3rd of "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid"

As always, if you haven't done so already, be sure to read the previous two articles to get the full impact of this series. Now, on to the concluding article...

As the old saying goes, "Never say 'Never'".

 

Even as you consider the thoughts of this series, it's easy to examine the first two myths ("It's Not My Fault" and "It's Not My Job") and say to yourself (and even to anyone that will listen), "That kind of attitude will NEVER be a part of MY mindset! It will never happen to me!".

 

Believe me, friend, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with determining that certain things will not take place in your life. However, it's important to realize that there is a BIG difference in saying, "I'm determined for that to NEVER be a part of my life" and, "That will NEVER happen to me or be a part of my life".

 

I understand the determination even in the second example but, the difference between the two is a "stated determination" in the first. In other words, we must always understand (and acknowledge) that many times, in spite of our best efforts, we may still fall to that which we would prefer to avoid.

 

Make sense?

 

Although this may not be true 100% of the time, I would suggest that, ANY time a person states, "It will never happen to me!" that, in all likelihood, it WILL, indeed, happen to them sooner or later.

 

It just seems to work that way in life.

 

Yes, identify traits, character flaws and habits that you wish to avoid. Identify them and work hard to rid your life of them. But, friend, do NOT grow lazy in your work to keep this determination at the forefront of your actions because, if you do, the very thing which you wish to avoid will find a way into your mindset and your life.

 

Pay attention to these "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid" and do not take them lightly! Go to the fan page on FaceBook (www.facebook.com/FutureYouUniversity), find one of the graphics (or several) that you really like and post/share them in different avenues with others in order to help spread this important message that so many need to see.

 

Perhaps use one of those graphics as your "background" on your computer and/or phone so that you can be reminded of this on a daily basis.

 

You will also find a video by Dave Ramsey on that fan page that actually began my thoughts on this particular myth of the three. Particularly notice the comments that seem to express the thought of, "It Will Never Happen to Me".

 

I'd love to get your feedback and comments and, again, the best place to do that is through this fan page. You can also do so on the main website (www.FutureYouUniversity.com), at the end of this article, through e-mail and also through Twitter.

 

Whatever you do, and as you do it, be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

Future You University    "Like" FYU on Facebook!
 

Podcast on iTunes    Podcast RSS feed



2nd of "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid"

As always, if you've not had a chance to read the first blog article in this series (and/or listen to the 1st episode of the podcast in the series), be sure to take a few minutes to do so.

These are "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid" that are a "disease" to any person, community, organization and yes, even to a society.

The first of these was covered in that last article - "It's Not My Fault", and now, let's continue on with my thoughts on the 2nd of these DANGEROUS myths:

If you want to hear my passion on this particular "dangerous myth", then you definitely need to listen to the podcast! I'm here to tell you, there are few things that get me "worked up" as quickly as the verbalization of this attitude, or in other words, TO HEAR SOMEONE ACTUALLY SAY THIS.

And, as I talk about on the podcast,  I did have a man (an older man, at that) say that to me during a situation when we were supposed to be working together on a particular "project"just the other day. The "task" that he didn't want to do because "it's not my job", was not much of a task at all. As a matter of fact, my hands were already full and I had already done a LOT of things and it would have been a BIG help - with very little effort on his part - for him to do this one small thing. But, when I asked him if he had done that, he actually said, "No, it's not my job."

I wish I could tell you that I handled that well, but I did not. I pretty much "unloaded" on him letting him know what a HORRIBLE attitude that I thought he had and that I really felt it was pretty pathetic for him to use that line in this situation.  Yeah, he had no doubt how I felt about his choice.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Friend, let me just caution you in this way: When you find yourself even THINKING this thought, you are headed for trouble. Sure, this is my personal opinion, but look again and you'll also see that it's my blog. See how that works? But, more than that, I have observed and studied people and situations for years and I really DO know what I am talking about.

This attitude is lazy and selfish and does NOTHING to help support and/or build any sort of team. 

Apply that to yourself as an individual and you will find that you will never really contribute to ANY team situation in any real way. In other words, you won't be of value and you can be - and will be - easily replaced.

I was going to suggest that you then apply this to a group of people but, in fact, you won't have to apply this thought to a group because it is CONTAGIOUS. (Remember me calling this a "disease" earlier?) This is a CONTAGIOUS DISEASE that will spread it's deadly poison throughout any organization and, again, even society.

I'll share with you the same advice that I gave to all three of my sons when they were still living at home and applying for summer jobs..."Always do MORE than what is expected of you!"

I would tell them that, by doing so, they would always have a job and always have a list of good references. Guess what? It's true.

Oh, I know that the idea of "doing more than what is expected" just really sounds strange to some people. These are the people that have been groomed in the "It's Not My Job" mentality and mindset but, friend, THIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE YOU.

Please be sure to take a few minutes to listen to the podcast to hear my thoughts on this more in depth. I know you'll be glad that you did.

Get rid of this dangerous - and poisonous - myth in your life and help spread this message to as many as possible by sharing this blog article as well as the podcast. OUR WORLD NEEDS THIS MESSAGE NOW!

Join me in the last article of this series as we discuss the final of the "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid" - 

"It Will Never Happen to Me"

Whatever you do, each and every day, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University     "Like" FYU on Facebook!

Podcast on iTunes     Podcast RSS feed

1st of "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid"

 

Today I will begin a discussion on "3 Dangerous Myths to Avoid" that I hope you will consider very seriously. These are three things that I've put together myself that is based on several tendencies that I have observed over the past several years.

I have seen an increase in the "belief" and "practice" of each of these and, friend, such is a POISON and a DISEASE for any person and/or society. 

Let's begin with the 1st of these dangerous myths:

Let me start off with this disclaimer, just as I do on the podcast on today's topic. I am NOT talking about situations where a child or adult has been in an abusive situation and/or relationship. Many times, the offender will do all that they can to make the victim believe that this was their fault. Many have problems believing this lie for many years. Again, know this up front - this is NOT what I'm referring to in this article. 

What I AM talking about is the increased occurrence of this attitude that has become prevalent in our society.  I see this evident in our political system, our schools, managers, all the way down to individuals.

It's called an AVOIDANCE OF RESPONSIBILITY.  It's also called "Playing the BLAME GAME".

You'll hear it all around you if you will but open your ears and really listen.The words usually begin with something like, "Well, I would have done it, but..." or "That's what I was about to do next..." or "I wasn't really trained how to do that" or any number of other things that could be labeled as an EXCUSE.

What about you? Have YOU been sipping on this poison?

Here's a quick way to find out: If the first words out of your mouth tend to be some sort of "explanation" (better known as an EXCUSE) as to why you didn't get something done, then, friend, you just exhibited the idea of "It's Not My Fault".

No one is perfect. No one will ever do everything right all of the time. There are times that things do take place that prevents us from completing a task. DO YOU VERY BEST and, if things fall short, stand up and accept the responsibility as well as any consequences that may follow.

If you have children, what are they learning from you in this area? Are they learning - from YOU - how to accept responsibility or how to make excuses?

Rid your life and your vocabulary of this phrase. Remember, you may not verbalize these exact words but, while making excuses, you still state the same thing - "It's Not My Fault!".

It's time that we expected such from those in public office but, friend, we should also expect the same thing from ourselves.

Wouldn't you agree?

Be sure and join me in the next article as we discuss the 2nd of the 3 Dangerous Myths: "It's Not My Job".

Until then, whatever you do, always be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University     "Like" FYU on Facebook!

Podcast on iTunes     Podcast RSS feed

New Series Begins Monday