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By Laurie Guest
Anyone who performs their work in front of others where applause is customary after completion will understand this immediately. We thrive on strangers noticing us. Athletes, actors, entertainers, and speakers are all cut from a similar cloth. We spend tremendous time alone perfecting our craft, followed by the adrenalin rush of performing, and ending with affirmation that we “done good.” Get paid, rinse, and repeat. That’s our story. When we, along with other non-essential workers, were all swept up in the stay-at-home order, we scrambled to make adjustments just like everyone else. However, the applause-based workers have one of the longest runways back to “normal,” and we are unlikely to see any large crowd engagements this calendar year. That leaves us with LOTS of time to think and cope. My way of feeling productive during a difficult time is to ponder and write. Here are the seven things I learned in the past three months... Our dog loves this new way of life. Meet Otis Campbell Guest. He is an 11–year–old schnoodle. No matter where I go in the house, I can hear the click-click of his nails following behind me. I have been with him almost 24/7 during lockdown. Don’t let his cuteness fool you! He can be a bit much. However, he is wicked smart and if we had spent more time training him, I am confident he could balance my checkbook. But, one thing we haven’t ever insisted on is staying out from under the table during meals. Now that we actually EAT three meals a day at home, this was something we HAD to fix. They say you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but that’s simply not true. In three days, we taught him that “footstool” means go to the living room—three giant steps away from the kitchen table--and sit on the footstool while we eat. (By the way, I make the whole family verbally “applaud” him every time he does it, “Good boy, Otis, good boy!” That is what makes him repeat the behavior.) Why did it take a pandemic to put that command in order? It makes me wonder if there are other things that have never bothered me quite enough to change, but would vastly improve my life. What new rule can you put in place at home or work that is long overdue? Now is the time. Our 19 year-old doesn’t love this new way of life. Allow me to introduce our daughter Ellie. She was enjoying her first year as a college student at a wonderful art school in Milwaukee. Packing up her stuff to return home early and finish her year online was disappointing, as it was for many students. She went from the freedom to control her daily activities to instantly having to follow our house rules, especially those associated with wake vs. sleep hours and time spent on homework. I quickly realized we needed middle ground for our very different lifestyles. After much consideration, we found a perfect solution. The second floor of our house includes her bedroom and a spare room turned into an “art studio.” When she is in either of those rooms, she is “in Milwaukee,” so I pretend she isn’t even here. Her choices are her own. When she comes downstairs for meals or social time, then she is “home” and I can get all up in her business just like any mom does. This concept saved our family. Once we established these boundaries, we have had very few disagreements and she was left to her own devices to finish her school year strong. It’s required each of us to give a little. But isn’t compromise what makes the world go round? What adjustments do you need to make in your workspace in order to decrease confrontation and help transitions? Hair stylists are essential. Nuff said. Some tasks won’t get done no matter how much free time we have. This lesson surprises me a just a bit. There are so many things we say we would like to do if “only we had time.” I had 12 uninterrupted weeks of time, and there are still a few things I didn’t do. Work out, organize hundreds of photos, and learn to cook better are all things I really thought I wanted to do--if only I had time. I was wrong. What surprised you during these 12 weeks? What are you wondering? I would love to hear about it and make it part of a future article. Surprise and wonderment are such interesting topics. I made the right choice with the big decision. There is no doubt that doing life with someone you love and respect is vital to happiness. It is even more important when you are locked down with that partner. Thanks to Tom, my husband of 29 years, for being a joy to be with, even if it is every minute of every day. I’m including this on my list not for you, the reader’s sake, but for mine. When I reread this post in the future, I want to be reminded that I am very lucky person and that should never be taken for granted. Is there someone in your life who deserves some praise and applause from you? Don’t delay, do it today. We are a resilient and creative human beings. Sitting back and watching the really unique and fun things that others created, either out of necessity or boredom, was amazing. In order to keep my own energy and enthusiasm alive during a challenging time, I would look for one creative thing to watch every morning to jump–start my day. Like the Mark Rober, the guy who created a squirrel obstacle course that over 23 million people have viewed. I realize the video is more than 20 minutes long, but you must watch the whole thing. I laughed and I learned. It is excellent. I even tried my own hand at a DIY project. It failed, but I turned lemons into lemonade when my friend Kay Frances interviewed me on her new series “How Hard Can It Be?” She cracks me up. Last I checked, it had 61 views so we are catching up to Mark fast. What new thing did you try? Whose creative spark made you laugh, learn, or feel something? Did you