Ray's Daily

“A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.”

Ray Davis

I am beginning to feel like my old self, not that strong yet but my mental attitude has improved. I don’t think my recovery will take as long as some thought it would. We’ll see, they will do further assessment at my rehab appointment tomorrow and this afternoon my pulmonologist will add to the mix.

I do think however that I will heed the advice of almost everyone and manage my future activities a little more carefully. Like I said last week I plan on doing all I can for as many as I can, that means limiting my activities to those I can reliably complete and don’t require more than I can deliver. So as I look ahead and see boulders that must be scaled I will either find a way around them or take another path. Here is an article on overcoming obstacles, by Carolyn Ellis that I will consider as I plan ahead.

4 Tips to Clear the “How Hurdle”

“How?” isn’t as important as “Where” and “Why?”

Part of our mind likes to solve problems, so it will naturally prompt that “how” question. Asking “How” first is like putting the cart before the horse. Ghandi didn’t ask himself how he’d get the British to leave India. Instead he held steadfastly and articulately to his vision and then followed a course of action that revealed itself as he went along.

The more important and empowering questions to ask yourself are “Where?” and “Why?”. Where do you want to go? Why do you want to reach that new goal? Why is it important for you to learn how to solve that problem? The answers to the “where” and “why” will give you the motivation and energy to find the “how” as you take action.

Building a Big “Why”

If your “why” is big enough, you’ll figure out the how. You just hunker down and start doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Connecting to your “why” will commit you to action. Commitment is the key to knocking those “How Hurdles” down. The “how” will appear once you make that commitment to your “why”. In the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred … unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.”

I Don’t Know How” as an Excuse

Have you ever used the phrase “I don’t know how” as an excuse for inaction? But perhaps you really meant, “I’m not ready to move forward” or “My goal isn’t really clear or important enough to me”. It’s more empowering and accurate to be honest about it, especially with ourselves, than stand behind an excuse.

Never mind the Naysayers

Have you ever decided to try something new, despite your own questions about how you’ll succeed, and then the moment you share your new goal with someone they turn into a dream-stealer. They’ll pepper you with questions like, “So how exactly are you going to do that?” Unfortunately, some of those naysayers are people who are the closest to us. They have a great skill for putting more “How Hurdles” up on the track.

Don’t let the naysayers stop you! Take a moment to share your “why” with them and how it’s going to look at feel for you to accomplish that goal. Invite them to support you by brainstorming how you could accomplish the goal. Share your commitment to doing whatever it will take to cross the finish line.

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“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

Lena Horne

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“How did you lose your job at the dress shop?” a woman asked her friend.

“Well, after trying on about 25 dresses, the customer said to me, ‘I think I’d look nicer in something flowing.’ And I suggested the Mississippi.”

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Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.

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Casual Day Week 1 – Memo No. 1: Effective this week, the company is adopting Fridays as Casual Day. Employees are free to dress in the casual attire of their choice.

Week 3 – Memo No. 2: Spandex and leather micro-miniskirts are not appropriate attire for Casual Day. Neither are string ties, rodeo belt buckles or moccasins.

Week 6 – Memo No. 3: Casual Day refers to dress only, not attitude. When planning Friday’s wardrobe, remember image is a key to our success.

Week 8 – Memo No. 4: A seminar on how to dress for Casual Day will be held at 4:00 p.m. Friday in the cafeteria. A fashion show will follow. Attendance is mandatory.

Week 9 – Memo No. 5: As an outgrowth of Friday’s seminar, a 14-member Casual Day Task Force has been appointed to prepare guidelines for proper casual-day dress.

Week 14 – Memo No. 6: The Casual Day Task Force has now completed a 30-page manual entitled “Relaxing Dress Without Relaxing Company Standards.” A copy has been distributed to every employee. Please review the chapter “You Are What You Wear” and consult the “home casual” versus “business casual” checklist before leaving for work each Friday. If you have doubts about the appropriateness of an item of clothing, contact your CDTF representative before 7:00 a.m. on Friday.

Week 18 – Memo No. 6: Our Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) has now been expanded to provide support for psychological counseling for employees who may be having difficulty adjusting to Casual Day.

Week 20 – Memo No. 7: Due to budget cuts in the HR Department we are no longer able to effectively support or manage Casual Day. Casual Day will be discontinued, effective immediately.

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Anger makes your mouth work faster than your mind.

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The Baptist minister had been summoned to the bedside of a Presbyterian woman who was quite ill. As he went up the walk, he met the little daughter of the woman and said to her, “I’m very glad your mother remembered me in her illness. Is your minister out of town?”

“No,” answered the child. “He’s at home, but we thought it might be something contagious, and we didn’t want to expose him to it.”

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Always remember you’re unique, just like everyone else.

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The local paper, which I don’t bother to subscribe to since I don’t have a bird, calls every couple of weeks to try and get me to subscribe. With caller ID this becomes a perfect opportunity. Here are some of the highlights.

Phone rings. I glance at the monitor and pick up the phone. “OK I’ll take a subscription, but I only want it on weekends”

“What?”

“You want to sell me a subscription. I’ll take it, but only for Saturday and Sunday”

“We only offer it Thursday through Sunday.”

“Oh then never mind.”

I hang up.

Phone rings. I glance at the monitor and pick up the phone.

“Hi! Is this Billy-Bob’s Gun and Ammo Shop?”

(silence)

“I wanna buy a gun. You got any?”

(silence)

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“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”

George Bernard Shaw

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Stay well, do good work, and have fun.

Ray Mitchell

Indianapolis, Indiana

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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