Washington & Woodward - Men of Character

As we close in on the end of a tumultuous political year, I thought it appropriate to review George Washington's "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation".  Is it just me, or does it seem to you that many of our federal politicians have no understanding of the words "civility" and "decent behavior"?  It's either that or that they choose to be boorish.  Many of them have no shame. They tell us outright lies and actually expect that if they tell us whoppers long enough and loud enough, we'll believe them.  Sadly, many do. Sadder yet is the fact that we put these people in office. 

What would the great General - our first President - a Man among men, think of the cast of characters now ensconced in the city called by his name?  Most of Washington's biographers have regarded these 100 Rules as formative influences in the early development of his character. Oh that such men were still being formed in this country today!  Their country needs them very much.  We need to build our lives upon the solid foundation of good character and morals, not just on gifts and abilities. Thank God there exist such folk and institutions who still hold truth dear and are striving to produce such leaders as Washington today.  We pray for their success.  

Consider each maxim applicable to the 21st century, and think on the people you elected (or allowed to be elected) to represent you, and ask yourself, does their behavior indicate their agreement or disagreement? What does that say about their character?

I've mentioned in earlier posts that I believe Orrin Woodward to be a man of great character. Years ago, he made a study of Washington and this list, which is what piqued my curiosity. Some of those foundational concepts later on resulted in his and co-author Chris Brady's NY Times Bestseller, "Launching a Leadership Revolution".

Here we are fortunate to glimpse a portion of Washington's studies at about age sixteen - about 265 years ago.  I plan on implementing as many of these maxims as are appropriate for the present time and I invite you to do the same. We'll leave the language, spelling and punctuation as Washington recorded it. Off we go then with the first 20:

1st   Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

2d   When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered.

3d   Shew Nothing to your Frend that may affright him.

4th   In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.

5th   If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkercheif or Hand before your face and turn aside.

6th   Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

7th   Put not off your Cloths in the presence of Others, nor go out your Chamber half Drest.

8th   At Play and at Fire its Good manners to Give Place to the last Commer, and affect not to Speak Louder than Ordinary.

9th   Spit not in the Fire, nor Stoop low before it neither Put your Hands into the Flames to warm them, nor Set your Feet upon the Fire especially if there be meat before it.

10th   When you Sit down, Keep your Feet firm and Even, without putting one on the other or Crossing them.

11th   Shift not yourself in the Sight of others nor Gnaw your nails.

12th   Shake not the head, Feet, or Legs rowl not the Eys lift not one eyebrow higher than the other wry not the mouth, and bedew no mans face with your Spittle, by appr[oaching too nea]r him [when] you Speak.

13th   Kill no Vermin as Fleas, lice ticks &c in the Sight of Others, if you See any filth or thick Spittle put your foot Dexteriously upon it if it be upon the Cloths of your Companions, Put it off privately, and if it be upon your own Cloths return Thanks to him who puts it off.

14th   Turn not your Back to others especially in Speaking, Jog not the Table or Desk on which Another reads or writes, lean not upon any one.

15th   Keep your Nails clean and Short, also your Hands and Teeth Clean yet without Shewing any great Concern for them.

16th   Do not Puff up the Cheeks, Loll not out the tongue rub the Hands, or beard, thrust out the lips, or bite them or keep the Lips too open or too Close.

17th   Be no Flatterer, neither Play with any that delights not to be Play'd Withal.

18th   Read no Letters, Books, or Papers in Company but when there is a Necessity for the doing of it you must ask leave: come not near the Books or Writings of Another so as to read them unless desired or give your opinion of them unask'd also look not nigh when another is writing a Letter.

19th   Let your Countenance be pleasant but in Serious Matters Somewhat grave.

20th   The Gestures of the Body must be Suited to the discourse you are upon.
(Ferry Farm, c. 1744)

Expect a few more in my next post. I want to give enough time to really think these through. 

Leadership and Liberty~ Rave Reviews

Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward are recieving rave review and national attention for

Leadership and Liberty Pieces Of The Puzzle.

http://orrinwoodward.blogharbor.com/

Orrin Woodward Hits Top 25 Leaders List - Honorable Mention

Social Media is here to stay and growing more everyday. Here is a list of Orrin Woodward's social media sites.

