Do Childhood Prejudices Still get in the way of Your Success?

"The chief cause of human error is to be found in prejudices picked up in childhood." ~Descartes 

Can You Relate?

I kindly invite you to take a moment with me to think about all the potential scientists, scholars, poets, composers, gifted musicians, educators, and like professionals we have lost over the years.  Contributing factors leading to cause of death include (and are not limited to) childhood neglect, lack of communication | encouragement | confidence | validation growing up, lack of parental leadership as one, destructive labeling of kids, abuse whether mentally | emotionally | physically, and bullying. At the very root of all these contributing factors lies LOVE -- more specifically -- dimmed to no LOVE!  

Now, think about adults (kids all grown up yet carrying that scarred child within) who walk through life broken on the inside.  He or she believes they do not deserve the best that life can offer.  Such adults live their lives carrying at times unbearable inner scars and fears; in essence becoming their own worst enemy, pursuing life and business decisions with doubts, indecisiveness, guilt, self-hatred, lack of confidence, lack of self respect, hopelessness, helplessness ... functioning without purpose, without vision, without joy, without any kind of Faith, completely oblivious and apathetic to "WHY" he or she is here on earth.  

Painfully sad, isn't it?

On the flip side, you read about childhood and adult success stories.  How did they manage to breakthrough their unique challenges and eventually succeed?

So what is the difference between these children? Why do only a few make it while many struggle through business and life?  One can't help but wonder if childhood prejudices still persist and get in the way of success.  If so, why does one choose to allow for it to persist in their adult years?  Ultimately, at the end of the day, we can choose to overcome such prejudices, push forward and thrive, yes?

Remember:  “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Just over 13 years ago, when I first started producing my television program in Los Angeles, I came across a simple yet uniquely profound poem titled, "Two Children", written by my favorite author -- "Unknown".  It goes something like this:

Two Children

"Same family,
Same neighborhood,
Same school,
Same stress,

Same neglect,
Same abuse,
Sullen, withdrawn,
One shrinks,
The other grows,
Warm, popular.
One finds nourishment, the other hardens. 

What is the difference? 

One found a caring adult,
The other did not,
One was encouraged,
The other was not,
One was expected to succeed,
The other was assumed to fail.
One pops back, one stays down.
Both are children.
Both are the future." ~Unknown 

AnnieBiotics®

“Through wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and unconditional love, let us plant the social, cultural, educational, physical, emotional, and spiritual seeds of nourishment within children and youth, and through these efforts to ensure and bring into fruition their inborn virtues.”  ~Annie Armen

+++++++++++++++++++

Call me with any questions and/or concerns related to speaking topics on bullying, emotional scarring and abuse, family relationship dynamics, toxic communication red flags, and more.  Let me know if I can help you perceptively address and bridge communication gaps where needed to create an atmosphere of ongoing encouragement and empowerment to heighten collective trust, open communication, respect, confidence, and enthusiasm.

30 Quotes on COMMITMENT in Business and in Life!

Dear Why Annie Armen Readers,

May you find these select 30 quotes on COMMITMENT empowering, encouraging, and inspiring, adding productive value in your lives, both personally and professionally!

++++++++++++++++++

1. “COMMITMENT means staying LOYAL to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you!” ~Author Unknown

2. “Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events not of words. Trust movement." ~Alfred Adler

3. "There's a difference between interest and COMMITMENT. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're COMMITTED TO DOING something, you accept no excuses; only results." ~Kenneth Blanchard

4. "It was character that got us out of bed, COMMITMENT that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” ~Zig Ziglar

5. “COMMITMENT is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.” ~David McNally

6. “Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day.” ~Arthur Gordon

7. “Losers make promises they often break. Winners make COMMITMENTS they always keep.” ~Denis Waitley

8. ”Unless COMMITMENT is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.” ~Peter F. Drucker

9. “COMMITMENT in the face of conflict produces character.” ~Author Unknown

10. “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise occurred. ... Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

11. ”Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and COMMITMENT to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” ~Mario Andretti

12. "The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. COMMITMENT is healthiest when it is not without doubt but in spite of doubt." ~Rollo May

13. "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their COMMITMENT to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." ~Vince Lombardi

14. "Without involvement, there is no COMMITMENT. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it." ~Stephen Covey

15. “COMMITMENT is a language that success understands very clearly. Without it, the closest a person can get to the manifestation of their dream is the imagination of living their dream.” ~Edmond Mbiaka

