Be A Class Act by Sue Courtney

Be A Class Act
And inspire others to follow your example

“In every society, there are “human benchmarks” – certain individuals whose behaviour becomes a model for everyone else – shining examples that others admire and emulate. We call these individuals “class acts”.”

Dan Sullivan – cofounder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.

If you have written down your goals and you are actively taking steps to achieve them then you are already in the top 3% of the population. You know how to dress for your shape and you are taking steps to organise your life and improve it. Why not take the next step and become an inspirational “class act”?

Do you know someone who is dignified in all circumstances and just oozes style and grace? That could be you. We can all strive to become that icon, the person people look to as an example of impeccable integrity. Dan Sullivan has identified several characteristics to guide the rest of us as we move into our greatness,

• Establish your own code of high standards that you live by. They will be more exacting and demanding than the standards of those around you and you consciously choose to live by them in your everyday life.
• Be dignified and graceful under pressure. Have the confidence to maintain your standards at all times and inspire others. When life seems to fall apart around you  and you need to rise to the occasion, do it with style. That means no blame. Hold your head up and accept responsibility.
• Inspire others. Become a role model for others to emulate.
• Be compassionate and courteous at all times.
• Increase the quality of experiences for yourself and others. Consciously seek to enrich the experience of life for yourself and others by becoming aware of the potential joy and beauty in all situations.
• Show courtesy, respect, appreciation, gratitude and generosity of spirit at all times.
• Take 100% responsibility for your actions. Be honest about failures but realise that they are opportunities for learning and development. Welcome them.
• Give an ‘extra mile’ level of friendship and service to all – including yourself. Cultivate the habit of giving at least one genuine compliment each day to someone you interact with during the day (it could be a member of your family, a friend, colleague or a stranger ) – include yourself in this too!. You will feel good for giving the compliment and the recipient will feel good too.
• Better than a compliment is an acknowledgement. Compliments are wonderful and are usually about what the person has or does. An acknowledgement is more about who the person is. So instead of saying , “That was a great meal”, you could say “That was a wonderful meal – it tasted delicious and your attention to detail meant it looked superb too”.
• Express your uniqueness and, in so doing, give others the freedom to express theirs too. Also, be proud of the characteristics that make you unique – the world needs your special gifts and talents. Rejoice in being different and having the confidence to do things your way.
• Be an energy creator not an energy drainer. Think positive thoughts and encourage others to be the best they can.
• You have heard of the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is good advice, but there is a Platinum Rule which all class acts seek to use – do unto others as they want to be done unto! How much better to have taken the trouble to work out how a person would like to be treated. What an honour to know you are that important!

If you choose to live by a higher set of standards, others will respond positively to you because you seek to bring out the best in them. As you expand your own sense of possibilities you enable others to see expanded possibilities in their own lives. You expect to behave with integrity and responsibility towards others and yourself. You also expect others to treat you this way.

It is perfectly possible to reinvent yourself as a class act by doing fewer things to a higher standard. Raise the quality of your attitude – to yourself, your surroundings and others – and watch your life move forward. As I have mentioned before – treat yourself as you would an honoured friend and treat everyone else like that too.

Begin by treating yourself with respect and esteem at all times. Dress well, eat well and aim to conduct yourself with refinement and style. Expect the best of yourself and for yourself.

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Treat everyone around you with love, dignity and respect. In this way you show them how to raise their standards. It is also a fact that if you treat yourself with care and others with care, they will treat you with care too. Expect this to be the case on all occasions. Even when you are treated with less than hoped for respect and courtesy, a class act will always maintain their dignity and treat others well.

Class acts command a certain level of respect because they have established high standards of personal behaviour towards others as well as themselves.

So - What do you think?
I would love to read your comments.

Copyright - Sue Courtney, Success & Image Ltd. All rights reserved.