reach out to tell them how much they inspired or entertained you? Real friends appear when you need them. Staying in touch with friends through regular Zoom chats, text messages filled with funny memes, or LSD (Let’s Social Distance) parties boosted my spirits up on challenging days. In April, I made one phone call a day to a colleague in my industry to support each other. In May, I did the opposite. I tried a personal sabbatical and only connected to those who reached out to me. Here is the part that makes me very happy. The number of conversations each month were equal, meaning I “got as much as I gave.” Thank you to those who took the time to think of me and care enough to reach out. How are you giving to others? It is so true that our cup refills faster when we keep pouring out what we can to those who are thirsty. During this rough season of our lives, there are many kinds of thirst. I believe that EVERYONE needs applause in one way or another and it is our responsibility to put our hands together for each other every chance we get. Let’s go do some clapping people! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
In fall 2018, the Powerball jackpot soared to an astronomical $1.5 billion. That’s $1,500,000,000.00!!! It was so high, received so much media attention, and garnered so much word-of-mouth buzz that many individuals who never play the lottery actually purchased tickets. The lure of being a billionaire and all the travel, homes, cars, meals, pleasure, impact, joy that came with it was simply too much to resist. And yet, study after study reports that the long-term buzz and gratification from instant wealth seldom endures. Perhaps even more surprising, it often brings more agony and unhappiness into the lives of the winners than before they had won. My favorite research around this comes from a 1978 study. Let me tell you about it. Undoubtedly, upon winning the lottery the lives of individuals change in profound ways. Wondering to what degree, a group of researchers from University of Massachusetts and Northwestern University interviewed three different groups about the level of happiness in their lives: recent lottery jackpot winners; a control group of less fortunate, non-winners (in other words, you and me!); and finally, recent victims of catastrophic accidents who were now either paraplegic or quadriplegic. The basis of the comparison doesn’t seem reasonably fair. And yet the findings were stunning. Is Happiness Relative? While the lottery winners reported the most happiness in the present, it was not overwhelmingly greater than the control group, and was just slightly higher than those who had endured a past catastrophic event. And after that, the lottery winners’ luck begins to run out. Asked how they viewed their upbringing, their past circumstances, and their memories, the clear winners on the happiness scale were actually those who had endured a tragedy. In fact, these individuals largely viewed their accidents as pouring the foundation toward something bigger, better tomorrow. Finally, and perhaps most important, when asked about the happiness discovered in the mundane - in other words, the small, but enjoyable things like eating, laughing at a joke, being in nature or visiting with friends - the least happy group were...check your numbers... the lottery winners. Overall, the study found that winning the lottery didn’t increase happiness as much as researchers thought it would, and a catastrophic event didn’t make people as unhappy either. It turns out that humans have a tendency of getting used to the things that once made them happy. This bend of taking things for granted is called the hedonic treadmill. In short, the baseline of what brought happiness yesterday requires more to bring the same level of happiness today. In fact, the authors of this 1978 study explain the hedonic treadmill in this way: Eventually, the thrill of winning the lottery will itself wear off. If all things are judged by the extent to which they depart from a baseline of past experience, gradually even the most positive events will cease to have impact as they themselves are absorbed into the new baseline against which further events are judged. Thus, as lottery winners become accustomed to the additional pleasures made possible by their new wealth, these pleasures should be experienced as less intense and should no longer contribute very much to their general level of happiness. And you don’t need to be a lottery winner to be at risk of being on this treadmill. What This 1978 Study on Happiness Means in Our Lives So, what does some study about lottery winners and accident survivors mean for you? My friends, the very thing we believe will finally bring peace, satisfaction and happiness into our lives seldom does. Money is great but fleeting, and it doesn’t ultimately satisfy. Rather than bringing happiness into your life, it actually just makes you more of who you already were. On the flip side, tragic life events are unwanted, unexpected and can be unbearably difficult to endure. But even tragedy doesn’t have to derail us. While it may make present days more difficult, it also reawakens within us what actually matters most. The luckiest, most blessed, most joy-filled among us aren’t the ones smiling because they won the state lottery. No, the real winners are those of us who are aware of the miracle within the mundane, rejoice in the gift within their life, and know that the little details of life are vital and lead to the big things happening. We ultimately “win the lottery” not by picking a series of random numbers, but by taking inventory of all we have, celebrating all we’ve been given, and believing the best is truly yet to come. Today is your day. Live Inspired. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.
