Inspiration – Page 2

In It to Win It

Posted on July 30, 2018July 30, 2018 by Scott

The 2018 Tour de France concluded yesterday. The multi-stage race, first held in 1903, always promises tons of drama and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. From tear-gassing by police to fisticuffs between riders, there were enough headlines to interest even non-race fans. But in the midst of so much news, there’s one story you might have missed. It involved cyclist Lawson Craddock.

No, he wasn’t the winner of this year’s Tour. That was Geraint Thomas. The first Welshman to win the tour, Thomas has typically been a support player – holding off competitors so a teammate could build up a lead. After Saturday’s individual time trial, he’d managed to pull almost two minutes ahead of the pack and essentially cruised to victory on Sunday.

And no, Craddock wasn’t the rider at the center of this year’s doping scandal. That was Thomas’ teammate Chris Froome. Cleared by officials just prior to the start of the tour, Froome was jeered (and even assaulted) throughout the duration of his run. He was aiming for a fourth straight win, but crashed early on and lost too much time.

Craddock was the last cyclist to cross the finish line. The American’s 145th place finish came four and a half hours after Geraint Thomas. In fact, he finished dead last in all but one of the Tour’s 21 stages. Lawson was never expected to win – his job was to support his team’s leader – but finishing at all became his unexpected mission.

On day one, early in the first stage of the tour, Craddock ran over a stray water bottle, crashed, and gashed his forehead. The cut required stitches to close. Along with other scrapes and bruises, he also broke his scapula. That’s the shoulder blade, a bone that’s difficult and very painful to break. Recovery takes around six weeks and requires the shoulder to be immobilized.

But rather than bow out of the race, Craddock got back on his bike and finished stage one. Then he finished stage two, and three, and four. While other racers walked away from the competition having suffered far less serious injuries, Craddock kept going. And he kept finishing; in last place mind you, but he kept finishing.

After his crash, Craddock pledged to donate $100 to the Alkek Velodrome in Houston if he finished the stage. The velodrome is where he started racing and the venue was damaged badly during Hurricane Harvey. He invited fans to match his contribution, adding another $100 for each stage he completed. Craddock’s father set up a GoFundMe page with a target of $1,000 as way for people to show support for his son’s new mission. As of this morning, the page had surpassed $225,000 in pledges.

I write a lot about success and achieving your goals. After all, that’s why we set goals, right? To reach them. To crush them. We aim for a target and work like crazy to win. In the world of business, as in the world of sports competition, the expectation is to stand on top of the podium. But what happens when that expectation is obliterated? What happens when the dream of finishing first is dashed? What are we to do when the goal is so far out of reach that success” becomes impossible?

I guess we could quit. That’s what most people do, and it’s perfectly understandable. Nurse your wounds, heal, rest up, regroup – watch from the sidelines and wait for the clock to reset so we can (maybe) give it a shot next year.

Or, we can do what Lawson Craddock did. Fight through the pain. Find victory in giving everything we have just to finish the race. We could redefine success and rally those around us to join in the pursuit of a different, more meaningful, goal. And in doing so, discover this is the race we were meant to win all along.

Feature Presentation

Posted on July 23, 2018July 23, 2018 by Scott

film-681993_640 For the past several years, I’ve taken a week of vacation in July to attend Boy Scout Troop 157’s Summer Camp in Ardmore Oklahoma. Both of my sons earned the rank of Eagle Scout as part of this troop and I have many friendships that began as a result of my involvement. Over the years I’ve helped out by teaching various merit badges during this camp and am proud to have played a small part in the development of many young men.

As much as I try to share some knowledge with the scouts and help develop their skill sets during this experience, I feel like I am the one who learns the most from our time together. Take this year for instance. For the 5^th time, I taught a Movie Making merit badge class. My goal is to teach them the fundamentals of film production through practical application. In other words, we make a movie.

Five boys signed up to take my class and despite the restrictions placed upon them given the context of an outdoor summer camp, they produced an impressive film. Along the way, they taught me a thing or two about achieving your goals.

