings and conflict.

Remember that everyone is doing the best they can with their current level of knowledge, awareness and understanding.

11. Stop gossiping and bitching about others.

It will inevitably come back to you and affect your relationships.

Learn to only say good things about others and your relationships will soon improve. To help you, just remember this quote from Stephen R Covey:

“Improve all your relationships with others by assuming that they can hear everything you say about them” – Stephen R Covey

Here’s the Daily Exercise for Today:-

Having read some of my insights above, I now invite you to spend some time reflecting on your life and working through the actions below.

I suggest you get a notepad and start writing down your thoughts and also ideas of what you will do to improve your relationships.

It is not enough that you just read these blog posts – you do have to take some action and commit to bringing about change in your life!

You will be glad you have done so as almost immediately you will notice the relationships with all the people in your life improving quickly.

If necessary, read the above article again and then work through these action points:-

1. Review your relationships and assess where improvements can be made. Can you identify any patterns?

2. List up to ten ways you can start improving the relationships in your life.

3. Think of five people in your life, with whom you would like to improve your relationship.

4. List five things you will do in the next seven days, to improve your relationships with these people.

5. Write down and learn from what you did and how the relationship improved.

Life embodies friendship, compassion, happiness, sorrow, love and pleasure

Life embodies friendship, compassion, happiness, sorrow, love and pleasure

Each man has inside him a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated, but it takes courage for a man to listen to his own inner goodness and act on it. Do we dare to be ourselves? This is the question that counts.
“I am convinced that human nature is basically gentle, not aggressive. And every one of us has a responsibility to act as if all our thoughts, words, and deeds matter. For, really, they do. Our lives have both purpose and meaning.”
and:
“Compassion is what makes our lives meaningful. It is the source of all lasting happiness and joy. And it is the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, through affection, through honesty, through truth and justice toward all others we ensure our own benefit. This is not a matter for complicated theorizing. It is a matter of common sense.

Humility and Leadership

 

Humility and Leadership

 

“If we were humble, we would be perfect.”

 

It was a modern twist on an old adage, usually traced to Benjamin Franklin, that humility is the one virtue that's impossible to attain. Once you achieve it, you celebrate by saying, “I’m finally gained humility” – at which point you are no longer humble!

 

As these examples illustrate, humility is more likely to be a subject of jokes than a topic for serious consideration, especially in discussions of leadership. One notable exception is the attention to humility in Good to Great.

 

The Humble Leader

Examining the common denominators among CEOs who took companies from solid performers to enduring pace-setters, He cites the pivotal role of humility in their style of leadership. The widespread popularity of he has thus sparked countless follow-on discussions of humility in leadership.

 

Still, with all the interest that he has aroused, the topic of humility finds little place in management and leadership literature. To demonstrate this deficiency, simply perform a web search on a phrase like “leadership and humility.” The vast majority of the first 100 hits will come from one of two sources.

 

They will either be reviews of the book. Or they will be articles which apply what the bible taught about humility to the subject of leadership. Moreover, most of the applications in this second category center on religious and spiritual leadership, not leadership roles in business or institutional life.

 

From Dust to Dust

The word “humility” itself comes from the Latin word humus, which means “dirt” or “earth.” Behind the concept of humility is the realization that life inevitably ends with a return to the earth – “from dust to dust,” as the expression goes. Since this inglorious end awaits all of us, it hardly behooves us to be boastful or full of ourselves. Ultimately we all turn into dust.

 

True humility never lets us lose sight of our human mortality with all of its limitations. Humility keeps us attuned to our frailty, our inadequacy, and our vulnerability. It therefore keeps ego in balance. Humility is the “golden mean” (to borrow from Aristotle) between arrogance and conceit on one side and an anemic existence with no strength of ego on the other.

 

The root meaning of humility makes its way into phrases such as “an humble village” or someone’s “humble beginnings.” Here the word “humble” clearly conveys the sense of being unpretentious. Humility is primarily an unpretentious attitude toward life and our relationships with others. We are not puffed up with our own self-importance. We don’t act like the world revolves around us. We don’t react defensively when caught in a miscue.

 

We hear a call for being unpretentious when people say that they want leaders who are “truly authentic.” Stripped of all of its nuances, “being authentic” basically boils down to having no pretense. This very lack of pretense helps people feel more comfortable in being open, candid, and truthful with their leader. It also accelerates the pace at which they build trust in those who lead them.