16. ”Strategy is all about COMMITMENT. If what you're doing isn't irrevocable, then you don't have a strategy -- because anyone can do it... I've always wanted to treat life like I was an invading army and there was no turning back." ~Troy Tyler
 
17. "Do the thing and you will be given the power." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

18. “A man that is fully COMMITTED to his dream will never be a stranger to success in the future.” ~Edmond Mbiaka

19. “The miracle, or the power, that elevates the few is to be found in their industry, application, and perseverance under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit.” ~Mark Twain

20. “COMMITMENT is taking the first step, even if it means falling the rest of the way down.” ~Wes Fessler

21. “There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth: those with the commitment, and those who require the COMMITMENT of others.” ~John Adams

22. “I was able to see what I wanted to do, I could see the opportunity, even when others could not, and I stay COMMITTED to doing it and doing it well, no matter what.” ~Magic Johnson

23. “Any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.” ~Booker T. Washington

24. “You can become instantly successful with a simple thought, but long-lasting and pronounced success comes to those who renew their COMMITMENT to a mindset of abundance every minute of every hour of every day.” ~Bryant McGill

25. “COMMITMENT unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the right stuff to turn our dream into reality.” ~James Womack

26. “There are only two options regarding COMMITMENT, you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in between.” ~Pat Riley

27. “You can be anything you want to be, if only you believe with sufficient conviction and act in accordance with your faith; for whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” ~Napoleon Hill

28. “When work, COMMITMENT, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.” ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

29. “He who is most slow in making a promise is the most faithful in performance of it.” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau

30. “It's always too early to quit.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

++++++++++++++++++

List of Articles and Quotes you may Find of Interest:
1.  Did You Say, Can't?
2.  30 Quotes on ACTION in Business and in Life!
3.  20 Quotes on GO FOR IT in Business and in Life!
4.  20 Quotes on COURAGE in Business and in Life!
5.  14 Quotes on LOYALTY in Business and in Life!
6.  20 Quotes on PERSEVERANCE in Business and in Life!
7.  30 Quotes on ENCOURAGEMENT in Business and in Life!
8.  30 Quotes on LOVE in Business and in Life!
9.  To PRO-act or to RE-act -- is That the Question or Your Choice?
10.  Write Your way Into the New Year With Your New Book!
11.  AnnieBiotics

20 Quotes on GO FOR IT in Business and in Life!

Dear Why Annie Armen Readers,

May you find these select 20 quotes on GO FOR IT together with wisdom AnnieBiotics® toward the end of this article empowering, adding productive value in your lives, both personally and professionally!
_________________________

1.   "When everybody tells you that you are being idealistic or impractical, consider the possibility that everybody could be wrong about what is right for you."  ~Gilbert Kaplan

2.   If you've got doubters and player haters lining up to create a detour around what you have been called to do, that only means one thing -- YOU ARE EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE! With insane courage, GO FOR IT!  ~Annie Armen

3.   "Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."  ~Theodore Roosevelt

4.   "Discoveries are often made by not following instructions, by going off the main road, by trying the untried."  ~Frank Tyger, in Forbes

5.   "If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise."  ~Robert Fritz

6.   "RISK MORE than others think is safe. CARE MORE than others think is wise. DREAM MORE than others think is practical. EXPECT MORE than others think is possible. "  ~Cadet Maxim

7.   "To be a successful entrepreneur one needs a vision of greatness for one's work. If we dream extravagantly we will be inspired to forge a reality beyond the straight jacket of practicalities. There is a profound connection between art and enterprise which allows businesses to overcome the limitations of their existing visions."  ~Sir Ernest Hall

8.   "If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade."  ~Tom Peters

9.   "Do not let your fire go out ... Do not let the Hero in your soul perish ... Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."  ~Ayn Rand

10.  "Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast."  ~Tom Peters

11.  “Winners know that today is the day that counts. Today is the time to live with class, with confidence, with courage and with character. Today is the day to achieve greatness, if only in small things. The real winners in life know that success is a skill and they practice every day so that when the big challenges and extraordinary opportunities arrive, they are prepared.”  ~Dr.Phillip Humbert

12.  "Vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.”  ~Vaclav Havel

13.  "Peak performers want more than merely to win the next game. They see all the way to the championship. They have a long-range goal that inspires commitment and action."  ~Charles Garfield