All of us have times when we feel like giving up. You’re discouraged, you’ve lost motivation, and quitting seems easier than hanging in there. When I experience those feelings, I remind myself of a couple of things that help me regain my inspiration. Regret Can Be More Painful Than Discipline World Champion Boxer George Foreman said, “Everyone wants to go to heaven; nobody wants to die.” That’s a great reminder that we all desire success but don’t always want the sacrifice. In coaching young tennis players, I found that all wanted to be a Grand Slam Champion, but few wanted to train like a champion. During times when you feel like giving up, remember that staying disciplined is hard, but looking back and regretting that you didn’t keep trying is harder. Whenever you have paid a price to achieve something awesome, did you ever look back and say, “That wasn’t worth it?” Probably not. Have you looked back at a time when you could have accomplished something worthwhile, but you didn’t even try? The remorse you feel for lack of effort is often more painful than attempting something and failing. Look at it this way, taking risks and facing discomfort are growth experiences, regardless of the outcome. Perseverance Defines You At times everyone feels like giving up because we are afraid to fail and risk disappointment. When you have those thoughts, remember that failure is simply an event; it does not determine who you are or what you are capable of. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that failing at something means you are a failure. Failure is something that happens to a person. Failure is not a person. Reflect on the failures you’ve experienced in the past even though you refused to quit. Now ask yourself this question: Would I be the same person today if I had not faced those circumstances? The courage it took you to try, to do the hard work, and endure the struggle are victories, no matter the result. Let those experiences define who you are and be a reminder of your perseverance. Discomfort Means Discovery Have you ever made an excuse to give up because you wanted to avoid discomfort? When you sidestep challenges, you may miss the opportunity to discover how awesome you are. Leaving the known can be uncomfortable, but by trying something new you can discover your hidden gifts. If you never push yourself, how will you ever know what you are truly capable of? To make a little progress you sometimes need to experience a little pain. If you want to increase your level of performance, you will have to increase your level of discomfort. When you do only what is comfortable, you limit both your life and your potential. As we begin a new year, remember that you have a unique purpose to fulfill and the opportunity to realize your dreams. Don’t give up on yourself and allow excuses, discouragement, and doubt to hold you back from becoming your very best! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Christine Cashen
Summer is wonderful…pool time…exotic vacations…beach reads…finally getting to that bucket list destination…creating wonderful memories with family and friends…. CUE THE SCREECHING BRAKES! Maybe this summer wonderland thing is NOT happening for you this year. For obvious reasons, you aren’t getting away. And without question, you’re bummed, disappointed, frustrated and hugely jealous. It makes perfect sense! If the only party you are invited to this summer is a pity party for one, or you just have a case of the summer blues, here are 4 things you can do to avoid experiencing a real summer bummer: 1. Find Your Betty. As a motivational speaker, I travel a lot and for the most part I LOVE IT. However, on a recent work trip, I was at the airport feeling huge pangs of jealousy watching everyone in the waiting area in flip flops and Hawaiian shirts. Clearly, they were flying for pleasure and I was clearly NOT. Bring in the PUP! A “Pets Unstressing Passengers” dog wandered into my space with her handler. She was wearing a vest that read, “Pet Me.” What?!? Unless you are allergic or late for a flight, how could you not stop to pet this sweet doggie? Her name was Betty Boop, she was a Boston Terrier, and she had her own business cards. I still didn’t get to the beach, but a few doggie kisses from Betty changed my whole attitude. Seek out something to make you smile, it may be right in front of you. 2. Dial for Smiles Don’t text. Don’t email. Don’t text to see if you can call. Just pick up the phone and call. Think…who is special to you that you haven’t talked to in a while? Old roommate? Nephew? A friend of your parents? Your parents! How about someone who inspired you? Seriously. As a society, we’re getting more isolated and taking more anti-depressants. Reach out and say hello. It doesn’t have to be a long call, just long enough to let someone know you are thinking about them. Human connections are critical to our well-being. If you consciously work toward making these connections, it will enhance your life. 3. Get a Helpers High. What nice thing have you done lately? Look for an opportunity! If you see someone returning a grocery cart to the corral, offer to take it with you as you walk into the store. If you are golfing with a slow group, let the people behind you play through. If you’re at the drive-thru, pay for coffee for the person behind you. Sometimes just a smile or holding a door can make a difference in YOUR day. When you lift others, you rise as well. Give the gift of kindness and you’ll feel the lift in your spirit. 4. From Mundane to Magic. If you aren’t going anywhere, what can you do to bring summertime fun to you? Add a small umbrella to your orange juice. Have a picnic on your living room floor. Pitch that backyard tent and sleep outdoors. Memories can be made with little money and creative thinking. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Your dream summer may not be happening this year, but what you make of it is totally up to you. NOMO FOMO, baby. That is, No More Fear Of Missing Out. You’ve got this. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kenneth Kaufman