 

The Payback for the Humble Leader

For the leader who wants to enjoy high trust, personal humility returns exceptional dividends.

 

1. Humility lets us dismiss concerns about being the center of attention, so that we can step aside and let others shine. People don’t tend to trust people who insist on taking all the credit or hogging the spotlight.

 

2. Humility leaves us open to what others can teach us, no matter what their station in life. As a result we learn and develop wisdom more quickly, because we let everyone be our mentor.

 

3. Humility lets us treat even difficult people with such respect that we help them feel worthwhile. People do not typically invest their trust in someone who makes them feel invisible or insignificant.

 

4. Humility preserves a spirit of gratitude. A spirit of gratitude does more than perhaps any other character trait to keep our outlook on life positive and healthy. Sensing this, people are unlikely to put great trust in a leader who is ungrateful, for (unconsciously, at least) they realize that ingratitude is a sign of other character flaws.

 

5. Humility allows us to confront our own failings and take valuable lessons from them. Nothing is more harmful to trust than a leader who lives in denial or who never learns from things done poorly.

 

6. Humility allows us to be more patient with those who are still learning and thus prone to mistakes. We see in them a reflection of our own need to learn and improve. Appropriate patience is critical in building trust, for impatience breeds anxiety and even fear among those we lead, the very antithesis of trust.

 

7. Humility makes us approachable and receptive to being held accountable. Leaders who hold others accountable must be open and willing to be held accountable themselves. Otherwise, a double standard is at work that is inimical to trust.

 

8. Humility keeps our curiosity alive. Aware of how much we don’t know, recognizing that we have our own pattern of blind spots, we are eager to explore and learn. After all, people don’t normally trust “know-it-alls.”

 

As you review this list of ways in which humility contributes to trust-building, you will notice that many of them relate to learning. Learning from others. Learning from mistakes. Learning from being held accountable. Learning by keeping curiosity high.

 

It’s this distinct relationship between humility and learning that makes humility so critical for leaders who would propel an organization to sustained peak performance. The faster we learn as leaders, the quicker we can take our organization to the top.

Trust and Credibility – They Go Hand-in-Hand

Trust and Credibility – They Go Hand-in-Hand

 Would you use an online product that has neither made any announcements, nor made any improvements to their product in 6 months or longer? Of course you wouldn’t.
The Internet lowers the barrier to entry for many products and start-ups. However, with that lower barrier comes the greater need for establishing and maintaining Trust and Credibility.
Credibility cannot be assumed to simply exist. Credibility is a product feature that needs to be created and cultivated. The most elementary components of Credibility are Design, Contact, and Team, and also used by Quick-UX in determining product Usefulness and Credibility. Beyond Quick-UX, altogether, the principal factors of Credibility and Trust are:


Design
Contact
Team
Activity
Quality
Design
First impressions are important. When someone visits a new online product they start forming their opinion immediately. Therefore, it is important to instantly convey the look-and-feel appropriate to your target audience. If you are targeting a business audience, you will start out on the right foot building that critical initial Trust, with a clean and professional site design.
Many may be surprised by the level of simple mistakes, typos, that can be found in online products. No matter your audience, business or social, typos are a quick way to damage Trust in the product and the people behind the product. Evidence of typos demonstrates a carelessness and lack of attention to detail, which no consumer wants to be receiving.


Contact
The more prominently displayed is the contact information, the more comfortable any web product user will feel. Users want to know that if they have a problem, a question, or a simple desire to comment about a web product, there are one or more means by which this can be accomplished. The more options available, the more personal and real those options feel, and the more credible will be the web product. Even if the contact options are not used, having that safety net, that security blanket for “just in case,” helps keep the user engaged and utilizing the online product. The ability to contact by email (or form) should be seen as a basic requirement. Proving that the company has a physical location to which mail can be sent or that the company can be reached by phone where a real person will answer only serves to bolster the important case of web company / product legitimacy.


Team
Are there real people on the other end? Hello? Is somebody out there? When you are a company offering products on the web, prove it. There is nothing like actually seeing and learning about the people behind and supporting the product. A friendly face, a trustworthy visage, builds personal, emotional bonds.
It is important to show that there are real people, with their names and reputations standing behind the product, especially if you want your users to stand in front of, and use, it. And, here too, to increase the Trust further, a very welcoming act to the timid user is demonstrated by showing that (in addition to being able to contact the more amorphous support team) even your team, with real people, can be directly reached by email or phone.


