I have a new blog about the experience. I hope you'll visit and leave a comment. If you are a painter, leave a critique an some tips.
I have to say that this has been the most fun I have ever had with a new hobby.
I hope one day to speak about this whole experience.
You can check out my blog here:
http://milepainter.blogspot.com
See you there!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Growing my speaking business
So, everybody knows about Teach a Man to Fish, but I also present the following:
So, my message remains the same: Change yourself; Change the world!!
Here's a joke:
Two children are in a doctor's waiting room, and one of them is crying."Why are you crying?"asked the other child."I'm here for a blood test, and they're going to cut my finger."When he heard this, the other child started to cry."Why are you crying?""I'm here for a urine test."
- Tell Your Story. You make a difference in this world. You change the world just by living the life you live. You need to share your story with the rest of us.
- You Must Be Joking. Learn to tell jokes. See what a difference it will make in your life. Smart people are funny.
- And Then The Customer Said.. I believe that businesses loose millions of dollars because of simple mistakes that are made in dealing with customers. We can change all that.
- The Language Revolution. Learn a second language. It will change your life. Different languages are having an impact on our lives more and more each day.
So, my message remains the same: Change yourself; Change the world!!
Here's a joke:
Two children are in a doctor's waiting room, and one of them is crying."Why are you crying?"asked the other child."I'm here for a blood test, and they're going to cut my finger."When he heard this, the other child started to cry."Why are you crying?""I'm here for a urine test."
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Perspective
Dan was the bravest guy I knew. Being around Dan was like living in an Indiana Jones movie. Dan was all go, go go! He scanned the horizon, and then made a bee-line for his destination.
Crossing the street with Dan was a harrowing experience. If Dan wanted to be on the other side of the street, he simply charged out into traffic and headed for the other side. That used to scare the daylights out of me.
Then one day Dan started complaining of headaches. It was suggested to him that he ought to see an eye doctor. He did, and it was determined that Dan needed eyeglasses. That would fix his headaches.
A week later Dan received the call that the glasses were ready and he could return to the doctor’s office to pick them up.
I went with him that day. We took a taxi downtown. As we crossed the street to the doctor’s office, once again, Dan charged across the traffic as if life meant nothing to him. Maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe he had a super charged faith that the traffic would make way for him and that life itself would always cooperate for his benefit. Whatever it was, we made it safely across the street to the doctor’s office.
I waited for Dan to have the eyeglasses fitted.
Nice looking glasses.
As we left the doctor’s office we headed for the street. We were about to cross when Dan grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Look out! Be careful! Look at those cars coming!”
Dan’s perspective had changed.
Such a simple thing. New glasses. But although it sounds funny, and although I am telling this story as a humorous anecdote, the difference in Dan’s perspective changed his behavior completely.
The way we face challenges, the future, relationships, and everything else, is mostly influenced by our perspective.
If we’re brave, or timid, or excited or let down, maybe it’s because we don’t have all the facts yet.
Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes a new perspective can change everything, and sometimes can even save our life.
Crossing the street with Dan was a harrowing experience. If Dan wanted to be on the other side of the street, he simply charged out into traffic and headed for the other side. That used to scare the daylights out of me.
Then one day Dan started complaining of headaches. It was suggested to him that he ought to see an eye doctor. He did, and it was determined that Dan needed eyeglasses. That would fix his headaches.
A week later Dan received the call that the glasses were ready and he could return to the doctor’s office to pick them up.
I went with him that day. We took a taxi downtown. As we crossed the street to the doctor’s office, once again, Dan charged across the traffic as if life meant nothing to him. Maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe he had a super charged faith that the traffic would make way for him and that life itself would always cooperate for his benefit. Whatever it was, we made it safely across the street to the doctor’s office.
I waited for Dan to have the eyeglasses fitted.
Nice looking glasses.
As we left the doctor’s office we headed for the street. We were about to cross when Dan grabbed me by the shoulder.
“Look out! Be careful! Look at those cars coming!”
Dan’s perspective had changed.
Such a simple thing. New glasses. But although it sounds funny, and although I am telling this story as a humorous anecdote, the difference in Dan’s perspective changed his behavior completely.