Set a short timeframe. Summer Camp only lasts a week. Each class only lasts an hour. That means we had 5 hours to come up with a concept, gather resources, shoot the video, and edit everything into a final cut. That meant we had to move fast. There was no time for long debates about who would play what role or how each line of dialogue should be written. Once we decided on the basic story, we started moving.
Keep things simple. As you can imagine, this production didn’t have a huge budget. Costumes, props, locations, equipment – everything we used had to be readily available and cheap/free. I think we may have spent $20 on some stuff at Walmart. Everything else was found around camp. Our cameras were smart phones. The editing software was a freebie included with Windows on the troop’s computer. Costumes and props were either borrowed from other parts of camp or fabricated as needed.
Focus on the finish-line. Knowing we had to debut our movie to parents and friends during the campfire on Friday night meant that every member of the team was invested. These guys gave up their free time to shoot scenes in triple-digit heat. They could have been at the waterfront where it was much cooler and a lot more fun, but they were committed to the end result.
Roll with the punches. Things didn’t always go as planned. They botched bits of dialogue. There were wardrobe malfunctions and stunts that were too complicated to pull off. But that didn’t cause anyone to give up. They just found a way through, around, or over every obstacle that presented itself.
Enjoy the process. The ability to laugh at themselves played a big part in this group’s resiliency. They truly seemed to enjoy every aspect of the movie making process. While I made sure we had a coherent storyline to follow, they regularly contributed their own ideas – ideas that made the end result better. Had I not given them this flexibility, I doubt we’d have a product anyone would be proud of.

When Friday night rolled around, I was confident the guys had put together a great piece of work. Was it perfect? By no means. I don’t see Showdown at Devil’s Gulch winning any Academy Awards. But it accomplished the objectives that were set out. It was definitely a success. What’s keeping you from achieving your goals?

The Other Side

Posted on June 25, 2018June 25, 2018 by Scott

Sertorio Family This is my great-grandfather, Cesare Sertorio. He was a timber hewer who immigrated to Australia from Italy in 1911. Pictured with him is my great-grandmother, Sarah Jessie (Creyk). She was born in Australia, but her parents came from Scotland. The cute little girl is my grandmother, Esther Lucy Sertorio. She met my grandfather, John Stinson, while he was stationed with the U.S. Navy at a submarine base in Fremantle.

They fell in love and in January of 1947, my grandmother sailed to the United States aboard the S.S. Marine Phoenix. She made her way to middle Tennessee and they were married four days after her arrival. Their first child, my mother, married a man from Ohio. Dad had come down for a short work stint and never returned. Researching his family has revealed that they came to the United States from Germany.

When I think about the history of my family, I’m struck by the amount of courage it must have taken so many of them to leave the country of their birth in order to start a new life somewhere else. Imagine leaving everything and everyone you know in pursuit of something you believe must be better. The barriers that have to be overcome were huge – language, culture, geography – everything was dramatically different from what they had known.

I can’t imagine making taking such a huge leap of faith; but I’m glad they did. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Each of these decisions to not just step outside of their comfort zones, but to leave them far behind, led my family to grow and expand around the globe. In the process, they impacted the communities they settled in. They added their own unique talents to the organizations they served, in some cases starting businesses of their own. I’m sure not every risk they took panned out the way they’d hoped it would. From my perspective though, things have turned out pretty well.

So, what’s my excuse?

If my ancestors could muster the courage to cross an ocean, why do I find it so difficult to take risks that are infinitesimally small by comparison? Why do I struggle to pick up the phone or introduce myself to someone new? Why do I hesitate when it comes to engaging in activities that will expand my influence, my business, and my impact?

Jack Canfield said “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” The older I get, the more I believe this is true. The regrets I have almost always have to do with risks I didn’t take. My greatest accomplishments have come as a result of swallowing my anxiety and taking the first scary steps into the unknown. The more I try to remove doubt and potential risk… the more I wait; the more I miss out on.

Now that I think about it, I guess I’m not so different from my ancestors after all. In 1997, my wife and I left the known comforts of life in Tennessee to start over in Texas. We had no idea what lie in store for us, just a dream that things would better on the other side of our fear. I don’t regret taking that risk one bit.

What’s keeping you from taking a risk? What’s waiting for you on the other side?

Taming the Grawlix

Posted on April 23, 2018April 22, 2018 by Scott

girl-2584728_640 Odds are, you’ve never heard of a grawlix; but I bet you’ve seen one. They’re mysterious yet extremely common. They’re hard to describe, even though they are instantly recognizable. You could have one in your home or office right now.

This is a grawlix: #@$%*!

