RESPECT & SPORTSMANSHIP

IT'S NICE TO BE LIKED, but it is even more satisfying to be respected. And although it takes some effort, you can attain that desire. Here are three places your effort will increase the respect you get from people: Increase your competence. People respect ability and skill, as long as you are noticeably good. This means trying to be a jack-of-all-trades doesn't work. Concentrate your efforts. Choose a useful ability and hone yourself into the Mozart of that ability. If the skill is used at your job, your increasing competence may bring you a new pay level too. Work on improving your ability whenever you can. Become a master. Use good manners. Without using please and thank you and would you mind, without saying hi to people and learning their names and interests, you will not earn people's respect. Even if you're competent, you will be resented rather than admired. Speak up rather than smolder. Do it with good manners, but speak. It takes courage to speak up, and people know that and respect it. But when you speak up, make requests rather than simply complaining. Don't say what you don't like about what's already been done; say what you'd like to see in the future. And think it through beforehand so you say it well.

BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR PROBLEMS!

Thriving in Bad Times

"The CEO of a large company had an excellent financial adviser who had one strange habit. After the adviser gave his advice, he always told the CEO that whatever happened was good. No matter what happened to the company's sales or profits or stock, no matter what reports came in from field offices, no matter what campaigns the competitors launched or what lawsuits people brought against the company, the adviser always told the CEO, "That's good." One day the CEO lost several fingers in an accident. The adviser came to visit him in the hospital, looked at the CEO's bandaged hand and said, "You'll see it's a good thing." "That's it. Enough is enough," the CEO said. "You're fired. Get out of here." The CEO returned to work, still upset about the loss of his fingers. When the wound healed he decided to take a break and give himself a gift. He loved to study primitive cultures, so he decided to go on a safari. He hired a guide and porters and with some of his associates set off for the wilds. The first day out, the inexperienced guide lost his way and the group was captured by cannibals. The fires were lit and water put on to boil as the captives were lined up for the ceremonial meal. When the cannibal chief sat down to observe the procedure, he looked at the CEO, saw his missing fingers and stopped the proceedings. "This man is imperfect. We don't eat imperfect people. It would affect our future generations. Release him." When the CEO returned home he looked up his former adviser and went to see him. He found him unemployed and living off his savings in a house he had rented. "I came to apologize to you," said the CEO. "You were right." "What do you mean?" said the adviser. The CEO told him about the safari and the cannibals and why he was spared. "It really was a good thing that I lost my fingers. I'm so sorry I fired you and ruined your reputation and life. What can I do to make up for my mistake?" "No, no, it was a good thing you fired me." "What do you mean it was a good thing I fired you?" "If you hadn't fired me, I would have gone with you and been eaten by the cannibals."

RANDOM THOUGHTS ARTICLES

Howdy, Blog Readers! I got two emails so far about my "Adversity" posting. Apparently a few readers think this is really out in left field. Remember that we all enjoy wargaming and that wargaming is a social event. Any time there is a competition involving people, even if it is a wargame, attitude comes into play. So from time to time I will be including short articles about respect, attitude, and other random thoughts related to being a good sport. Because although WARMACHINE is all about Page 5, Page 5 only works if WARMACHINE is played by gamers who are able to use basic social skills. Remember people, this is about about FUN!

ADVERSITY

Adversity for Achievement

Success in life depends upon being strong people with clear goals and indomitable spirits. Unfortunately most of us aren't born that way. We grow that way. And that growth can either come from us entering willfully into situations that will cause us to grow, like subscribing to a self-help program, or from the way we react when circumstances come upon us without our consent. The latter is what we call adversity. Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid adversity, and I guess that is just as well. We shouldn't pursue adversity, but when she arrives, we should welcome her as a foe who, though our interaction with her, will make us into better people. Every contact we have with adversity gives us again the opportunity to grow personally and professionally and to forge our character into one that will achieve much later on. With that in mind, here are some thoughts on adversity, and how it can help you to succeed in every area of your life and achieve your dreams.

• Adversity brings out our resources. Horace said "Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it." When everything is going well, we coast. There isn't a lot of stress, and we don't have to draw too much on the resources that reside within us. But when adversity comes we begin to draw upon each and every resource that we have in order to conquer the circumstances at hand. Adversity then, keeps us sharp. It keeps us using our personal muscle, if you will. That is a good thing because we grow through the use of our resources.
• Adversity brings us together with others. Sure a team can have their problems with each other, but when they step on the court, when they experience the adversity of facing another obstacle, they pull together. One for all and all for one, as they say. The next time you experience adversity of some kind, keep your eyes open for how it can bring you together with your family, your co-workers or your team. Then when you are through it, you will find a bond that was created that wasn't there before.
• Adversity makes us better people with stronger characters. Never underestimate the power of adversity to shape us inwardly. How will courage, discipline and perseverance ever flourish if we are never tested? After adversity, we come out stronger people and able then to use our character and influence in an even greater way to lead those around us and to improve their lives as well as our own.
• Adversity makes life interesting. John Amatt said, "Without adversity, without change, life is boring." How true. Have you noticed that while we are in the middle of adversity we only long to get out of it, but we then spend a lifetime recounting it to anyone who will listen? This is because it spices life up a little. Imagine how boring life would be if everything always went well, when there was never a mountain to be climbed.

Weekly Wierd Speculation

Captian Rengrave will reappear in the future with a Cryxian Freebooter, currupted to his will after Shay sent him to Davey's Jones locker.