Trump Approval More Stable Than Approval for Prior Presidents

Americans’ approval of the job Donald Trump is doing as president has been highly stable, showing less movement than all previous presidents’ ratings during their first two years in office.

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You will often find bestselling author and nationally known change agent, Ralph Masengill, talking about his latest book, Conquer Change and Win, with Big Blend hosts, Nancy and Lisa, on their internationally known radio program. Ralph joins other experts on various subjects as Big Blend‘s expert on CHANGE.

Change or Supposed Security

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It is all about choice

To suffer one’s death and be reborn again is not easy. Too bad we have to suffer so many “deaths” in order to see the light. I think that must be related to the healing/growing process of moving from “…preferring the security of known misery, to the supposed misery of unfamiliar insecurity.”

What we are talking about is the risk of change. Here is my definition of change: All men and women regard all change, both good and bad change, with a feeling of loss [example remorse], and that feeling of loss always creates some form of anger. One example of the kind of anger we are talking about is anxiety. There are several others as well.

Why is it so important that we know about and understand change? We humans, and there are no exceptions, are constantly involved in change. Change never stops. It is always constantly going on in us and around us. The truly successful men and women of the business community have a good understanding of change and how you can control change to your advantage. You cannot stop it, but you can control change.

It is true you will not skid in a rut. But, you have no control where that rut will take you. You have lost your freedom. “You are in a rut”. To not change is to lose control. To lose you freedom. Laurence J. Peter states that “A rut is a grave with the ends knocked out.” He is talking about life without understanding the importance of change.

Mark Twain put it his way “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.” Many good people refuse to accept the risk and uncertainty that change always brings with it. They force themselves to live in a self-imposed stagnant prison of their own making. They have part of it right. There can be some security in a prison. I would name the prison Opportunity Lost. When it comes to change we really only have two choices. One is to embrace change with gusto. The second is to not admit that change is constant and live in denial.

Someone said, “Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain”. I believe, the happiest people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have. Choose Change. It is the only path to true happiness and business success.

Post Turtle

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Have you or any of your friends ever been called a Post Turtle? Being labeled a Post Turtle by your fellow team members or your customers is not a positive thing. At least it is not in the part of Tennessee where I grew up.

We here in Tennessee like stories. Here is the story of the Post Turtle. The old farmer speaks, “Well, yaa know, some people are like a Post Turtle.” Not being familiar with the term, a friend asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was. The old farmer said, “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.

The old farmer saw the puzzled look on his friend’s face so he continued to explain. You know that turtle didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, and he doesn’t know what to do while he’s up there, and you just wonder what kind of person put him up there to begin with. Now that’s a Post Turtle”.

In retrospect can you recognize a few Post Turtles? I can. I hope none are in your company or in your department. Post Turtles, as you would expect, are not well thought of by other team members. In addition I have discovered that the person who put the turtle on the fence post in the first place may be the one that has lost the most respect from team members.

Leaders are held accountable by other team members for the job promotions and the positions they fill whether it is intended or not. This could end up being a lose lose situation for both you and your company. The first thing you must do is find out if you have any Post Turtles. All good leaders know the capabilities of new team members based on resumes, references, personal knowledge, etc. before they are hired or promoted. With all that information mistakes can still be made. It is a good idea to go back about every six months and check on all team members you have brought into the group or you have promoted. A leader’s job does not end with the appointment, it just continues.

Leaders sometimes fail to see how putting the wrong person in a position can be a real threat to a leader’s ability to lead. Team members follow those that they respect. It is a good idea to check often on the folks you have hired or promoted for a lot of reasons. One reason is your personal reputation with the team. You never want to be associated with a Post Turtle.

Change is King

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If you are interested in more happiness and more income, this is for you.
If you have a clear and certain understanding of the emotions change always causes, you will be ahead of 90% of the population.  Here are some interesting truths about change:

  1. Change is constant intended or not.
  2. Most of us will not change until the pain of not changing is greater than the pain of changing.
  3.  All men and women regard all change, both good and bad change, with a feeling of loss and that feeling of loss always causes some form of anger, anxiety, or stress.

Understanding change and understanding how it always makes us feel is one of life’s secrets to a better and more productive life.  Most of us have never really thought of how change makes us feel.  We just endure the change.  If we can understand the “why” of change we will have a leg up on a better and more fulfilling life.

Everything that happens in this world is involved in change.  There are no exceptions to this fact.  In essence change is a part of what we are about every day and every hour.  Based on these facts it seems mandatory that we learn better how to handle change.   It should be a regular part of our education it should be taught in all our schools.  As you know it is not.

Get a head’s up on how change works by reading my new book, Conquer Change and Win.  It is an easy to read fun book about this very important subject that is ignored by most.  It is available at Amazon.com and other outlets.

In the book you will find out how to handle the feelings that positive and negative change always bring.  Once you know how change works in all men and women; and how to control the feelings it presents, you will have a much better opportunity to be the last one standing in any situation.

Let me close with my definition of change:   Change is simply doing something different and that change will always leave you with a feeling of loss and that feeling of loss (that pit of the stomach feeling) will cause some form of fear, stress or other form of anxiety.   It is time to make change a friend.  Change is king.  Long live the king.