Posts by Pat:
What smart people don’t say…
There are some things we simply never want to say. These phrases carry the special power of making us look bad even when the words are true!
Worst of all, there’s no taking them back once they slip out.
No matter how talented we are or what we’ve accomplished, there are certain phrases that instantly change the way people see us. These phrases are so loaded with negative implications that they can undermine us in short order.
“It’s not fair.”
We all know that life isn’t fair. Saying it’s not fair suggests that we think life is supposed to be fair. This makes us look immature and naive, just like Calvin.
We are blessed with such role models as Helen Keller, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen Hawking who exemplified great contributions without having experienced fairness in life!
(Could we just accept life as it is, and move forward?)
“This is how we’ve always done it.”
Modern life changes so fast that even a 6-month-old process could be outdated. This not only makes us sound lazy and resistant to change, but could make folks wonder why we haven’t tried to improve things on our own.
Could we just ask what they’d recommend we do and why?)
“I’ll try.”
Try sounds tentative and suggests we lack confidence in our ability to do the task. As Yoda said: Do or not do. There is no try.
(Perhaps we could just do it to the best of our ability?)
“It’s not my fault.”
We know it’s never a good idea to cast blame. We know we need to be accountable. The moment we start pointing fingers is the moment people start seeing us as lacking accountability and untrustworthy!
(Can I see and admit what I did and then say “Let us just fix it”?)
“I can’t.”
Folks don’t like to hear I can’t because they think it means I won’t. It suggests that we’re not willing to do what it takes or that we really don’t want to do it!
(How about offering “What I can do though is…”)
We’re always at choice as to what we say. And, I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to change what we say and, thus, what we do. Becoming aware is our first step!
So…
here’s to our increasing awareness and on-going improvement!
Tilt your perspective
Do you remember playing with a kaleidoscope? With every turn of the tube, wonderful patterns and colors revealed themselves. We didn’t cry when the first image disappeared. We knew that nothing was lost; another beautiful sight always followed. In a kaleidoscope, a set of fragments forms a pattern but isn’t locked into place…shake it, twist […]
Travel puns for fun!
With borders closed and travel iffy…Here’s some “punny” sharings in place of our preferred vacation travels! Which ones do you like best? Britain is a wet place due to the Queen’s long reign. Never make fun of a Scotsman’s traditional garb. You could get kilt that way. Italian building inspectors in Pisa are leanient. The […]
Choosing your adventure…
Did you ever read one of the Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up? There were 250 million copies of books in that series sold in the 80’s and 90’s! They came about after the creator ran out of bedtime stories to tell his daughters, so he asked them what they thought the protagonist should […]
See the humor?
I firmly believe it is better to laugh than to cry and so here is what I have found! See if any of these tickle your funny bone… New proverbs to be included in the English language: “Homestay is the best policy!” “Rome wasn’t infected in a day.” “When the cough is away, you can […]
Nice or Kind?
What is the difference between being nice and being kind? At first glance it’s hard to tell. We often use them interchangeably when describing people. A “nice person” will hold the door for others, but so does a “kind person.” If the underlying motivation for holding the door for others is to create a favorable […]
Some favorite thoughts…
Maybe it’s my English teacher background or maybe it’s my bookstore owner background or maybe I’m just quirky, but I love collecting thoughts shared by others! I’m sharing some with you today to see which ones you like best. So…which of these 6 resonates most with you? “If the only tool you have is a […]
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My..!
Remember in the movie The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man entered the scary forest as they followed the yellow brick road? As they entered the gloomy forest they discussed their fears, culminating in the catchy “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” Just as in the Biblical story of […]
Simple is surprisingly good
Many of the reasons we fail to find elegant solutions to problems are self-inflicted. We overthink a problem, or jump to conclusions, or decide after a few moments that we have a solid B-minus answer and are ready to move on. And so we miss the simplest, cheapest, least-intrusive, most effective changes we can make. […]
Ramblings as an “elder”
Some people try to turn back their “odometers.” Not me. I want people to know why I look this way. I’ve traveled a long way and some of the roads weren’t paved! Why is the easiest way to find something lost around the house is to go out and buy a replacement? Did you ever […]