"What's in a Note, you say?"

Folks have asked me (well, one person anyway) what was in the note I would have stuck on the guy's windshield the other day. Well, here it is:

STOP!
Don't throw this away!
The life you save may be your own!

I have to tell you something very important. But for you to see how important it is I have to tell you what I saw a little while ago

I was heading west on the bypass, doing the limit when something zoomed by. At first I thought it was a state patrol car, and wondered how I had missed the flashing lights.

But, no. It was a little red Mitsubishi sports sedan.

The driver zipped over to the left lane, hugging the bumper of the car in front of him, and the absolute moment he could he dashed in front of me to race down the mile or so of free space in the right lane.

I saw his brake lights come on as he came up on the next car.

Then I saw something amazing: he started to signal a left lane change. he squeezed in between two big bruiser-type pick-up trucks that had barely a car length between them. I saw what the driver couldn't: the truck behind hit it's brakes to allow a safety margin for the Mitsubishi to get in.

Then, as we all slowed down for the red light I saw why the Mitsubishi driver sqeezed back into the fast lane: he needed to take the left at the light to (I imagine) take the Johnstown Cutoff to get to Denver. And I pulled up even with the little red sports car in my '72 Olds as we both sat at the light.

For all of his maneuvering, he gained nothing that just staying in the "fast lane" would have gotten him. And he would have risked (in terms of life and limb) NOTHING!

As it was he risked a minimum of a two-car accident, possibly a multi-car pile up (everyone in the fast lane was ignoring proper following distance), just to shave a few seconds off his trip time.

Which didn't work.

By now my story might be sounding a little familiar. It should. You see, I was able to read the license tag as the Mitsubishi zipped into my lane: 000-ZZZ (plate number changed to protect identity). That's your tag.

What I need to tell you:

Don't Kill Yourself (or others) to save a few seconds time. Most of the drivers in our neck of the woods aren't expecting Indy 500 speeds on the highways, and may react badly to the sudden hazard (YOU). Even if you're not directly involved in an accident, you might be an indirect cause of one, Or you may have been already.

Slow down. Follow those "boring" traffic safety rules. Live long enough to enjoy your prosperity.

And, if you really need the speed: Drive the Autobahn, or take up closed-track racing.

But please, in the interest of your life and ours: Be Careful Out There!

If I do get the chance to post the note on his windshield I think I have a better chance of his reading it than if I post a "You Stupid @#$%#$!" type of note. What do you think?

Imagine getting a note like that on your car. Even better, imagine leaving a note like that on someone else's!

Maybe the driver will read this and see himself, and take heed. I DID take down the plate number. Maybe I'll get a chance to leave the note some day.

By the way, to write this note I used priciples I learned from reading two books: Hypnotic Writing; by Joe Vitale, and The Adweek Copywriting Handbook; by Joe Sugarman (see the book list at the left). Hopefully I was able to catch your attention enough so you would finish the note.

Meanwhile, a couple of things for you to take away today: You can get a handle on your emotions. You can learn to write more effectively. You can achieve your goals.

Yes, You Can!

Expect Problems

In our class today we were detailing all of our fears of being able to do the job once we went out to the production floor. It wasn’t phrased like that, mostly. It was phrased in the ‘what if?’ mode. The biggest ‘what if’ being “What if I don’t know the answer?” Being new and just out of training, not having the answer at our fingertips will be a given. What our practice time will amount to is learning how to find the answers. Most of us have worked on the phones, so taking calls, per se, won’t be the main problem.

The problem is, we will have problems. Life is a series of bumps in our path. Sometimes they are very large obstacles, not just a ‘bump’. My main problem is not the lack of knowledge, the unfamiliarity with the systems or even not particularly liking to deal with people on the phone (hey, you do what you have to do). My biggest problem is when my brain seems to fog up. I personally get nervous and angry when I can’t seem to think straight. This gets me agitated, and when I’m agitated I can’t think straight (see earlier). This is not a positive feedback loop.

Having had this happen (more than) a few times, I have learned to anticipate and plan for the times I become agitated. I have my worry stone and by squeezy ball. I write encouraging sticky notes and post them on my monitor. I take my walk around the building at lunchtime to give my body some physical activity to release the pent up adrenaline. I focus on pine trees and mountain streams in the off moments. And I try to remember to breathe. Breathing is good. It gets rid of carbon dioxide and brings in the vital oxygen. The very act of breathing relaxes the body. And, in my case, helps get rid of the brain fog.

