Make it Happen!

Make it Happen!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

This week I found myself driving to the grocery store. While I was stopped at a traffic light a truck pulled up right alongside me and edged forward just enough that I noticed that the back-end had a little message emblazoned on it.  The message read, “Make It Happen.” Since I am a person who enjoys finding the good news in unusual and unexpected places, I quickly grabbed my cell phone and took a snapshot of the tailgate message. And, I got it just before the light turned green and the truck disappeared down the road. What a great way to start out the day!  Make it happen!

How many times do we sit around waiting for the phone to ring or for circumstances to get better before we actually allow ourselves to move forward past obstacles? How often do we sit around feeling stuck in a rut and not knowing what to do with ourselves? I dare say everyone goes through these spells. However, the best way to dispel this negativity and wasted time is to get up and start doing something. Anything!

I know that when I get myself down to the gym, I am already heading down the right path. In fact, it happened yesterday. I felt a little at odds on what to do with myself all day long. I didn't have a job I had to get to. I didn't feel inspired or motivated toward doing anything in particular despite the fact that I had plenty of projects I could be working on. Blame it on the fact it was Friday or blame it on laziness, I don’t know. What I ended up doing to make myself feel better about sitting around all day was to get dressed and walk down to the gym. Before I knew it I accomplished 6 miles of activity on the treadmill and cycle. I made something happen AND it felt good. I felt better about having done something with myself that day.

Waiting for it to happen (whatever “it” may be) is like waiting to win the lottery and never buying a lotto ticket. I believe it is the same with almost everything we attempt or endeavor to accomplish. To achieve positive and successful results of any kind means taking action. Making it happen implies taking that action. Working toward realized goals or dreams despite any barriers takes an act of our own effort.

Remember the Nike message “Just Do It.”? It means the same thing: Make it happen.

• Want a job? Type up a resume and send it out. Fill out applications. Find networking events and attend them. Go to job fairs. Ask for referrals.
• Want to write? Buy a composition book and spend 15-20 minutes a day writing your personal thoughts. Start a blog and set a deadline. Write about what interests you. Send a letter to someone.
• Want to promote yourself? Begin social media campaigns. Post notes and messages about what you do. Get business cards. Send out postcards.

All of these help inspire your vision and help you visualize them into a reality. These are positive steps toward making “it” happen.  I think everyone needs a little help, encouragement and reminders here and there as we make our way. Even though we may know something, to understand it and actualize it can be daunting at times. Competition may be steep. Rejection may be unending. You may be living on breadcrumbs more often than not. But all it takes is one hit in a world of hits and misses to make something great finally come about. Success can be knocking at your door, but if you don’t buy that lotto ticket, you will never win the lottery. If you don’t keep plugging away at that goal, it will never be realized. If you don’t finish what you started, it will never be complete. You get the idea.

So what are you going to do this week?

I know what I am doing. I am going to keep chugging along and doing everything I can to remember that tailgate message from earlier this week.

“Make It Happen.”

I'm going to go for it. I'm going to do it. I am going to make it happen. No and's, if's or buts about it!

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Cheers!

Jumping the Gun!

Jumping the Gun!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Have you ever jumped the gun? Made decisions too quickly? Assumed something prematurely? Made judgment calls or ran off the mouth making comments about things you didn't have all the information about? I liken this to focusing on false positives. It reminds me of consuming something sweet to re-establish our energy only to crash a short while later. That sugar rush takes us down as quickly as it took us up.

In an age where so many are looking to improve their lives from day to day it seems to me that approaching decisions and giving responses in a conscientious manner is the best method for turning a situation around. How can one make healthy decisions if they don’t have all of the information and/or are not prepared?  This week I have been thinking about jumping into something too soon and the effects of doing so; whether that is how we respond to what others are doing or making a decision about something for ourselves. Jumping the gun is a broad subject; one that I have been just as guilty of over the years. Maybe you have too.

Ever remember running a race where everyone is on the starting line waiting for the go ahead to take off and one person anticipates it too quickly and jumps the line before the go ahead?  This indicates over-anticipation, but also demonstrates the difference between reacting and responding.  Needless-to-say, it slows everyone and everything down by starting a chain reaction of false positives.

Reacting to something too quickly may result in these false positives, because not everything is as it appears to be. What exactly is a false positive¹?  Scientifically it refers to seeing something that actually isn't there.  If everything is not always as it appears to be, than jumping the gun may produce unintended negative reactions and feelings which prove hurtful and often painful. Someone jumps and everyone jumps. It reminds me of the story about the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race. I believe most people understand this, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of it from time to time.

We can always develop our abilities to work toward healthier communications, better decision making processes and improving our collaborations with others.