There is an old saying in sports: “We’re looking for character, not characters.” Sam Walker found that this old saying doesn’t lead to the most winning teams. For many years, Walker was a sportswriter and he is now the leadership columnist at The Wall Street Journal. When researching his excellent book The Captain Class, Walker found that captains of the most successful teams in sports history had very little in common with the Hollywood version of a leader and a captain. They did not have superstar talent. They were not the best-known or the most individually successful players. Surprisingly, they weren't fond of the spotlight. They often played subservient roles to others on the team. They were not angels. Sometimes they were divisive. Carla Overbeck, the largely unknown captain of the 1996 gold medal–winning U.S. women's soccer team, was “average at best” as a defender, and her offensive totals were “anemic.” She was so selfless that she often carried teammates’ bags to their hotel rooms. However, her humility created trust among team members and lent power to her relentless pushing of teammates during training and games. Richie McCaw, captain of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team, talked with referees before each game to find out how tightly they would enforce the rules so he could play up to the very edge of what was permissible—and frequently over the edge. However, his rule-pushing created an atmosphere of assertiveness that was a large part of his team’s success. New York Yankees captain Yogi Berra could barely put sentences together. However, his constant one-on-one communication helped him understand each player’s strengths and helped bring out the best in his teammates. And Valeri Vasiliev, captain of the Soviet Union Olympic hockey team, once threatened to throw his coach out of an airplane. However, this was in response to the coach breaking a promise and calling out individual team members after the team, favored to win the gold medal in the 1980 Olympics, fell apart. Vasiliev's act, which was unimaginable for a Soviet player, galvanized the team and contributed to a stretch of great success. Longstanding organizations—such as hospitals—typically have strong, highly valued cultures. The potential problem is when an organization begins to play to that culture to the point that human resources decisions, especially for leadership positions, are constrained by culture. People hired tend to fit within that predetermined cultural mold.Given that view of culture, many people who would make great leaders in our organizations—like the captains that Sam Walker profiles—may never get hired, much less placed in leadership positions. Walker found, at least in sports, that teams benefited from putting people in leadership roles who did not fit the mold. Each of the captains that Walker profiled was a “character.” Each person behaved differently from the norm, pursued leadership in nontraditional ways, and in general looked at the world differently than most people. Yet those were the very characteristics that separated those people from their peers in terms of their ability to motivate, push, and lead their teams to levels of performance few teams can match. Walker found that these captains were dogged and focused to an almost unnatural degree. They played aggressively. Many projected humility and gained respect through their willingness to do thankless jobs and to stay in the shadows. Many communicated in a low-keyed, one-on-one manner. And despite their intensity—or perhaps because of it—these captains displayed ironclad control of their emotions. Hospitals and health systems are facing a time of basic business model change. That means not only a new way of doing business, but an entirely new breed of highly aggressive competitors. To face this challenge, we need leaders who look at the world in new ways. Those leaders may seem different from those that the current culture deems “a good fit.” The captains in Walker’s book lead from a very different direction from our usual expectations. Success is very personal to these people, and their leadership styles come from that personal drive and their very personal traits. Therefore, these leaders can’t be screened by measuring their relationship to the existing culture. These leaders don’t fit a pre-existing culture; they are the culture. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Amy Dee
