Mr. Achievement – Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #63

Position Yourself To Be Loyal

Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to. (Alfred A. Montapert)

Some Definitions

Animals – An animal organism other than a human, especially a mammal.

Rely / Reliable – That may be relied on; dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc.:. To depend confidently; put trust in. To place or have faith or confidence. To trust (someone) to do something; To be certain that (something will happen).

Many – Constituting or forming a large number; numerous. A large or considerable number of persons or things. The greater part of a group.

Full – Completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to utmost capacity. Complete; entire; maximum. Of the maximum size, amount, extent, volume.

Love – A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another. A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection. Strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything.

True – Real; genuine; authentic. Sincere; not deceitful. Being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something. Being in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact; not false.

Affection(s) – Fond attachment, devotion, or love. A tender feeling toward another; fondness.

Predictable – To declare or tell in advance; prophesy; foretell. To state, tell about, or make known in advance, especially on the basis of special knowledge. To foretell the future; make a prediction.

Action(s) – Something done or performed; act; deed. Habitual or usual acts; conduct. An exertion of power or force.

Grateful – Warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful. Appreciative of benefits received; thankful.

Loyal – Faithful to one’s oath, commitments, or obligations. Characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.. Faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity.

Difficult – Not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard. Hard to deal with or get on with.

Standard(s) – Something considered by an authority or by general consent as a basis of comparison; an approved model. A rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment. Those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable.

People – Persons indefinitely or collectively; persons in general. Persons, whether men, women, or children, considered as numerable individuals forming a group. The persons of any particular group, company, or number.

Live – To maintain or support one’s existence; provide for oneself. To continue to have life; remain alive. To continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last.

Up To – To, toward, or in a more elevated position. In continuing contact, esp. as reflecting continuing awareness, knowledge, etc.. Into or in activity, operation, etc..

Source: Dictionary.com

What Does This Quote Suggest?

To me, it suggests something that others may NOT get out of the quote.

• It suggests, to me, that groups that are normally thought of as “lower level thinker” (i.e. animals, as opposed to human beings)., find the concept of loyalty easier to live by. For example, once your dog decides to become loyal to you, that dog will probably defend you, all the way to its death. I don’t know of very many human beings who would match that level of loyalty.

• It also suggests to me what the true nature of loyalty is. The true nature of loyalty is that someone will defend you, no matter what. Because they will defend you, no matter what, their actions become predictable, as their actions will always show their gratitude for what you’ve done and their loyalty for the things you promise to do.

Is That Level Of Loyalty A Good Things?

Yes and no.

Personally, I believe that level of loyalty is indeed a VERY good thing.

HOWEVER, loyalty, must be earned, not just given freely.

To blindly follow someone, NO MATTER WHAT, is not healthy. It is a bad thing. To be able to follow someone completely, BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXPRESSED ADMIRABLE IDEALS AND YOU BELIEVE IN THOSE IDEALS, is a great thing. It is one of the most powerful of things.

THAT, IS WHAT LOYALTY IS ABOUT.

Loyalty Is Not Owed

Contrary to some people’s opinions, I do NOT believe that loyalty is owed to anyone. As stated before, loyalty is something you earn. IF you take the necessary actions to earn another’s loyalty, THEN that person does NOT “owe” you the loyalty, instead they give it to you freely, because you’ve earned it.

THAT IS THE CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE.

That’s What Separates The Animals From Us Humans

Animals give not give loyalty out of blind faith. They give loyalty to a person because they’ve earned it. For example, if you’ve saved the life of an animal that was starving, in their mind, you’ve earned their loyalty. They will do anything for you, because you did anything for them.

HOWEVER, to sit there and say I deserve your loyalty simply because I am superior to you on the “food chain” and to then get upset if we do NOT receive that level of loyalty back is ridiculous.

Positioning Yourself To Be Loyal

To me, there are 2 sides to positioning yourself to be loyal.

• You must position yourself to be worthy of any loyalty you might be able to receive from those around you. I call this “Downstream Loyalty.”

• You must also position yourself to be ready, at a moment’s notice, to give loyalty to those who have helped us before; to those whom are deserving of that loyalty.I call this “Upstream Loyalty.”

As so many things in life, loyalty works both ways.  We would all do well to remember that.

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