Take the Hit and Spread the Joy!
06/23/03
Machiavelli has a way of speaking to every age: "...For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer."
How we hate to face problems and bad news! As Charlie Brown would say, "No problem is too big or so complicated that it cannot be run away from!" Running away from problems has a way of spreading out the pain, trading a cut that will heal quickly for the sustained pain of perpetual sandpaper scraping a wound that never seems to heal. Care enough to confront what needs to be confronted. Face the bad the news and communicate it in a direct, but thoughtful way. Initial reactions may bring pain, but the human psyche is graced with an ability to bounce back faster than we think possible. Such rebounds allow us to take pride in overcoming obstacles and can actually contribute to learned optimism--"We've tackled the problem head on and survived, and we can do it again!" When it comes to celebrating successes, spread those celebrations out. Work ought to be fun; keep it that way. Make it a point to catch people succeeding and positively gossip about it. Drop a few notes of appreciation. Find ways to celebrate progress instead of waiting for a distant completion date. In short, be a "Prince" or "Princess" for the 2Ks--Face the pain quickly and spread out celebrating what's working. Got any pain to get out of the way? Feel any celebrations coming on?
A PAULSON QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Running away from problems has a way of spreading out the pain, trading a cut that will heal quickly for the sustained pain of perpetual sandpaper scraping a wound that never seems to heal. Care enough to confront what needs to be confronted." --Terry Paulson, Ph.D., CSP, CPAE
MONDAY'S MIRTHFUL MOMENT
Loren Ekroth (www.conversation-matters.com) provides this week's dose of mirth--Some humor at California's expense. You know you are in California if:
It's sprinkling outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
Your child's third grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Breeze.
A really great parking space can move you to tears. You have very strong opinions about coffee and can tell Sumatran from Ethiopian at 20 paces.
It's sprinkling out, and there's a report on every news channel about "THE STORM!"
Even if the store is across the street, you drive there.
When you keep your eyes open for mirth, you just may find it! Hope this kicks off your morning and helps get your mood adjusted for the week. Now, get busy MAKING CHANGE WORK and have some fun along the way!...