Paradigms and Principles

10 of the Dumbest Statements Ever Made

Top Ten All-Time Stupid Quotes: 10- “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” Kenneth Olsen, President and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. in 1977.

9 “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” Marshal Ferdinand Foch, French Military Strategist ad future WWI Commander in 1911

8 “[Man will never reach the moon] regardless of all future scientific advances.” Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the Audion Tube and Father of Radio, on February 25, 1967

7 “[Television] won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tiered of staring at a plywood box every night.” Darryl F. Zanuck, Head of 20 th Century Fox, in 1946

6 “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” Decca Records rejecting the Beatles in 1962

5 “For the majority of people, the use of tobacco has a beneficial effect.” Dr. Ian G. MacDonald, Los Angeles Surgeon, as quoted in Newsweek. November 18, 1969

4“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” Western Union internal memo, in 1876

3“The earth is the center of the universe.” Ptolemy, The great Egyptian Astronomer, in the second century.

2“Nothing of importance happened today.” King George III of England on July 4, 1776

And #1…. “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Charles H. Duell, U.S. Commissioner of Patents in 1899

Here are some real teenager quotes that are just as ridiculous as the previous list. “No one in my family has ever gone to college. I’d be crazy to think I could make it.” “It’s no use. My stepdad and I will never get along. We’re just too different.” “Being smart is a ‘white’ thing.” My teacher is out to get me.” She’s so pretty… I’ll bet she’s a jerk.”

“You can’t get ahead in life unless you know the right people.” “Me? Thin? Are you kidding? My whole family is full of fat people.” “It’s impossible to get a good job around here ‘cause nobody wants to hire a teen.”

So What IS a Paradigm? The two previous lists have two things in common: 1.They are all perceptions about the way things are. 2.They are all inaccurate or incomplete, even though the people who said them are convinced they are true.

Another word for Perceptions is Paradigms A paradigms is the way you see something, your point of view, frame of reference, or belief. Our paradigms are often way off the mark and they create limitations.

Paradigms are like glasses… When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it’s like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription. Examples: If you believe you are dumb, that very belief will make you dumb. If you believe your sister is dumb, you’ll look for evidence to support your belief, find it, and she’ll remain dumb in your eyes.

On the other hand… If you believe you are smart, that belief will cast a rosy hue on everything you do.

Are your paradigms of yourself helping or hindering you? Negative paradigms can put limitations on us. (Example: Rebecca and the Jr. Miss pageant) Positive self-paradigms can bring out the best in us. (Example: son of King Louis XVI of France.)

“If you walk through life wearing glasses that say “I can do it” or “I matter,” that belief will put a positive spin on everything else. How can you shift a negative self-paradigm to a positive self-paradigm? *Spend time with someone who believes in you and who helps build you up. *Lean on this person to get nourished by them. *Go to them for advice. *Try to see yourself the way they see you.

Paradigms of Others We too often judge others without having all the facts. Examples: The last cookie… Seeing things from another point of view can make such a difference in attitude toward others.

Our paradigms are often incomplete, inaccurate, or completely messed up. We shouldn’t be so quick to judge We shouldn’t be so quick to label We shouldn’t be so quick to form rigid opinions of others, or ourselves. From our limited point of view, we seldom see the whole picture, or have all the facts.

Open your mind and heart to… New information New ideas new points of view Be willing to change your paradigms when it becomes clear that they are wrong.

If you’ll look closely, you’ll see that most of your problems with relationships, self-image, and attitude are the result of a messed-up paradigm or two. If you want to make big changes in your life, the key is to change your paradigms.

Identify the Paradigm Shifts In the movie: Living on One Dollar

Paradigms of Life Ask yourself, “What is the driving force of my life?” Whatever is most important to you will become your paradigm, your glasses, or your life-center. Friend-Centered Stuff-Centered Boyfriend/girlfriend-Centered School-Centered Parent-Centered Others

Friend-Centered Nothing better than belonging to a great group of friends Nothing worse than feeling like an outcast. Friends are important but should never become your center. Why? Because they can be fickle.

