The Obvious?

I probably seemed a bit curmudgeonly in my disdain for the royal wedding yesterday but I wasn’t negative about the pleasure other people found in watching it. I am not even against the odd bit of pomp and circumstance. In fact I even watched some edited highlights and these included Parry’s wonderful anthem I Was Glad which brought back memories of the many times I sang it as part of St. Salvator’s Chapel choir in St. Andrews. I remembered taking part in the many formal occasions that the royal couple must similarly been involved in while they were there.

So what’s been bugging me. I think it centres around a couple of words used by the BBC anchor man for the day. I was out of the room at the time but overheard him commenting on the size and enthusiasm of the crowd and contrasting this with our “cynical society” and “lack of deference”. At this point I yelled “Oh fuck off” from the kitchen much to my wife’s annoyance!

Both of his assumptions bugged me. I don’t think we are a cynical society. I think people are generally healthier, happier and in a better state than they have ever been and I marvel at the many ways they show energy and enthusiasm for all sorts of things. I also appreciate the best in people and even reckon the Queen does a good job in a tough role.

But the other word is the one that really gets me – deferential. Dictionary definition “humble submission and respect”. Why should I be deferential simply because of the position someone holds? Why should I accord the decidedly weird group of people who have become our royal family through some pretty dodgy dealings throughout history “humble submission and respect”? There have been enough occasions when people in positions of authority have shown that they don’t deserve my deference to make insisting on it a form of madness.

Respect – fine. Acknowledgment of authority – fine. But deference – oh fuck off.

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

As we look back on our lives, we see both the accomplishments we made, but what we often recall in more vivid colours are the experiences we had with others. Almost always, the feeling of our experiences with others is stronger and lasts longer than the feeling of our accomplishments. Our experiences are what stay with us the most.

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

As a leader, what drives your people is something that can’t be measured. Your people take assessments on their personality, etc; but these assessments don’t measure the "feeling" that really motivates them. To get others motivated, successful leaders also focus on those things that can’t be measured, but are uncovered (the feelings).

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

We all operate in our own interests. However, there is a remarkable difference in how the successful and unsuccessful do it. The unsuccessful focus only on their short-term interests, while the successful focus both on their short and long-term interests. The successful understand that to create the future they want…they need to invest in it today.

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Get public speaking tips! Learn how to speak clearly in your speech with this free video clip about public speaking workshops. Expert: Tracy Goodwin Bio: Tracy Goodwin has received numerous public speaking awards and has been a college professor of public speaking, interpersonal communications, voice and diction, and business speech for over a decade. Filmmaker: MAKE | MEDIA

Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

Look at the best company cultures, and you notice everyone asking each other for help. The people in these cultures know that everyone grows faster when they help each other, and view asking for help as a strength. In fact, not asking for help is a weakness, as you are limiting the pace of your own development.

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

People are feeling that they have less control over their time these days…feeling overwhelmed with everything they have to do. However, our time and what we do with it is really our CHOICE, which means it is within our control. You can either accept being driven around by others, or you can determine and decide how you will respond.

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

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Mark’s Daily Thought – Ideas from Mark Fritz to help you Get Ahead, Stay Ahead and Be Successful

People are not as much limited by their abilities, but by the goals they set for themselves. In fact, we are free to set any goal we would like to, as there are no fixed limits on our potential. Set goals to use your potential, and you will accomplish more and enjoy life more along the way to achieving them.

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