Here are a few ideas I would like to be mindful of:

• Stop and take a step back for a minute. Reconsider the situation.
• Take a break and breathe. Find a little distraction before revisiting the situation.
• Think first. Flying off the handle usually doesn’t help a situation.
•  Ask for clarification. Don’t make assumptions.
•  Look at all the facts.
• Consider options and alternatives.
• Wait a while and see how something continues to play out. Situations will often correct themselves and/or weed out the negative.
• Express interest in finding a way to turn a situation around. Jumping the gun or acting out prematurely usually promotes the feeling of an attack.
• Ask yourself what is best for you and what is best for the whole.

I believe it’s important to remember how we don’t necessarily see everything that is going on. Communication is key to discovering the true nature of any circumstance. In any case, it pays to not react, but respond appropriately, avoid over-anticipating to the point of jumping in too quickly and realizing that there are unseen variables impacting a situation.  Put these into perspective and we can move forward in any given situation positively and more successfully.

Now, everyone on your marks.

Ready?

Set…..wait for it.

Wait for it!

GO!

¹http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_positives_and_false_negatives (Viewed 1/18/2015)

Please share your ideas and comments by contributing to the comments below. Feel free to SHARE this page with others.

Cheers!

Can’t and Won’t!

Can’t and Won’t!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Word play happens to be a favorite subject of mine and when it comes to looking at things from a different angle and finding new positive perspectives for which to live my life, I want to explore more options. Word play helps me break things down and redefine moments and find better understanding within myself so that I can live a happier daily existence.

I learn a lot by observing the behavior of others on how to do and how not to do things. For example, I remember hearing on more than one occasion the following declarations:

“I will quit smoking when I have a reason to quit smoking.”

“When I have something to be happy about, then I will be happy.”

I believe both of these statements are focused on excuses; excuses for not doing something that so obviously a person will benefit from. They utilize words like ‘I can’t” or “I won’t” to root themselves in the negative instead of swinging things around toward being successful at accomplishing something positive and good. It feels like somewhere along the line a ball got dropped and then it rolled away leaving a person felling helpless and hopeless. But if most of us want the best for ourselves and others, why wouldn't we pick that ball up again and run with it?

Is it laziness? Is it deeply entrenched depression? Are we stuck in a rut?

My attitude is this: WHO needs a reason to quit something which is harmful? WHO needs permission to engage in something which is good for us?  Nobody! If exercise is beneficial for our longevity and makes us feel good, why do we talk ourselves out of it? If giving up tobacco means feeling healthier, than what should the goal be, to feel better or maintain a course for feeding an addiction? It’s easy to talk ourselves out of doing something, but isn’t it just as easy to talk ourselves into something, especially if we know the results tend to be positive? I know, it’s easier said than done, right? Hmm.

My suggestion is to find a reason to turn the “situation” around. It may mean having to say “No” a time or two or conduct a purge to eliminate aspects of life that are bogging us down. We can find a way to take the negative and turn it into something positive. Why? Because it is a process for achieving happiness among the many obstacles, hurdles and challenges we come across. There isn't only one right way to do something, but there are many ways to travel off course and find ourselves in no-wheres-ville and never-never-land.

 With this in mind and going back to the beginning of this discussion about word play, let’s be reminded of how easy it is to change our vision of ourselves by altering negative words such as “I Can’t” or “I Won’t.”

Instead of saying “I Can’t!”, say “I Can!”

Remember the children’s story about the little engine that could? He did not make it up that hill shouting, “I think I can’t!”

And, instead of saying ‘I Won’t!”, say “I Will!”

“I Will” is an affirmation of confidence toward achieving.

In both phrases, drop the “’t”!

Make it silent.

If you Can, you Will and then you've already Won!

Isn't that a good starting point for placing ourselves in a position of power? 

Something to think about!                                        

                                   

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Cheers!

Feeling ‘Mo Beta

Feeling ‘Mo Beta

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Many years ago I worked in middle management. It was a rather large Customer Service department. As you can imagine, the environment was filled with diverse people with various personalities. These individuals came from many backgrounds, ages, skill sets (or lack thereof) and personality types from one extreme to the other. Some were more structured and needed to be told exactly how to navigate toward results. Others were more free-spirited and hard to contain within company guidelines. Moreover, these individuals varied in their care, apathy, energy, health and wellness, drive and ambitions, as well as abilities. 

Needless-to-say, it can be challenging to manage such an eclectic group toward meeting daily tasks. One thing I attempted to do more often than not was to instill a sense of esteem and confidence into every situation dependent on the person. I liked using humor as a means of lightening the moment and getting them through a hectic day. Injecting humor, confidence and positivity into a situation is necessary in difficult and taxing situations, but it is made more complicated among a group of individuals that hold a multitude of attitudes and beliefs. Some people don’t want to hear it while others do. In my opinion, we all need a healthy dose of something to make our day(s) interesting, fun and worthwhile.

