Word-Of-the-Week #1047: Regard
August 29, 2024 by Susan Clarke
Regard – having qualities that bring about a favorable regard: pleasant, agreeable.
Do you know people who think they are smarter and better than everyone? Are you considerate and respectful of others in your life?
This week is the 2nd half from Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor who shared “10 Things Incredibly Likable People Never, Ever Do (and Why You Love Them for It)” What you do can make you extremely likable. So can what you choose not to do, by Jeff Haden from Inc.
To Recap: Some people are incredibly likable because of the things they do. Some people are incredibly charismatic because of the things they do.
And some people are incredibly likable because of the things they don’t do.
If you know someone who possesses the following qualities, share this with them—and also tell them how much you appreciate the fact they are in your life.
- They don’t blame.
- They don’t control.
- They don’t try to impress.
- They don’t cling.
- They don’t interrupt.
- They don’t whine.
Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better.
If something is wrong, don’t waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually you’ll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now.
Don’t talk about what’s wrong. Talk about how you’ll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself.
And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don’t be just the shoulder they cry on.
Friends don’t let friends whine. Friends help friends make their lives better.
- They don’t criticize.
Yeah, you’re more educated. Yeah, you’re more experienced. Yeah, you’ve been around more blocks and climbed more mountains and slayed more dragons.
That doesn’t make you smarter, or better, or more insightful.
That just makes you you: unique, matchless, one of a kind—but in the end, just you.
Just like everyone else.
Everyone is different: not better, not worse, just different. Appreciate the differences instead of the shortcomings and you’ll see people—and yourself—in a better light.
- They don’t preach.
The higher you rise and the more you accomplish, the more likely you are to think you know everything and to tell people everything you think you know.
When you speak with more finality than foundation, people may hear you but they don’t listen.
And they don’t want to be around you.
- They don’t live in the past.
The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Then let it go.
Easier said than done? (Even Troy Aikman struggles with this, but in a really good way.) It depends on your focus. When something bad happens to you, see that as a chance to learn something you didn’t know. When another person makes a mistake, see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding.
The past is just training; it doesn’t define you. Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how you will make sure that, next time, you and the people around you will know how to make sure it goes right.
- They don’t let fear hold them back.
We’re all afraid, of what might or might not happen, of what we can’t change, or what we won’t be able to do, or how other people might perceive us.
So it’s easier to hesitate, to wait for the right moment, to decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives.
Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by.
And so do our dreams.
Don’t let your fears hold you back. Whatever you’ve been planning, whatever you’ve imagined, whatever you’ve dreamed of, get started on it today.
If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or offer new products or services, take the first step.
Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything.
Otherwise, today is gone. Once tomorrow comes, today is lost forever.
Today is the most precious asset you own—and is the one thing you should truly fear … wasting.
This week’s focus is regard. Are you able to fix things quickly if something goes wrong? If someone makes a mistake, can you see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding? Are you ready to let go of fears and get your plans and dreams started today?
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