“Honey, Costco called, said they had to throw out the samples ’cause you didn’t show up.” my husband jokes for the 5327 time, and again, I wanna choke him and bury him in the backyard. Because, even a funny joke told repeatedly loses its luster, and this one was lame from the get go. The fact is, I enjoy food samples, and everyone knows Costco has the best. Sometimes I buy stuff, but more often than not, I am there to eat. Costco is just down the street, so I lunch there several times a week. After eighteen months of membership, I’ve watched the Sample Giver Outers enough to find three unique types as follows: The “I hate this job, and I hate you” Sample Giver Outer He doesn’t talk, wears both a head and beard hairnet (which screams “you might eat a whisker!”) he sulks behind his tray and sneers when you take a sample. Warning: Do not make eye contact with this soul sucker; at best, you’ll wonder if you smell like cat poop and at worst you’ll end up a pile of fuming ashes. The Memorably Weird Sample Giver Outer A lucky sighting, I spotted one in Sam’s Club years ago. Pushing seventy, wearing bright orange lipstick and peacock feather earrings, she gyrated to silent music behind her toaster oven, using come-hither hand signals to lure in customers. I enjoyed watching her from a distance, but I was too scared to reach for a sample. The Meredith Sample Giver Outer Meredith is so awesome that she gets a category of her own. ( If you wonder how I know her name reread the fourth paragraph.) “Come on over here and try this aged cheddar” Meredith smiles as she holds out her tray “Now isn’t it delicious? It won Kickapoo Valley Cheese of the month, and this whole grain bread won’t bust out a tooth!.” While munching she continues, ”Now imagine this in grilled cheese and mayo sandwich. Meredith’s pears are “so sweet you can taste summer” Her breakfast sausage is “spicy enough to kick-start your morning.” But she doesn’t just hand out samples, Meredith gives directions, helps customers find items, hands out recipes and spends extra time with the older guests who want to chat. Meredith is the Gold Standard in the world of Sample Giver Outers. I guess she isn’t highly educated or wealthy. Probably in her late 60’s, with gray hair; she’d blend into a crowd. But seeing Meredith makes me smile every time I dine at Costco. You might say Meredith hands out a bit of her kindness and joy with every sample. Like I said, she is awesome. Here’s my point: unless you believe in reincarnation, it appears you have just one life to live. During this life few of us will become famous actors, multi-million dollar business moguls, or geniuses who discover life-saving cures. Most of us won’t make the headlines, but you know why that doesn’t matter? Because… YOU are a MIRACLE. It’s true. People who like math much better me have considered the odds are that your ancestors survived disease and war, the chances that your parents met and then hooked up, and the odds that one egg and one sperm joined to create you. And these number wizards have estimated that the probability of you being born about one in 400 trillion. That’s a miracle. You are a miracle. So, whether you spend your days handing out samples at Costco or doing ADLs for an elderly client or teaching a child to read. Or you spend your days cleaning public restrooms, laying carpet, managing a convenience store or selling door to door. No matter WHAT YOU DO…the Miracle is WHO YOU ARE And every day, in every interaction you represent the phenomenal, never before and never again YOU. So today, show us the miracle of you. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Vicki Hess
How is your summer going? It’s time to get out your sunglasses and flip flops! If you’re like most people I know, you would probably enjoy having the summer off. I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen for most of us, so I was thinking about the next best thing. What if we changed the way we looked at things to create more Joy at work? This summer, I’m going to focus on 3 ways to grow WOWs at work. As a reminder, a WOW is something that makes you feel satisfied, energized and productive; otherwise known as "engaged." Today, I'm sharing another idea to bring a little summertime Joy to work. This month’s tip is to Embody Gratitude! Gratitude is the state of being thankful. This is an internal WOW that you can grow without any formal education, training or skills. Like most things, being grateful needs to be practiced regularly to show any benefit. To make this practice one you think about regularly, try using a Gratitude Trigger™. A Gratitude Trigger is when something you do routinely reminds you to be thankful. At our house, we put our forks together and say 5 things we are grateful for at every meal. Sitting down to eat is the trigger. It’s become such a habit that I even do this when I’m eating alone! You can use events at work as a trigger as well. Here are a few that I’ve heard from folks:
The benefits of gratitude are many. Today is the day to start! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kristin Baird