In 1964, Mort Walker coined this term to describe the series of symbols cartoonists use to represent profanity. Expressed in speech and thought balloons, the grawlix helps readers understand the pain, anger, or frustration felt by their favorite characters in the Sunday morning comics. When a fictional individual has a hard time expressing the negative emotions welling up inside, the grawlix is there to fill in the gaps.

Unfortunately, real life doesn’t come with a grawlix. When we feel strong negative emotions coming on, it’s no laughing matter. And while a bit of profanity might make you feel better in the moment, it does nothing to address the underlying cause. To move forward, you need to dig a little deeper.

Start by naming the emotion. Are you feeling angry? Are you frustrated? Does sad or guilty best describe your mood? Perhaps you are anxious, nervous, or just unsettled. Putting a label to your specific emotion helps put you back in control, allowing you to devise a plan for addressing it.

Next, zero in on the source. Identify the root cause – the action or inaction that led you to feel this way. Was it something you did? Are you feeling let down by others, or could it be a combination of the two? Write down the steps you believe it took to arrive at this point.

Now, cross out any steps that you can’t control. You see, often our anger, frustration, or anxiety comes as result of another person’s behavior. We expect them to act a certain way, and when they don’t our emotions take a turn for the worse. We enter a spiral of negativity, focusing on who wronged us, or disappointed us, rather than taking responsibility for our own future.

The secret to taming the grawlix is to act. Focus on the one person’s behavior that you can control – your own. Refuse to let your mind dwell on what could have been. Forget what others should have done. Create a plan of action for yourself. And execute it.

When you take responsibility for your destiny and take concrete steps to pursue the future you want, you’ll find little use for the grawlix. Unlike a Sunday morning cartoon, you won’t need a series of random symbols to express how you feel. My guess is you’ll have better things to say.

I Am a Top Performer!

Posted on March 26, 2018March 27, 2018 by Scott

I am dependable.
I can be counted on to do what I say I will do when I say I will do it. I don’t make promises I can’t or don’t intend to keep.

I am positive.
I look for opportunities, not problems. I think in terms of what we can do vs. what can’t be done. I view the glass as half-full.

I am relatable.
I treat customers and coworkers with kindness and respect. I smile, greet others and take an interest in them.

I am proactive.
I don’t wait to be told what to do. I know what needs to be done to move the team forward and I do it.

I am flexible.
I accept new responsibilities and changes to existing ones. I can adjust my schedule to accommodate unexpected events.

I am coachable.
I accept criticism and instruction well. I invite feedback that helps me shore up my weaknesses and improve on my strengths.

I am creative.
I look for ways to improve my job and organization. I know that “because we’ve always done it that way” is a poor excuse.

I am a communicator.
I share information freely. I take care to express myself well, both verbally and in writing, and listen to what others have to say.

I am a problem-solver.
I look for ways to say “yes” and to move forward. Obstacles are problems to be solved, not excuses to give up.

I am growing.
I seek out ways to improve myself so that I constantly add value to the team. I enjoy learning new things and gaining new skills.

I am a top performer!

Tuned In

Posted on February 26, 2018March 4, 2018 by Scott

bear-3145874_640 Thirty-five years ago this week, one of my favorite television shows aired its final episode. It was called M.A.S.H. and centered on the men and women who served at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. The show ran for 11 seasons, with the first episode airing on September 17, 1072 and the finale on February 28, 1983. It won numerous awards and is one of the highest-rated shows in television history. That final episode became the most-watched and highest-rated single television episode in history at the time.

What made M.A.S.H. unique was its ability to balance humor and drama. The antics of the ensemble cast were funny and entertaining to watch, but the seriousness of war was never lost. The show had a soul to it. Watching it, you felt like these were real people experiencing real emotions. Their interactions, both the lighthearted and the intense, allowed you to feel what they felt in the moment.

Many of the stories evolved from the encounters of actual surgeons and nurses involved in the Korean conflict. Characters in the show resembled actual people who had been a part of these stories. As a result, the actors became invested in accurately conveying the ups and downs of life in this small community of people who had been thrust together by fate.

I fear that sometimes we forget that we’re involved in the stories of real people too. We go through the motions – just dialing it in – or focus on our own selfish goals for the day. We lose sight of the fact that the interactions we have with customers, coworkers, and others have very real implications.

Each time we assist a customer, it’s an opportunity to positively impact their life. It might be in a profound way, through a sale or solving a problem; but often it’s in small ways – sharing a smile or a kind word. We have the same opportunity when it comes to our daily interactions with other team members. The way we approach these touch points can have significant ripple effects on their lives, and our own.

