Our big, old Lab Lucky loved to chase rabbits. This dog chasing rabbits was not as pretty a picture as you might think. Lucky had heart disease, a severely enlarged heart (in more ways than one) which was not working well enough to pump waste fluids from his body. The vet, in telling us about the situation, said Lucky probably should rest as much as possible. We decided not to share that news with Lucky and let him do what comes naturally. He wanted to chase rabbits. We knew that he may die doing just that, but meanwhile he would enjoy his life. His body may place limitations on him in the future, but in the present his dog brain was not telling him he "can't."
Animals, being a lower form of being than humans (in most cases), know precisely what they can and can't do--"I can lick myself all over, but I can't drive a car in heavy traffic."
"Can't" is a contraction for can not, which literally means impossible. We all have many reasons we can't. Some of our "can'ts" are actualities-- mental or physical impossibilities like that licking all over thing. Others have no basis in reality. Have you ever heard anyone say "Oh! I can't drive in heavy traffic." Chances are they can, the truth is they choose not to.
The Luckys of this world can be a reminder to us to separate the real impossibilities from the limitations we place on ourselves just to keep comfortable and safe. Remember there is no complete comfort or safety, but there is a lot of fun, excitement and thrills to be missed when we mistakenly substitute "I can't" for "I don't choose to."
I have noticed over the years that, beside can't, there are other words thankfully missing from our horses', dogs' and cats' vocabulary. Power depleting words and phrases like; "Never," "It's not fair," "Have to," "That's just me," "I've always been that way," I can't help it," and "That's just my nature."
We humans are the only ones of God's creatures who not only know their limitations but will also limit themselves without any logical reason to do so.
While Lucky has since chased his last rabbit over the Rainbow Bridge we know one thing, we can forget him we just don't choose to.
Lesson: "I can't" is a contraction in life as well as in language.
The all-leather, NFL-regulation football, inscribed -- 1963 Chicago Bears
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
BURNT BY THE MIDNIGHT OIL
Does it seem like the light at the end of the tunnel is painted on?
Long hours at work were never a problem for the majority of workers I've known. They were willing to give of their "free" time to help the organization through some tough periods. That was then, this is now.
The 10 to 12 hour days will not last. But rather than going back to eight hours (the light at the end of the tunnel), the time is more likely to go to 14. Why?
In a survey quoted in USA TODAY, people were asked why they are working more hours today than they worked five years ago. The answers: 38 percent said it was "expected of them," 37 percent said they "enjoyed it" (God bless them), and 25 percent said there's "more work to do." I may be naive, but shouldn't "more work to do" account for 100%? If there's not more work to do, what do they expect you to do and what is it you enjoy doing?
I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say that the majority of people who consistently work long hours are doing so because they are afraid. Workers are afraid of the negative consequence leaving work and getting home at a decent hour will have on their performance appraisal, and ultimately their security. Organizations, relying on this twisted thought process, with an eye on the bottom line, would be foolish not to continue to push for 14 hours of work for eight hours of pay.
If you identify with anything you just read, commit to take control of your existence now before burnout rots the very foundation of your personal life and robs your organization of its most creative, dedicated, loyal and bottom-line-enhancing resource -- [fill in your name].
Lesson: Work when there is work to be done. Play when there is play to be done.
Long hours at work were never a problem for the majority of workers I've known. They were willing to give of their "free" time to help the organization through some tough periods. That was then, this is now.
The 10 to 12 hour days will not last. But rather than going back to eight hours (the light at the end of the tunnel), the time is more likely to go to 14. Why?
In a survey quoted in USA TODAY, people were asked why they are working more hours today than they worked five years ago. The answers: 38 percent said it was "expected of them," 37 percent said they "enjoyed it" (God bless them), and 25 percent said there's "more work to do." I may be naive, but shouldn't "more work to do" account for 100%? If there's not more work to do, what do they expect you to do and what is it you enjoy doing?
I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say that the majority of people who consistently work long hours are doing so because they are afraid. Workers are afraid of the negative consequence leaving work and getting home at a decent hour will have on their performance appraisal, and ultimately their security. Organizations, relying on this twisted thought process, with an eye on the bottom line, would be foolish not to continue to push for 14 hours of work for eight hours of pay.
If you identify with anything you just read, commit to take control of your existence now before burnout rots the very foundation of your personal life and robs your organization of its most creative, dedicated, loyal and bottom-line-enhancing resource -- [fill in your name].
Lesson: Work when there is work to be done. Play when there is play to be done.
Friday, February 4, 2011
WAS PLEASURE, IS PAIN
Think of your cute, little, seven-year-old, darling self.
In your memory, were you happier, more spontaneous, more creative, innovative, honest, more trusting, more self confident than you are now? Were you less tense, less anxious, less skeptical, less frustrated, less concerned with change or failure? Were you less stressed?
What happened?
Remember, as a kid, the fun of the first, big snowfall, holidays, birthdays, vacations? Do you enjoy them as much since you've become your big, old, mature self?
What happened? Life happened.
You learned the big snowfall brings snow shoveling and traffic jams. Holidays bring family out of the woodwork and the closet. Vacations, you do double work before, double work after, spend the first half winding down and the last half gearing up.
Through these experiences of your life you've learned to react differently to events than you might have reacted the first time you experienced them. It's important to remember, the events didn't change. Snow is snow, holidays are holidays and vacations are vacations.
Which reactions then are correct? Are snowfalls, holidays, vacations a scourge from hell or a blessing from heaven? Yes, and they don't give a rat's which way you view them!
Events just are. If at one point they were acceptable to you, and now they're not acceptable, it's obvious the event didn't change; you did. You have learned and chosen to let events over which you have little or no control drive you nuts. If you don't like now what you did like then and continue to do what you don't like now and did like then, you've got work to do.
If you want to get back the pure childish pleasure you felt when you first experienced snow, holidays and vacations and the like, you have to "unlearn" the bad and remember the good.
An old East Indian saying: "All the struggle to learn and all we have to do is remember." Pretty clever old East Indian, eh?
Lesson: Events have no feelings attached to them; that's your job.
In your memory, were you happier, more spontaneous, more creative, innovative, honest, more trusting, more self confident than you are now? Were you less tense, less anxious, less skeptical, less frustrated, less concerned with change or failure? Were you less stressed?
What happened?
Remember, as a kid, the fun of the first, big snowfall, holidays, birthdays, vacations? Do you enjoy them as much since you've become your big, old, mature self?
What happened? Life happened.
You learned the big snowfall brings snow shoveling and traffic jams. Holidays bring family out of the woodwork and the closet. Vacations, you do double work before, double work after, spend the first half winding down and the last half gearing up.
Through these experiences of your life you've learned to react differently to events than you might have reacted the first time you experienced them. It's important to remember, the events didn't change. Snow is snow, holidays are holidays and vacations are vacations.
Which reactions then are correct? Are snowfalls, holidays, vacations a scourge from hell or a blessing from heaven? Yes, and they don't give a rat's which way you view them!
Events just are. If at one point they were acceptable to you, and now they're not acceptable, it's obvious the event didn't change; you did. You have learned and chosen to let events over which you have little or no control drive you nuts. If you don't like now what you did like then and continue to do what you don't like now and did like then, you've got work to do.
If you want to get back the pure childish pleasure you felt when you first experienced snow, holidays and vacations and the like, you have to "unlearn" the bad and remember the good.
An old East Indian saying: "All the struggle to learn and all we have to do is remember." Pretty clever old East Indian, eh?
Lesson: Events have no feelings attached to them; that's your job.
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