Thursday, August 22, 2013

Is It All Fiction, Or Is It True?



Whenever I read good fiction I feel like I learn some real truths.  Fiction helps us imagine new, better, different or ideal worlds and ways to live.  Novels project an ideal life, one we crave – or they depict the unbelievably bad, ugly and sad in a way we can feel good about our lives.  But fiction seems real, seems possible, and feels desirable.

Often, fiction is a novelized version of a real-life event, experience, or person.  On the other hand, non-fiction books and publications depicting reality seem to be distortions of truth.  They are incomplete pictures of the world.  They may be no less a representation of life than fiction is.

In the best fiction an insight to life is revealed.  In between the pages of action and character development there is good dialogue on an aspect of life that is expressed in such a way that is too strong to resist or ignore.

Novelists are the ones who lead us, who inspire, enlighten and inform us.  From their imaginations come the seeds of our reality.

A Lifetime of Success by Pat Williams
The following is a lengthy list of simple, common sense nuggets of wisdom and advice as quoted from his book. I helped promote this book about a decade ago but it always stuck with me...

1.      Show respect to others, regardless of their station in life.
2.      Be honest, even when it doesn’t seem to be in your best interest to tell the truth.
3.      Always try to do what you say you’re going to do, no matter how hard it may be.
4.      Be open and transparent in your dealings with others.
5.      Be a good listener.  Encourage others to talk about themselves.
6.      Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
7.      Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
8.      Smile
9.      Become genuinely interested in other people.
10.  Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
11.  Use today to begin to build your tomorrow.
12.  Always make the most of your time.
13.  They listen and learn from those they lead.
14.  Be willing to walk a mile in the other person’s shoes.
15.  Become a frantic learner and avoid the trap that so many so-called successful leaders experience in the “arrogance of innocence.”
16.  Find reasons to praise more often than you find reasons to criticize.
17.  Be willing to work as hard as everyone else and right alongside them.
18.  Define a vision.  Live it.  Communicated.
19.  Cheerlead and don’t feel afraid to have other people get the credit.
20.  Commit to continual improvement.
21.  Make sure your goals are consistent with your values.
22.  Set goals that are consistent with your abilities.
23.  Set long-term goals.
24.  Expect to stumble or fall, but get back up when you do.
25.  Make sure your goals are clear and specific.
26.  Write down your goals.
27.  Your goals should have a specific deadline attached to them.
28.  Cast off old ways of thinking.
29.  Be accepting of change.  It happens, so expect it.
30.  Be comfortable in a world where many things are plainly beyond our control.
31.  People who refuse to change will stagnate.
32.  Be open to change but maintain your values.
33.  The quicker you let go of the “old way” of doing things, the sooner you can move on.
34.  Every change causes temporary discomfort, even if the change is something you’ve always wanted.
35.  Don’t expect one or two changes to bring you to your ultimate goal.  Every change that you make is simply another step toward that goal.  Remember, success in life is not a destination, but a journey.
36.  Get ready for the next change.  It’s coming!
37.  Sharpen your focus and pay attention to the little things.  Work hard.
38.  Character consists of: faith, honesty, and integrity; a strong work ethic; maturity; responsibility’ perseverance; humility; influence; courage.
39.  Refuse to be shackled by yesterday’s failures.
40.  What I don’t know will not be in intimidation.  It will be an opportunity.
41.  I will pursue a mission greater than myself, by making at least one person happy, he or she saw me.
42.  I will have no time for self-pity, gossip or negativism…from myself or from others.
43.  Focus on the next step.
44.  Focus on what you want to do – not on what you don’t want to do.
45.  Keep your eye on the ball – avoid distractions.
46.  The best time to do anything is today.
47.  When all else fails, be flexible.
48.  Set goals to keep you headed in the right direction.
49.  You can’t control everything that happens to you but you can control your attitude.

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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