Monday, November 16, 2009

Half full or half empty?


We've all heard the old cliché about whether you're a " glass half full or half empty" kind of person. Have you ever spent any time pondering this about yourself & why you think you see things the way you do?

I love the enthusiasm and positive outlook of the "glass half full" person. But at the same time, I appreciate the cautiousness and need of reassurance of the "glass half empty" person.

But here's the thing...if you see a glass, regardless of "half full or half empty", why not take the time to fill that glass for someone else?

Because it's not what you have when you exit this world, it's the legacy you leave behind that's most important.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts about this. Add them in the comments section (below).

Thanks and...“Your Success Is My Business.”™

Monday, November 9, 2009

Did You Hear The One About...?

No, not a joke, but rather a story. Don't you love listening to stories...and to further clarify, not fantasy stories, but real life stories.

As for me, an ol' southern boy, I always tell people "Don't expect to ask a southerner a question and expect a short answer." We love to tell stories. Painting a picture with words makes the conversation so much more enjoyable.

I was talking to a friend of mine last week about hunting, and he started telling me a story about a hunt he had a week ago and it was fascinating! For me, I've learned so much from the times I've been out hunting. And the stories I hear & the ones I can share are so full of memories, laughter and, sometimes, tears. Some of the best memories some folks have are of the times they spent hunting or fishing with their parents.

Just the other day, I went out and sat in my tree-stand on a bow-hunt for whitetail deer. I'm 15' about the ground, perched in a ladder stand against a huge pine tree with plenty of cover behind me. I've an incredible view of pine trees to my right, a large grass pasture in front of me and several hundred acres of soy beans to my left...what a perfect spot. While I'm silently, motionlessly sitting there pondering the issues of life and constantly scanning for any movement, a honey bee from a local hive flies down my shirt collar. WOW! He's walking around my chest, my neck and under my camo face-mask. I know he's not going to sting me - he's only out looking for some moisture/water...but he sure does have me squirming. But I can't move to do anything about it! What if the buck of a lifetime is just inside the tree line inspecting the field before he steps out and sees someone in a tree going crazy beating themselves? BOOM, he's gone! So, I just sat there while Mr. Bee did his thing, eventually he flew off...WHEW!

Life is all stories...yours, mine, our parents, their parents, our kids, our friends, neighbors, family, colleagues, teachers, preachers, etc. We hear these stories through face-to-face interaction, through media (TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, etc.), through Social Media, and on & on.

And, of course we all know some folks are better at telling these stories than others. I'm sure you can think of someone right off the top of your head that you know who tells a great story when sharing something about their life.

Even businesses can prosper with "the right story". Some of the most successful businesses are that way because they are able to share a great story about who they are and why they do what they do.

Scott Ginsberg just wrote a great article about how to be interesting in your story telling endeavors...some great advice. And Salesforce.com CEO, Marc Benioff, shares his advice too.

So THANK YOU for allowing me to share this story with you and I'll be listening for yours as well.

What is one of your favorite story?

Thanks and remember: “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.graphics-folio.com/]

Monday, November 2, 2009

"Where they going...where they been?"

This blog is going to be a little different than normal. You'll find it a little longer than I normally provide, and not necessarily about customer service, motivation or leadership. I thought I'd speak from the heart here and share some thoughts I had about the movie "Forrest Gump".

I'm sure you have a list of favorite movies just like I do. If someone pinned me down and made me submit my Top 10 all-time favorite movies, it would probably look like this (in no particular order):
  1. Dances With Wolves
  2. Forrest Gump
  3. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
  4. The Longest Day
  5. It's A Wonderful Life
  6. Oh Brother! Where Art Thou
  7. Cold Mountain
  8. Glory
  9. Band of Brothers
  10. The Matrix

Okay, I know: There's no artsy films listed, and some of the others ones that I really like (Ben Hur, Spartacus, Aliens, 50 First Dates, etc.) just didn't quite make the top list. But these are really the ones that I find myself watching over & over & over again.

So recently I'm watching Forrest Gump, and I realized that of all the movies I've ever seen, and for so many that I really, truly enjoy, this is the one that probably takes the #1 spot in my list.

And with that statement, I wanted to share all the reasons why:

Right at the beginning of the movie, Forrest utters one of the most memorable lines ever (for me) when speaking with the nurse while sitting on the bench in Savannah, GA. He's talking to her about her shoes and how comfortable they look. He stops for a moment & ponders something his mother told him, about how you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, "...where they going, where they been." So I thought, maybe we could tell a lot about others if we just take the time to notice, to listen, to pay attention. To hear not only what they're saying, but what they are feeling and what they mean.

Here are some other lines from the movie that really stand out for me:

"I gotta find Bubba!" Even in the middle of a real mess, (or like the case when Forrest stated these words, the middle of a real nightmare) our family, our friends, those closest to us need our help regardless of what it might mean to us. Are we willing to run into the fire to find our friends?

"You still Lt. Dan." How profound. Regardless of what happens to you in your life, you are still who you are. Sure, we grow and experience events, but in the end, we're still "us".

"Her dream had come true. She was a folk singer." We all saw Jenny, naked up on the stage in a men's club and thought "how horrible that it's come to this". Yet, Forrest knew what her dream was (she had told him while in college) and from his perspective she had accomplished it. We so often think something negative about someones circumstances but from OUR PERSPECTIVE. Each person has there own perspective & view of life and we can truly never fully understand what that looks like --- only from our own point-of-view.

"...'cause you my girl." Forrest was fully devoted to Jenny, regardless of all she had done and all she had put herself through...for better or worse, he had never given up on her.

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I don't know if there's any better way to describe life other than this incredible statement.

Sure there are many, many more quotes from the movie I could go over but I'll leave it at this for now. Each time I watch the movie, something new seems to cause me to ponder...maybe for you too.

What a great movie. Thanks for allowing me to share.

What if your favorite Forrest Gump quote and why?

Until next time. “Your Success Is My Business.”™

[Note: photo from http://www.thing-a-day.com/]