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"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucius tgfplastics.com#plastic #design #carts #retail #displays #manufacturing #tools#cleanroom #wednesdaywisdom

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Your ego is a bad designer.

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You Kant Always Get What You Want

We make tons of decisions every day. Some are small like, “Where should I eat lunch today, or should I fill up my tank at ½ tank or 1/8 tank?” Some decisions are big. I was talking to a friend who told me she just moved her kids to a new school. She was happy with the old school, volunteered, loved the Spanish emersion program, but her kids wanted something different. They first asked if they could be homeschooled. That was a hard “no”. So, she looked around and found the exact school her kids were describing. The only problem was that they went from a beautiful school in a beautiful neighborhood to a slightly run-down building in an urban area. My friend and her husband discuss the situation every night and ask themselves if they have made the right decision.

“Act that you use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means.” – Immanual Kant

According to the German philosopher, Immanual Kant, the moral question you should ask yourself in any situation is, if you are treating yourself or anyone else as merely a means, or if you are treating yourself or others as the end. This is one of his Categorical Imperatives. To be good, it must be good in all situations. It cannot be good if it works in one situation but not in another. Let’s look at some practical examples of means and ends.

Others

Using someone else as a means, involves a transactional relationship between two people where one person is not entirely honest with the other person for their own gain. For example, in a workplace situation, an employee is especially nice to a supervisor. This employee befriends the supervisor, acts as if he cares about the well-being of the supervisor’s family, they golf together, and the employee always shares tickets to the baseball game with this supervisor. Then, a better position comes along for the employee and the supervisor recommends the employee for the new position. After the employee gets the job, he drops this former supervisor and starts all over again with the new boss. The former supervisor is disappointed. Sure, this kind of thing happens all the time at work, and it’s not the worst thing you could do. However, Kant would say it is unethical behavior because both people were not informed about the nature of the relationship and both people did not agree to it. The employee was using his boss as a means to get the promotion. Are you using a waitress in a restaurant as a means to bring your food? No, because, both people are aware of the nature of the relationship and they have agreed to it in unspoken terms.

Yourself

It makes sense not to treat others as a means because that involves lying which is obviously wrong. So how could you treat yourself as a means? Kant says you treat yourself as a means when you don’t live the best life you can live. Kant would consider it unethical if you had the opportunity to advance your career but chose not to because you were perfectly comfortable in the current position. He believes when you are not doing your best and being true to yourself, you treat yourself as a means and you are harming yourself in the process. Take the example above about the employee and the supervisor but this time the employee is kissing up to the supervisor just because he wants approval. It is still wrong because your actions are disingenuous, and you are portraying a false sense of yourself. It is still unethical to kiss up to the boss and you are still using yourself as a means by not being your best and truest self.

Now, let’s go back to my friend and evaluate whether she made the right decision by moving her kids to a different school. The end of any situation involving your children is that they become valuable members of society. This involves many factors including, education, self-esteem, health, morals, work ethic, this could go on forever. My friend listened to her kids when they had the foresight, the emotional intelligence, and the critical thinking skills to tell her what they needed. My friend was happy with the relationship she had with the other school but instead of using her kids as a means to get what she wanted, she thought about what was best for them and they became the end. This is one of the many reasons she has been a lifelong friend. She made an ethically conscious decision and, I believe, Kant would have been proud.

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Help for small and medium sized businesses.

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Does Something Wicked Have to Come?

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, or for those who are superstitious, “The Scottish Play,” our main character starts the play as an honored and courageous general. Then, he discusses his future with three witches and proceeds to murder the king and take his throne. It’s likely he didn’t always have murderous intentions so what changed and drove him to turn evil to satisfy his need for power? Was it these traits that got him to the throne even though it ended badly for him? We are all born with the same innocence and most of us grow up with the desire to have a better life. So, what happens in the world of business that drives some to success while others are left behind? Do certain evil traits help people become successful or can you find success and keep your moral compass in check?

Pride

The three witches in Macbeth lure him into their clutches with promises of power. They are often compared to the three fates in Greek Mythology so the audience is left wondering if they are predicting Macbeth’s future or if they are controlling it by planting ideas in him. It’s possible they triggered his pride as the trait that possessed him to kill King Duncan and take the throne. It is in our human nature to be proud. Pride can be a virtue if you have great confidence in yourself or you are proud of the accomplishments you have achieved. The dark side of pride is hubris and arrogance. In business, pride can be an asset when you understand your value and don’t settle for less, or as an entrepreneur who has an amazing idea. You believe in yourself when everyone else thinks you’re crazy. But, like a character in a Shakespearean tragedy, when your pride becomes hubris and you reach too high, it ultimately becomes your downfall.