The way we face challenges, the future, relationships, and everything else, is mostly influenced by our perspective.
If we’re brave, or timid, or excited or let down, maybe it’s because we don’t have all the facts yet.
Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes a new perspective can change everything, and sometimes can even save our life.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Choose easy
Panic.
It’s a horrible feeling. Usually we feel that the stress of panic is being thrust upon us. Something or someone else is causing our panic. But how much of panic is a matter of our own choice?
I remember starting a new job that was very challenging. There were computer screens everywhere and a steady stream of information that I was supposed to be reviewing and analyzing. It was all very intimidating.
I was being trained by a young man who was very good at the job, and very relaxed and funny. The complicated nature of the job didn’t seem to faze him at all. He seemed like a genius as he juggled the telephones, barked technical jargon and moved quickly from computer to computer.
I wanted to be able to do the job and make it seem as important as this other guy did. I wanted to seem to be in control of all that technology. I wanted to make a good impression on my employer, so I was always on the edge of my seat, trying to be as busy as I could be.
So there I was, frantically writing, scanning the data, reviewing procedures. Then the phones started ringing and I needed to convey correct data and information to the counterparties on the other end. Soon I was the center of mass confusion. I was floundering. I needed help.
It was then that I heard laughter from the man who was supposed to be training me.
“Why are you making this so hard?”
I turned on my trainer with anger. I felt like I was righteous in my efforts to do everything right.
“Why aren’t you telling me what to do? Why aren’t you helping me?”
“Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Choose easy.”
Choose easy? What the heck does that mean?
“Yes, choose easy! You’re trying to make this too hard! Who are you trying to impress?”
Choose easy. Sounds too simple. How do I choose easy?
“Just stop and think about what exactly it is that you’re trying to accomplish, and choose the easiest path to your goal.”
I was stunned.
“What do you have to gain by choosing the hardest path to your goal?”
I’ve frequently asked myself that question many times in the years since that panicky day. Do I try too hard to make things appear difficult so that I will appear to be hard working and capable?
Choose Easy.
It’s more productive.
It’s a horrible feeling. Usually we feel that the stress of panic is being thrust upon us. Something or someone else is causing our panic. But how much of panic is a matter of our own choice?
I remember starting a new job that was very challenging. There were computer screens everywhere and a steady stream of information that I was supposed to be reviewing and analyzing. It was all very intimidating.
I was being trained by a young man who was very good at the job, and very relaxed and funny. The complicated nature of the job didn’t seem to faze him at all. He seemed like a genius as he juggled the telephones, barked technical jargon and moved quickly from computer to computer.
I wanted to be able to do the job and make it seem as important as this other guy did. I wanted to seem to be in control of all that technology. I wanted to make a good impression on my employer, so I was always on the edge of my seat, trying to be as busy as I could be.
So there I was, frantically writing, scanning the data, reviewing procedures. Then the phones started ringing and I needed to convey correct data and information to the counterparties on the other end. Soon I was the center of mass confusion. I was floundering. I needed help.
It was then that I heard laughter from the man who was supposed to be training me.
“Why are you making this so hard?”
I turned on my trainer with anger. I felt like I was righteous in my efforts to do everything right.
“Why aren’t you telling me what to do? Why aren’t you helping me?”
“Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Choose easy.”
Choose easy? What the heck does that mean?
“Yes, choose easy! You’re trying to make this too hard! Who are you trying to impress?”
Choose easy. Sounds too simple. How do I choose easy?
“Just stop and think about what exactly it is that you’re trying to accomplish, and choose the easiest path to your goal.”
I was stunned.
“What do you have to gain by choosing the hardest path to your goal?”
I’ve frequently asked myself that question many times in the years since that panicky day. Do I try too hard to make things appear difficult so that I will appear to be hard working and capable?
Choose Easy.
It’s more productive.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The Deep End: Catastrophic Prize
Sometimes you just need someone to explain the joke.
It's like calling "time out".
There's no shame in this. Especially if the payoff is understanding a really great joke.
Somebody explain this to me.
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The Deep End: Catastrophic Prize
It's like calling "time out".
