Project 366 / 307 - Other data, smiling and positive consistency

I don't have many apps on my devices but when I think about it they are a reflection of my interests - few but focussed. The rest of the content on the devices are split between photos, videos and music and that's it. Yet when I sync my devices to iTunes the memory is nearly always clogged up with "other" data. It's a bit like life really - a select few interests weighed down with a lot of indescript shit which takes up far too much time, effort and, well memory.

To clear this "other" data from my iPhone or iPad I just back it up, do a factory reset and then restore the data. It's a bit long winded but it works just fine. I just sometimes wish there was a way to do that for real life. It'd be interesting to see what got disposed of.

The saying goes "everything comes to those who wait" but that's not entirely true. If you just sit there doing nothing then nothing will come to you. But work hard and be patient and you increase the odds of attaining your goals. It's not a guarantee but an increase in odds.

Above all else though it's consistency that wins the day for me. But not any old consistency, it has to be positive consistency. Only by trying your hardest to be at your best day in day out will better things happen to you. Happiness is contagious - not necessarily immediately but certainly over time. Be the person that people want to talk to and opportunities will come your way. Be a source of negativity and you will be overlooked.

But it's not easy. My father used to have a glass block on his desk which said the word "smile" just to constantly remind him to do just that when churning out sales calls. People can hear and sense a smile. It changes the tone of your voice and your body language. It makes you more receptive, more welcoming and more friendly. People trust people they like and shut down very quickly to those they don't.

I'm often criticised by some of my office staff for being too happy and energetic. When someone phones and asks me how I am I always say "amazing!", "absolutely incredible!" or "phenomenal!". You can literally hear them smile in reply.

It's all about positive consistency. It takes time but then again it wouldn't be called consistency if it didn't.