Dale Carnegie once said,
“People rarely succeed unless they are having fun in what they are doing.”
So my question today is, are you having fun?
Are you able to laugh at work?
Do others laugh with you?
Some people diminish all of the good things that are in their lives.
They can’t take a compliment, disregard any good fortune and are quick to downplay anything positive that happens.
Then they amplify the negative aspects of their lives.
They rapidly find things to complain about, focus on the mistakes of others and look to the future with unnecessary worry and concern.
I saw some remarkable footage of a Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle this evening.
It took off at 9am, flew for over 200km and then landed five hours later.
It didn’t catch anything, it just soared.
It didn’t seem to have a particular route in mind, it just followed the thermals.
It flew, and it flew, and it flew.
This morning, someone jokingly said that I was revving my team up too much and they were too enthusiastic.
I was slightly taken aback, but on reflection, is this even possible?
Can you have too much energy and enthusiasm for your job?
Can you be too positive and optimistic about the future?
Can you be reminded too many times that what you do matters and is part of a greater purpose?
I’m a competitive person by nature and this flows through to my work, so when I have a target to achieve, I’m determined to hit it.
But there are times when that doesn’t happen and I don’t like it.
It doesn’t matter if the reasons were out of my control, I want to get there every single time.
But recently, I stumbled across this quote from Tom Hirshfield,
“If you hit the target every time, it’s too near or too big.”
He’s right.
One of my favourite NBA coaches is Doc Rivers, the current coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Before taking on his current role, he said,
“I don’t think you should run from a legacy, or run from pressure, or run from expectations. I think you should run towards it.”
It’s easy to hide.
It’s easy to play small.
When everything seems dark and dreary…
keep shining.
When everyone is complaining and whining…
keep shining.
When the standard of work that your peers produce continues to be below par…
keep shining.
I read a lot of biographies and memoirs and one of the common elements that strikes me is that these incredibly successful and notable people each had a lot of help along the way.
Yes, they are talented, resilient and hard-working, but they also take a lot of time to thank their parents, or spouse, or grandparent, or mentor, or teacher, or boss, or random stranger who had a timely word of advice.
If you think that you are going to make it by yourself, you’re mistaken.
“Your call is important to us,” the IVR repeats every 30 seconds for the next 30 minutes.
You know it’s a lie, or the call would be answered sooner.
So you wait and you fume and the interaction is doomed before it even begins.
Don’t tell us, show us.
Of course, it’s not just call centres who spin these insincere statements.
Legendary comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, once said,
“Keep your head up in failure and your head down in success.”
Love it.
When we make mistakes, we often drop our heads in embarrassment, hoping that no-one notices.
We shuffle about in shame,