There's no shame in this. Especially if the payoff is understanding a really great joke.
Somebody explain this to me.
.jpg)
The Deep End: Catastrophic Prize
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Experience the pellet gun.
You can’t really know something unless you have firsthand experience with it. I’ve had this conversation with people hundreds of times.
Can you know much about anything without firsthand experience?
I’m not sure I’ve been convinced one way or the other by any of the arguments I’ve heard.
On the one hand, I recently listened to a man go on and on about how horrible it would be to live in New York City. He admitted that he had never even visited New York City, yet he was sure that it would be a horrible place to live. I knew that his point of view was invalid, no matter how he had obtained his information. He couldn’t know much about New York if he hadn’t been there.
On the other hand, I’ve never been to Spain, but I feel I know it’s a wonderful place, because I want to go there, and I’ve studied and learned as much about Spain as I can.
One of the best illustrations of this argument came many years ago from a particularly dim witted young man who worked in the warehouse of the company where I was employed. This young man believed without question that we cannot know anything with absolute certainty without firsthand experience. He was ready to defend this position to the death. There was no way he could be persuaded to consider the possibility that there might be another point of view on the matter.
The argument in the warehouse became heated. Some of the guys there felt that someone could have a pretty good opinion about something without firsthand experience. But the dim witted young man was unmoved. You can’t know ANYTHING without firsthand, actual knowledge.
The following Monday, as we all returned to work. I noticed that the angry young man who had argued so passionately about experience, was walking with a limp. I had to know his story.
“I was at a get-together with my family over the weekend. One of my nephews was playing with a pellet gun. He asked me how much it hurt to be shot with a pellet gun. I was going to tell him that it really hurts a lot, when it occurred to me that I really didn’t know. I didn’t have any firsthand experience with being shot by a pellet gun. So I pumped up the gun and shot myself in the thigh.”
Now, I guess I have to say that I don’t really know what it feels like to shoot myself in the leg with a pellet gun. I don’t have that firsthand experience. But I’m pretty sure that it hurts a lot, and that it would probably leave a nasty mark and cause me to limp for a few days. And now I can say that my knowledge has been increased by seeing someone else experience a pellet gun shot to the thigh.
Maybe that’s the key. We share our experiences with others, and learn from the experiences of others. In this way we develop a shared knowledge, even if it isn’t firsthand, pellet gun knowledge. But sometimes that kind of knowledge isn’t really necessary.
Can you know much about anything without firsthand experience?
I’m not sure I’ve been convinced one way or the other by any of the arguments I’ve heard.
On the one hand, I recently listened to a man go on and on about how horrible it would be to live in New York City. He admitted that he had never even visited New York City, yet he was sure that it would be a horrible place to live. I knew that his point of view was invalid, no matter how he had obtained his information. He couldn’t know much about New York if he hadn’t been there.
On the other hand, I’ve never been to Spain, but I feel I know it’s a wonderful place, because I want to go there, and I’ve studied and learned as much about Spain as I can.
One of the best illustrations of this argument came many years ago from a particularly dim witted young man who worked in the warehouse of the company where I was employed. This young man believed without question that we cannot know anything with absolute certainty without firsthand experience. He was ready to defend this position to the death. There was no way he could be persuaded to consider the possibility that there might be another point of view on the matter.
The argument in the warehouse became heated. Some of the guys there felt that someone could have a pretty good opinion about something without firsthand experience. But the dim witted young man was unmoved. You can’t know ANYTHING without firsthand, actual knowledge.
The following Monday, as we all returned to work. I noticed that the angry young man who had argued so passionately about experience, was walking with a limp. I had to know his story.
“I was at a get-together with my family over the weekend. One of my nephews was playing with a pellet gun. He asked me how much it hurt to be shot with a pellet gun. I was going to tell him that it really hurts a lot, when it occurred to me that I really didn’t know. I didn’t have any firsthand experience with being shot by a pellet gun. So I pumped up the gun and shot myself in the thigh.”
Now, I guess I have to say that I don’t really know what it feels like to shoot myself in the leg with a pellet gun. I don’t have that firsthand experience. But I’m pretty sure that it hurts a lot, and that it would probably leave a nasty mark and cause me to limp for a few days. And now I can say that my knowledge has been increased by seeing someone else experience a pellet gun shot to the thigh.
