During my work work day, I have the privilege of observing several workers who are here in the United States on temporary assignment. I do not work directly with them, although I do see them frequently throughout the day. I think it is a privilege to watch these Japanese workers accomplishing various tasks, because of the their approach to everything they do while at work.
In brief, they are respectful and meticulous in each and every aspect whatever they happen to be doing at the moment. Japanese workers are respectful of everything pertaining to their work environment.
The Japanese workers pick up after themselves. They take the extra step of cleaning up after someone before them if they occupy the same work area. They are publicly polite to the point of being over polite. They are obviously grateful when the same level of politeness is returned to them. I am guessing return politeness does not happen often.
If the number of Japanese workers I come in contact with in my daily activities, over thirty are all outwardly respectful and polite, it is obvious to me this is a learned behavior. Whether they are taught this type of behavior as children, or see it and have it reinforced in the work environment, it is a learned behavior.
I read a short blip on the famous investor Mr. Warren Buffett. The paragraph mentioned that Mr. Buffett bought his first share of stock at age eleven, and his first company at age fifteen. Whether those dates and my memory are correct or not is not as important as the fact it happened early in the life of Mr. Buffett.
Mr. Michael Jordan, President Obama, Mr. Buffett, and one of my personal hero’s, Mr. Mohammed Ali, also bring special skills to the table at which they reign. None of them however achieved what they achieved in their life through blind luck.
There is a (presumably) Eastern saying, that when the Student is ready, the Teacher arrives. I like this saying. It reflects the same type of thinking as King Solomon when he penned the thought that there is nothing new on the earth, and everything has been done before.
King Solomon had a lot of good insight on how the world works. Certain behaviors are intrinsic to each of us. We have areas where we excel, areas in which we aspire to, and areas where we are not so good at. For every Super Human, average people like myself, and you too, there are teachers to help us find our way if we wish to improve.
The idea of sitting under a shady tree relaxing and having a Teacher show up telling us they are here to teach us how to excel in eaching our goals is a wild fantasy at best. Not that there are not any Teachers out there to show us what we want to know, only that we have to take the initiative ourselves to be taught.
How do we get in touch with these great teachers, and how do we get them to teach us? Bribery sometimes works, but for most of us, the cost of hiring a true expert to guide us is out of our financial reach, not to mention our current needs. Fortunately there are other resources, and most of them are free.
The simplest is simply to watch someone who does a task well which we want to learn. If you want to be a great table waiter, watch Waiters where you are currently working. Watch how they talk to and treat their customers. Watch how they subtly take charge and direct the experience of dining.
If you wish to become a financial wizard, odds are a good number of people you know good financial advice to share with you. Even if you do not ask them, how they manage their own finances is a form of teaching you can learn from. If they may not know how to manage finances well, they sure can show you how not to do it. This is as valuable as any free lesson can be.
If you aspire to be or do something great, look around you. There are people who do whatever you want to become or do better than you do. Watch them and act like they do. Eventually with enough practice, you will know why they are doing what they do, and why they do it that way. Once you have learned all you can from them, look for other teachers, and learn from them. Keep the process going, and before you know, people will be looking to you as an expert, and asking you for advice or help.
Mr. Jordan, Mr. Buffett, President Obama, and Mr. Ali, all have a tremendous amount of natural ability to have achieved what they have achieved. They also had years of watching, studying, and learning how to take what they have and make it better. They also had more than a few great teachers who showed them a better way to accomplish their goals. Neither Mr. Jordan, Mr. Buffett, President Obama, or Mr. Ali would have accomplished what they did unless they received help in achieving their life goals.
It is the perfect time to start creating your life dream. If thousands, if not millions before you achieved their dreams, you can too. All you need to do is watch and learn, and you are on your way to greatness!
