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Critical of the critique

April 21, 2011 By 10 Comments

What to do?  What to do?

What am I talking about?  What am I contemplating?  Well, a lot of times, I have friends who ask me to critique work that they have done.  Primarily, people ask me to look over their website and critique it.  Basically, what does critique mean?  Well me it means to take a critical look at the work and offer tips or suggestions on how to improve parts of the work that are in need of more attention.  In other words, you must be critical of the work.

Critique Magazine

Critique Magazine

Eye of the Critique

Eye of the Critique

Problem is, even though who ask for a critique often don’t take the “critical” part very well.  In fact, when you come back and offer your analysis of the work, if you point out anything negative about the work, often you offend the person.  But, honestly, giving the critique should point out the weaknesses, because that is what you have to do to help your friend improve on what he has already done.  You are not trying to put down on the person who did the work, you are trying to help them make it better.

So, it makes me wonder, are they looking for a critique, or are they really trying to get you to look at their work and tell them how good it is?  Maybe they aren’t looking for suggestions on how to improve the work, rather they are looking for praise for a “job well done,” but were afraid to phrase it that way.

I know that I am nearly always wary of offering a critique, even when I have been asked to do so.  This is especially true if the person who is asking for my critique is a good friend, or family.  I mean, I would hate to loose a friendship or a family relationship over a critique that I was asked to give.  Then again, I don’t want to lie to the person when I honestly see areas that need improvement.  Honestly, when I give a critique, I want to help the person do better, just as I would expect them to do if I asked them to critique my work.

So, what do you think?  Do you critique work for friends, family and associates?  Do you give an honest evaluation, or do you sugar coat what you say and just point out the good stuff.  If you only point out the good stuff, is that really a critique?  Is it fair?  To me, I don’t think it is.  Either one.

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Before commenting…

April 19, 2011 By 20 Comments

…you should make sure you know what you’re talking about.

Yes, if you are a smart person, it’s important to remember to withhold comment on topics if it is something that you know nothing about.  It’s better to not comment than to comment and let everybody know that you are truly a fool.

So many people offer their opinion or comment on things without having any idea on the topic.  Think of all of the things on TV.  Jay Leno has a segment called “Jay Walking” in which he shows videos of Americans commenting on topics which they obviously know nothing about.  Of course, the people come across as fools, and rightly so.

Have a look at this video.  I don’t know the origin of the video, but it appears to be a British TV station.

So, are Americans a bunch of fools?  No, I don’t think they (we) are, but I do think that a lot of Americans like to talk, and often about things of which they know nothing.  No wonder we have a reputation of being stupid.

So, remember, if you are smart, keep your mouth shut, unless you really know about the topic being discussed!

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Procrastination is a killer!

April 5, 2011 By 16 Comments

Are you a procrastinator?  Do you put off a lot of things until later, until tomorrow, or some other unspecified time or date?  If so, you are guilty of procrastinating.

We all procrastinate to some extent.  I suspect that we all procrastinate badly from time to time, and don’t do so at other times.

Although, I don’t procrastinate often, I do from time to time.  Sometimes I can’t figure out why I am procrastinating on certain projects.  It’s not like I am dreading them or anything, but on certain projects, I find myself really putting them off over and over again.

Procrastination

Procrastination

When I get into a situation like this, I will let it slide for a while to see if my mood improves and I am able to go forward with the project willingly.  However, if the procrastination continues for more than a few days, I have to force myself to get started on the project.  One thing that is interesting is that if I force myself to get started, once I have started, I am over the hump and usually I have a real desire to move forward and finish the project.  So, the procrastination was only a non-visible barrier and once I pushed through the barrier it completely dissolved.

I'll do it tomorrow

I'll do it tomorrow

Some people are perpetual procrastinators.  I am glad that I am not like that.  One area where I see a lot of procrastination among people is in the area of business and such things.  Often, when I talk to people, they lament how they had ideas for a business, or for a product, but they never did it.  They always say “if only” I had done x or y, I’d be rich.  Things like that.  But, over the years, they kept pushing the idea for a few more months, or until “next year.”  Let me tell you, friends, if you have what you think is a great idea, and you don’t pursue it, you will have regrets for the rest of your life, and you will end up being one of those people who is always wondering what would have come of it if you had only tried.

Remember, you will never be great if you do nothing.

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Don’t be cheap

April 1, 2011 By 12 Comments

Getting a good deal is a good thing in most cases.  Buying the cheapest thing available is usually not good, though.  Why?  Because often the cheapest version of something has little value and ends up breaking quickly.