Maybe that’s the key. We share our experiences with others, and learn from the experiences of others. In this way we develop a shared knowledge, even if it isn’t firsthand, pellet gun knowledge. But sometimes that kind of knowledge isn’t really necessary.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
When we struggle.
This past year has been a tough one for me. I’ll admit it.
Most of the hard things that have happened to me would probably seem like good things to other people.
My daughter got married. My son is studying abroad.
I know these are wonderful events, and I am truly grateful for them. But it was still hard to see my kids leave home and begin new lives.
Some of the hard things that have happened have just been bad.
I’ve been worried about losing my job. I was told that the position would be eliminated. It was off and on again several times. There have been some really horrible days when I wondered if I would be able to provide for my family much longer.
Mixed in with all this, my house was severely damaged in a wind storm in December. We’ve been struggling with our Insurance provided to agree upon proper repairs.
So there have been great moments of happiness, and horrible moments of worry and despair.
I’ve been amazed each time I’ve been lifted from my despair by someone I least expected to be thinking of me. Something as simple as telling me that they know that I’ve been struggling and that they are thinking of me. Sometimes someone has actually reached out with a useable idea, or even come to my house to physically help me work on a problem. I now know that I’ve misjudged many people in my life.
Forgiveness brings about personal progress. When we convince ourselves that we are alone, and that everyone else is against us, we stifle our own progress. None of us can truly be happy alone. We reach our happiest peaks, and our most delicious successes, through and with the cooperation of others.
Surviving hard times makes happy and successful times that much better. Hard times also help us see the way toward success more clearly. But this clarity is only available to us if we are honest about the reasons for our suffering, and if we’re willing to let them go.
That’s why we talk about all this, that’s why we share.
Most of the hard things that have happened to me would probably seem like good things to other people.
My daughter got married. My son is studying abroad.
I know these are wonderful events, and I am truly grateful for them. But it was still hard to see my kids leave home and begin new lives.
Some of the hard things that have happened have just been bad.
I’ve been worried about losing my job. I was told that the position would be eliminated. It was off and on again several times. There have been some really horrible days when I wondered if I would be able to provide for my family much longer.
Mixed in with all this, my house was severely damaged in a wind storm in December. We’ve been struggling with our Insurance provided to agree upon proper repairs.
So there have been great moments of happiness, and horrible moments of worry and despair.
I’ve been amazed each time I’ve been lifted from my despair by someone I least expected to be thinking of me. Something as simple as telling me that they know that I’ve been struggling and that they are thinking of me. Sometimes someone has actually reached out with a useable idea, or even come to my house to physically help me work on a problem. I now know that I’ve misjudged many people in my life.
Forgiveness brings about personal progress. When we convince ourselves that we are alone, and that everyone else is against us, we stifle our own progress. None of us can truly be happy alone. We reach our happiest peaks, and our most delicious successes, through and with the cooperation of others.
Surviving hard times makes happy and successful times that much better. Hard times also help us see the way toward success more clearly. But this clarity is only available to us if we are honest about the reasons for our suffering, and if we’re willing to let them go.
That’s why we talk about all this, that’s why we share.
Friday, January 27, 2012
A new way to promote my speaking programs.
I've created a facebook page that will cover all my speaking programs:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1365704310
Please visit my new facebook page,
But remember,
I will ALWAYS be updating my blog here, and the posts here have more information and more depth.
I encourage you to discuss the issues brought up here and on facebook,
As always, HAVE FUN!!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1365704310
Please visit my new facebook page,
But remember,
I will ALWAYS be updating my blog here, and the posts here have more information and more depth.
I encourage you to discuss the issues brought up here and on facebook,
As always, HAVE FUN!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
New project! TUBBY YOU! Follow my new fitness experience.
I'm not a fitness guy at all.
But the last year has led me down a new and amazing path.
Stress caused me to seek out a physical outlet, and I found FREE WEIGHTS!
What I have learned has been absolutely life changing.
Everything about my life is different.
