Tip 37 - Success using Seven, Seven Stage Models
I was at a networking event last week when someone asked me if I had heard about the ‘Seven Crises of Business Growth’. It set me to wondering and some research. The value of these kinds of models is in their ability to predict possible futures, enabling us to prepare ourselves. There are many seven stage models for Business Growth and Personal Development. The ‘Magical Number Seven’ often occurs and may be associated with the ability of our short term memory to hold information. (See "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information" by George A. Miller This, however, has been shown to be an urban legend .
Some models involve analogies or metaphor. I love the thinking they stimulate and the questions they provoke, because the answers can be really valuable. So, as an example of some of these useful models, here are seven different Seven Stage Models
My Top 7 Funny Quotes
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“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. “ Groucho Marx
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“Coffee isn't my cup of tea.” Samuel Goldwyn
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“Drawing on my fine command of the language, I said nothing.“ Robert Benchley
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“Always forgive your enemies -- Nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde
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“I really didn't say everything I said.” Yogi Berra
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“Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.” G. K. Chesterton
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“A horse may be coaxed to drink, but a pencil must be lead.” Stan Laurel
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The Retiring Carpenter Story
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. He would get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter agreed, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realise we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it again, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone once said. Your attitude and the choices you make today build the ‘house’ you live in tomorrow.
Build wisely!
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