The Noticer is part auto-biographical, part fiction, and all inspiring. It is the story of “Jones,” a mysterious old man who has a knack for showing up at just the right time in people’s lives. He notices stuff—stuff that they miss. And he gives them the one thing we all so often need: perspective.
Everything in life is based on this single concept and everything that happens in your life is a result of prior actions and decisions.
I’d like to share some influential quotes that I highlighted throughout reading this book:
- “It may look like barren sand to you, son, but nothing could be further from the truth. I say to you that, as you lay your head down tonight, you are sleeping on fertile ground.Think. Learn. Pray. Plan. Dream. For soon. . . you will become.”(p. 9)
- “Remember, what you focus on increases.”(p. 13)
- “It’s time to stop letting your history control your destiny.” (p. 13)
- “People are either in a crisis, coming out of one, or headed for one.” (p. 31)
- “Worry is just imagination used in an unproductive way.” (p. 51)
- “Many of life’s treasures remain hidden because we never search for them.” (p. 83)
- “If you are still here, then you have not completed your life’s purpose.” (p. 83)
- “Big stuff is made up of small stuff, so you better sweat the small stuff!” (p. 103)
- “We often judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions.” (p. 111)
- “If you want folks to believe in you, then it really helps if they like you.” (p. 136)
- “Life is a little like dessert. Keep your fork; the best is yet to come!” (p. 149)
- “In desperate times, much more than anything else, folks need perspective.” (p. 154)
If you are in a difficult situation right now, your bad choices and decisions have had a part in getting you where you are. However, where you are RIGHT NOW is exactly where you should be in order for a future to occur that you can’t even imagine at this point. Tony Robbins moved from a tiny apartment into a castle within 12 months.
The decisions you make today impact your future.
Is there a specific experience in your life that made absolutely no sense to you at the time it was happening, but now you know that it was necessary for you to experience it in order for you to get where you are today?
I know for me, there have been various points in my life that I had no idea if I was ever going to become something. My freshman and sophomore years of college were based on me trying to get drunk and really no plans were made for my future. All I cared about was what I would be doing on that weekend or as soon as I got out of classes. It wasn’t until I was in my last semester at Broome Community College that I decided that I was going to pursue business and started my quest to where I am at today. Little did I know that reading “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” would change my life so much!
Who is responsible for your success?
In chapter 2 of this book, the “Noticer” Jones avoids taking credit for Andy’s(main character) success. Jones found Andy when Andy was living underneath a pier at the ocean, all hope lost in his life and ready to give up. Jones took time out of his day to notice Andy and to provide him with 3 biographies of people who have gone through difficult times and come out ahead. These books provided Andy with some basic knowledge about what it takes to overcome obstacles and come out ahead. Jones continued to provide Andy with various books and eventually Andy noticed some similar traits of all the people he was reading about and started to take on these traits, eventually leading him out of his pier-home and into a house, a good job and a loving family!
Sure, it was Jones who was providing Andy with the books containing this knowledge, but who is really responsible for Andy’s success? You guessed it! Andy is responsible for his success because he took action!
A little trick for getting results is belief in yourself + action.
The same is true for you, you alone are responsible for your own success. If you truly want to accomplish something, you can. It takes patience, perseverance and hard work but if you are willing to work, you can do anything you want.
I also learned a lot about the four dialects
I honestly was kind of aware of these, just not in the way that @AndyAndrews clarifies. The four dialects are:
- Spoken words of approval
-the dialect that is spoken and understood by these people is one of words showing that you care such as “I love you” or “you are doing great”. The spoken word is what is most important to this type of person and when interacting with people like this, be sure to speak words of approval to these people. No matter how many people tell this type of person how great they are, or how much they love them, if their spouse or someone they would like to say these things doesn’t, this type of person will not feel loved by that individual person. - Favors and deeds
-People who interact with this dialect are the individuals who feel love by having things done for them. Instead of necessarily just saying “I love you”, these people would rather have the dishes done or that bush in front of their house trimmed to look nicer. If you are continually asked to do certain things for someone, try doing those things and see how the other person reacts. - Physical contact
-the way that physical contact works is a quick back rub, head scratching, hugs or kisses. People who speak this dialect tend to feel most loved when affection is expressed in this form. - Love expressed in quality time
-to these types of individuals, it doesn’t matter if you touch them, do something for them, or tell them repeatedly that you love them The only thing that matters is quality time together. If someone has said to you “I wish we spent more time together” or something along these lines, this person craves time alone with only you. This is how their love is expressed. To express your care for this type of person, you must give them periods of undivided attention, listening to the details of their day, their dreams and concerns. .
By learning these dialects, you can often save relationships by learning to communicate in these different dialects and learn what the other person reacts the best to. In the book, a marriage is saved by learning about these types of dialects. The man reacts to spoken words of approval and his wife reacts to favors and deeds. Jones helps this couple to identify these different dialects and by noticing these, the couple is able to start to resolve the planned divorce. The man commits to start helping out with doing some dishes, cooking and cleaning a little more and the woman promises to start adding a few words of admiration towards her husband. Sometimes recognizing these simple dialects can help save a marriage or help your relationships with friends/family.
This book is based on the concept of Perspective and how it affects every decision in our life.
While Andy and Jones are sitting on the beach, Jones pulls out some Vienna sausages and sardines. When he asks Andy what he is eating and where he is eating it, Andy replies “Okay. I am eating sardines and Vienna sausages. In the sand.”
Jones’ response to this question was “I dined on surf and turf with an ocean view.”
It’s all about perspective.
This is a quick read and one that will make you take a different look at where you are and help you along your journey. I highly recommend it.
You can get the book from Amazon by clicking the picture below:
Personal Rating for this book: [rating:5]
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