We all have those experiences as consumers when things don’t go as expected. We might be disappointed in a meal at a restaurant, or wait longer than expected in line or in the waiting room. But then there are times when disappointment becomes a full blown service failure. In both the small disappointments as well as the service failures, service recovery efforts matter. I recently had two incidents that were handled at opposite ends of the service recovery spectrum. One was excellent service recovery while the other was the worst. My husband and I were staying in a hotel in Colorado Springs. We had a room that, when we arrived had no light bulbs or TV remote. They quickly fixed the bulb problem but the remote wasn’t the correct one for the TV. My husband needed to unplug the device just to turn it off. Then, in the middle of the night, the toilet wouldn’t flush and was threatening to over flow. We were both too exhausted from our travels to deal with it at 2 AM so waiting until morning to talk with the front desk. The clerk at the front desk was apologetic and promised to get right on it. By the time we returned from breakfast, she had a new room for us just across the hall. She then went on to talk to us about their fair trade policy that promises guests that if they are not fully satisfied, they will be expected to pay only what they feel the stay was worth. She encouraged us to exercise that policy at the time of check out and gave us a $15 credit to their in-house store. This was an example of service recovery at its best. She took ownership, acted on behalf of the organization and corrected the situation. My second example didn’t turn out quite that well. I was recently doing a webinar when the audio dropped out. No one on the webinar could hear me. Fortunately, attendees began posting alerts to me in the chat box so I could try to fix it. When I dialed back into the webinar, nothing happened. It took several tries and 8 minutes of dead air time to regain connection. It was embarrassing and frustrating for me and a major inconvenience for my attendees. When I began exploring the root cause, I was met with serial finger-pointing. Zoom, the webinar platform, blamed AT&T our internet provider. AT&T blamed Zoom and the phone software company and so on. No one took ownership or tried to help resolve the issue. Through all my calls and emails, I never once heard the words, “I’m sorry.” Nor did any one of the vendors take accountability. This is after investing thousands of dollars in my phone system and having 2 internet accounts so that if one signal weakens, the other will take over. For those of you old enough to remember the Lily Tomlin skit where she plays Ernestine the telephone operator, you may recall one of her famous lines, “So, the next time you complain about your phone service, why don’t you try using two Dixie cups with a string? We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the Phone Company.” That was 1976 and it appears we are still getting the same level of service in 2019. Apparently Ernestine must do the customer service training for all these vendors. There are some important lessons in service recovery here. Take ownership, apologize on behalf of your organization and strive to make things right. When you do, you create raving fans. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
What drives me crazy about politics is that we usually only hear about the views on one side or another. Even though there are gray areas to almost every issue, many people refuse to see an alternative view. And unfortunately, if we’re not careful, we can go through life with limited perspectives just like that. The other day, I was splitting a log that measured about three feet in diameter. I had hit the darn thing about twenty times but hadn’t even cracked it. As a last resort, I turned the log over and saw that there was a huge natural crack spanning almost the entire width of the bottom side of the log. So, I set my sights on that crack. I swung hard and hit it. I swung again and missed. I swung a third time and hit the crack dead center. The log split open and fell apart. It was a very satisfying feeling for a person like me who, by the way, does not resemble Paul Bunyan in the least. I scanned the area to see if anyone had witnessed the feat and who might be as impressed by it as I was. But alas, I was alone in the field. Of course, after cracking open the log, one might say I was “out standing” in my field. The point of relaying my struggles with the log is this: Once I chose to see my problem from another perspective, I found a solution. This is not the first time I’ve been surprised by a new insight. You’d think that by now, I would be more open to considering other options. But I suppose I suffer from a common affliction—my default response is to see things the way I’ve always seen them. When I worked as a director of quality improvement, I referred to this as “solving the same problem over and over.” Another area where I see this tendency is when I work on a crossword puzzle. You see, I don’t have a very large vocabulary. In fact, if you’ve read my articles on a regular basis, you probably noticed that I use the same words over and over but just organize them in different ways. I guess I have never been that magniloquent. See how I did that? Anyway, when I attempt to solve a crossword puzzle, I often misunderstand the clue. For instance, I once had this clue: “Strips in a club.” I assumed the answer had something to do with a woman named Gypsy or Blaze. But the answer was actually “bacon.” It was referring to the “strips” in a club sandwich. I had confused a noun with a verb. But the minute I adjusted my perspective, it was obvious…and a tad bit embarrassing (my apologies to Gypsy and/or