Lessons Learned from your Easter Basket
Remember when you were young and on Easter morning you would hunt around the house to find where the Easter Bunny had hidden your basket?
Oh the triumphant joy when you did find the Easter basket!
The Easter basket was filled with candy, chocolates, multi-colored eggs, and of course, jelly beans.
This week, I would like to take a look at the traditional Easter basket and how it resembles everyday life.
We start out with the excitement of Easter morning. The children know the Easter Bunny put the basket somewhere. Boy, if every morning could be filled with that same excited hope and eagerness. Truthfully – it can! Every day can be a daring bold adventure – just bursting with surprises waiting to be discovered.
Before my readers go negative on me…let me emphasize what you make of the day and what you look for in the day is EXACTLY what you will get. Yes, there will be obstacles to overcome. True there will be some negative. But, as Denny Smith once said – “we all go through crap in life. The question is are you going to water ski over it or stand around taking water samples?”
HOPE – ANTICIPATE – SEEK OUT THE GOOD.
All Easter baskets have grass in them. What’s the purpose of the grass? I think it’s much more than aesthetics. It’s a soft resting place for jelly beans and hard boiled eggs. We all need a place where we can totally relax. It could be a favorite room, a favorite chair or even a park with a bench overlooking a lake. Without a place to decompress, we will walk around high strung, stressed and eventually it will take a toll on our bodies, physically and mentally.
REST – RELAX – DECOMPRESS
Every Easter basket has colored hard boiled eggs in it. Why? The eggs are often the artwork of children or a reminder of a family doing a fun activity together. Take the time to enjoy the artwork. Cherish the quality time that is spent with family and friend coloring eggs.
TAKE TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY – ENJOY THE BEAUTY AROUND YOU
Ahhh. Jelly beans, the official snack food of the late President Ronald Reagan. The bright colors of the jelly beans are amazing. These sugary treats date back to the Turkish Empire. Jelly Beans are fun – almost silly. And, the gourmet ones are extremely popular. Make life’s tasks fun. Don’t be afraid to add some brightness and color…..to a project, to the office, to another person’s life.
HAVE FUN – ADD COLOR – SHARE A COMPLIMENT
Now we come to the foil wrapped chocolate eggs. You already know what is inside – but it’s still fun to unwrap them and pop one in your mouth. Go ahead, treat yourself to something shiny and pleasureful.
TREAT YOURSELF – SAVOR THE PLEASURE
In every basket, there always is a chocolate bunny. Chocolate bunnies come in all shapes, sizes, and an assortment of flavors. The chocolate bunny is the centerpiece of the Easter basket. Without it, the Easter basket would just be a wicker basket of candy and eggs. Don’t lose sight of the focal point.
STAY FOCUSSED – KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING
Have a great Easter holiday
Ron
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Eentsy Weentsy Spider
Lessons learned from Eentsy Weentsy Spider
There is an old children’s rhyme called Eentsy Weentsy Spider that parents taught to their children. The rhyme was cute and even had hand motions that went with it.
The rhyme was a children’s poem, but today I would like to share some adult thoughts on this rhyme and how they apply to the business community today
First, let’s review the words to the rhyme….
Eentsy Weentsy Spider
The eentsy, weentsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
So the eentsy, weentsy spider went up the spout again.
Now let’s break the poem down and analyze it.
Enntsy Weentsy just by name alone tells us that the spider was not large. In fact the spider did not have a huge presence in the business world, finance world or even in the arachnid world. The point is Eentsy was one of the little people on the arachnid corporate ladder.
The fact that this little spider went up the water spout shows action and the desire to move up in the arachnid world. There is no detail on the size of the water spout. However, it would be safe to assume that the water spout – when compared to Eentsy – was huge.
This little spider was tackling the big gun, the big account, going straight up to the top. Great, because it shows that Eentsy had a goal. Eentsy wanted more out of life. Eentsy had curiosity and a desire to not stay where Eentsy was currently at.
En route to Eentsy’s ascent it began to rain. Yes, in any endeavor one must put up with a little rain. And, at times that rain may wash you out and bankrupt you. It may toss you about emotionally, physically and financially.
The fact is, according to the poem, Eentsy was washed out. All forward progress was halted. All past achievements were erased by a downward rainfall.
The poem then tells us that the weather pattern changed. Life has seasons. Patterns change. No downward trend lasts forever – so ride out the storm. Take notice of the sun coming out.
Once the sun comes out, it dries up all the rain. In other words, the heat and dryness of the sun enables us to forget about those rainy events that destroyed our best laid plans.
The sun will come out!
So, what did Eentsy do? He or she persevered. Eentsy went back up the water spout again.
When life pours rain down on you, know that the sun will be out soon. And, once it comes out – get busy with moving forward toward your goal again.
Get up, dry off and go back up the water spout.
If little Eentsy Weentsy can do it – you can too.
Have a great week
Ron
There is an old children’s rhyme called Eentsy Weentsy Spider that parents taught to their children. The rhyme was cute and even had hand motions that went with it.
The rhyme was a children’s poem, but today I would like to share some adult thoughts on this rhyme and how they apply to the business community today
First, let’s review the words to the rhyme….
Eentsy Weentsy Spider
The eentsy, weentsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
So the eentsy, weentsy spider went up the spout again.
Now let’s break the poem down and analyze it.
Enntsy Weentsy just by name alone tells us that the spider was not large. In fact the spider did not have a huge presence in the business world, finance world or even in the arachnid world. The point is Eentsy was one of the little people on the arachnid corporate ladder.
The fact that this little spider went up the water spout shows action and the desire to move up in the arachnid world. There is no detail on the size of the water spout. However, it would be safe to assume that the water spout – when compared to Eentsy – was huge.