I hope you view your work as more than just a job. What a lonely, sad existence that is – to spend your days waiting for them to end. Work should be rewarding; not just financially, but socially, emotionally, and psychologically as well. We should all seek to contribute to something larger than just the immediate menial task. We should all actively contribute to the stories of others.

That’s what I loved about M.A.S.H. It was obvious that the actors and writers of this simple sitcom didn’t just see their work as a means to the next paycheck. They were devoted to the process, their individual characters, and to each other. And because they were devoted, the viewers were too.

I recently read a series of interviews where those involved in the show reflected on what M.A.S.H. had meant to them. Even 35 years after the ended, the impact of this shared experience was profound. Everyone had been touched.

Loretta Switt, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, recalled the cast’s last time together. It was the night the finale aired, and the group decided to go out for a farewell dinner. She noted that the streets were unusually empty. Later, they found out his was because so many people were inside, watching M.A.S.H. No one, it seemed, wanted to miss out on the story.

What Are You Waiting For?

Posted on January 15, 2018January 13, 2018 by Scott

waiting-71011_640 I recently came across some survey data from Timex, the watch company, about wait times. According to their research, Americans spend an average of 15 minutes waiting for a table at a restaurant. We spend 32 minutes getting ready for work, and another 21 waiting for our significant other to get ready to go out. We spend another 32 minutes waiting every time we visit the doctor’s office.

Odds are you spent around 13 hours last year on hold, waiting for customer service.

The average commuter spends 38 hours a year in traffic. Add another 12 hours if you live in a major city. Traveling by bus? Expect to spend an average of 20 minutes waiting for it to show up. If you’re taking a plane, you can plan on it taking an average of 28 minutes just to get through security.

All told, we spend about 5 years of our lives waiting. We gripe and moan about it, but there’s usually nothing we can do. Like it or not, you’ll still spend about 6 months of your life waiting for traffic lights to turn green.

But there’s a lot of waiting that we can avoid. We just choose not to. There are plenty of times when we’re perfectly happy to spend our time waiting:

Waiting for circumstances to improve.
Waiting for the budget to appear.
Waiting on the market to turn around.
Waiting until I feel better, or feel like it.
Waiting for someone else to tackle the hard part.
Waiting for the perfect customer to walk through the door.

And while we wait, the world moves on. Opportunities pass us by. Competition advances. Customers decide to go elsewhere. Employees check out. Someone else decides to stop waiting and snaps up the sale, the innovation, the victory that should have been ours.

What are you waiting for?

I’ve often heard track and field athletes say that the race is usually won at the start. Those who hear the gun go off and get out of the blocks quickly and cleanly create so much momentum that they can’t be caught. The surest way to lose … is to wait too long before getting started.

January is half-gone. Did you hear the gun? Are you ready to get started yet?

Haven’t you waited long enough?

Priorities

Posted on December 25, 2017December 24, 2017 by Scott

grinch

The Week Before Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 by Scott

‘Tis the week before Christmas
And as you can imagine,
People all over
Have the exact same reaction.

They’re frantic and stressed
For various reasons.
Too much is happening
For them to enjoy the season.

There’s lots to get done,
There’s no time to waste.
The year’s almost over,
So we must all make haste.

Presents must be bought,
wrapped, and delivered.
The list is so long
It’s like swimming upriver.

Travel plans and menus
Must all be finalized,
If the perfect Christmas
Is to actually be realized.

And then there’s the work stress
Which ramps up a few notches.
So few days on the calendar now,
So little time on our watches.

Year-end is nigh.
Goals have yet to be met.
We simply can’t afford
to relax just yet.

Projects are due
And reports must be written,
Before visions of sugarplums
Come to fruition.

But I urge you to try
As best as you can,
To not let this Christmas
Be something “less than.”

“Less than it should be,”
or “less than it could.”
Don’t allow stress to
Rob all that is good.

Make sure that you take time
To look back on your year.
Think of the good things
And those you hold dear.

Remember the triumphs,
New levels obtained;
The goals you have crushed
And the friendships you’ve gained.

Take time to refresh,
Recharge, and reflect.
Let the warmth of the season
Your spirit infect.

Because once Christmas is over
and the new year has come,
There’s no need to abandon
The cheer and the fun.

May the spirit of Christmas
Remain inside you.
Let the end of this year’s journey,
Be the start of something new.