I am learning and exploring and evolving.
Lifting weights has altered my diet, my mood and my philosophies.
Follow me here:
http://tubbyyou.blogspot.com/
But the last year has led me down a new and amazing path.
Stress caused me to seek out a physical outlet, and I found FREE WEIGHTS!
What I have learned has been absolutely life changing.
Everything about my life is different.
I am learning and exploring and evolving.
Lifting weights has altered my diet, my mood and my philosophies.
Follow me here:
http://tubbyyou.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 1, 2011
Great visit with SkillsUSA!
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the SkillsUSA regional conference here in Salt Lake City. I was so inspired that I had chills the whole time.
What a fantastic organization!
I've always bristled at the idea that there is only ONE path for our youth, and that the world is a "sink or swim" proposition. There are always new talents that can be discovered and developed. There are always new paths of interest that can change our lives.
SkillsUSA is REALLY WORKING AND SUCCEEDING with our youth!
I saw and met some of the most dynamic and positive young people in the whole world. This is really something you should investigate.
I saw people changing their lives, and making a difference in the lives of others.
What a wonderful day.
I want to thank my good friend Craig Moore for making my visit possible.
What a fantastic organization!
SkillsUSA is REALLY WORKING AND SUCCEEDING with our youth!
I saw and met some of the most dynamic and positive young people in the whole world. This is really something you should investigate.
I saw people changing their lives, and making a difference in the lives of others.
What a wonderful day.
I want to thank my good friend Craig Moore for making my visit possible.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Big story telling night in Utah!
This is still in the idea stage, but I'm moving quickly.
This will take place in Utah, initially.
I can easily get a venue.
I need help with advertising and sponsorship.
I need storytellers.
And!
I need input and ideas.
I plan to tape the whole event.
This will take place in Utah, initially.
I can easily get a venue.
I need help with advertising and sponsorship.
I need storytellers.
And!
I need input and ideas.
I plan to tape the whole event.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
I'm now listed on Speaker Match.
I've joined Speaker Match.
I really like their services. I hope this new endeavor will help me expand my speaking experience.
I also will be doing promoting of my own speaking engagements, so we'll soon have more to talk about here.
Apart from my speaking career, I've been dealing with the marriage of my sweet daughter, Xochil.
It's a joy to see her start a new life with her dear husband, Tyson, but it's really hard to let her go.
I wish her every success in life, and all the love in the world!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
More pictures and video coming !
Hello!
I've got great pictures and videos from recent presentations coming. I hope that when you're browsing here, you'll find valuable information.
I've been working lately on my humorous presentation called "You Must Be Joking!"
I hope to have the opportunity to speak on a cruise ship this fall.
I hope I'll be presenting to your group soon!
I've got great pictures and videos from recent presentations coming. I hope that when you're browsing here, you'll find valuable information.
I've been working lately on my humorous presentation called "You Must Be Joking!"
I hope to have the opportunity to speak on a cruise ship this fall.
I hope I'll be presenting to your group soon!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Come to my presentation on July 10th!
Yes!
It's true!
On July 10th, at 1:30 pm, I'll be presenting:
"You must be Joking"
at the Centerville library.
It's going to be great. We'll talk about the right way and the wrong way to tell a joke. We'll talk about ways that an enhanced sense of humor can improve your social life, your career, and you intelligence.
And,
you'll have the opportunity to come up and share a joke and have your style analysed, or learn how to tell a joke.
It's going to be GREAT!
And while we're at it, here's a good joke:
A cowboy walks into a wild west saloon, sits down at the bar and asks for a shot of whiskey. The bartender serves him his whiskey and says,
"You hear about the Brown Paper Cowboy? Hung him they did."
The cowboy at the bar looks up and says
"Why do they call him the Brown Paper Cowboy?"
The bartender explains,
"They call him the Brown Paper Cowboy because all of his clothes are made of brown paper - his hat, his shirt, pants - even his chaps are made of brown paper."
The cowboy nods in recognition and asks,
"So why'd they hang him?"
The bartender replies,
"Rustlin'."
It's true!
On July 10th, at 1:30 pm, I'll be presenting:
"You must be Joking"
at the Centerville library.