Orrin Woodward Facebook

Orrin Woodward Author

Orrin Woodward Twitter

Orrin Woodward Fishing

Orrin Woodward MySpace

Orrin Woodward Interview

Orrin Woodward LinkedIn

Orrin Woodward Books

Orrin Woodward Leadership Gurus

Orrin Woodward Articles

Here are some top articles from Orrin Woodward's blog in the last several months. Stay tuned for more update from Orrin Woodward!

Orrin Woodward Loyalty

Orrin Woodward Redemption

Orrin Woodward Socialism Fails

Orrin Woodward Twitter

Orrin Woodward LinkedIn

Orrin Woodward Facebook

Orrin Woodward MySpace

MonaVie

Orrin Woodward's Leadership Blog Joins Alltop List

Orrin Woodward's Leadership Blog joins the Alltop List.

I discovered some great news today. Guy Kawasaki’s new site Alltop has included this leadership blog in its Alltop Leadership category. This blog is listed just a couple of sites below Seth Godin’s blog! I have followed Guy Kawasaki since his book Selling the Dream. Over a decade ago, I bought this book because I loved the title. After reading it, I thought the content was spot on also. We need to sell the dream to people and then teach them how to accomplish that dream. I believe strongly in the principles that Kawasaki teaches in the book on evangelizing your products and services. The best products in the world without a passionate and enthusiastic community to share the benefits with others will not succeed. If you don’t believe in your product, how can anyone else? Guy has succeeded in many endeavors by focusing not just on making money, but in making an impact in our society. Kawasaki’s mission ties right in with the Team’s goals of Having Fun, Making Money and Making a Difference. I am not sure how this blog was selected for the list, but I am honored and will continue to provide first rate leadership teaching to the incredible reader audience on this blog. When Chris Brady and I wrote our book, Launching a Leadership Revolution, we had no idea that it would hit #1 on the Wall Street Journal best seller list for two weeks in a row. But I do know that a key ingredient was the evangelizing from our blog audiences. More evidence that a committed minority can make a huge impact! Enjoy your family time during the holidays and set a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for 2009. 2009 is the year to shine! God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Networkers Creed II

Here is a powerful article from Orrin Woodward on his leadership blog. Orrin Woodward has informative articles on Leadership, Faith, MonaVie, Amway, etc. This article will help you accept responsibility for the results in your life and business.

The subject of Networking can increase the temperature and lower the emotional intelligence of many fine people. Why can it be such a heated topic at times? I believe because it hits along the main ideological battles going on in our country currently. Are people owed a living simply by being born in the USA? Is the Biblical injunction, “He who will not work, will not eat” still valid today? Should someone be guaranteed success in Networking Communities simply for signing up or is it reasonable to expect them to perform? Is the person at the top in a Network someone who has earned this position through performance or just got in first? Is it right for people to “make money” off of other people’s efforts? These and many more questions are bandied about on a daily basis in living rooms, coffee shops and hotel meetings across the country.

Let’s get one thing out on the table right away. Networking success is not achieved by sitting at home and spamming the internet. Networking success is not achieved by magically sponsoring 3 leaders and they do all the work. The facts are that Networking is hard work, as is all achievement! If you want big results and hard work scares you then don’t get in the Networking field. All great achievement comes through learning the principles of delayed gratification for long term results. Our culture is so self-centered today that the thought of delaying gratification even for a couple of months causes many to overheat. I can’t blame them with a TV culture that has bombarded them with the belief that they deserve the good life with no effort or sacrifice, but eventually they must wake up to the reality of their situation to achieve success. Charles Sykes wrote a several fantastic books called, “A Nation of Victims” and “Dumbing Down our Kids.” The gist of the books can be captured by the titles. When we lower the bar on people - we do not create more champions, but more victims. This is what leaders do in a Network Marketing business, maintain a high bar for achievement. Networking leaders teach people the true rules of life and help people become champions in a culture encouraging victims.

In my opinion, there is no greater field to influence people in a positive direction than Network Community building. Instead of waiting for our countries politician to fix our country, why don’t we get out there in the living rooms of America and teach these principles ourselves. We can either be part of the problem or part of the solution and Laurie and I have chosen to be part of the solution! Read this list of 11 rules of life that Mr. Sykes wrote in the second book with my thoughts on each underneath.

