POSITIVE ATTITUDES…CURRENT OR ANCIENT?

POSITIVE ATTITUDES…CURRENT OR ANCIENT?

A Modern guide for Sales Managers and Supervisors

            Since I am a  staunch proponent of Positive Living I need to retrace its movement in order to find out if this is a relatively new idea…or not. As a teacher as well as personal coach for over 50 years I was curious to see who else espoused my hard-won philosophies. Imagine my delight when I found out that the first writings on the subject come from the ancient land of Egypt, and the author was named Ptah-Hotep. He was

the feudal lord and king of the South and the North. He is also the author of the oldest known piece of literature in the world, called the PAPYRUS PRISSE. Remembering the French aphorism ‘plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose’…’the more things change the more they remain the same’, I want to share the king’s wisdom, which I could hardly improve upon. The following is 5,600 years old, yet could have been written today by a Harvard MBA. My comments will be in ( ). He is writing about his subjects.

1- BE NOT ARROGANT BECAUSE OF THAT WHICH THOU KNOWEST

    (I recommend a grateful and humble acceptance of our gift of intelligence)

2- IN CONVERSATION WITH AN IGNORANT PERSON DO NOT ANSWER IN     A CRUSHING WAY TO SHAME HIM. TREAT HIM WITH COURTESY.

    (Always be grateful you are not walking in his shoes)

3- INSPIRE NOT MEN WITH FEAR, ELSE GOD WILL TURN AGAINST THEE

    (I teach that fear motivation has the opposite effect desired)

4- BE ACTIVE DURING THE TIME OF THY EXISTENCE, DOING MORE  THAN IS COMMANDED

    (I call that giving $1.10’s worth of value for every $1.00 earned)

5- GRUMBLE NOT OVER THY AFFAIRS

    (My formula is simple re complaints: 80% of the people you tell them to don’t give a     damn…and the other 20% are glad you have them)

6- LET THY THOUGHTS BE ABUNDANT. BUT LET THY MOUTH BE UNDER    RESTRAINT

(From an old Arabic saying: you are the master of the unspoken word, but slave to those you have uttered. Also, my father taught me to ‘talk less and do more’)

7        ENTER IN A DISCUSSION WITH HIM AFTER GIVING HIM TIME TO SATURATE HIS MIND WITH THE  SUBJECT BEING DISCUSSED

      (Problems are solved more quickly and easily when all the facts are known)

8        THE WISE MAN IS SATIATED BY KNOWLEDGE: HE IS A GREAT MAN

         THROUGH HIS OWN MERITS

      (He does not need approval from outside sources to feel good about himself; he is       self-actualized)

Jacques Wiesel…Master of Human Engineering

#954.718.8421

Jacques Weisel website created by NYC Agent Michael Resnik

Copyright 2011