14.  "No is a word on your path to Yes. Don't give up too soon. Not even if well-meaning parents, relatives, friends, and colleagues tell you to get a real job. Your dreams are your real job"  ~Joyce Spizer

15.  "You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true."  ~Richard Bach

16.  "Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication."  ~Gail Devers

17.  "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

18.  "I tell you the truth, if you have FAITH as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move."  ~The Bible, Matthew 17:20

19.  "When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, NEVER GIVE UP THEN, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."  ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

20.  "The difference between try and triumph is a little umph"  ~Author Unknown

Wisdom AnnieBiotics:

1. "Often times, minds and hearts are at war… thinking one thing, feeling another, leading to RE-actionary choices. Therefore, it is critical to

• Purpose Awareness at ALL Times
• Stay alert when in your “comfort zone” – blind spot.
• Maintain balance between mind and heart. Only when the two are in accord, you are ready to PRO-act, make sound decisions and aim for the long-term win!" ~Annie Armen 

2. During your journey of climbing up your highest mountain, whatever that mountain may be for you, always remember to:  "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none." ~William Shakespeare

Let's Make 2013 Your GO FOR IT Year!

If we can be of any help toward actualizing your vision with top performance that sets you apart from the pack, by all means give us a call.  Together we'll strategize and commit toward making that happen!

In the mean time, did you find this article helpful?

~Annie Armen

List of Articles and Quotes you may Find of Interest:

1.   Did You Say, Can't?
2.   30 Quotes on HOPE in Business and in Life!
3.   30 Quotes on ACTION in Business and in Life!
4.   20 Quotes on COURAGE in Business and in Life!
5.   30 Quotes on ENCOURAGEMENT in Business and in Life!
6.   30 Quotes on CONFIDENCE in Business and in Life!
7.   20 Quotes on PERSEVERANCE in Business and in Life!
8.   30 Quotes on COMMITMENT in Business and in Life!
9.   TO PRO-act or to RE-act -- is That the Question or Your Choice?
10.   Write Your way Into the New Year With Your New Book!
11. Are You Leaving Your AUTHENTIC Mark?
12. AnnieBiotics

20 Quotes on PERSEVERANCE in Business and in Life!

Dear Why Annie Armen Readers,

May you find these select 20 quotes on PERSEVERANCE purposeful and empowering, adding productive value in your lives, both personally and professionally!

Once you’ve had an opportunity to read through all 20 quotes, please take a moment to share your thoughts (in the comments section) to the question posted at the end of this article. Thank You...
__________________

1. “Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”  ~Jacob A. Riis

2. "How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience would have achieved success?"  ~Elbert Hubbard

3. “The first requisite for success is the ability to apply your physical and mental energies to one problem incessantly without growing weary.”  ~Thomas A. Edison

4. "Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done right."  ~Walt Disney

5. "KEEP ON GOING, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down."  ~Charles Kettering

6. "Patience and PERSEVERANCE have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."  ~John Quincy Adams

7. "Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."  ~Samuel Johnson

8. "Peak performers want more than merely to win the next game. They see all the way to the championship. They have a long-range goal that inspires commitment and action."  ~Charles Garfield

9. "PERSEVERANCE is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."  ~Newt Gingrich

10. "Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius."  ~Georges-Louis Leclerc

11. "Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines."  ~Robert Schuller

12. "With ordinary talent and extraordinary PERSEVERANCE, all things are attainable."  ~Thomas Foxwell Buxton

13. "Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."  ~Earl Nightingale

14. "I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to PERSEVERE and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."   ~Christopher Reeve

15. "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."  ~Michael Jordan

16. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."  ~Thomas Edison

17. “Through PERSEVERANCE many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.”  ~Benjamin Disraeli

18. "There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast withers as rapidly; that which grows slowly endures."  ~J.G. Holland

19. "Patience and TENACITY of purpose are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness."  ~Thomas Henry Huxley

20. “Never stop pedaling to power your dreams."  ~Terri Guillemets
__________________

Question for Why Annie Armen Readers:

What methods or techniques do you use to develop perseverance to achieve your long-term goals?

Look forward to reading your comments!

