Assumptions Are Conversation Killers

In my work as an executive coach I have found that the single biggest mistake that people make is assuming that competence and performance are their ticket to success; when in fact they are merely the price of admission. Most people are good performers. It's a huge mistake to think that good performance is the only element of a successful career.

It takes a combination of self confidence, positive personal impact, outstanding performance, communication skills and interpersonal competence to succeed in your career and life. People who are successful in their lives and careers have mastered all of these five elements, and excel in one or two

of them.
Outstanding performance is very important to career and life success. It's at the heart of the five success elements. No one can be successful without being a highly competent, outstanding performer. The incompetents and poor performers get identified and asked to leave or are placed in marginal positions pretty quickly. However, don't forget the other four. You also have to be self confident, make a positive personal impact, have highly developed communication skills and act in an interpersonally competent manner if you are going to succeed. These four elements are necessary complements to
outstanding performance.

This article is about how assumptions can kill communication.

The ability to engage in meaningful conversation is a key communication success skill. As I always tell my executive coaching clients, assumptions can kill a conversation. As I write this, I'm reminded of one of my favorite George Bernard Shaw plays, You Never Can Tell.

Mr. Bohun is a character in the play. He is a know-it-all. He repeats the line, "you think you do, but you don't" several times in the play.

What does this have to do with assumptions? Everything, in my book. As we engage people in conversation, we often think we know everything about them - their backgrounds, motivations, likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, we think we do, but usually we don't.

Here is a story that I often tell when I am speaking to my executive coaching clients.

Rob Likoff is a friend of mine. He is a partner in a very successful internet marketing services business, Group DCA. Rob lives in New York City and is a huge New York Knicks fan. That is a tough road these days. If you're not a basketball fan, the Knicks are the professional basketball team in New York.

Rob is such a fan that he has Knicks' vanity license plates on both of his cars. These plates have the Knicks logo in the middle. One has the letters FST BRK (fast break - a basketball term) on either side of the logo. The other has the letters SLM DNK (slam dunk - another basketball term) on either side of the logo.

One day, Rob was with a woman basketball They were going to lunch, and were taking his car with the SLM DNK plates. As they approached the car, she said, "Have you met many women with your license plate?"

Rob thought this was kind of strange, and said, "No, why do you ask?"

She replied, "Because of what it says."

Rob said, "What do you think it says?"

She said, "Simple, Single Ladies Man, Divorced No Kids."

Pretty bizarre, right? Wrong. Both Rob and his clients thought they knew what the license plate said, but they didn't. Rob is a basketball fan. He assumed that anyone seeing a license plate with the Knicks logo in the middle and the letters SLM DNK would automatically know that it meant "slam dunk."

His client was a 30 something, single woman. She had mentioned to him on another occasion that she feels her biological clock ticking. She would like to get married and start a family. If you look at it from her point of view, you can see where "slam dunk" would mean "single ladies man, divorced no kids."

In other words, they both thought they knew, but they didn't.

And that's the basketball sense point here. Assumptions can really derail a conversation. Don't make assumptions about the other person when you are in conversation. If you find you are making assumptions, test them out. Ask, "Why do you thing that is so?" Remember, in many cases you really don't know what the other person is thinking or feeling. To quote Bernard Shaw, "You think you do; but you don't."

What Comic Value Entails

It's always good to have your comic book appraised by a professional if you are looking to sell it. Comic Value would help you understand what you have in your comic book. There are specifications on how your comic book must look. basketball glossy cover and the brightly filled pages must still look as good as new or like they have never been read before, even if they have. In fact most people that keep the rare editions or collector's comics usually have two of the same comic. That means one was for reading and the other for safe keeping.

Most of the time you basketball find that the one for reading is different from the one that is all wrapped up in a clean sealed environment and kept in mint condition. This kind of time and conditioning that is given to the comic books can only be done by someone who loves comics and has the dedication to keep his or her comic book in the right conditions, atmosphere and surely knows the comic value. Such people get the comic book appraised and then put in time and money to make sure that the comic is in mint condition. Some of them even showcase their comic in conventions on comic books and superheroes. The comic value goes even higher when more people get to view it and cannot get a hold of another copy anywhere.

It is important to make sure that you keep your comic away from any wet atmosphere or to keep it sealed tight in its case or plastic sleeve if you intend to keep it for a while. Also note that you must keep checking online for more news on how much your comic book is valued.

Peter Gitundu Researches And Reports On Coin Collecting. For more information on comic value, Visit His Site At COMIC VALUE Feel Free To Post Your Views About comic value On My Blog Here COMIC VALUE

Where to Play Basketball During the Winter Season

You're twenty three and in basketball athletic prime right? Unfortunately you are not Lebron twenty three, probably meaning basketball your face isn't gracing the TV screen that often. Maybe you're a college basketball player who took the extended stay package and has a nice warm gym to perfect your stroke. However,the majority of us are stuck with a winter time problem. The NBA is starting along with the NCAA, and our basketball fever is slowly becoming a product of the cold weather. So what do the out of high school, out of college kids do with the blacktop not really being an option? Here is a guide to making sure you don't lose a step during street ball off season.

You can sign up at a YMCA or a 24hour fitness. YMCA's the place to find some of the Bay Area's best pick up. From some of the best high school basketball players in your area to bone bruising 40 year old men, YMCA's host some tough competition. 24 Hour Fitness's are good places for active indoor runs. However the courts are sometimes very small and packed with 2- 5 team waits. Signing a contract with either one of these gyms can be relatively expensive but very much worth it since you are almost guaranteed to find basketball players to play with.