Just the other day,  I wrote an article on another one of my sites about buying the right tools for your job.  In that article I talked about buying high quality tools to ensure that you are able to do your job well.  Today, here on Habits for Smart People, I want to continue that discussion, but extend it beyond your job or profession and into your daily life.

As I said in the opening paragraph, this is not about getting a good deal.  If you can find a high quality item at a deep discount, and it is something that you need, jump on it!  There can be nothing much smarter than saving money on a quality item.  But, if we are not talking about a sale price, just a very cheap “regular” price, well, the odds are that the items is a cheap knock off of the “good” quality item that you really want or need.

Counting pennies does not always pay off

Counting pennies does not always pay off

Spending more money for quality can often pay off in ways that you don’t expect.  As an example, one of my professions is a publisher of content on the web.  That’s why I am writing this very article and others that I write on my various websites.  Several years ago, I found a “theme” (a piece of software that you could use to give your website a certain look) that I found to be perfect for one of my websites.  Many, perhaps most themes are free.  This was a premium theme, and was somewhat expensive.  They also offered an “all in” package where you could spend even more money and then you would get every theme that the company ever invented in the future.  I decided to spend the money, because it was a quality product, and by spending even more, I would have full access to all of the themes that the company offered at that time and into the future.  It was a great investment, and I have made a lot of money by using the themes in the package.  I have never regretted spending the money to buy the quality themes that I purchased.

Does being cheap fill your piggy bank

Does being cheap fill your piggy bank

So, in my example, I ended up actually making money by not being cheap, and purchasing a quality product.

Being cheap is rarely inexpensive.  Usually, being cheap ends up costing you more money, because there are unintended consequences from buying the cheapest item available.  By spending more, and getting quality you can generally avoid the pitfalls that you will encounter with the cheap items that you really don’t want or need.

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Stressing over the jerks

March 22, 2011 By 2 Comments

You know, the world online is much different than the “real world.”  When people are on the Internet they will do and say things that are very rude and downright mean, things that they would never say or do to your face in the real world.

Because I operate a number of websites, some of them very large and active, I have had more than my fair share of dealing with jerks.  People who only want to cause trouble and really have nothing of interest to say or add to the discussion.  I have even dealt with people who will curse me and talk bad about me, they will say how much they hate my website, but they simply will not leave.  For example, on one of my sites there is a person who has been causing trouble for years.  He bad mouths me and has even made personal violent threats against my wife and kids.  I have banned him from the site.  He always comes back, though, under an assumed name.  If he hates me and my site so much, why can’t he stay away?

Is he addicted? It would seem so.

Being bullied is never fun

Being bullied is never fun

Dealing with people like this can be quite stressful.  There was a time when I felt considerable stress from this idiot who was harassing me online.  But, do you know what?  I gave up on even listening to him.  Yes, he still comes back to my site and stirs the pot, causing trouble.  But, when I see his hallmarks on the site, and know it is him, I just ban him again, and I don’t stress out over it.

For most of these type of jerks who live to cause trouble on the net, they are actually fairly normal people in real life.  When it comes to the Internet, though, they have some anonymity being online, because nobody knows that it is really them.  With that degree of anonymity, they go wild and cause considerable grief to others.

Bullies are jerks!

Bullies are jerks!

But, remember, if you are online and somebody starts bullying you, you are in control!  You don’t have to participate.  You don’t even have to keep visiting the website where the creep is hanging out.  If you own the website where somebody is causing trouble, you can blacklist that person.  If you are using WordPress for your site, it is simple to ban somebody, just click on the “Discussion” link in the Admin area, and add that person’s e-mail address to the “Blacklist” box at the bottom of the page.  It’s that simple.  If you use other software for your site, nearly all of the decent packages include a way to ban a bully from your site.

But, if you allow yourself to stress out over such a problem, that is a bad habit!  If you are truly a smart person, you will learn to ignore the bully, or ban him from the site so that you don’t have to deal with him.  Whatever direction you choose, just don’t stress out and let the person ruin your online experience.

Good luck to you.

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Does being smart mean that you know everything?

July 5, 2010 By 7 Comments

A lot of people, even smart people, are confused about what being smart really means.  Many people don’t really understand what it means to have a high IQ.  A lot of confusion is out there, and many people think that if a person is smart, they know everything, or at least they know a lot.  There is also the misconception that if a person holds little knowledge, they are not smart.  Both of these thoughts would be misconceptions, though.

In truth, you can be smart, yet also be ignorant.  Smart only entails the ability to learn, not that you actually have learned many things.  Having a high IQ would mean that you are able to learn, not that you have actually accomplished the task of learning.

