Tip: Learn to be sharp!
Tip of the Week
05/06/13
Tip: Learn to be sharp!
Years ago I heard a motivational speaker by the name of Les Brown share his life story. It was fascinating and he held my attention the entire time he was speaking. He made a comment in his presentation that I will never forget. He said, “You can always teach a hungry person how to become sharp, but you can never teach a sharp person how to become hungry.”
He then explained that being hungry means having a desire to learn and grow. It means that you are committed to developing and using the tools, gifts and abilities you have been given to make life more meaningful for yourself and leave the world a better place. It means that you are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
Les talked about the fact that hungry people are the ones who have the most potential to achieve greatness in life, but in order to really succeed; it takes more than hunger alone. It is also necessary to become sharp. Since I believe that you are already a hungry person, I thought I would share some thoughts with you about becoming sharp.
Over the years, I have studied what it means to be sharp. I don’t think it has anything to do with trying to become better than another person. It has more to do with learning how to compete against yourself to become all that you were meant to be. I don’t know where I came across it or otherwise I would give credit for it, but I saw an acronym for the word “SHARP” that really does sum up how to become a sharp person.
The letter S stands for stories. A sharp person is able to tell a story and make a point with the story. Everyone is always fascinated when they hear a good story. Story telling has been one of the best methods of passing along great information for centuries. Sharp people and leaders are good story tellers and communicators.
The letter H stands for humor. Learn how to laugh. Everybody loves to laugh. People work fifty weeks a year in order to take two weeks of vacation so they can have a little bit of fun. Humor, perhaps more than anything else, keeps us young at heart. When we laugh, endorphins flood our body and cause us to feel healthier. Laughter is indeed like medicine! Sharp people know how to be light-hearted and laugh and have good clean fun!
The letter A stands for analogies or illustrations. It is great to be able to have clarity that causes everything to make sense. Think about some of the best teachers you had in school. They didn’t frustrate you, but helped you learn, using information that you already understood. An illustration teaches us how to make sense out of a new or unfamiliar aspect of life. An illustration is simply a picture in words. I certainly think that is a fitting description. Sharp people know how to use analogies and illustrations to help other people better understand what they are talking about.
The letter R stands for references. If you are going to be a sharp person, you should be able to speak accurately in order to communicate the factual truth of what you are saying. We live in a world today where people can “Google” information while you are talking. Because of the nature of information, if you are not accurate and honest when you speak, it will not be long before people will doubt what you are saying is true. Sharp people know how to be honest and give accurate, clear information.
The letter P stands for pictures – both verbal and written. Sometimes drawing a picture or using a chart or diagram is helpful for clarity. And, yes, the spoken word can be used to paint pictures as well. We have all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” A good physical picture many times says more in one quick glimpse than anyone could say by using a lot of words. Sharp people know how to draw pictures and charts – maybe not like an artist, but at least well enough to clarify situations for other people, sort of like a good map. Sharp people know how to use pictures effectively to explain clearly what they mean.
There you have it! Those are five clear ways that you can use to be “SHARP.” I believe if you are reading this Tip, you are already hungry; otherwise you wouldn’t be trying to learn or grow. Yes, I am talking about you! I am glad that you are the kind of person who wants to have a better life and wants to see things accomplished. The areas of life in which we are all interested are our personal relationships, our personal health, our faith and our financial future, as well as reaching our goals and dreams. And all of that comes about by learning how to be sharp.
Why not take a few minutes this week to ask yourself if there is one area that you could work on to make things better in your life. It takes so little to be extra special in anything that you do. It has been my experience that most people do as little as possible to get by, rather than trying to seek to do a little more each day in order to make their daily life better.
You have it in you to become sharp. I believe you will do whatever it takes to do just that. I hope I have accurately communicated my own hunger for your success and given you some tools to help you become sharp this week!
Tip: Learn to be sharp!
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