If you base your identity on having friend, being accepted, and being popular, you may find yourself compromising your standards or changing them every weekend to accommodate your friends.

Believe it or not… The day will come when friends will not be the biggest thing in your life. Make as many friends as you like but don’t build your life on them. It’s an unstable foundation.

Stuff-Centered We live in a material world that teaches us that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” There is nothing wrong with accomplishing and enjoying our stuff, but we should never center our lives on things, which in the end have no lasting value.

Your confidence needs to come from within, not from without. From the quality of our hearts, not the quantity of things we own. “If who I am is what I have and what I have is lost, then who am I?”

Boyfriend/Girlfriend-Centered This may be the easiest trap to fall into. The ironic things is that the more you center your life on someone, the more unattractive you become to that person.

How’s that? If you are centered on someone, you’re no longer hard to get. It’s irritating when someone builds their entire emotional life around you. Their security comes from you and not from within themselves and that gets old real fast. “Where do we stand?” “I don’t want you talking to other guys/girls”, etc. You can tell when a couple has become centered on each other because they are forever breaking up and getting back together.

Be your own person Keep your moods independent of others It’s ok to say no. You will be a better bf/gf if you are not centered on your partner. Independence is more attractive than dependence. Centering your life on another doesn’t show that you love them, only that you’re dependent on them.

School-Centered Education is vital to your future and should be a top priority, but you must be careful not to let dean’s lists, GPA’s and AP classes take over your life.

School-centered teens… Can become so obsessed with getting good grades that they forget that the real purpose of School is to learn.

Parent-Centered If every decision you make is based upon the questions “what would Mom and Dad want me to do? Will they be proud? Will they still love me?” Then you might be parent-centered. Basing decisions on parental approval may never get you the approval you desire.

Other Possible Centers… Sports/hobbies Hero-centered Work-centered Self-centered

These and Many more life-centers do not provide the stability that you need in life. There is a fine line between having a passion for something and basing your entire existence on it. That’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed

Principle-Centered…The Real Thing A center that actually works. Just as there are principles that rule the physical world, like gravity, there are principles that rule the human world. Principles are not religious. They are not ethnic They apply equally to everyone, rich or poor, male or female.

Principles can’t be bought or sold! If you live by them, you will excel. If you break them, you will fail It’s that simple Movie: Kon Tiki

You know what they are… Honesty Service Love Hard work Respect Gratitude Moderation

Fairness Integrity Loyalty Responsibility Compassion

You can’t fake your principles Principles will never fail It takes faith to live by principles, especially when you see people close to you get ahead in life by lying, cheating, stealing, indulging, manipulating, and serving only themselves.

What you don’t see… Breaking principles ALWAYS catches up to them in the end. You would be hard-pressed to find a liar who achieved success over the long haul. “It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.”

Putting principles first is the key To doing better in all other centers. To more friends To more stable relationships To becoming a person of character

Make a commitment To make principles your life-center, or paradigm For every problem, search for the principle that will solve it.

Loyalty One of two brothers fighting in the same company in France, fell by a German bullet. The one who escaped asked permission of his officer to go and bring his brother in. “He is probably dead, “ said the officer, “and there is no use in your risking your life to bring in his body.” But after further pleading the officer consented. Just as the soldier reached the lines with his brother on his shoulders, the wounded man died. “There, you see,” sad the officer, “you risked your life for nothing.” “No,” replied Tom. “I did what he expected of me, and I have my reward. When I crept up to him and took him in my arms, he said, ‘Tom, I knew you would come- I just felt you would come.’”

In upcoming classes You will discover that each of the 7 Habits is based upon a basic principle or two. And that’s where they get their power. The long and short of it is principles rule. Take Baby steps to reach your goals

Coming Attractions How to get rich, in a way you probably never thought of.