Implosion:
Boom!
©Allen Merritt (2015)
Recently, I had the
privilege and opportunity to watch an implosion of a building in Las Vegas. I
practically had a front row seat and set up a video camera to capture the quick
5-10 seconds of demolition. I had not witnessed anything like it before. It was
exciting for me. I waited outside on the balcony for about an hour and fifteen
minutes before the event finally took place. Safety was a big factor. Roads
were shut down, viewing areas designated and wind conditions monitored. This
took place close to 3:00 am on a Tuesday morning.
When the moment
finally arrived it came without warning, but luckily all cameras were
recording. It sounded like a string of firecrackers going off and then the
walls came a tumbling down and billowing clouds of dust rolled toward me. I
could feel the rumble of it all vibrating up from my feet. As quick as it began
it was over. And, as the clouds rolled away, one lone Leaning Tower of Pisa still stood (the elevator shaft). Something
went wrong and it did not fall. It was considered a failure. Now the crew had
to find a way to successfully achieve positive results with dismantling this
lurking (unsafe) structure.
Herein lies the chance
to notice how a “negative” standing there in all its former glory high above
the rubble like a sore thumb allows us a chance to find away to explore
solutions. It got me thinking about how I push for positive results every day
(some days better than others). Just when you think you’re on the right track
and everything is in place you discover a piece of the puzzle needs attention.
I remember as a kid I kept
to myself, because I was shy and a loner type. I didn’t enjoy confrontation and wasn't interested in stirring up trouble. That’s the way I saw things. I wasn’t
encouraged to have a voice or speak my mind. “You are to be seen and not heard,”
was a phrase I heard repeatedly. Unfortunately, when this happens you tend to
keep things bottled up inside and then guess what happens? Yep, you eventually,
without warning, implode. Everything inside comes screaming out and usually not
at an opportune time. This cannot be healthy. It happens, because no matter how
much people try to control and entrain you to their way of thinking or their
expectations there comes a moment when even the best of us get pushed over the
edge. This is why everyone must talk their way through things as they happen,
open up and communicate respectfully. When a person is egged on and on and on
there is a negative impact.
I have imploded a
time or two and I always feel awful afterwards. However, taking a positive spin
on a situation and realizing that things are not always as they appear to be,
communicating respectfully and taking initiative to respond as opposed to
reacting sheds light and infuses better energy into a situation to bring things
into positive perspective.
Consider the
following:
- If something bothers you, find a way to speak up and respectfully discuss it as a concern.
- Evaluate the situation and be sure you understand what is going on before reacting.
- Take a time out and come back to the situation if needed.
- Do not let it eat away at you! If you find yourself half awake most of the night, something is wrong and it deserves attention, so address it appropriately at the next available opportunity.
- Do not go on the defense and attack.
I am sure there is
a lot more that can be said about such a hot topic, but for now I will leave it
there….On a Positive Note. And, in case you were wondering, the rest of the
elevator shaft came down without issue.
Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment