Stay Current, Not Canned
Today’s message on my “Applause” perpetual calendar reads:
Stay current, not canned ~ Florence Littauer
This quote is directly related to the profession of public speaking, but I think it works pretty well as a personal philosophy, too.
For speakers, the quotation means to keep your presentations fresh. Don’t rely on familiar but outdated statistics, news events, etc. Keep your eye out for current events that illustrate your point. Pay attention to recent studies that may support or disprove your key points.
And if studies suggest your main point is wrong… be willing to change your presentation to reflect this new information. Or if you disagree with the new data, be ready to defend your position in another way.
As a personal philosophy, this bit of wisdom is equally powerful and important.
How often do you fall into the trap of accepting your current viewpoints as valid? How many times do you question what your beliefs are? How willing are you to take in new information, mull it over, and see if it changes your position on the topic?
When you stay current with your values, beliefs, and decisions it means that you’ve taken time to evaluate and adjust when needed. When you treat life as a canned performance, you just keep practicing the same attitudes and behaviors no matter what your current circumstances suggest would be a better approach.
As an example… I’ve been watching the Larry Winget show “Big Spender.” It’s amazing how many people won’t curtail their spending when they suddenly experience a financial setback. They are taking a “canned” approach to spending. They are using what was established in the past as the rule for the present and future. They don’t stop to consider whether their canned approach still works.
So your challenge for today is to look at the things you are doing. Are you thinking and behaving in a way that is fresh and up-to-date or are you treating every action and thought just as you did in the past?
Let me know what you discover about yourself.