Blaze who may have been offended by my initial assumption). To me, unlocking new perspectives is one of the most valuable skills in life. When we get so attached to our familiar world view, we miss the many possibilities that might lie just outside our narrow vision. One of my favorite speakers is DeWitt Jones. He is a former National Geographic photographer who speaks on the topic of seeing things from a new perspective. He uses photography to make this point. As a professional who was always trying to get that perfect shot, he shows his audiences how he frequently thinks he has achieved it only to find that if he changes his location, alters his position, or waits for the light to change, he gets an even better photograph. His visual metaphor is one we can learn from. Have you ever gone into a building and pulled on a door that says, “Push”? Or have you ever gotten off on the wrong floor in a hotel because the normal behavior is to step off the elevator when the door opens? Or has someone ever told you to have a good trip and you automatically say, “You too,” even though they were not going on a trip? These are all examples of habitual thinking that lead to habitual doing. And when we act on habits, we’re no longer paying attention. Wouldn’t be cool if we could go into every situation imagining the possibilities rather than expecting the same old same old? In order to accomplish this, we must recognize our habitual tendencies and look for new realities. When we open our eyes to the possibilities in front of us, we’re no longer on autopilot and thus have more options. The simple procedure for doing this is to see with new eyes. For instance, when we look at a tree, we often see a tree. But if you truly look at a tree, you will see hundreds of colors, shapes, textures, and movements. All of the parts that make up the tree are intricately interwoven into a new experience that we simply label as a tree—but is actually so much more. The same applies to everything we do. If we pause to truly listen to our colleagues, we might gain a new perspective on their perspective. When we look at our reactions to stressful situations, we might see that our thinking is automatic and not necessarily helpful in reducing the stress. And if we get up every morning anticipating the chance that we might experience something new, the day opens up to us. When we truly see, our world opens up. So, when you come to a door, pay attention to whether it says to push or pull. When the elevator door opens, stop and check the floor before bounding off. And before swinging your axe at the log, just turn it over to see if there is an easier way. By doing so, the path becomes more interesting and full of possibilities. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Tim Hague Sr.
We do our best to set reasonable goals, but part of persevering is being ready when an unexpected opportunity turns up. Take the U-Turn. After we used it in the race, many howled that we’d been poor sports. Not true. It’s a fair part of the game, and it helped us significantly. From time to time life will throw us a bone, a bit of good fortune, an out-of-the-blue chance—and we must be prepared to act on it. Now, life is not a game, and I’m not suggesting that we cause anyone harm, but rather that we take advantage of the good fortune that comes our way. It seems obvious, but we don’t always do this. We feel we don’t deserve or haven’t earned something, or that it’s unfair to receive when someone else hasn’t. Here’s my advice: take the gift and be grateful. I’ll never forget the humiliation I heaped upon myself one evening. Not long after Sheryl and I were married, we were helping to raise funds for the organization we worked for and had gone out for dinner with a couple we’d approached about a funding opportunity. The evening went well—until it came time to pay, and the couple offered to treat us. It should have been no big deal, but since we had invited them, I felt that we should pay. So I resisted the offer, to the point of offense. “What,” said the man, “is my money not good enough for you?” That was a tad harsh, but the truth is I thought I had something to prove; I was insecure about not being in the same financial position as this couple; and a part of me felt I didn’t deserve their generosity. Looking back, I physically cringe at how I must have come across. It was a simple gift, a bit of good fortune, and instead of graciously accepting it I made the moment horribly awkward. Here’s a story you may have heard but that nicely exemplifies the idea: A man trapped in his house by a flood begins to pray to God to save him. After he climbs to the roof, the floodwaters rising all around him, an individual in a boat comes by and offers to take him to higher ground. The man declines, saying that he’s prayed and believes that God will save him. In time, he’s swept away by the flood. Later, in heaven, he’s upset with God and asks why he didn’t save him. God’s reply: “I tried.” Most believe they would never be as naive as the character in this story, and maybe they are right. Yet, time and again we were told that we should never have used that U-Turn. I, on the other hand, am so glad that we jumped in that boat and sailed to higher ground. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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