Bill was talking to his neighbor Fred and says, “I really trust my wife, and I think she has always been faithful to me. But there’s always that doubt.”

Fred says, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Bill adds, “I’m going on a business trip for a few days, would you mind watching my house?  I mean, I trust my wife but there’s always that doubt.”

Fred agrees and when Bill returns, Fred says, “I have some bad news for you.  The day after you left I saw a car pull up in front of your house. Your wife ran out and got into the car and they drove away. Later, after dark, the car came back. I saw your wife and a strange man get out. They went into the house and I saw a light go on, so I ran over and looked in the window. Your wife was kissing the man. Then he took off his shirt and then… they turned off the light.”

“Then what happened?” says Bill.

Fred replies, “I don’t know. It was too dark to see.”

Bill says, “You see what I mean? There’s always that doubt.”

You should be cautious in your business affairs, but in general, you should trust people because most people are trustworthy most of the time.  After all, what does your words say about you, if you say you believe everyone is a cheat.  Extraordinary people believe most people are trustworthy, at least until people demonstrate otherwise.

So trust, but not to the point of being foolish.  For instance, if a deal seems to be too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. In your business dealings, you should try to pay a fair price for goods & services rendered. If you drive too hard for a bargain or take advantage of someone in a difficult situation, it could come back to bite you in other ways, such as through shoddy work.

As for trusting too little or trusting too much, it is better to be too trusting and occasionally be disappointed than it is to always be on guard to the point of missing interesting experiences and knowing many wonderful people.

And always remember that you cannot be extraordinary if you aren’t trustworthy yourself, since others will not want to do business with you or be your friend.

He always believed that people live up or down to the amount of trust you put in them.”
Source:  Hillary Duff, Elixir

Risk Film:  American Hustle

A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia. (Source:  IMDB – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/)

Communicate – Listen to Others and Put Thought into Your Communications

A cat said, “Meow”

A second cat said, “Meow, Meow”

The first cat said, “Don’t change the subject”

Ordinary people often fall into one of two groups of poor communicators.  The first group say very little and if pushed give vague answers so as to offend no one.  The second group talks nonstop, but they say very little.  When these people do listen, it is to formulate their reply, rather than understand.

Whereas, extraordinary people listen to understand. They also pay close attention to what is not said, since there sometimes can be more meaning in what is not said, than what is said.  They never stay out of touch very long with friends and associates, yet they keep their words to a minimum.

The tongue has the power of life and death.

“Who are you hurting today?

Who are you bringing back to life?”

Source:  Stafford Whiteaker

Film Suggestion:  A Thousand Words

Distributed by Paramount and Dream Works Pictures

(After stretching the truth on a deal with a spiritual guru, literary agent Jack McCall finds a Bodhi tree on his property.  Its appearance holds a valuable lesson on the consequences of every word we speak.

Source:  IMDB