It's going to be great. We'll talk about the right way and the wrong way to tell a joke. We'll talk about ways that an enhanced sense of humor can improve your social life, your career, and you intelligence.
And,
you'll have the opportunity to come up and share a joke and have your style analysed, or learn how to tell a joke.
It's going to be GREAT!
And while we're at it, here's a good joke:
A cowboy walks into a wild west saloon, sits down at the bar and asks for a shot of whiskey. The bartender serves him his whiskey and says,
"You hear about the Brown Paper Cowboy? Hung him they did."
The cowboy at the bar looks up and says
"Why do they call him the Brown Paper Cowboy?"
The bartender explains,
"They call him the Brown Paper Cowboy because all of his clothes are made of brown paper - his hat, his shirt, pants - even his chaps are made of brown paper."
The cowboy nods in recognition and asks,
"So why'd they hang him?"
The bartender replies,
"Rustlin'."
Friday, May 28, 2010
Beautiful day with the Las Vegas Central Rotary Club!
We talked about self sufficiency.
This is a wonderful club with a great spirit. The feeling of welcome among was a good feeling for me as soon as I arrived.
This club is focused on thier purpose.
Thoughts were shared on successful service projects and experiences that had helped people grow and achieve.
That's what "Teach a Man to Fish" is all about. Gestures and efforts that lift someone that maybe struggling, even a little, and the results change us all.
I really believe that when you learn something new, change your life for the better, or reach out to serve another, you've made the whole of the human race better. It's simple science. If we are all part of one great thing, the Human Race, then we all grow and improve when any one of us lifts or is lifted.
Lunch was great, the Country Club is very historic, and it was a WONDERFUL day over all!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I'm back.
What a night last night!
I had my presentation, "Teach a Man to Fish" taped before an audience at the Bountiful library. Lisa Cena asked me to speak to her group, and I used the evening to have my talk taped.
I needed a good tape of my work to send to Bureaus and Agencies. You see, I'd really like to expand my speaking.
Troy Lanier came and did the taping. He's amazing. Very generous man. His video works is highly professional. He puts together a DVD every year for our high school swim team. He's at every meet, and tapes all the races. It means SO MUCH to our team!
I saw so many people I knew last night! I was overwelmed to greet so many old friends.
I have new stories that I'll be wanting to share here on this blog. And new jokes as well.
starting with this one:
A funeral service is being held for a woman who has just passed away. At the end of the service, the pallbearers are carrying the casket out when they accidentally bump into a wall, jarring the casket. They hear a faint moan. They open the casket and find that the woman is actually alive!!! She lives for ten more years, and then dies. Once again, a ceremony is held, and at the end of it, the pallbearers are again carrying out the casket. As they carry the casket towards the door, the husband cries out, 'Watch that wall!!!'
I had my presentation, "Teach a Man to Fish" taped before an audience at the Bountiful library. Lisa Cena asked me to speak to her group, and I used the evening to have my talk taped.
I needed a good tape of my work to send to Bureaus and Agencies. You see, I'd really like to expand my speaking.
Troy Lanier came and did the taping. He's amazing. Very generous man. His video works is highly professional. He puts together a DVD every year for our high school swim team. He's at every meet, and tapes all the races. It means SO MUCH to our team!
I saw so many people I knew last night! I was overwelmed to greet so many old friends.
I have new stories that I'll be wanting to share here on this blog. And new jokes as well.
starting with this one:
A funeral service is being held for a woman who has just passed away. At the end of the service, the pallbearers are carrying the casket out when they accidentally bump into a wall, jarring the casket. They hear a faint moan. They open the casket and find that the woman is actually alive!!! She lives for ten more years, and then dies. Once again, a ceremony is held, and at the end of it, the pallbearers are again carrying out the casket. As they carry the casket towards the door, the husband cries out, 'Watch that wall!!!'
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Choose Easy
We assume that hard things are better.
We want to feel like we are doing important things, and important things must be difficult.
But it isn’t always so.
We try so hard to see the answer in complicated things, that we overlook the brilliance and beauty in simple things.
I’ve sat through thousands of classes on self help and personal goals and education and self improvement. I’ve read hundreds of books on the same subjects.