Envy

Once the witches plant the idea in Macbeth’s head that he will be king, he starts to see himself as king and does not allow anything to stand in his way. He wants the throne and believes it already belongs to him so watching someone else in power would create envy. Envy is a human emotion that can have positive attributes when, say, you admire the success of another person and that inspires you to create your own success. Or, you could be impressed with someone’s business idea and you build on that idea to create your own business. If envy grows out of control, it could lead to trying to take what belongs to someone else instead of focusing on your own qualities and your own future. When that happens, you dig a hole for yourself that is difficult to get out of. Your energy goes to destroying someone else rather than putting stock yourself.

Greed

Ultimately, greed is the reason Macbeth takes the throne, it is the reason he is willing to commit other atrocities to keep it, and in the end, it is the reason for his demise. Greed is defined as the desire for more than what is needed. This is vague because everyone believes they need something different. According to Thomas Aquinas, “one man cannot over-abound in external riches, without another man lacking them...” So, how is greed a good trait in business? The desire for money drives people to create successful businesses and the reality is, business generates income for many people and in turn, drives money into the economy. Greed serves a purpose in the world where we live. However, it is also good to focus on balance so if there is an excessive amount of money coming to you directly related to greed or desire, it’s good to think about giving something back, thinking of others, and balancing out the equation.

Certain traits can help you be successful in business but if not kept in check, you risk your ability to be successful as a person. It’s wonderful watching Shakespearean plays on a stage but living them would be a tragedy.

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"I think it is a man's duty to make all the money he can, keep all that he can and give away all that he can." John D. Rockefeller tgfplastics.com#plastic #design #b2b #retail #displays #manufacturing #tools#wednesdaywisdom

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The Word is Mightier than the Sword

According to bbc.com, “The English words "The pen is mightier than the sword" were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu.” However, the sentiment can be traced back further to 1582 to George Whetstone's Heptameron of Civil Discourses, Ratcliffe notes, translated to, the dash of a pen is more grievous than the counter use of a lance. The idea that words cut deeper than a physical wound may have even been around before that. Since people could speak, they have realized their words could bring joy or despair to others. Using words wisely to create a positive environment for yourself and those around you takes discipline and training. It sounds easy but is difficult to put into daily practice. Here are some tips to help you achieve success.

Be True To Your Word

In The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz, the first Agreement is to be Impeccable with your word. The author defines this as saying what you mean, and not being meaningless in what you say. If you say exactly what you mean, you will gain the trust of those around you even if it’s not exactly what they want to hear. I used to work for a woman who was sweet but tough. She told everyone who came to her exactly how she saw the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts but also sometimes, we need to hear it. People did not resent her and they came back time and again for her advice because they knew they would get the straight story. It takes integrity to be direct and have truth in words but with that, you will get respect.

In the second part of don Miguel Ruiz’s First Agreement, he says to avoid using the word against yourself and others. This concept is loaded, say nice things to yourself, others, and don’t gossip. It sounds easy but is extremely difficult. We have so many negative thoughts constantly running through our minds that we may not even be conscious of it. The first step is to slow down and start becoming aware of your thoughts. When you catch yourself thinking something negative such as, “I can’t do that” or “I’ll never be successful” stop and change your internal dialog. Don’t say anything to yourself you wouldn’t say to someone else. We tend to be more critical of ourselves than anyone else. Train yourself to catch negative thoughts, stop them, and intentionally turn them positive, “I can do it” or “I will be successful.” Once you start using positive dialog internally, turn it outward and don’t waste time with idle gossip. Use your words to lift rather than put down. The intentionally positive thoughts must go both directions, toward yourself and others, because it can spiral once you get off this path.

Act, Don’t React

This is all fine and good if you live in a vacuum but most of us live in the world. So how is it possible to handle negative situations? If someone upsets you, don’t jump to conclusions about what you think they mean. Most of the time, others are not intentionally trying to hurt or offend you, but misunderstandings occur, and people take things personally. Even when someone is trying to hurt you, you can choose not to react. When someone is using their words to cut, they are the one who has the problem and you can choose not to engage until the situation is calm. This is one of the most difficult things to train yourself to do, not react to someone actively trying to engage with you. You must have full control over your mind and act with full intention. If, or should I say when, you master this, you can eliminate chaos, unnecessary drama, and much negativity from your life.

Don’t Rush

Learning to retrain your brain takes time and effort so don’t get upset with yourself if you fall off the wagon. Every step forward is still a step forward no matter how many steps back you take. You will set yourself up to fail if you expect to be perfect right away so do the best you can do each day with your new-found awareness. Words have great power so choose them, and use them wisely.

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"The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." - Socrates tgfplastics.com #plastic #design#b2b #retail #displays #manufacturing #tools #wednesdaywisdom

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"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." - G.K. Chesterton tgfplastics.com #plastic #design #retail #displays #businesstobusiness#manufacturing #tools #candy #wednesdaywisdom