Activity
At the start of this article I asked, “Would you use an online product that has neither made any announcements, nor made any improvements to their product in 6 months or longer?”
The lower barrier of entry to releasing a product on the Web also makes communicating to that product’s users easier and, in turn, builds on the expectations of recurring and forthright communications. There is no excuse in today’s world for a web product to not be in constant, open, and honest communication with its various audiences (press, user, prospective user, etc.).
There should never be a time when there is nothing to communicate. There is always a status update, a product update, a company update, a product tip, and more that can be communicated to a web product’s users via many channels, from product blog, to homepage and forums.
Users will come back and continually engage a web product if the people behind the product continually return the favor, engaging the users, honestly communicating, and respecting those who have placed their Trust in it.


Quality
Part of Trust means that I can count on ‘you’ to be there when I need you; and I will, in turn, be there for you. I will be your web product’s user. For a web-based product, Trust in reliability is all that much more important than that of a software or brick-and-mortar company. Web products perform such tasks as enabling communication, enhancing mobility, and/or storing information. The moment the value-add of the web product comes into conflict with the ability to access that product or interferes with that product’s ability to meet expectations, then loyalty will wane and alternative web and desktop products sought out.
A company like Google understands the Trust that has been placed in them, and understands the damage to its Credibility, and the tremendous amount of mending that must be done to restore it, when Quality falls short (see Worldwide Vacation Day – Courtesy of Google). Even with the tremendously positive reputation of Google, there exist many individuals who fear storing their personal or other important data within Google’s products.
A web product is making the argument to its current and potential users that it will in some way improve or enhance each user’s life. The user may initially take a leap of faith with the product, but that faith needs to be surrounded by a cushion of Trust. That Trust is established through the consistent delivery of reliable services (e.g. uptime, release dates, information updates, etc.) and meeting (or exceeding) the user’s expectations.


Trust me
Often Credibility is not well understood by both well established companies and startups. Many times it exists for a brief moment, and is squandered due to mismanagement or negligence. Credibility is critical to the retained growth and prolonged success of a web product. The basics of establishing and maintaining Credibility and Trust can be best summarized by…


Be professional. Look professional.
Be reachable. Provide prominent contact information.
Be visible. Show your face.
Be active. Frequently communicate.
Be reliable. Act professional.
Credibility starts and ends with presenting a professional online presence, be it for a fun, social website, or a b2b product.


Trust you
With so many online product options available, there is simply no reason to use an untrustworthy product — just move on to something else.
Whether you are a start-up or a long established company, you should never rest on your laurels. You need to establish Trust and Credibility early and constantly maintain and build upon it. People have too much choice to be bothered with any company that causes them even the slightest bit of doubt.
Everyone knows of online products with Trust issues. What is happening (or starting to happen) to their userbase? How well do you feel those companies are addressing their challenges of Credibility?
Feature Request: Trust
To the creators and guardians of both new and old online products:
Your users, your fans, your critics, whether they enjoy or disparage your web product, there should be one pillar no one should be able to fault, and that is your company’s and your product’s Credibility. They may like or not like what you are offering, but they should, at the very least, Trust you.
Thank you & Enjoy!


At the end of the day, even if all the other elements exist, trust and credibility come down to the human element (team). Who are you? Why should I buy from you? Will you always be there for me? And so on.

Credibility and Integrity

 

Credibility and Integrity

We conduct ourselves with uncompromising integrity and honesty as individuals, as teams, and as a company. We strive to earn enduring credibility with others, which we believe is essential to long-term personal and business relationships:

Cultivate credibility - be worthy of belief
Do what you say you will do - always follow through
Be responsive - return your phone calls, e-mail, and other requests for action in a timely way
Communicate status and decisions - openly, and in a timely manner
Remember the fragile nature of credibility - it takes time to build and moments to lose
Be authentic, genuine, and true to yourself - so that people can take you at face value
Listen - seek first to understand
Act with integrity and honesty
Stand up for what you believe in and be willing to put yourself on the line
Speak up or take responsibility for something that's wrong, even if not in your area
Put values ahead of short term results
Tell the whole truth - deliver the complete message
Be forthright with bad news and difficult issues