Dwarf Your Fear

We all have some sort of fear.

The question is, what do we with do with fear?  Do we avoid it?  Do we run away from it?  Do we acknowledge it and look the other way?  Do we face it head on?  Or, do we fight and overcome our fear?

I have a fear of heights.  2 steps up on a ladder and my mind gets as wobbly as my knees.

Recently, we had a steady rain falling in central PA.  As I opened the garage door there was a waterfall coming from the gutter over the garage door.  I looked at it for a moment.  I knew the culprit was those pesky falling leaves.  Apparently, they had held some sort of meeting and decided to all group together and create a jam that would clog the gutter or downspout.

I am not sure what possesses a leaf to unite with others and see how many of them could stuff the entrance to a downspout.  I just know they do it.

A thought occurred to me.  That backed up water could do some serious damage to my house. 

So, I went further into the garage and grabbed the extension ladder.  Mind you, it was still pouring down rain.  But, I kept saying to myself – “let’s solve this problem.”

I raised the extension ladder and steadied the foot pads.  Then, I ascended the ladder with a grocery bag over my hand to grab the slimy glop that was creating the jam up in the gutter.

As I dug around and scooped all shades of the fall textured goop – I heard the rushing sound of water going down the downspout. 

I looked to my right and saw the other downspout was also clogged.  So, I descended the ladder.  Once on the ground, I repositioned the ladder again and made my ascent.  Repeating the effort with my plastic bag covered arm and hand – scooping away the debris, I again heard the sound of rushing water down the downspout.

While putting the ladder away, I told myself – “problem solved.”

About an hour later, I was thinking back on the task I completed and it hit me.  My fear of heights was overshadowed by the fear of the water damage to my home.

THAT’S  IT!!!!!

If you want to overcome a fear – simply find something to overshadow it.

In my mind, I envisioned the enormous cost of the water damage vs. the small cost of clearing out the gutter.

You want to tackle a fear?   Do as I did.  Dwarf your fear.

Have a great week.

Ron  

To schedule Ron to speak to your business, civic group

or organization, contact him at:

ron@ronorendi.com

717-802-0483

Trick or Treat

In just a few days, the little goblins, witches and ghosts will be knocking at your

Maybe during this scary season, we should be asking ourselves about our own personal development and leadership abilities.  It’s always good to look inward, and do a check up from the neck up.  However, in doing so – if our purpose is truly to grow forward – we need to be brutally honest with ourselves.  Anything less would be a simple con game and serve no purpose in our growth.

Trick or treating is an event that goes well beyond the nightly rounds through the neighborhood seeking Hershey bars, Kit Kats and an occasional candy apple.  There is the costume search – the “who do you want to be”?  Shall I be a cartoon character, a movie character, or a standard “punk rocker or hobo?”  Then there is the decision, should I make the costume or buy it?  Of course, this leads to what to put your treats in – a grocery bag, a purchased Halloween bag or plastic bucket?  Or should I just tote it all through the neighborhood in a pillow case?

Then the progression of events leads to the “trying on of the costume.”  After these decisions have been made, there is usually a Halloween party or two to attend.

All this could be regarded are Trick or Treat Foreplay.  The build up for the main event is dramatic.  Then the final pre-event sound – the fire whistle blowing acts as a “gentlemen start your engines” to the masses attacking the streets as the sounds of laughter and rustling of leaves fills the cool night air.

So what does this have to do with personal development?

Answer #1.  Trick or Treat is about dressing up in costume.  So, in your encounters with individuals in the work place, at church, in the neighborhood, and even at gatherings – ask yourself – do I wear a mask or am I genuine?  Do I try to be someone I am not?  Often the person behind the mask is more easily fooled than the people looking at them.  Often times, they know the truth.

I am not saying one needs to “air their dirty laundry” all the time.  I am saying be sincere, be honest, be yourself.

If you don’t like who you are, work on changing you.  Make adjustments, improvements, upgrade to a new you.

Ask yourself – am I wearing a mask?

It doesn’t take people long to figure out you are not the super hero you are disguised as.  And, once they figure you out, they see you more as the sad hobo.

Answer #2.  Trick or Treat is about getting candy and goodies with little to no effort.  A simple knock on the door and a magical 3 word announcement gets a prize.

Sadly, many adults have clung on to this form of entitlement mentality.  Maybe you know someone who fits these descriptions.  Or, perhaps, you see yourself in one of them.

•    They want it with little to no effort.  Then when a problem occurs – the blame game starts.
•    They think if the chant the right buzz words that they will get the prize.  At the end of the day, when they look in their bag, they realize it is NOT the prize they had wanted. 
•    They get so caught up in the “gimmie” mentality that they compromise their own worth and self esteem.
•    They justify their entitlement mentality by saying things like, “I do a lot for this company.”  Or, “For all the free time I put in, the least they could do is give me one of these.”

Some may say, “I am not like that”.  Really?  Go to an event at a conference or convention center and watch the people as they pass by the vendor tables grabbing up on brochures and pamphlets they have no intention of utilizing.

I have even seen people visit a church – and as they stand in the foyer, their eyes scan the racks of booklets and devotionals hunting down their prize to take home.

I think it’s bred in to all of us – somehow.  We all want something for nothing.  The real question is – are you strong enough to resist the temptation?

If not, your actions may come back and haunt you.  