~Annie Armen

List of Articles and Quotes you may Find of Interest:
1. Did You Say, Can't?
2. 30 Quotes on ACTION in Business and in Life!
3. 20 Quotes on GO FOR IT in Business and in Life!
4. 20 Quotes on COURAGE in Business and in Life!
5. 30 Quotes on ENCOURAGEMENT in Business and in Life! 
6. 30 Quotes on COMMITMENT in Business and in Life!
7. Are You Leaving Your AUTHENTIC Mark? 
8. When Did s/he Give the Impression s/he Needed Your Advice?
9. That Does it... I've Had Just About Enough of This!
10. AnnieBiotics

20 Quotes on COMMUNICATION in Business and in Life!

Dear Why Annie Armen Readers,

May you find these select 20 quotes on COMMUNICATION purposeful and empowering, adding productive value in your lives, both personally and professionally!

Once you’ve had an opportunity to read through all 20 quotes, please take a moment to share your thoughts (in the comments section below) to the question posted at the end of this article.  Thank You...    

__________________

1.     “Assumptions are barriers to effective COMMUNICATION both at home and in the work place.” ~Annie Armen

2.     “The single biggest problem in COMMUNICATION is the illusion that it has taken place.” ~George Bernard Shaw
 
3.     “COMMUNICATION - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success.” ~Paul J. Meyer
 
4.     “Good COMMUNICATION does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.” ~John Kotter

5.     “The most important thing in COMMUNICATION is to hear what isn't being said.” ~Peter Drucker

6.     “The real art of CONVERSATION is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” ~Dorothy Nevill
 
7.     “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ~Epictetus

8.     “The most important things are the hardest to say, because WORDS diminish them.” ~Stephen King
 
9.     “Every criticism, judgment, diagnosis, and expression of anger is the tragic EXPRESSION of an unmet need.” ~Marshall Rosenberg
 
10.    "Developing excellent COMMUNICATION skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter." ~Gilbert Amelio, President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.
 
11.    "Precision of COMMUNICATION is important, more important than ever, in our era of hair trigger balances, when a false or misunderstood word may create as much disaster as a sudden thoughtless act." ~James Thurber

12.    “Strategic COMMUNICATION is at the core of effective leadership. Through a leader's use of verbal and written symbols employees are motivated or deflated, informed or confused, productive or apathetic. A leader's ability to carve off the verbal fat and get to the meat of an issue, idea or plan will find success at every turn.” ~Reed Markham, PhD

13.   “COMMUNICATE through what you love when words fail." ~Annie Armen

14.    “COMMUNICATION does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them.” ~Edwin H. Friedman

15.    “Deep LISTENING is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” ~Sue Patton Thoele

16.    “COMMUNICATION works for those who work at it.” ~John Powell

17.    “COMMUNICATION can't always follow the top-down model. With the fluidity of information in business today, leaders need to be masterful listeners; they need to be able to receive as well as send.” ~Joseph Badaracco

18.    “COMMUNICATION leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” ~Rollo May   

19.     “When lack of COMMUNICATION is in the air, assume nothing!  Rather than waiting, over thinking, wondering, doubting and/or assuming for the best or for the worst, preserve your good energy and sanity, grab a cup of courage as opposed to a cup of coffee, and just ASK!”  ~Annie Armen

20.   “A good CONVERSATIONALIST is not one who remembers what was said, but says what someone wants to remember.” ~John Mason Brown

__________________

Let's Get Together and Talk:

Call me with any questions and/or concerns related to speaking topics on bridging the communication gap across cultural divides. Together, we’ll work toward creating an inspired, productive atmosphere, oxygenated with ongoing encouragement and empowerment to heighten collective trust, open communication, respect, confidence, and enthusiasm, impacting your bottom-line. If I can help you achieve that and more, what value would that bring to your organization?

~Annie Armen

Related Articles and Quotes you may Find of Interest: 

1.   Grab a Cup of COURAGE and Just Ask!
2.   30 Quotes on CONFIDENCE in Business and in Life!
3.   30 Quotes on COMMITMENT in Business and in Life!
4.   30 Quotes on ENCOURAGEMENT in Business and in Life!
5.   Are You Leaving Your AUTHENTIC Mark?
6.   That Does it... I've Had Just About Enough of This! 
7.   Are you Working With a Resistant Employee?
8.   When Did s/he Give the Impression s/he Needed Your Advice?

9.   Write Your way Into the New Year With Your New Book!
10.   How to Make Genuine Connections on LinkedIn
11. Communicate Anyway
12. AnnieBiotics