Become Wildly Sophisticated

Today is Tuesday, so this post is in positive personal impact.

Nicole Williams is a friend of mine and the author of Wildly Sophisticated: A Bold New Attitude for Career Success.  Nicole’s writing is directed at women, but her ideas are just as true for men. 

I particularly like The Wildly Sophisticated Commandments in Chapter 1.  Each of the commandments has a great quote attached to it.  Here they are

Commandment 1: Start personal to be professional. 

• “Not personal?!  That is my work, my sweat, and my time away from my kids!!  If that is not personal, I don’t know what is!!”  — Erin Brokovich

Commandment 2: Learn, learn, and then learn some more.

• “I believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think it’s important to seek out that reason – that’s how we learn.” – Drew Barrymore

Commandment 3: Embrace your excellence

• “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.” – Anne Lamott

Commandment 4: Nothing comes from nothing.

• “The quest for success requires action.  Being wildly sophisticated starts with an attitude; but this attitude only gains true power through meaningful action.” – Nicole Williams  (I substituted a direct quote from the book here, as I think Nicole’s words speak to the issue more eloquently than the quote she chose for this commandment.)

Commandment 5: Stand out from the crowd.

• “Normal is not something to which you aspire.  It’s something to get away from.” – Jodie Foster.

Commandment 6: Expect nothing but the very best.

• “Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life.  Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else there too.”  — Meryl Streep

Commandment 7: Get over yourself!

• “I take my career seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously.” – Kate Hudson

I like these commandments.  And, as I’ve mentioned, they are not just for women.  We men can learn a lot from their common sense approach to creating positive personal impact.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.