The ‘Question and Answer’ time was good. It got our fears out into the open. More to the point, it got the problems out into the open. When we knew about the problems we could help each other on finding solutions (and not just answering questions). The solution in this case was to ‘Rely on your resources’ to point us in the right direction. Particularly for me, it’s to drill myself on the systems until they are nearly automatic. The scripting comes naturally enough to me that it won’t be a problem (that word again) to pick up. And despite me not particularly liking to talk to people, I do that well enough to get me through.

It all comes down to the ‘how-to’s’. How to do this, how to do that. Once you know how-to, the job is easy. This is called ‘know-how’. Once we know how to do the job, the fear of not being able to goes away, and we’re better able to get the job done.

Our biggest problem, then, is fear. Fear cripples us by making us doubt our abilities. Fear also attacks us by causing us to focus on the consequences of the misstep. How many mountain climbers reached the summit by looking down? Yes, we need to be aware of the consequences of a misstep so we don’t trivialize the consequences. But we focus on the task at hand, looking toward the goal. When we focus on making each step the best step we can, the precipice tends to fade into the background. We never quite forget it’s there, it just doesn’t command our attention.

Again, it all comes down to our focus (see my earlier blog). If we focus on our problems that’s all we’ll see. If we focus on the solutions we will make better headway.

Much has been said about the Law of Attraction. I’m not sure I buy into the ‘create your own universe’ aspect. But I cannot deny the logic of focus: what you focus on, commands your attention, sometimes to the exclusion of everything else. What you focus on draws you to it, just like wanting to see more detail in that photograph or painting that catches your eye. Consequently, you tend to move away from other things.

What does this come down to?

Like the title says: expect problems, but don’t let them dominate your thinking.

Expect problems, expect to overcome them.

Yes, you can!

Another Day - Another Interview

Time has slipped and I've been longer than a week since last posting.

Well, I have been occupied. I've spent pretty much all my internet free time this past weekend putting together some items for my web stores (look left to find the links). I don't really intend for this to be a billboard for my sales portals but I thought I'd mention it as it ties in tangentially to the topic of the day.

Just had another interview on my quest for for new employ. This one is for a lateral/upward shift internally to the company, and while the interview went well, there's no telling the outcome until they tell me.

So, it's still a matter of keep on keeping on. And keeping one's options open.

Hence sharpening up the sales sites. If you're inclined (no obligation to do so, of course), I suggest visiting Club Mushroom, particularly this link for the mouse pad. If you prefer something a bit more tasteful, there's this mouse pad at HansenPix.

OK, commercial announcement is over. You can come out now.

That's all for today. I plan a more meaningful note over the weekend. In the meantime, remember:

Yes, You Can!

Focus

There's a story that's told around nighttime campfires after evening meals are finished:

The old Chief speaks to his young boys before they are to be brought into the tribe as men. "Inside me, there are two wolves," he says, "One is viscous, evil and hating. He will rip and destroy anything and everything he can. The other is good, kind and loving, protecting the best he can his family and friends. Each day they battle within me. It is the same with each of you." One of the boys asks, "Grandfather, which wolf will win?" I'll tell you his answer in a moment.

What do you focus on? Do you let the guy who cut you off in traffic ruin your day? Or do you let it be an occasion to practice patience? Do you even sometimes let it be an opportunity to practice your writing skills? What do you do?

Every time you focus on the wrong done to you (sometimes in all innocence, let it be said), you raise your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress. Shifting the focus from the wrong done to possible solutions can help.

Let me tell you what I mean: a short time ago I noticed that people would put their trash out of their car on the ground and drive off -- even when a trash can was near to hand. This would happen in the parking lot of the place I work. I would growl and cuss and mutter: "What's going on with these know-nothing so-and-sos," and generally enter my workplace with a sour attitude that would take me some time to work out. Sometimes I would need the entire day. And, of course I'd see more of the same when I left the building.

One day, it hit me that I was part of the problem.

