From the book “That Ain’t No Deal!” by Charlie Parkerson:

Simply showing up may be enough to squeak by, but you don’t want to do the minimum. You need to show up ready. As the Boy Scouts say, “Be prepared.”

It’s not easy to plan ahead, to prepare, to study. It’s not easy to concentrate, but anybody can do it.

In college sports, there are rules about how often teams can practice, but in real life there’s no penalty for preparing more than the competition does.

The thing I love about studying is it helps the dummy more than the genius, because smart people don’t think they need to study. With preparation, a hard worker of average intelligence can outperform an Einstein any day.

“I shoulda said…”

Have you ever left an argument only to realize an hour later what you should have said? On the other hand, some people appear to be “quick on their feet.” Their responses to the unexpected are so swift that observers marvel, “How’d they do that?”

I think the difference is due more to preparation than intelligence. Snappy answers come automatically to those who have invested time studying, carefully thinking about the subject. They know at a glance what it is they are looking at and what they think about it. They don’t have to think about it because they’ve already done the thinking.

If you’re gifted with a fast wit, if you pick up on things with ease, if you are good at playing catch-up, then you should be very careful. Don’t let your natural ability fool you into thinking you don’t have to study up. I have served on boards and committees for various volunteer organizations and associations. Once, I was on the board of directors for a national association. All of us on the board were owners of pretty large, successful businesses. We were all top performers, dynamic leaders, effective managers. We knew how to get things done.

Or, that’s how it should have been. After a few meetings, I began to wonder if some of my fellow board members could even organize a picnic. Before every meeting, the association staff would send us a large binder stuffed with an agenda and tons of reports. I’d show up at the meeting, with my binder under my arm, my head full of knowledge as I’d flip through my highlighted notes…but only a few of us had even bothered to read the reports! It drove me crazy, but then, I guess I drove them insane too.

Don’t be the person who shows up without a clue. Study Up instead, and you’ll run circles around all the other clueless people.

From the book, “That Ain’t No Deal!” by Charlie Parkerson:

You can only go where your eyes lead you, so look up!

All the time, I see people with their heads down. They’re looking at the floor, their feet, their iPhones. They’ve withdrawn from the world.

You’ve got to pick your head up! When you do, you’ll find your physical posture has a big impact on your mental posture.

Look people in the eye! This is so important. I never want to hire someone who won’t look me in the eye when I’m talking to them. What are they hiding? Pick your head up in interviews and meetings, during sales calls and family dinners.

Experts say non-verbal communication is more powerful than the actual words we say to each other. Shrugs, hand gestures, eye movements and smiles, how can you read any of ’em if you aren’t looking?

And what are you communicating to others when your head is down? “Leave me alone. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be involved.”

The phrase, “Things are looking up,” is synonymous with optimism for good reason. When you look up, it has a powerful effect. You suddenly begin to see opportunities. Mysteries are revealed. Connections are made.

It’s so easy to do. Anybody can look up, but if it doesn’t come naturally, you’ll need to practice at it. You need discipline.

Keep reminding yourself: “Look up!”

From the book, “That Ain’t No Deal!” by Charlie Parkerson:

Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda

How’s that for a catchy name? Charles Grigg launched a new soft drink by that name in 1929, just two weeks before Wall Street’s “Black Tuesday” crash sparked the Great Depression. Sure sounds like the drink was doomed to failure, doesn’t it?

But it’s where you go that matters, not where or how you start. And it’s never too late to turn a loser into a winner. Mr. Grigg changed the name of his drink to 7UP, and the rest is history.

Simple decisions can have big impacts.

Let’s get practical

Ready to get busy? Do you want to know where to start right this moment making decisions that will build your success? Here we go. I’ve got seven “ups” to share with you.

Whether you’re leading a company or a Sunday school class, here are some dirt-simple choices you can make today—right now—that are guaranteed to succeed. They aren’t difficult; you don’t need any special skills to implement these. You can get started right away.

