Margie Warrell

Whatever actions you take, keep in mind that over the course of life, you will fail far more from timidity, procrastination, and carefulness than you will from just stepping up to the plate and, as we say in Australia, giving it a bloody go!

Just remember: other people__ opinions are simply that__ther people__ opinions. They are not fact, and they are certainly not __he truth._ It is your responsibility to question the authority you give others, to question opinions they want you to adopt as your own, and to question how it is they are observing the world themselves that has them seeing things as they do. Sometimes you need to take back the authority you are giving to the opinions of others and place a bit more trust in yourself.

The lesson I learned is that when you give someone authority, you must be conscious you are doing so and continue to ask yourself whether it is in your best interests.

People play small for lots of reasons, but at the core of them all is fear. Playing small means playing safe__voiding risk, failure, criticism, and the list goes on. But just imagine how incredibly different the world would be if everyone committed to playing big__aking on audacious goals, trying to make a meaningful difference, being all they could possibly be.

Your __verybody_ probably represents even a smaller proportion of the population than your Rolodex. Psychologists have documented that our typical everybody_ to which they refer as the __eneralized other___s usually a collection of about five or six people.

Dreaming is risky. While only some dreams can put you at physical risk, all dreams require that you take an emotional risk. By their nature, dreams create a gap between your present reality and the reality you want to have, causing you to question whether you can bridge that gap. This risk alone can be so daunting for people that they prefer to leave their dreams in their childhood or buried away beneath layers of fear, doubt, and resignation. That__ why dreaming bigger dreams takes courage; it means risking the possibility that your dreams will not come true.

Note that acceptance is different from approval. Acceptance is simply saying, __t is so.

Communication is defined not by what is being said but by what is being heard. For this reason, it is vital that you gain a good appreciation of how other people will listen__nterpret, process, and assign meaning_ to what you have to say before you can influence them effectively.

Earlier in this book I noted that one of my favorite sayings is __ou get what you tolerate._ This applies in spades to your relationships. Failing to speak up about something carries the implication that you are OK with it__hat you are prepared to continue tolerating it. As a companion saying goes, __ilence means consent._ If you tolerate snide or offensive remarks from your boss or colleague, the remarks will continue. If you tolerate your spouse__ lack of consideration for your feelings, it will continue. If you tolerate the disregard of people who regularly turn up late for meetings or social engagements, they will continue to keep you cooling your heels. If you tolerate your child__ lack of respect, you will continue to get no respect. Each time you tolerate a behavior, you are subtly teaching that person that it is OK to treat you that way.