The Secrets of My Success: The Story of Boost Juice, Juicy Bits and All

Chapter 7

Power blends

The recipes in this chapter are all about giving yourself that extra edge, and really boosting yourself and your business. I talk about bigger picture issues such as principles, respect and credibility, as well as the two most important factors in building your brand — communication and customers.

Assumptions

Are your feelings getting in the way of the facts?

You’ve probably heard that to assume makes an ASS out of YOU and ME. Believe it. When you make assumptions, you let emotions colour your view of a situation. Emotions can blind the smartest people. Some of the assumptions you make about others might be wrong.

Check yourself: are you an emotional person? Do you react to situations, or do you respond? If you react, don’t!

A reaction is explosive. There have been times when I’ve been told a story by one person and reacted by ringing another to blast that person. Then, when the second person’s side of the story is put forward, I’m left feeling foolish. People don’t necessarily mean to lie; they may only give you their version of events — a filtered view. When you’re handed the objective facts of a situation, or told both sides of the story, a knee-jerk reaction is often out of place. A response is more measured. In this case, you wait until both sides of the story are in front of you before choosing how to reply.

There’s no doubt about which of these actions is more professional. Be a person who responds, rather than reacts. Learn to sleep on situations. ...