RULE 1 - Life is not fair - get used to it.

Life does not deal everyone the same hand. Some our born billionaires through their daddy’s efforts and some are born broke and must work their way to the top. In networking you may get help from your upline, may be in the hot spot for opens or may have nothing but the opportunity and your dream. Either way, get over it and get moving.

RULE 2 - The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

We have too many people talking about self esteem without the corresponding teaching of work ethic to achieve a healthy self confidence. Confidence can only be built by making the sacrifices that the average person refuses to do. You begin to realize you are un-average only when you consistently do what the average person is unwilling to do. I love everyone unconditionally, but my respect is earned through your performance period. To gain confidence in the Networking field, you must be willing to be bad – long enough to get good.

RULE 3 - You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.

Quit looking for handouts in life and start serving other people’s needs. Everything you need to know at the top must be learned at the bottom. This is why so many second generation children accomplish so little. Their parents believed they could skip the sacrifice step for their children and just hand people their victories. Life doesn’t work that way so quit waiting for your ship to come in and start building it! In the Networking field, your pay raise will become effective as soon as you do.

RULE 4 - If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

To maintain any position in the information age, it will require constant increases in your knowledge and skills. Those who think their education ends when their formal schooling ends are in for a rude awakening. One of the best parts of the Networking field is the constant emphasis on learning and growing. Customers in the Networking field and new distributors will vote with their feet if you do not serve their needs. This is free enterprise so get used to it. No one has to be part of your business and you earn their trust and respect every day.

RULE 5 - Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.

If you think you are above doing the basics in the living rooms then you will never earn the right to speak on the big stages. Achievement starts by doing the little things well and then receiving more responsibility from a job well done. Everyone starts at zero points in Networking and has to earn their ranks.

RULE 6 - If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

You will mess up. The only question is will you get bitter or better from the experience? Leaders in Networking teach their teams to expect some setbacks, challenges, and failures on your way to victory. The key is to learn from each one of your mistakes and never pass the buck. Leaders have learned to accept responsibility and have no part with the current love affair with victim status so prevalent in our culture today.

RULE 7 - Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

No one is a self made person. All of us have climbed onto the shoulders of the greatest minds and leaders in Western Civilization to enjoy the privileges we have. Never take for granted all of the people in your life who gave you a hand up instead of a hand out. If you desire to change the world, then begin by changing yourself. All great movements begin with an individual who was moved to change.

RULE 8 - Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Every night that you show the plan in a Networking business - you will pass or fail based upon your ability to sell your product and services. If the prospect does not get involved then they did a better job of selling their convictions than you did of selling yours. You pass or fail every night in this business and success is an inside job. Just remember that failure is never final and that further growth will lead to victories.

RULE 9 - Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

The Networking field is open for business 365 days per year. You must determine how hard and how long that you will work for your dreams. It is sad that people will spend more time planning a vacation than they will in planning their life. I love the saying, “If it’s to be, then it’s up to me.” If your upline helps you then that is a bonus, but not a given nor a requirement. If you have a training system, then plug in and get going.

RULE 10 - Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

In the field of Networking the fantastic lifestyles that you see are the result of hard work. If anyone tells you that you can achieve that without a serious work ethic then they are lying to you. You are only limited by your ability to dream in a good Networking business and most people do a great job of limiting themselves.

RULE 11 - Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Hans Christian Andersen wrote his classic “Ugly Duckling” story to capture the essence of someone (through hard work & association) changing from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. I love the Networking Industry because I have witnessed many people turn from the Ugly Ducklings into Beautiful Swans. Yes, you will be criticized for telling people they can be Beautiful Swans, but I would rather believe that and be criticized than give up my belief in people.

Leaders teach people to dream and hope again. There is no such thing as a “hopeless situation” only hopeless people in situations. A leader’s role is to give them hope, give them ideas, and give them the skills to change their situations. When they win, it is their victory, but you have the joy of having a front row seat in the process. If you are a leader in the Networking field then what you do is a most noble of enterprises. You have the honor of leading the most precious asset of any country and that is the people. God Bless, Orrin Woodward

Acting Out Your Dreams Is the Key to Success

"You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?' "

-George Bernard Shaw