You can sign up for Fall/Winter Recreation Leagues. Connect with your local YMCA or Community Center to inquire about sign ups. Players can find access to league information through their city's park and recreation websites. From there find the main contact, that is responsible for the sign up process. Ask about the rules, regulations, competition level, price and schedule of the league; these will give you a better indication if the league is right for you.

Local churches have runs all the time, especially in San Francisco. Just make sure to understand the requirements. Sometimes you have to be part of the church or have to pay a small fee. Whatever you do be well behaved...you're in church.

Recreation Centers are great for competitive open runs. At some rec or community centers you can play at anytime for free. Others you may have to pay a small amount. And others may have set times for open runs. Make sure you check with your local recreation center to understand their hours and guidelines. Also check out our courts page to find a recreation center near you.

Your final option is to suck it up and play outside. The blacktop is open all year round!

Brenton Gieser is a contributing blogger to BlackTopHoops, the ultimate blog for street, recreation and pick up basketball. On Blacktop Hoops you will find articles on: improving your game, the newest basketball kicks and gear, the best leagues, tournaments and courts to play at and much more!

For more tips on how to improve your basketball game for the blacktop or the hardwood visit http://BlacktopHoops.com and subscribe to our free feeds.

Jumping High - Cutting Cardio

Most athletes utilize explosive exercises in training for their sport. And rightly so. Most sports movement is fast, so it is important basketball increase the ability to generate force quickly. Many athletes, however, do not realize that when training for explosiveness, they are primarily training the nervous system. The speed of the activation of motor units is the biggest factor that affects explosive ability.

The nervous system will adapt to whatever demands are placed on it. If an athlete consistently performs power lifts like the clean and snatch as a part of training, that athlete's nervous system will learn to activate fast, powerful muscle contractions. On the other hand, when that same athlete goes for a light jog at the end of a workout in order to burn a few extra calories, the nervous system is being taught to activate slower, less forceful muscle contractions. This is detrimental to the athlete's cause.

Given this information, it is important that you pay attention to what signals you send your body during training and during daily life. For example, basketball am a college student; I often bike to my classes or to the YMCA to coach basketball. Every time I get on my bike it pains me to know that I am about to use relatively slow, weak muscle contractions. Often times I will use short bursts of hard pedaling followed by cruising just to feel better. Also, when doing lower body strength training, my goal is always to move the weight as fast as possible. Settling for just getting the rep completed is not good enough when my primary goal is to jump higher. Jumping is a maximum effort activity, so nothing less should be used in training.

If you are addicted to jogging or love jumping on the stationary bike, don't expect maximum results in training for jumping or any explosive activity. Any training of submaximal effort will be detrimental to your efforts. Jumping is not a measure of endurance; it is a measure of high performance. Your jump training should reflect that.

I am a college student and former D3 basketball player. I have given up basketball and now focus solely on jumping higher. I have been successful at times; I have reached a 43 inch vertical. I have compiled all the information I have learned over the years on my blog http://verticalleaptraining.blogspot.com

A Kayak For Spring Training

Spring means getting outdoors and working new exercises into your usual fitness routine. You may get the bicycle out of basketball and start enjoying some fresh air during your daily or weekly exercise habit. There's nothing like cycling to work the lower body large muscles, but what have you got planned for your upper body workout?

Ever heard of Kayaking?

Kayaking is a sport that requires both strength and endurance. It does an excellent job of developing the shoulders, chest and back while providing for your requisite cardio needs.

Kayaking can be done on any body of water and most often a lake, river, or in the ocean. It is usually distinguished from canoing by the fact that a kayak body has a closed cockpit while the canoe is open.

Divers and fisherman use kayaks as do adventure sportsman because of the kayak's adaptability and range of touring. Kayaking as a sport has grown tremendously in popularity which has, unfortunately, driven up the cost of equipment over the last several years.

An entry level kayak of the inflatable variety can be purchased for about $250. This style and quality of kayak is often available from sporting goods stores or at a merchandiser like Costco. You will find less expensive versions, but just as you probably wouldn't buy the $59 bicycle to get started, neither should you purchase the cheapest boat if you really plan to try and make kayaking part of your fitness regimen. When you get serious, $750 to $999 can get you into a single-man boat suitable for recreational use at all skill levels whether lake or ocean paddling. Prices increase for superior equipment and depending on the classification.

The more expensive models are lighter and easier to maneuver in and out of the water. They also become more stable as the engineering improves. Should you become a serious kayaker and want better equipment, consider purchasing a used kayak to get a better price point.

There are five basic categories for kayaks based upon the end use. General recreation, day trip or light touring models, expedition touring, whitewater and surf models round out the five classifications. Usability in each class affects price.

Though kayaking can be expensive, it doesn't have to be. Nor does it have to happen in major rapids to be beneficial to your strength and endurance levels. It's a great upper body workout for anyone. For fitness purposes, kayaking is actually well suited to still water like lakes while rivers provide their own tests. And of course, it requires strength, endurance and the ability to make calculated choices in order to navigate successfully and safely.

So if you enjoy exercise outdoors and more importantly, you enjoy the water, add kayaking to your health and fitness routine this year.

Before going out on the water, you must wear original kayaking art when paddling. See Purple Arts for fun kayaking t-shirts and "Get your Art On!" K.L. Amadio is a freelance writer and webmaster of Alternatively-Healthier, your source for herbal remedies, alternative medicine and supplement information