Albert Einstein was smart and also well learned

Albert Einstein was smart and also well learned

The truth is, though, that on average, people who are smart have also gone to the trouble of learning many things.  Still, though, smart people are very likely ignorant on some subjects, even many subjects.  For example. a person may be very intelligent, yet they may also have a total lack of interest in history, and have avoided the subject, thus they might be quite ignorant on the topic.

Does your brain have the capacity to learn?

Does your brain have the capacity to learn?

Other people may have a great capacity to gain knowledge, but have lived a sheltered life that did not afford them the opportunity to learn very much in the way of a formal education.  Not having knowledge does not mean that a person is unable to learn, only that to this point they have not learned, even if they can easily do it.

So, a couple of things come to mind.  Firstly, if you are an intelligent person, it is not a good habit to get into to consider yourself a “know it all” or to think that you are overly informed on any topic under the sun.  If you give off this sort of aura, you may find it difficult to find friends, or people who even want to spend time with you.  Secondly, if you are smart, and come across another person who seems to have little knowledge, you should not assume that the person is stupid, only that they have not had the opportunity to learn the things that you know.

On the other hand, if you are only of average intelligence, or below, you should not assume that smart people know a lot more than you do, because in fact, they may not.  They only have the ability to learn more information than you do.  Being able to learn and actually doing so are not the same thing.

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Counting your chickens

June 22, 2010 By 2 Comments

I am sure that most readers have heard the old saying – “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.”  It truly is a bad habit to get into, without a doubt.

I thought of this saying just this morning when I was reviewing my earnings from some advertising that I had placed on one of my websites.  I have been using this advertiser on a number of my sites for several years now, and the income that they produce for me is very good.  I would say that they are probably my best advertiser on any of my sites, without a doubt.

Over the past two months or so, my earnings from this advertiser have really increased greatly, and very quickly.  You see, I get paid based on results.  The better the ad performs for the advertiser, the more they pay me.  If the ad is on my site, but the advertiser makes little or no money, well, like them, I make very little myself.  So, over the past couple of months I have been very happy with the performance, and with my earnings in particular.

Oops, these aren't chickens, but it's not good to count any birds before they hatch!

Oops, these aren't chickens, but it's not good to count any birds before they hatch!

However, in the past few days, I have seen a downturn in earnings.  Today, my earnings sprang back to previous levels, though, so everything is good.  But, results of the past few days left me feeling somewhat bad, because earnings that I had started counting on just were not there.

Ah, those are indeed chickens. Some have hatched, some have not!

Ah, those are chickens. Some have hatched, some have not!

That’s the bad news… I had been counting my chickens already, and they had yet to hatch!

The fact is, when we start seeing results to our hard work, it is not time to rest and watch as everything starts to pay off.  When the results start to come in, it is a good sign for us, the things we are doing are right!  However, now that the work we did has been shown to be producing the results we expected, it is time to redouble our efforts and make sure that things continue going down the right path.  If we start to rest, we will forget things.  We will become weary of hard work, and we won’t follow through.  Seeing the results that we want is a good sign that we are doing the right thing.  It should also be a sign to us that we need to keep working if we want the results to continue paying off for us.

Counting your chickens before they hatch is an old saying that might not hold much meaning for us when we think about it.  However, as with many such “old sayings” there is some truth there, and we should be sure to follow that truth.

Good luck to you with all of your projects, and keep your nose to the grindstone if you want your work to continue paying your dividends!

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A very bad habit

June 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

This site is about habits for smart people.  I do consider myself smart, and other people tell me I am smart.

Smart people can have good habits, and we should strive to keep doing these good things.  We can also have bad habits, and we should work to try to overcome our bad habits.

One bad habit is setting up a website, having good ideas on how to populate that site with informative and entertaining content, and then dropping the ball.  That is what I’ve done on this site.  I got it started, and wrote some articles, interesting ones, I hope.  But, I dropped the ball.  I stopped posting new content here.  That is something that is a bad habit, and I want to address that.

Gotta get back to the keyboard!

Gotta get back to the keyboard!

There are multiple ways to address something that has become a bad habit.  In this case, the bad habit of ignoring this site.  I can see two ways of addressing this bad habit.

  1. I can simply shut down the site and move on with something else.  By doing this, I no longer need to worry myself about needing to write articles to put here.
  2. I can push myself to change this habit, turn it around, and start posting new content here.

I choose to do #2.  I am planning to redouble my efforts and start posting content here for those who read the site to enjoy.  Frankly, I am lucky if I still have readers here, because I have ignored the site, and most readers have probably already given up on finding interesting content here.  However, there are things I can do to win readers back, and to start building up new readers here.  I intend to do those things.

