Inspirations for Manufactured Housing Professionals

The Iceberg Effect

It's common knowledge that only 1/10 of an iceberg is above the surface.  

The question remains how big is the 9/10's and what are its characteristics and how does this portion contribute to or create what lies above the surface. I want to use this analogy when we consider our life with all of its complexity including; attitudes, beliefs, behavior, decisions and mindsets. As we discuss these in more detail keep the iceberg picture in your mind.

If we have 90% of our life beneath the surface of our body (brain) i.e. thoughts, memories, motives, urges etc. that take place within the over one hundred billion brain cells and over three trillion chemical reactions every second that take place there – we must consider how these impact our exterior life the 10% on the surface (that we demonstrate and exhibit to the world).

For the sake of illustration I have broken the iceberg into three sections rather than two for this discussion. The top 10%, the middle 30% and the bottom 60%. (Yes these numbers are arbitrary) keep in mind that only the top 10% is visible to others and how you live your life.

Let's consider what's in the 10% that we show the world;

Personality, decisions, attention, behavior, actions, emotional expression communication patterns and choices.

The middle 30%;

Just beneath the surface are desires, awareness, thoughts and feelings.

Now the bottom 60%;

Motives, urges, memories, experience, attitudes, mindsets, prejudices, beliefs, fears, dreams, self-esteem, self-love and all of your conditioning influences since you were born.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way let's take a broader look at these three areas and how they contribute to the quality of our life, career, relationships and our future.

The top 10%.

The top 10% reacts. It is a slave to what lies beneath. Think about it – if an iceberg wants to move – what's in control – the top 10% or the bottom 90%? The top 10% does what it's told whether personality, behavior, actions or decisions. This portion of your life – what the world sees when it observes you – is nothing more than a response device. You might think that you have total control of choices, actions, feelings or behavior but this isn't the case. You do what you are told to do or are inclined to do based on the information stored in your 90%. This 90% is in total control of all aspects of your life.

The middle 30% section.

What occupies the lower section – the 60% is filtered by your 30% (middle section) prior to reaching the top. In other words just because you have experiences, goals, motives or urges etc. in your 60% because of the contents of your 30% section these can be altered, reduced, amplified or adjusted according to this mid-section.

For example – let's say you have a belief system in the bottom 60% that says you are a procrastinator and you are given a task by a boss that needs to be completed ASAP. Your tendency would be to put it off – that's who you are. However, let's also say that this task must be completed on time or you will lose your job. The desire in your 30% doesn't want to lose the job so you act immediately overriding your bottom 60% tendency or self-belief system. The outcome is – you act now. The opposite can also happen. You are given a task by a friend and there is no negative direct impact on your life by not procrastinating so you let the bottom 60% drive your behavior and your middle 30% doesn't stop this or get in the way – it lets you procrastinate.

Let's look at this in another way.

Let's say someone does something that disappoints you. Your mind takes this information in and it sends it to your bottom 60% for a reaction. This person has also disappointed you in the past (a memory) but you don't like conflict (top 10%) so your bottom 60% sends a message to the surface to not get upset by their action.  

However as this information (your response) is passed up through the 30% (keep in mind that all of the information in the 60% must pass through the mid 30% (up or down) before it gets to the surface or reaches the bottom 60%) your thoughts tell you that what they did is wrong so this will filter the 60% message and you may demonstrate anger, disappointment or frustration.

I'm sure that this concept may have you a bit confused but think about it – all of your actions, decisions, choices, behavior etc. are controlled by your bottom 90%. So if you want to improve any aspect of your life you have to work on all of the areas in the bottom 90% that impact what you want to change.

Finally, be aware that every thought, emotion, experience, feeling you have ever had are permanently stored in your bottom 60% – and you can't erase anything. All you can do is train your mind to learn to look elsewhere in the billions of brain cells for different answers or information. And, the only way you can do this is to keep adding better or new information to your brain. In other words if you are a pessimistic person you will continue to be pessimistic if you don't continue to give your mind new positive information.

How do you do this – read more, keep learning, and keep challenging your beliefs or mindsets that don't serve you well in your life. Surround yourself with the right people.

"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds."
T. Roosevelt

In His Service, Tim

The American Conundrum

The definition of the word Conundrum is: something that is puzzling or confusing.

Here are six Conundrums of socialism in the United States of America:

1. America is capitalist and greedy – yet half of the population is subsidized.

2. Half of the population is subsidized – yet they think they are victims.

3. They think they are victims – yet their representatives run the government.

4. Their representatives run the government – yet the poor keep getting poorer.

5. The poor keep getting poorer – yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.

6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about – yet they want America to be more like those other countries.

Think about it! And that, my friends, pretty much sums up the USA in the 21st Century. Makes you wonder who is doing the math.

These three, short sentences tell you a lot about the direction of our current government and cultural environment:

1. We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works.

And here's another one worth considering…

2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. How come we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's interesting is the first group "worked for" their money, but the second didn't. Think about it…

Am I the only one missing something? 

Inspiration blog post submitted by Larry Hahn

Avoiding Rattlesnakes

Story telling is how many indigenous people – including native Americans – passed on life lessons to their young.

First, let's share – courtesy of FirstPeople – the native American legend of the little boy and the rattlesnake.