Teachers and experts have very specific, sometimes difficult steps they are trying to sell to us.
I believe in learning about and strengthening the simple good that already exists within us. Most of the rest is an illusion.
Years ago I started a new job. The technology was new, the pressures enormous. There were banks of telephones and computer screens. It all seemed so important and serious.
The phones would ring, numbers were reported, calculations were made, graphs were read, and it all had to be done in a short window of time each hour. There were written procedures for every action that had to be taken. I memorized it all. I almost sat at attention in my chair.
Then I started developing my own little routines for each task. The routines focused on getting the best and most detailed information out of each call and report. I felt very important.
Then one day the calls came faster and the information being reported included emergencies. Suddenly I was scrambling and confused.
A supervisor stepped in to check on me and said something to me I’ll never forget:
“Darrell, choose easy.”
“What ?!?!” I asked over my shoulder frantically.
“Yes, choose easy. At the end of the day, no one will care about your sophisticated procedures; they will only want to know that the information is correct. You’re making the job harder than it needs to be. No one cares. Choose easy.”
I took that story to the boss, and he chuckled. My boss loved racquetball. He always had his gym bag waiting behind his office door.
“You know, I think that’s right. Choose easy. Whenever someone asks me to tell them the best way to learn racquetball, I tell them to go to the gym and find someone who’s very enthusiastic about the sport, very accomplished, and fat. A heavy guy has learned to play well with an extreme economy of movement. He’s not going to be running all over the place for his shots. He’s learned to make the fewest moves possible for the best results.”
Pretty deep. And it’s good advice.
So many of us just make a lot of noise in our efforts to do something important.
If you put a car in neutral and really give it the throttle, it will make an impressive noise. But the car won’t go anywhere.
Focus on going somewhere, and not making noise.
Choose easy.
We want to feel like we are doing important things, and important things must be difficult.
But it isn’t always so.
We try so hard to see the answer in complicated things, that we overlook the brilliance and beauty in simple things.
I’ve sat through thousands of classes on self help and personal goals and education and self improvement. I’ve read hundreds of books on the same subjects.
Teachers and experts have very specific, sometimes difficult steps they are trying to sell to us.
I believe in learning about and strengthening the simple good that already exists within us. Most of the rest is an illusion.
Years ago I started a new job. The technology was new, the pressures enormous. There were banks of telephones and computer screens. It all seemed so important and serious.
The phones would ring, numbers were reported, calculations were made, graphs were read, and it all had to be done in a short window of time each hour. There were written procedures for every action that had to be taken. I memorized it all. I almost sat at attention in my chair.
Then I started developing my own little routines for each task. The routines focused on getting the best and most detailed information out of each call and report. I felt very important.
Then one day the calls came faster and the information being reported included emergencies. Suddenly I was scrambling and confused.
A supervisor stepped in to check on me and said something to me I’ll never forget:
“Darrell, choose easy.”
“What ?!?!” I asked over my shoulder frantically.
“Yes, choose easy. At the end of the day, no one will care about your sophisticated procedures; they will only want to know that the information is correct. You’re making the job harder than it needs to be. No one cares. Choose easy.”
I took that story to the boss, and he chuckled. My boss loved racquetball. He always had his gym bag waiting behind his office door.
“You know, I think that’s right. Choose easy. Whenever someone asks me to tell them the best way to learn racquetball, I tell them to go to the gym and find someone who’s very enthusiastic about the sport, very accomplished, and fat. A heavy guy has learned to play well with an extreme economy of movement. He’s not going to be running all over the place for his shots. He’s learned to make the fewest moves possible for the best results.”
Pretty deep. And it’s good advice.
So many of us just make a lot of noise in our efforts to do something important.
If you put a car in neutral and really give it the throttle, it will make an impressive noise. But the car won’t go anywhere.
Focus on going somewhere, and not making noise.
Choose easy.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A great day with the Golden K Kiwanis club of Provo.
We talked about looking within for change and growth.
There’s a lot of wisdom and experience in this great club, and they welcomed two new members.
There were great comments and stories shared.