But while these “seven habits of highly upward people” aren’t complicated or theoretical, they aren’t all that easy either. Just because anybody can do them doesn’t mean that many people do. That’s why they are so powerful.

And no matter how well you think you’re doing, you can always do better!

From the book, “That Ain’t No Deal!” by Charlie Parkerson

I’m blessed to have five [now six!] grandkids living next door, and I’ve gotten a kick out of teaching them how to do things—really important things—like how to ride a bike and how to play cards.

Maybe fun and games don’t strike you as important life skills, but I see ’em as a great way to learn how to deal with things outside of your control. What kid would choose to fall off their bike and scrape their knees? And nobody chooses to be dealt a losing hand. But bad things happen. The question is, “How do you respond?” The first step toward responsibility is learning we are able to choose how we respond, especially to the bad things we don’t want to face.

Sometimes it seems like children actually do fall down on purpose. They get scared or frustrated and just quit. They almost seem to throw themselves off their bikes. You can see adults do the same thing when they are in uncomfortable situations: at work, in their relationships, in struggling with addictions or dealing with change. Throwing yourself off your bike is a choice, but it’s a supremely childish choice.

Persevere! The suffering is worth the sacrifice. I can still see the amazing change that came over each grandchild’s countenance once they finally mastered their bike. They suddenly stood taller; their faces beamed. They had done it! They were independently mobile! They were now free to go make their way in the world!

Been dealt a losing hand? Play it out, man! You gotta play the cards you’ve been dealt. You don’t have to like it, but quit your bellyaching.

From the book, “That Ain’t No Deal!” by Charlie Parkerson:

I reckon there are two types of people: those who cry and complain about what they “have to do,” and those who simply roll up their sleeves and get busy doing what they “choose to do.”

I’ve got no patience for folks who complain about their job, their boss, their customers, the traffic on their morning commute…the list goes on and on. I just can’t listen to it.

Who put a gun to your head and made you do that job, work for that boss, live in that city or take crap from those customers? Whatever circumstance you find yourself in, it’s of your own choosing.

You say you hate your job? Well, who picked that job? You did. “But I didn’t realize I’d hate it when I took it.” So quit and find something you’ll love. “But I’m not qualified to do my dream job.” How is that your boss’s fault?

Change is hard, but it starts with a simple choice. Why don’t we change when we aren’t happy with the results we’re getting? Are we too scared or too lazy? Apathy and inaction are decisions to keep things just the way they are.

Don’t complain about it. By staying in that job you hate so much, what you’re really saying is, “I believe this job is better than any other possible alternative.”

Everything is a choice. It’s gotta be one of life’s toughest lessons. It can really hurt to own up to the fact we have chosen the lives we live.

It is painful to take away the scapegoats we love to abuse, because then that abuse is directed squarely at ourselves. Ouch!

From the book, “That Ain’t No Deal!”

Just as true quality is never a happy accident, neither is success. Good things happen for a reason. Sure, sometimes you’ll get lucky and come out smelling like a rose despite making bad decisions, but that’s like winning the lottery.
Success you don’t earn doesn’t last very long. It’s not sustainable. In my mind, success you can’t count on is no success at all.

So, if success is a choice, who in the world would ever choose failure? I don’t think most people are stupid, but I see people do stupid things every day. Nobody sets out to fail, and nobody would ever agonize in front of a signpost faced with a simple dilemma: “Do I choose the path to success or failure?”

The tricky thing is that success isn’t the result of one choice, but of a million choices. It takes wisdom and foresight to know which direction you’re heading in. It’s pretty hard to have the clarity to step back and read the signposts, but they’re there.

Too many people spend their whole lives walking down the wrong path only to realize, once they reach the end of the road, that they wasted their lives. And far too many people lose their nerve. Paralyzed with fear, they don’t have the stomach to lead their own life, much less to lead their business, family or organization. Have courage!

It takes guts to own up to the fact that success is ultimately your choice. Embrace the challenge, and you’ll find it incredibly liberating.