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The best predictor of future behavior and results is often past behavior and results. While this does not always hold true, for example the famous exception of Thomas Edison's 10,000 failed attempts before his success in inventing the light bulb, it is a widely accepted rule of thumb.

image=credit-wikicommons-red_diamondback_rattle_snake-posted-inspiration-blog-mhpronews-com

Animals act according to their nature. What makes people different than most creatures is that humans have a higher intellect. Can people change? Sure. People quit over-drinking, smoking or abusing drugs every day. They often do so through 12 Step or other programs.

But beware of the rattle snake.

The moral of the Cherokee story is to help others spot and avoid smooth talking, ear tickling and seductive “rattle snakes.” There will always be people who tell us what we want to hear, even if what they say is not true.

This is why fact checking is important. Without understanding the facts of an issue, the rattle snakes can tell us a tale we may want to hear and yet that may still later 'bite you.'

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And please, never confuse those who protect others by engaging and capturing the snakes of the world – such as the honorable police, military or those in media who expose sometimes tough truths – with the snakes they seek to expose, capture or put away. ##

(Image credit: Wikicommons)

Feeling vs. Thinking

We humans are beings who both feel and think. While thinking is respected in many circles, emotions are what entertainers, marketing, sales professionals, politicos, the media and so many others often target.

We have both emotion and reason, because we should use both.

Successful professionals learn to manage both emotions and sound reason.

Here are some thoughts on the subject.

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity."

– Dale Carnagie

 

"Against logic there is no armor like ignorance."

– Laurence J. Peter

Sometimes-in-life-one-experiences-an-emotion-which-is-so-strong-difficult-to-think-or-to-reason-eric-cantona-(c)2014-MHProNews-com

 

"We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry."

– Maria Montessori

 

"I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few."

– Adolf Hitler

 

"Sometimes in life one experiences an emotion which is so strong that it is difficult to think, or to reason."

– Eric Cantona

 

 

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so."

– Will Rogers

 

 

"Emotions have taught mankind to reason."

– Luc de Clapiers

(Image Credit:WikiCommons, MHProNews.com)

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Submitted by
L. A. "Tony" Kovach

PMA

Keep Your Thoughts Positive. Your thoughts become your words.Keep Your Words Positive.Your words become your actions.Keep Your Actions Positive.Your actions become your habits.Keep Your Habits Positive.Your habits become your values.Keep Your Values Positive.Your values become your destiny.

jen-allen-first-state-manufactured-housing-association-executive-posted-inspiration-blog-mhpronews-comSubmitted by
Jen Allen, PHC
Association Executive
First State Manufactured Housing Association
302-674-5868 
Fax:  302-674-5960
www.firststatemha.org

No Surrender! The Burning Heart, Survivor

You couldn't tell from my love of the Rocky movie series that my interest in boxing is near zero. Rocky is not so much about boxing, as it is about what it takes to overcome; what it takes to achieve success and victory even against long odds.

Consider the lyrics to this song, supplied by the same person who did the montage for the video above.

While all of it is powerful, Survivor's lyrics in the third paragraph below are particularly packed with meaning. Ponder, enjoy, then just do it.

Burning heart 

Two worlds collide, rival nations
It's a primitive clash, venting years of frustrations
Bravely we hope against all hope, there is so much at stake
Seems our freedom's up against the ropes
Does the crowd understand?
Is it a East vs. West, or man against man
Can any nation stand alone?

In the burning heart, just about to burst
There's a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst
In the darkest night, rising like a spire
In the burning heart, the unmistakable fire, in the burning heart

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender
Though his body says stop, his spirit cries never
Deep in our soul a quiet ember
Knows it's you against you
the paradox that drives us on
It's a battle of wills, in the heat of attack
It's the passion that kills
The victory is yours alone

In the burning heart, just about to burst
There's a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst
In the darkest night, rising like a spire
In the burning heart, the unmistakable fire

In the burning heart, just about to burst
There's a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst
In the darkest night, rising like a spire
In the burning heart, the unmistakable fire

In the burning heart, just about to burst
There's a quest for answers, an unquenchable thirst
In the darkest night, rising like a spire
In the burning heart, the unmistakable fire
In the burning heart.

Post submitted by
L. A. “Tony” Kovach

Mickey Mantle…”It’s Unbelievable!”

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Without a healthy dose of humility, we can not grow. What baseball legend Mickey Mantle's quote above suggests is that you don't know what you don't know.

"During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season. That means I played 7 years without ever hitting the ball." – Mickey Mantle.

"Sometimes I think if I had the same body and the same natural ability and someone else's brain, who knows how good a player I might have been." – Mickey Mantle.

Stop and think. Mantle, one of the great baseball players of all time, saying how much he didn't know. Mantle, admitting he could have learned more.

Those who think they know it all put themselves at a disadvantage. Ego checked, willing to learn and apply new ideas, we can grow. ##

Image credit, WikiCommons

Post and poster by

L. A. "Tony" Kovach

Hope

"HOPE: When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."

Charles A. Beard

1874-1948, Historian

 

"People of character do the right thing, not because they think it will change the world but because they refuse to be changed by the world."

Michael Josephson

Radio Commentator

 

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

Agatha Christie

1890-1976, Novelist

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Submitted by
Robin Crow

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