Infusing humor and fun can be tricky in the work place. After all, it is a place of business and certain protocols, standards and appropriateness must be considered. Now, some of my methods may have stepped an inch or two over the line, but I found them impactful in many cases.

Here are some ideas that may help make the day better for yourself and those around you:

1)     Start speaking in a funny or goofy voice. I love this one. If people are not expecting it, it gets their attention causing them to smile, chuckle or laugh out loud. I even used various accents (British, Redneck/Southern, etc.) and changed it from moment to moment. It pulls in the attention of everyone in the vicinity long enough to spread the funny vibe. The effect is long lasting.

2)     Make up funny replacements for anything considered profane. Heaven knows dropping a few curse words in an angry way isn't going to make points with the boss or some colleagues. If it is necessary to express yourself in such a way, a helpful solution is to revert to making up a few new words. How about “Aw, sugar pop!”, “Dad-gummit”, “Fudge apples” or “Jiminy Crickets!”  Use your funny voice to make this more effective or even add a simple hand gesture such as a thumbs-up, mini exploding hands, etc.)

      3)     Use props! I used to stop at the convenience store and pick up a couple small bottles of juice every now and then. I specifically chose one called Mo Beta. I would also pick up my favorite flavor of Naked fruit juice.  Later, if I noticed someone having a bad day or walking around like the grouch who stole happiness, I would go get my bottles of juice (props in hand) and walk up to them and innocently say, “Having a bad day? Let me share something with you. (Cue props)  I always feel Mo Beta when I get Naked!”  Or, if I only have the Naked juice, I’d say, “I got Naked and you can, too!”  I treated the moment like it was a commercial and displayed the juice bottles like Vanna White showing letters on Wheel of Fortune. By using this method, not only would I have some healthy nutrition to boost my day, I could use these as tools to help others have a better day, too. There was no way they were not going to continue to think about this play on words throughout the work day.

Of course, the trick here is to not over do it and respect the work environment and its people. Find fun ways to serve others well in this fashion and I bet everyone will enjoy it and have a better day. So my recommendation is to go out there and get Naked and feel Mo Beta.

Juice!

I am talking about juice. (LOL)

Please share your ideas and comments by contributing to the comments below. Feel free to SHARE this page with others.

Cheers!

Find Your Funny!

Find Your Funny!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Several years ago I wrote a children’s book manuscript entitled Find Your Funny. I sent it out to publishers only to have it returned along with about 60 rejection letters. Wow! Publishing, as it is with any other industry, is a tough business to navigate. Rejection is common, because publishing houses only have so much money to invest annually in producing new works. This is understandable. It is about careful selection more than rejection.

What I found most interesting about the experience on hindsight is how these professionals took the time to send a notice and touch base with you regardless of the outcome. Other job interviews or audition situations are not so kind. In many cases, they don’t even provide such a professional courtesy, so you feel like a fish out of water. It is all very humorous, which is what my little manuscript was all about; finding humor and turning things around into something positive.

When life isn’t ‘Oh, so sunny.’

Go out there and find your funny!

I love humor. I love jokes. I love funny songs. I love silliness.

Humor helps keep me in a good state of mind and maintains a light spirit throughout my day, especially when the rat race, expectations of others and negative distractions are doing everything they can to make me the target of bombardment and take me out of the race.

I think most people see humor as an aide to happiness. And, what people find funny varies according to their personalities. Some people think anything profane and potty-mouthed is funny. I think a true comedian is able to make us laugh without the need to build in potential offensiveness albeit a little crude and profane can provide laughing results.

The television show Americas Funniest Videos makes us laugh over silly, strange and stupid. Several other shows demonstrate humor along this vein. I love watching the Impractical Jokers about a group of friends who challenge each other through pranks and the loser ends up in a funny and sometimes demeaning ‘punishment’.

There are many ways to find our funny and let go of sadness, madness and negative thoughts.

I personally enjoy funny songs. You know, the ones that tell a humorous story set to music. A few that come to mind include Here’s Your Sign by Bill Engvall. It pokes fun at stupidity. Or, how about last year’s hit by Weird Al Yankovic of Pharrell’s HAPPY called TACKY? That was fun.

Ultimately, and on a positive note, if you want to find a way to turn things around, look at humorous situations, comedians, songs, television sitcoms and movies to help provide an outlet and an escape to the dull, mundane and/or difficult.

Here is a link to TACKY. Copy and paste it into your URL for a little fun.  Enjoy it and don’t forget to go out there this week and Find Your Funny!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq7Eki5EZ8o

Please share your ideas and comments by contributing to the comments below. Feel free to SHARE this page with others.

Cheers!