Bob MartinIt takes time to build an audience, no doubt about that.  For those who are brand new at blogging, it can take a very long time.  Even if you have great content, great insight and such, it just takes time for people to find you.  In my case, it is easier to gain a loyal following of leaders, because I already have other popular sites.  By promoting this site to my already loyal readers on other sites, I can build up a following here more quickly than somebody who is just getting started.  However, the downside is that if you go to the well too often, and then you don’t delivery, well, you risk the chance of losing followers, or if they continue following you on other sites, they just won’t follow you on new sites, because they feel that you lack the commitment to keep it going.

I want to turn that around.  I want to develop a new good habit of delivering good relevant content here.

Check back and see how I do.  It is my current plan to start adding a couple of new articles here every week.  Hope to see you again!

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Are you feeling comfortable?

November 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Are you feeling comfortable?  Relaxing?  Vegging out?  It’s a nice feeling, don’t you think?  Just having the luxury of being able to spend a few hours or a day or two doing nothing.  Letting your thoughts drift wherever they may go.  It’s liberating, a true breath of pure freedom.

It’s a bad habit.

Taking a little time to feel comfortable and relish in your accomplishments is a good thing.  But, if you do it too much, it is not a good habit.  Feeling comfortable means that you are not growing, you are not challenging yourself.  You are not expanding your horizons.

 

Are you feeling comfortable, or are you floating in dangerous waters?

Are you feeling comfortable, or are you floating in dangerous waters?

Ever heard the saying, “No pain, no gain?”  It doesn’t only apply to exercise, and the “pain” is not only physical pain.  Feeling uncomfortable can be painful, but going to places (emotionally, or physically) helps you expand your horizons, makes you expand the number of situations that you feel comfortable in, and is generally a good thing for your personal development.

comfy_chairHow about “thinking outside the box,” have you ever heard of that before?  Most of us have.  But, have you ever stopped to think about what it means?  Your “box” consists of the situations that you are comfortable with.  The things you know about.  Sitting inside your box and looking out allows you to see other areas that are new to you, new situations that are different from what you have experienced.  Now that you are looking over the edge of your box and seeing new worlds on the horizon it is your choice, do you jump out of your box and go explore?  It might, probably will be uncomfortable, because you can’t be certain what to expect.  But, if you don’t experience the discomfort of making that jump, you will never know for sure what awaits you.  If you stay inside your box, you will never know what was waiting for you on the horizon.  If you are a smart person, you will never be satisfied not knowing, you will always long for the knowledge that only can be gained by experiencing some discomfort.

Every time that you move into an area where you are even a little bit uncomfortable, you are growing.  The first time that we do anything it is a somewhat uncomfortable experience, because we are venturing into the unknown.  As we continue to do this new thing over and over again, we get comfortable with it, and we know what to expect in terms of outcome.  If we continue only doing the things that we have done before, there is no personal growth there.  So, if we are smart, we will venture out and do things that are new for us, and keep growing.

So, I probably overstated the fact at the beginning of this article.  Being comfortable is not necessarily a bad habit.  We should take the time to enjoy the rewards of our lives, no doubt.  Spending time relaxing and being comfortable for a while is a chance to reap what we have sown.  The habit that is a bad habit, though, is always being comfortable, and not moving beyond the sides of our box.  Staying in the box is a waste of our intelligence and initiative.  Staying comfortable is something you want to avoid at all costs.

Do you think that it’s possible that you will ever get to the point where you are comfortable with being uncomfortable?  Thank about that!

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Finding Blame

August 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Recently, I wrote an article on another website of mine, the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine.  The site is all about expat living in the Philippines.  The article was entitled “A Bad Habit to get into.”  As a matter of fact, it was that article that got me thinking and made me decide to start this particular site.

Anyway, that article was about finding blame when things go wrong.  In particular, it was about blaming the fact that my wife and I live in the Philippines when things in our life are not just perfect.  You know the feeling… “If we had only not moved to the Philippines…”  That sort of thinking is not a good thing.  It is not productive.

Basically, in life, such blame can be placed in many different areas.  For instance, you could blame a person when things go wrong.  You could blame an event.  You could blame a thing.  Whatever, or whoever you blame, it is not productive to do so.

Following the path to personal responsibility

Following the path to personal responsibility

Blame is such a negative thought and feeling.  Taking personal responsibility is an empowering way of thinking.  When you take personal responsibility for what happens in your life, not only are you taking the blame yourself, but you are also taking the credit!  You are saying that you are in control.  Being in control is always empowering, and the right way to go, particularly for an intelligent person.

Avoid blame.  It has no productive place in your life.

Filed Under: Bad Habits, Feature Tagged With: ,
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