A beautiful day for a Kiwanis club meeting, and I know I came away richer for the experience.
There’s a lot of wisdom and experience in this great club, and they welcomed two new members.
There were great comments and stories shared.
A beautiful day for a Kiwanis club meeting, and I know I came away richer for the experience.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Las Vegas Northwest Rotary taught me what a service club can be.
Wow. What an experience.
Last Wednesday, the 26th, I went to Las Vegas with my boys, Acey and Ethan. We arrived late (sorry, long story) at the club house at Summerlin TPC and met one of the best groups I’ve ever seen.
What a lovely place to meet. One day it would be a dream come true to actual play golf at TPC Summerlin. But speaking to this Rotary Club was just as memorable. Great attendance, gracious introduction, attentive group, thoughtful input.
We talked about the fine line between help and enabling. Sometimes when we reach out and serve someone, the result is not what we expected. No one is obligated to react in a certain way when they receive help, and we cannot expect any certain behavior or reaction to our efforts to serve.
I’m reminded of a comment someone recently made to me when I was speaking to a club. This man told me how he had tried to help a neighbor who had a truck that wasn’t running. The neighbor really needed the truck for the work that he did.
The truck needed a new engine, and this man had the connections to provide a new engine.
What great service! Providing a new engine for a truck is a big thing to do for a neighbor.
The mechanic who installed the new engine mentioned to this man that the engine had burned up because the radiator was faulty. It would need to be repaired.
So this man told his neighbor that his truck now had a new engine, but that he should take the truck immediately to a radiator shop and have the radiator repaired.
Was that too much to ask? After receiving a new engine, should this man expect the neighbor to respectfully care for the truck and have the radiator repaired?
The radiator was ignored, and the new engine was burned up in two weeks.
What’s the message here?
Reaching out to a neighbor who needs a vehicle repaired is a very good act of service.
But we CANNOT expect the recipient of that service to respond in any preconceived way.
Once we have performed the service in question, we have done all we can.
Was the service wasted?
Absolutely not.
First, the service performed changed the giver more than the receiver, and that’s the most important thing.
Second, we may never know the underlying effects on the receiver because of this service that may make a difference later on.
Give with out expecting anything in return.
Last Wednesday, the 26th, I went to Las Vegas with my boys, Acey and Ethan. We arrived late (sorry, long story) at the club house at Summerlin TPC and met one of the best groups I’ve ever seen.
What a lovely place to meet. One day it would be a dream come true to actual play golf at TPC Summerlin. But speaking to this Rotary Club was just as memorable. Great attendance, gracious introduction, attentive group, thoughtful input.
We talked about the fine line between help and enabling. Sometimes when we reach out and serve someone, the result is not what we expected. No one is obligated to react in a certain way when they receive help, and we cannot expect any certain behavior or reaction to our efforts to serve.
I’m reminded of a comment someone recently made to me when I was speaking to a club. This man told me how he had tried to help a neighbor who had a truck that wasn’t running. The neighbor really needed the truck for the work that he did.
The truck needed a new engine, and this man had the connections to provide a new engine.
What great service! Providing a new engine for a truck is a big thing to do for a neighbor.
The mechanic who installed the new engine mentioned to this man that the engine had burned up because the radiator was faulty. It would need to be repaired.
So this man told his neighbor that his truck now had a new engine, but that he should take the truck immediately to a radiator shop and have the radiator repaired.
Was that too much to ask? After receiving a new engine, should this man expect the neighbor to respectfully care for the truck and have the radiator repaired?
The radiator was ignored, and the new engine was burned up in two weeks.
What’s the message here?
Reaching out to a neighbor who needs a vehicle repaired is a very good act of service.
But we CANNOT expect the recipient of that service to respond in any preconceived way.
Once we have performed the service in question, we have done all we can.
Was the service wasted?
Absolutely not.
First, the service performed changed the giver more than the receiver, and that’s the most important thing.
Second, we may never know the underlying effects on the receiver because of this service that may make a difference later on.
Give with out expecting anything in return.
Over all, a wonderful morning. Great breakfast! Beautiful setting! Strong, impressive club. And best of all, my boys got to see me do something I love so much.
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