The Successful Versus The Unsuccessful People

It’s amazing how the little things in life bring us such pleasure.

I am 95% settled into my new home and absolutely loving my Wolf range. I ended up getting it in my first divorce. As I’m a foodie and she doesn’t know how to boil water, it would have been a waste to leave it behind.

I’ve had it in storage for over six years and to now be able to cook on it is wonderful.

A new home is great; moving is not. Somers has spent more time on the phone trying to fix internet and phone issues, she’ll probably need an ear transplant. There are too many things to do.

Yesterday I went to my bank branch to switch over the addresses on my accounts.

The teller had a little copied sheet of paper taped to her area with “Successful People” on the left and “Unsuccessful People” on the right. Underneath it listed attributes for both.

She was kind enough to give me a copy, and I want to share the list with you (my comments in parentheses).

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

1. Have A Sense of Gratitude (I believe in giving back, but absolutely detest those who are ungrateful.)
2. Compliment Others (A simple word of praise goes a long way in filling the emotional bank account.)
3. Forgive Others (I have learned this one the hard way. For years I harbored resentment for my mother. She didn’t treat me the best after my divorce. People are who they are. I learned to let it go. Holding on to all of that did me more harm than her.)
4. Accept Responsibility for Failures (I don’t believe in failures; just lessons. Making excuses only makes it worse. Pony up, you’ll be forgiven and move on.)
5. Keep A Journal (I wish I did, but it’s a great habit to aspire towards.)
6. Want Others To Succeed (My goal is to be the least needed in my company. The better my team gets, the better we all do.)
7. Keep A “To Be” List (This ties into your character. Though I’m far from perfect, I definitely believe in Karma and work hard to do the right things.)
8. Set Goals & Develop Life Plans (I learned this a long time ago. Years ago Harvard tracked a graduating class. The 5% that set goals ended up with a higher combined net worth than the 95% put together.)
9. Continuously Learn (I hated school, but loved learning…what interested me. I am optimistic the day will come where each child is taught according to their needs, skills and interests. We are too advanced to still be using our educational system modeled on industrialization. You must make time to listen to audio education and read educational materials. Stop learning and see your business fail.)
10. Operate from a Transformational Perspective (We are all in the state of flux. Where do you want to go next? There is no final destination. Enjoy the journey from one goal/phase to the next.)
11. Keep A “To Do/Project” List (My team and I are always working on the next thing. Just today my lead programmer emailed me for direction. I gave him six more initiatives to work on. Though I’m no Steve Jobs, I do appreciate and take great pleasure in making things better. Plus a good list keeps you focused. Don’t rely on your mind. Write it down and free yourself to focus on more worthy matters.)
12. Embrace Change (Very few businesses get by without this. You’d better shoot to be ahead of the curve, rather than playing keep up.)
13. Exude Joy (I can’t say I’m always happy, but I love to wish everyone a “Happy _________ (insert day of the week). It makes people stop and smile.)
14. Share Information & Data (The more information you share, the better the results from your team. I’d like to add to share the right data. At Corky’s we kept some great metrics for staying on top of food, labor and profits.)
15. Talk About Ideas (I’m guessing my team would prefer I take an “idea” holiday, but that’s the most important thing I bring to the table. As a matter of fact, the same goes for my team. They always have great ideas to help us.)
16. Read Everyday (The cereal box does not count).
17. Give Other People Credit for their Victories (Self explanatory.)

UNSUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

1. Have A Sense of Entitlement
2. Criticize
3. Hold A Grudge
4. Blame Others For Their Failure
5. Say They Keep A Journal But Really Don’t
6. Think They Know It All
7. Operate From A Transactional Perspective
8. Secretly Hope Others Fail
9. Don’t Know What They Want To Be
10. Never Set Goals
11. Exude Anger
12. Hoard Information & Data
13. Talk About People
14. Fly By The Seat Of Their Pants
15. Fear Change
16. Watch TV Every Day
17. Take All The Credit For Their Victories

Please share this list with your team.

Now it’s back to tackling another part of the move.  

Well That’s All For This Issue!

Michael Attias

Restaurant Catering Software

P.S. – If you need help growing catering sales, then please go to www.RestaurantCateringSoftware.com and download my free eBook: Cater or Die!

P.P.S. – I make a limited number of time slots available each week for a free Catering Strategy Session with me. (You also get a catering menu critique and free analysis of your website for “Catering Effectiveness). For complete details and to grab one of the limited spots, please go to:

http://www.restaurantcateringsoftware.com/catering-planning-strategy-session

P.P.S. – Anyone wishing to reprint my articles may do so. Please email me for the bi-line to use for proper author’s credits.