Category: Leadership Principles

This week’s CHART focuses on GETTING FOOLED ONCE & THEN TWICE

Whether it be young age, lack of knowledge, not enough wisdom or whatever the reason may have been WE have ALL been fooled at least once in our lives. Typically, this happens when we are in childhood, when we are most naïve and vulnerable.

Being fooled by others is essential to making us the people we are today. On occasion we need to be fooled by others. You could say it is almost a rite of passage into adult life. Being fooled is part of how we as humans gain wisdom. It is also part of how we grow as human beings. It helps sharpen our senses of self-preservation and makes us more observant about everything around us. Being fooled helps to put us “on guard” for the unsuspected events in our future.

However, what is NOT a rite of passage is allowing ourselves to continually be fooled by others. It is plain and simple extrapolation: The more you continue to allow yourself to get fooled, the more your chances of getting fooled again and again increase.

Once the word gets out that you are an “easy target” because you continue to get fooled the more opportunistic individuals will not only come out of the woodwork but the more, they will try (and succeed) to fool you again.

Most times, no one knows when the next time they will be fooled will occur. However, there are tell-tale signs such as when an offer seems too good to be true or you are being offered an outrageous amount of money only after you pay a “processing fee” or better still the individual(s) that fooled you before comes back to do it again. All which you willingly allow.

Of course, if you recognize that a certain type of individual or situation is returning then understand that it is up to you to do something about it. Either stop the situation from escalating or move yourself out of that situation. Know that when you REFUSE to change the situation, you WILL end up getting fooled again. Then there is one person to blame (NOT the one that fooled you) but the blame rests 100% on YOU.

Remember to old adage, “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.”

Don’t get fooled again.

I am DAVID GUERRA and I said this.

This week’s BELL CURVE focuses on RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY & LEVELS OF SELF-RESPECT

I have said it before and I will continue to say it, in any manner possible when it comes to holding yourself ACCOUNTABLE and RESPONSIBLE.

In this case, I am addressing YOUR level of SELF-RESPECT. Just like being transparent and forthcoming, the same applies when it comes to Accountability and Responsibility. The more you accept responsibility and hold yourself accountable for the actions you took, the actions you did not take, for the things you said, and for the things you did not say the more you will start to understand yourself.

When it comes to understanding yourself, your level of SELF-RESPECT increases.
Increasing your level of SELF-RESPECT will work towards becoming a better person, a better human being.

There are far too many individuals that maintain an average level of SELF-RESPECT in that at any moment, they could raise their level. Then again, they are more apt to lower that level for any number of reasons or for no reason at all, to include not knowing any better.

Lowering that level of SELF-RESPECT is easy when people are constantly and consistently NOT held accountable for their actions (either in words or deeds or both). Yet, by raising your level of SELF-RESPECT as with anything else that makes you feel good about yourself you will work hard to stay ABOVE AVERAGE.

But, saying to others that you are ABOVE AVERAGE is truthfully, below average speak. It is in your actions and doing that speak louder than words ever will. To make the process of being ABOVE AVERAGE easier and faster to achieve, certainly helps when you are actively and undeniably holding yourself ACCOUNTABLE & accepting RESPONSIBILITY for yourself, all the time and without fail.

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I am DAVID GUERRA and I said this.