"Getting Bent into Shape"

The other day, I unfolded a Chinese food container getting it ready for the recycling bin.  I noticed that flattened, it was a very interestingly shaped white piece of cardboard.  It could have been used in that state for several things including; as something to write on, to cover something else, or as a decoration.  However, in order to fulfill its real purpose of being a container for food, it had to be bent into its final boxy shape.

This caused me to think about how many times in life we come upon people or events that disturb or annoy us and we say that we get “bent out of shape” by them.  Maybe these things are really meant to bend us into shape so we may fulfill our real purpose in life.  Perhaps they teach us about how to cope with adversity, or show us an aspect of ourselves that we had previously ignored.  They may move us out of our comfort zone so we may experience growth and change.

So next time someone or something gets you “bent out of shape,” look for the lesson in the situation.  Consider the possibility that you are getting closer to your really purposeful shape.
 

"Under-extend Yourself"

It is the current trend in this world of opportunity for people to over-fill their schedules, over-spend their income, over-promise to their family and friends.  All of this leads to overwhelm, overload, and being in over their heads and over-extended.  It becomes obvious how prevalent these situations are by noticing how many ‘over’ words we have in our vocabulary to describe them.

My bold proposal is that instead of all the overage, we practice under-extending ourselves.  A graphic analogy to demonstrate this is to picture a rubber band around a deck of cards.  If the band is stretched to its ultimate (over-extended), adding even one more card will cause it to break and all of the cards will scatter.  If the band still has some slack (under-extended) and can stretch further, more cards may be added and the deck will stay intact.

If our lives are like that deck of cards and our rubber band has stretching room, we will be free to add more to our lives without losing our integrity.  For example, if you have a reserve of money and a great investment opportunity presents itself, you can take advantage of it.  If you keep reserves of time and energy, when unexpected events occur you can handle them without undue stress.  If you under-promise to family and friends and then deliver in excess of the promise, you are a hero.

There are several ways to keep some slack in the rubber band of your life.  You can clean out some of the “cards” in your deck that no longer serve you well.  Cleaning out the clutter in your physical environment is an obvious example.  You can free up space by getting rid of objects that are no longer useful to you.  You will then have space to add valuable objects when they present themselves.  Also, completing the uncluttering process will give you a burst of energy to add to your reserves. 

Less obvious, and possibly more freeing, is the resolution of relationships that are no longer working for you.  If a draining relationship is one of your “cards” and you remove it, you then have the option to replace it with another relationship that is more suitable.  Another option is to keep the extra slack in your elastic reserve of time and energy, and have the space available for additions to other areas of your life when opportunities present themselves.

You can also create some slack in your rubber band of life by stretching and growing at a reasonable and sustainable rate.  As you gain experiences and insights, build more supportive relationships, increase your financial reserves, etc.; your capacity to hold a larger “deck” of life increases.  You build reserves and create room to add more to your life without compromising your ability to hold it all together.

So, when that stretched-out feeling alerts you that you are beginning to overextend, stop stretching.  Clear out your excess “cards”, or grow your reserves; and regain some slack in your rubber band.   You will then be able to add valuable “cards” to your deck of life and remain under-extended and ready for more.
 
 

"Make it Fun and Get it Done"

I learned a valuable lesson from my 13-year-old son last week.  We were hiking in the woods on our very hilly, rocky farm.  He stopped near a cliff and starting hurling some rather large rocks over the edge, seeing how successfully he could get them to smash on a large boulder at the bottom.  I got tired of watching him do this after about 20 minutes and suggested that we move on.  He protested and kept on with his constant picking up, carrying and hurling rocks. 

Finally after some time I said “Do you realize you have been picking up rocks for more than half an hour?  This is the very same task Dad asks you to do every weekend to help clear the fields.  You always moan and groan, do it for about 2 minutes, then find an excuse to quit.”  His reply was,  “But this is fun!” 

This hit me like a rock.  How many tasks we dread can be turned into something fun?  I know this sounds like quite a challenge and some things are just not fun at all. However, I bet with some creative thinking there are possibilities.  Try turning on some snappy music and dancing with the vacuum cleaner (a la Mrs. Doubtfire). Write a secret message in the dust on your dresser and erase it when you clean it.  Write that dreaded report on brightly colored paper.  Everyone in my office recognizes notes from me, they are on neon post-its. 

For managers, setting up contests for your employees can create some fun and increase motivation.  If you are a sole proprietor, you can set up a contest just for yourself.  Simply set your goals and choose a prize for completion.

The idea is to make achieving goals and objectives fun.  So, make your work fun and get it done.