Outstanding performance is one of the keys to success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success. If you want to become an outstanding performer, you need to do three things. 1) Stay on top of your game by becoming a lifelong learner. 2) Set and achieve high goals. 3) Get organized, managed your time, life and space well.
I have blogged about Smile and Move, the great little book by Sam Parker before. I was rereading it the other day and I was struck by what Sam had to say in the introduction.
His daughter and niece were operating a lemonade stand as part of a community service project. According to Sam, the two girls seemed to have a “less than positive and energetic approach to serving their customers.” When he asked them why they were running their lemonade stand they said, “to get our community service hours for school, and to raise money for cancer.”
This prompted Sam to give the girls a little lecture…
“These people are stopping to be served lemonade because they might be thirsty but also so they can help you help people with cancer. They’re your customers and they have places to go but they’re giving you their support, their time and money. You need to approach them happily, with a smile. And then you need to move quickly to get them their drink so they can enjoy it and move on. You’re not doing them a favor. They’re doing you a favor. They don’t have to buy lemonade and they don’t have to buy it from you. You need to smile and move, girls.”
That was the genesis of the title of his book – and some great advice for becoming an outstanding performer: smile and move.
Sam says that we smile by…
• Being awake.
• Being thankful.
• Being approachable.
• Complaining less.
• Smiling, really.
We move by…
• Starting early and going long.
• Going beyond expectations.
• Having a sense of urgency.
• Being resourceful and resilient.
• Having no excuses.
I love the smile and move philosophy. It’s at the heart of becoming an outstanding performer and a personal and professional success. It’s a philosophy that makes sense. Smile – treat others with respect, enjoy what you do; move — work a little longer, go beyond expectations and you’ll become an outstanding performer and a career and life success.
In The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson presents a simple to understand model that shows how your philosophy of life is the starting point for your personal and professional success.
Your philosophy creates your attitude. Your attitude creates your actions. Your actions create your results. Your results create your success.
In other words, if you adopt the smile and move philosophy, you will create a positive attitude. This attitude will lead you to the willingness to take the actions you need to succeed. These actions will lead to positive results that will create a high level of performance – and personal and professional success.
Paul J Meyer says the same thing in different words…
“Whatever you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably, come to pass.”
The common sense point here is simple. Successful people are outstanding performers. Outstanding performers adopt a positive mental philosophy – like smile and move. This positive mental philosophy will help you create a driven attitude. This driven attitude will lead you to the willingness to take the actions you need to succeed. These actions will lead to positive results that will create a high level of performance – and personal and professional success.
That’s my take on using the smile and move philosophy as the foundation of your personal and professional success. What’s yours? Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us. As always, thanks for reading.
Bud
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