Information or Misinformation

The Misinformation Age

We left the information age and are living in the misinformation age. Misinformation is available everywhere and few of us can even recognize it. The right information is extremely valuable and the key not only to success but also to leaving a lasting legacy. Everything worthwhile pursuing starts with getting the right information. Misinformation is full of untruths, keeping us in dark places and struggling to make ends meet. The right information will always lead us to the right destination. If the right information is so critical, then how does one go about acquiring it and applying it in our day to day lives? Here is the process, the sequence for going from the right information to leaving a lasting legacy.

Information>Thinking>Actions>Results>Habits>Character>Legacy

1.      Right information. The best investment we can make is in acquiring the right information. Yes, the right information is not an expense, it is an investment. There is no other investment that provides as high a return as an investment in the right information. The right information can only come from the right sources; proven and tested sources. The right information leads to the right thinking.

2.      Right thinking. The right thinking comes from studying and fully understanding the value of the right information. Take the time to reflect, the time to process the information and its implications in everything you are involved with. Learn to think like great and successful thinkers. Faulty thinking comes from using misinformation. Right thinking is absolutely critical to taking the right actions.

3.      Right actions. The right actions come from the application of the knowledge gained from studying and analyzing the right information and thinking. The right actions are the responses to the right thinking. The wrong actions are the reactions to the wrong thinking. The word of advice here is that it requires faith and courage to take the right course of actions. The right actions can only lead to the right results.

4.      Right results. The right actions can only lead to the right results. There is a delay in seeing the right results from the right actions due to the time delay and the compounding effect from the right actions. The right results boost our self-esteem, build confidence and start to build our competence and capabilities. A string of great results is habit forming, and it becomes is critical to building our character and our reputation. As we fully comprehend the impact of the right results, coming from the application of a proven process, we start forming the right habits.

5.      Right habits. Good habits are hard to make and easy to break. Bad habits are easy to make and hard to break. Habits either make us or they break us. Bad habits are natural to us while good habits must be intentional. We have the natural propensity towards the wrong habits. The world provides all we need to acquire the wrong habits. It take discipline to stay the course, to follow the right principles, take the right actions, recognize and value the right results, if we have a shot at creating the right habits. We become known for the results we produce, the fruits of our labor. The right habits create our character and our reputation.

6.      Right character. Character is who we really are and reputation is who the world thinks we are. Focus on your character and the reputation will take care of itself. Reputation is fragile and that is why the right character is critical. We live in a negative and misinformed world. People of character are expected to be believed, and when they are not, they let time prove them right. People with the right character and so few and that is why they leave lasting legacies. Abe Lincoln and Gandhi are two that come to mind.

7.      Lasting legacy. Who does not want to leave a legacy for centuries to come? We all do. Yet, few understand the process to get to a rich legacy. Few are willing to get the right information, few are willing to take the time to think properly, few  have the courage to take the right actions even if unpopular, few are willing to act long enough to get the right results, even fewer are willing to build a great character, and the very few that do, end up leaving a lasting legacy. I hope you are one to those individuals who will leave a lasting legacy. The world needs more people like you.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others

Carlos Fontana

Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust"

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious"

“Managers influence numbers, leaders influence people by inspiring them to pursue excellence”