Curious about Difference: What Does It Mean to You? What Makes a Difference – In the Lives of Others, In Your Life, in the World?

Difference Definition: The act of differing; the state or measure of being different or unlike; distinction; dissimilarity; unlikeness; variation. That by which one thing differs from another; that which distinguishes or causes to differ; mark of distinction; characteristic quality; specific attribute.

Close to a year ago, I wrote a blog with the theme, “difference.” This was mainly because the network marketing company I work with had part of its mission statement, “Making a Difference.” I do believe that a majority of the people I am involved with have the goal and value of making a difference.

However, I was inspired to write again about “Difference” because I have been reading the excellent book, “The Difference Maker,” by John C. Maxwell. As he explains, “The goal of this book is not to snow you by saying that attitude is everything, but to show you that your attitude is the difference maker in your life. . .

“Your attitude colors every aspect of your life. It is the mind’s paintbrush. It can paint everything in bright, vibrant colors – creating a masterpiece. Or it can make everything dark and dreary. . . There is not a single part of your current life that is not affected by your attitude. And your future will definitely be influenced by the attitude you carry with you from today forward.”

So, how about you? Are you painting with bright, vibrant colors? I hope so. We do need them now in these challenging economic times.

The other good part about using the theme difference again is that there are so many more quotations than I have ever found before. Let’s get to the wisdom expressed by a plethora of experts.

• “Life is not what it's supposed to be. It's what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” - Virginia Satir, American psychologist
• “Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.” - Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian writer
• “There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” - W. Clement Stone, American businessman
• “It's not what you do once in a while, it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference.” - Jenny Craig, Australian celebrity
• “There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” - Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman
• “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” - Winston Churchill, English statesman

And, a few more (there were so many great ones):

• “Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. Difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong.” - Richard Needham, British politician
• “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't.” - Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman
• “It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference.” - Zig Ziglar, American author
• “The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in a person's determination.” - Tommy Lasorda, American coach
• “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” - Vince Lombardi, American coach
• “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem.” - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian leader

And, a couple more quotations for the road and to think about and apply:

“There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.” - Johnny Unitas, American athlete

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” - Jimmy Johnson, American coach

I urge you to examine your “Difference Maker” (attitude) and adjust it to bring you the best results possible.

Curious about Identity: Do You Know Who You Were Meant to Be – and Already Are? What Will the Identity Code Do for You?

“Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity.” - Rollo May, American psychologist

I chose the theme “Identity” for this week’s blog, because I am already hooked on an audio book by Larry Ackerman called, “The Identity Code – the 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World.” Even though I have just begun, Ackerman submits, “Much like your genetic code, your identity code provides a complete map of how you were designed to live.”

I wonder how many of you were lead to pursue a path dictated by your parents, a teacher or some other mentor or peer that you trusted. As early as my year in kindergarten, I knew what I wanted be “when I grew up.” When I shared my decision to be a storyteller, writer and artist with my parents, I was informed that those could become interesting hobbies – BUT I was to become a mathematician. I had been tested early and it was determined that I had a mathematical mind.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I actually majored in math in which I did well and enjoyed. This lead to a career right out of college in computer programming and is one of the reasons I am so passionate about computers today. However, I have pursued storytelling, writing and art – not as hobbies - but with a serious involvement.

I am on a quest to find out if I am doing what I was meant to do. After I have worked through Ackerman’s 8 Questions and Exercises, I will let you know.

Let’s investigate what the experts say or have said about identity:

• “Human identity is the most fragile thing that we have, and it's often only found in moments of truth.” - Alan Rudolph, American director
• “I'm right at a time when I'm strongly finding my identity inside of my work.” - Josh Lucas, American actor
• “The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes purpose.” - Richard Grant, American author
• “Leibniz dedicated his life to efforts to educate people to understand that true happiness is found by locating their identity in benefitting mankind and their posterity.” - Robert Trout, American journalist
• “Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.” - B. R. Ambedkar, Indian politician
• “Identity in the form of continuity of personality is an extremely important characteristic of the individual.” - Kenneth L. Pike, American sociologist

And, a few more:

• “There's this large trend - I think the next trend in the Web, sort of Web 2.0 - which is to have users really express, offer, and market their own content, their own persona, their identity.” - John Doerr, American businessman
• “The firmest friendship is based on an identity of likes and dislikes.” – Sallust, Roman historian
• “As I look over my work, I mean every time I look over my early work, I see, yes, I could do that then and then I could do that and that... That may be the hardest thing for a writer, at least for a poet, to tell what the identity of his work is.” - Kenneth Koch, American poet
• “We all need a past - that's where our sense of identity comes from.” - Penelope Lively, English author
• “I was very, very shy as a younger girl, just petrified of people. Tennis helped give me an identity and made me feel like somebody.” - Chris Evert, American athlete

So, I will ask you again, “Do you know who you were meant to be – and already are? Or have you been stuck in a career that doesn’t fulfill your dreams?” Please leave me your comments.

Curious about Individuality: We Are All Unique and Individual. How Do You Make Use of Your Individuality?

Individuality Definition: The quality or state of being individual or constituting an individual; separate or distinct existence; oneness; unity. The character or property appropriate or peculiar to an individual; that quality which distinguishes one person or thing from another; the sum of characteristic traits; distinctive character; as, he is a person of marked individuality.