That very day, I started picking up the stray trash I found in the lot as I made my way into work. Since I park at the far corner, sometimes that was a LOT of trash.

Some of you think I'm crazy for doing this, that it is ultimately utterly pointless to pick up the trash I find. I am making only a very small dent in a very big problem. In that last, you'd be right.

But for the rest, you'd be wrong.

Listen to the good things it did for me: I became a happier person because I felt: a) I left the parking lot a little better than I found it; b) maybe someone would follow my example and help; c) maybe the people leaving the trash might notice and realize it doesn't "just go away" (alright, that's a long shot, I admit it).

That happier person (me) generally isn't as sour as before. I smile more at people. More people smile back (imagine that!). My blood pressure went down a bit (every bit helps). Best part: I could start untying some of the knots I'd gotten myself tied into.

And that was just the first step.

I could go on, but maybe you get the point.

You could list all the reasons I should be grumpy. Believe me, my list is longer than yours. I've read and re-read it several times and more things keep appearing.

I've decided to break the habit of picking nits and adding to the list of grievances. Instead, I want to add to the list of things that make me smile: warm days and cool breezes, a full moon on Christmas Eve, little girl giggles, friendly smiles.

Yeah, I'll backslide. But I'm getting better at keeping my focus where it belongs. Our little girl saying 'Hello' to the moon this evening when we got home heads the "Smile" list today. Simple and sweet. And that list keeps getting longer, too!

By the way, the old chief answered, "The one that you feed."
I try to keep a happy face for our little girl, especially when she thinks it's her fault when I feel bad. I've lived the habit of guilt; she doesn't need to. She already has her loving and giving nature. She doesn't need guilt to do the right thing.

Speaking of doing the right thing,

Yes, you can.

Devil Discouragement

Today is the day after Christmas, and with it comes the usual (for me) seasonal blues. Christmas for me has always been an up-and-down time of year. Charlie Brown and I are two of a kind: We know we should be happy, but we're not.

In my case I'm fighting a chronic pain that takes over at a certain point, especially when I've missed taking the aspirin on schedule. Then the old reliable car turned out to not be so reliable. Mostly my own fault, though. I didn't get the regular maintenance schedule done & the battery went flat after being let set a few days while we were off to Grandma's house. So it goes.

I could go on, but then I'd be risking getting myself even more down than I am. Time once again to take the opposite tack: Christmas Eve was beautiful, with a full moon shining through the clouds and off of the snow around my brother and sister-in-laws mountain home. That is where we had the family get-together. As they say, a great time was had by all. The three-year-old is amazed all over again with all the stuff that goes on at Christmas.

And I'm amazed right along with her. I've often said that every adult needs an eight-year-old kid with them all the time, to remind them of what the world looks like. I'll amend that to 'needs a kid of any age'. One of the little girl's best friends is the moon, and has been so ever since I pointed it out to her. Once. When she was about a year-and-a-half old.

She's even helping me with my vocabulary. "Dang it!" is no longer in my list of things to say (never mind anything stronger), because if she's around, she'll repeat it with every bit the same inflection and vehemence that I used. And it doesn't even sound 'cute' coming out of her little mouth.

SO. No more cussin'. Not even the soft kind of cussin'.

And so by blessing her with goodly speech, I bless myself by speaking better in the first place. And so the blessings continue.

When the pains start, she is a joy, and helps me knock the "Devil Discouragement" in the head, just by being herself, and makes me smile in spite of myself.

That points up something important: One of the best things a body can do to lift themselves out of the doldrums is get along side of a little kid and have them show you something they've discovered, or sing you a song they've just made up, or look at (no helping, now!) a picture they're drawing or coloring. This is right up there with helping someone fix a flat tire.

I'd go on a bit more, but I need to get to my day job. But remember, whenever the Devil Discouragement tries to bite you on your heel and slow you down, do a good thing for someone else, thereby kicking him loose at the same time.

Have a great day!

Yes, you can!

The First Day

Hello world,

This is the first posting of many, and my attempt to influence the world in a positive way. The overall theme is Yes, You CAN. And while the power of positive thinking gets a bad rap sometimes, if all you think about are the negatives and have low expectations, then all you will get are poor results.

I will be posting again, soon. This is just the start of something big.