Have a great week.

Ron  

To schedule Ron to speak to your business, civic group

or organization, contact him at:

ron@ronorendi.com

717-802-0483

Thanks

Thankful

In last week’s blog, we talked about Waking Up and putting your mind in a positive frame.

This week, I’d like to touch on a “step 2” to that process.

Thanks is the theme of this week’s blog. 

When you wake up in the morning, before your feet hit the floor – name 5 things you are thankful for.  At first, your “thankfulness” may be very simple – like being thankful for pillows, blankets, a comfortable mattress.  But after a few days, your “thankfulness” will transition to things with a little deeper thought rather than an “surface” kind of thanks.

Then at lunch time – incorporate into your break – thinking of 5 more things.

Once you get in the routine – add 5 more things at dinner time.

BTW – these may or may not be vocalized to others.  It’s your option.

Finally, add in 5 more things at bed time.

Before you know it – each day, you will ne naming 20 things you are thankful for.

Try it – then share your results with me on Facebook or via e-mail.


Have a great week.

Ron  

To schedule Ron to speak to your business, civic group

or organization, contact him at:

ron@ronorendi.com

717-802-0483

Waking Up

So, what do you do when you wake up in the morning?

I mean besides the standard potty break and brushing your teeth.

Those first few minutes can set the tone for your entire day.

For many of us, we like to have our set pattern down – so we do not have to do anything that even remotely requires thinking.

For others, we continually smack the “snooze button” on our alarm clocks until we realize that we MUST scramble to prevent ourselves from being late (again).

Do you talk to yourself?  What do you say?  Is it positive and uplifting?  Is it reaffirming? 

Or is it negative and beating you down before you have had a chance to get up?

For some, this may be obvious – but for others, this may be encouraging. Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and the like all have the same amount of time in their day as you do.  24 hours.

Dr. Mike Murdock has said many times “each day, we all get 24 gold bricks to spend however we want in a day.”

The gold on those bricks can tarnish quickly when your day starts on a negative note. 

Your mind hasn’t even ramped up to full speed from its REM time and your are programming it with garbage.

If you want your day to start off better – then, simply start it off better.

Say some constructive, uplifting things to yourself.

“I am going to attack this day.”

“Today, I will accomplish a lot.”

“I am going to make a difference in someone’s life today.”

“I am lucky to be chosen to tackle this day because I am the one for the job.”

You see, your mind does not know the difference between sarcasm and truth.  When you program in sarcasm – the mind reads that as a fact.

Look in the mirror in the morning and say something great about yourself.

Try it – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Let me know how you are doing.  I am anxious to hear YOUR results.

Have a great week – winner.

Ron  

To schedule Ron to speak to your business, civic group

or organization, contact him at:

ron@ronorendi.com

717-802-0483

Class Reunion

This past week, I attended my high school class reunion.  It was great getting to see old friends and people you have not heard from in many many years.  Thanks to Facebook (many classmates have connected and stay in touch using social media) I was able to spend some quality time with the group.

Class reunions can be difficult for some, tragic for others, and an opportunity to “let yourself go” for others.

Let me explain.

At every class reunion, the old school stories seem to resurface.  Some stories are funny, some are strange. Some are sad.  But then there are the ones that seem to be eternally damaging.  You know, those stories that you wish no one would remember.

At some class reunions, there is a bit of (what I call) posturing.  Some folks show up with the sole intent of elevating themselves and their achievements while devaluating others around them. 

If you need to brag about your success, then you are NOT a success.

At some reunions, class members seem “stuck” in a time warp of nothing’s changed since they scored that winning touchdown in their senior year.

If your purpose is to attend the class reunion so that you can try and recreate days gone by – stay home.  Most people have moved on, and regenerated themselves to keep up with the times.  Don’t go with the intent of dragging people backwards.

At some class reunions, there are people whose purpose is to dredge up that relationship with an old flame.  If that is your purpose – stop for a minute and think – maybe – just maybe – that person has actually found their life’s mate and has lived their life in the present while you remain stuck in the past awaiting “your song” to come on the radio.

Fortunately, I saw nothing but positives at my class reunion.  People were posing for silly pictures at the photo booth.  Classmates were singing to the familiar songs of our time.   Some couples were enjoying the beautiful view from the banquet room windows.  And, of course the pairings and groupings of conversations abounded in the banquet room entrance area.

Over the years, some of the guys have lost some hair, and / or gained a pot belly.  The ladies may have required a bit more make-up, hair coloring and push up bras. 

But, it was a fun night to get together and laugh, chat, and be yourself with people who knew you before you were the new you.

Maybe we are all getting too old to cling to the old caste system that existed in high school.  Maybe we all have come to the realization that we all shared a significant number of years together – know each other’s story – and just wanted to spend some time with people we don’t always get to spend time with.

Class reunions can be a blast.

But the key is to keep moving forward.  Daily work toward a better you.  Don’t cling to the past with a death grip. 

Look at your past like it’s a rear view mirror of a car.  You can see where you’ve been.  You can learn from it.  You can use it as a point of reference.  But, know that you have a wide windshield of opportunities, experiences, adventures and life ahead of you.    

Thanks WMS Class of ’73 for all the memories.

Have a great week

Ron    

To schedule Ron to speak to your business, civic group

or organization, contact him at:

ron@ronorendi.com

717-802-0483