“If a man is not faithful to his own individuality, he cannot be loyal to anything.” - Claude McKay, Jamaican writer

Most marketing gurus and books about marketing suggest we discover and use a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) which points out the advantages of how we are different from everyone else. In other words, what is our brand of individuality?

I started focusing on this when it was pointed out to me that so many marketers use the same techniques and approaches as every other marketer who is known for being successful. We also read the same self development books, listen to the same self improvement CDs and even learn and repeat the same affirmations.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do it all too. BUT, I am working on using the good parts, yet making them work for me in a unique way, so that I don’t sacrifice my individuality. For a fact, I feel that by paying attention and modifying the best of the best lessons, I am more of an individual than even before.

I submit to you – and I do practice this myself – that you and I should never stop being individuals by following what everyone else tells we “should do and be.” Be you. Stand up for what you believe in.

Let me share some of the great quotations I found this week:

• “What is genius but the power of expressing a new individuality?” - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet
• “It is a blessed thing that in every age some one has had the individuality enough and courage enough to stand by his own convictions.” - Robert Green Ingersoll, American lawyer
• “The artist makes things concrete and gives them individuality.” - Paul Cezanne, French artist
• “The old man, of whom we know how he has become what he is, is more of an individual than the young man; for it is only in the course of an eventful life that men are differentiated into full individuality.” - Erich Auerbach, American writer
• “No one should part with their individuality and become that of another.” - William Ellery Channing, American writer
• “I hope that my painting has the impact of giving someone, as it did me, the feeling of his own totality, of his own separateness, of his own individuality.” - Barnett Newman, American artist

A few more with a different slant:

• “I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality, I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say in paint.” - Georgia O'Keefe, American artist
• “The best thing you've got going for you is individuality.” – Richard Thompson, British musician
• “In terms of an identity, an identity reflects an individuality, by definition. And, if there is a quality present, it is recognizable and it can be named. If you can't name it, it means you don't recognize it.” - Robert Fripp, English musician
• “The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.” - Eddie Rickenbacker, American aviator
• “It was not always easy because I was always an individual and found it difficult to be one of a group. One person who was very supportive was my father. My mother was great but my father really recognized my individuality and supported me in that.” - Sharon Stone, American actress
• “American poetry, like American painting, is always personal with an emphasis on the individuality of the poet.” - Diane Wakoski, American poet

Let’s all plan to work on our individuality in 2009. Don’t be afraid to be “different” from others as long as you are growing and risking – and never hurting anyone else on purpose. Let me know how you feel and are doing.

Curious about Curiosity: Are You What Tom Peters Calls “Curiosity Freaks?” They and We Are His Favorite People

Curiosity Definition: The state or quality or being curious; nicety; accuracy; exactness; elaboration. Disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge; a desire to gratify the mind with new information or objects of interest; inquisitiveness.

“Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” - Linus Pauling, American scientist (note that Pauling was the creator of Linux)

I have been writing my Curiosity Cubed blog for more than four years, and have never investigated curiosity as the weekly theme. I decided it was about time when the daily quotation from Tom Peters’ Re-imagine! daily calendar stated, “My favorite people (Brand Yous) are . . . CURIOSITY FREAKS.”

I would have to admit that I am one. Because I have a “Portfolio Career” with so many different avocations and interests, I find that I spend a lot of time pursuing curiosity. What about you? I do agree with Linus Pauling that the satisfaction of it is a great source of happiness for me. Some people would feel that I am wasting time by not always focusing, but I did find when checking the experts’ quotations that most were positive about curiosity.

Here is a sampling from the many:

• “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” - Albert Einstein, German physicist
• “Curiosity is idle only to those who fail to realize that it may be a very rare and indispensable thing.” - James Harvey Robinson, American historian
• “Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, American First Lady
• “Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance.” - William Wirt, American statesman
• “Human curiosity, the urge to know, is a powerful force and is perhaps the best secret weapon of all in the struggle to unravel the workings of the natural world.” - Aaron Klug, British physicist
• “Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory.” - Richard Whately, English writer

And more – with a different twist:

• “It is the object of learning, not only to satisfy the curiosity and perfect the spirits of ordinary men, but also to advance civilization.” - Woodrow Wilson, American President
• “If you're curious, you'll probably be a good journalist because we follow our curiosity like cats.” - Diane Sawyer, American journalist
• “My Alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” - Malcolm X, American activist
• “There are two sorts of curiosity - the momentary and the permanent. The momentary is concerned with the odd appearance on the surface of things. The permanent is attracted by the amazing and consecutive life that flows on beneath the surface of things.” - Robert Wilson Lynd, American sociologist
• “What we want to tell, we wish our friend to have curiosity to hear.” - Samuel Richardson, English novelist
• “So curiosity, I think, is a really important aspect of staying young or youthful.” - Goldie Hawn, American actress

Here’s my favorite:

“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.” -Samuel Johnson, English author

So, how curious are you? When we were youngsters, we had all sorts of questions because of our curiosity. I feel that we are living in the most wonderful time period with our access to information from all over the world and beyond. Let’s all take advantage of it rather than complaining about “information overload.”