This little spider was tackling the big gun, the big account, going straight up to the top. Great, because it shows that Eentsy had a goal. Eentsy wanted more out of life. Eentsy had curiosity and a desire to not stay where Eentsy was currently at.
En route to Eentsy’s ascent it began to rain. Yes, in any endeavor one must put up with a little rain. And, at times that rain may wash you out and bankrupt you. It may toss you about emotionally, physically and financially.
The fact is, according to the poem, Eentsy was washed out. All forward progress was halted. All past achievements were erased by a downward rainfall.
The poem then tells us that the weather pattern changed. Life has seasons. Patterns change. No downward trend lasts forever – so ride out the storm. Take notice of the sun coming out.
Once the sun comes out, it dries up all the rain. In other words, the heat and dryness of the sun enables us to forget about those rainy events that destroyed our best laid plans.
The sun will come out!
So, what did Eentsy do? He or she persevered. Eentsy went back up the water spout again.
When life pours rain down on you, know that the sun will be out soon. And, once it comes out – get busy with moving forward toward your goal again.
Get up, dry off and go back up the water spout.
If little Eentsy Weentsy can do it – you can too.
Have a great week
Ron
Friday, April 8, 2011
Whammies!
Whammies!
Years ago, there was a game show on television called “Press Your Luck”. One of the catch phrases that came out of the show was “C’mon no whammies, no whammies, big bucks!” The contestants would watch a board as an array of monetary prizes would fill a screen, and a :whammy” would randomly pop up on the various screens covering the dollar amount. The idea was to press the button at the right time before a “whammy” would appear.
In reality, no person walks through life wishing for whammies. Or do they?
Often I hear people say they are going to do this or that on the weekend, but it will probably rain. Or, they will say they are going to attempt something new of different – but you know me – it will probably fail or not work out.
Wrong answer!
Understanding self talk is key to success. Managing or changing what you say to you is job one in personal growth. Gravitating away from the negative is second.
“Oh”, you say, “I am not a negative person.”
Really?
Try this…..get a pickle jar or a piggy bank….and every time you spew a negative comment at home, at work or anywhere else – put a quarter in the jar. BTW Yes, cursing counts as negativity.
Then, next week – let me know how ya did.
We often doom ourselves before we even start a project.
So, go ahead – try it. Then give the $$$ in the jar to a charity.
Back to whammies……………….
We all suffer whammies in our life. Some are caused by us, some caused by others, and some just happen.
What you do when hit with a whammy can make all the difference in the world.
Do you react? Do you respond? Reaction to something requires no mental thought, no processing and no regard for consequences. If you don’t believe me, just ask some of the guys in prison that I counsel / mentor. One inmate said it best, “15 seconds of reacting caused me 45 years of my life.”
You see, animals react. Humans have the capacity to respond. A response means you have allowed time to process or consider the consequences (no matter how brief that period of time may be).
A response allows time for the dust to settle from the damage done. A response enables the mind to work through the process so as little damage as possible is done (on both sides of the argument / debate / issue).
Whammies also allow leaders to shine. When a whammy happens, leaders automatically kick in to leadership mode. Leaders, much like firemen, run in to the fire – rather than doing what others do by running away from the fire.
Leaders – although not walking around wishing for a whammy – are ready and prepared to take action.
When a whammy hits – do you react, or do you respond?
Are you prepared to lead when the next whammy happens?
Until next week friends………………….count your quarters.
Ron Orendi
Years ago, there was a game show on television called “Press Your Luck”. One of the catch phrases that came out of the show was “C’mon no whammies, no whammies, big bucks!” The contestants would watch a board as an array of monetary prizes would fill a screen, and a :whammy” would randomly pop up on the various screens covering the dollar amount. The idea was to press the button at the right time before a “whammy” would appear.
In reality, no person walks through life wishing for whammies. Or do they?
Often I hear people say they are going to do this or that on the weekend, but it will probably rain. Or, they will say they are going to attempt something new of different – but you know me – it will probably fail or not work out.
Understanding self talk is key to success. Managing or changing what you say to you is job one in personal growth. Gravitating away from the negative is second.
“Oh”, you say, “I am not a negative person.”
Really?
Try this…..get a pickle jar or a piggy bank….and every time you spew a negative comment at home, at work or anywhere else – put a quarter in the jar. BTW Yes, cursing counts as negativity.
Then, next week – let me know how ya did.
We often doom ourselves before we even start a project.
So, go ahead – try it. Then give the $$$ in the jar to a charity.
Back to whammies……………….
We all suffer whammies in our life. Some are caused by us, some caused by others, and some just happen.
What you do when hit with a whammy can make all the difference in the world.
Do you react? Do you respond? Reaction to something requires no mental thought, no processing and no regard for consequences. If you don’t believe me, just ask some of the guys in prison that I counsel / mentor. One inmate said it best, “15 seconds of reacting caused me 45 years of my life.”
You see, animals react. Humans have the capacity to respond. A response means you have allowed time to process or consider the consequences (no matter how brief that period of time may be).
A response allows time for the dust to settle from the damage done. A response enables the mind to work through the process so as little damage as possible is done (on both sides of the argument / debate / issue).
Whammies also allow leaders to shine. When a whammy happens, leaders automatically kick in to leadership mode. Leaders, much like firemen, run in to the fire – rather than doing what others do by running away from the fire.
Leaders – although not walking around wishing for a whammy – are ready and prepared to take action.
When a whammy hits – do you react, or do you respond?
Are you prepared to lead when the next whammy happens?
Until next week friends………………….count your quarters.
Ron Orendi
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