391 I’m The Best Tool In My Toolbox | January 2018 Friday Week 4

Fantastic Fridays-#391  January 26th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast I’m The Best Tool In My Toolbox “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” ~Abraham Maslow Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States of America, Grace Kelly and Marlon Brando won Oscars for the best actress and actor, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile under 4 minutes, and the 1st atomic power station Obninsk opened in Russia. The year was 1954, and like every year before, people had great expectations for having the best year yet. In fact on January 1st, a much anticipated event was about to happen. My father was a wee young lad at that time, and since I wasn’t born yet…he didn’t know what amazing was…ok maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here…but my father was telling me a story about how as a young child—he, his parents, and his siblings  were eagerly awaiting history to happen. They were in front of the TV waiting for the first coast to coast color broadcast ever. NBC was going to be showing all the glory of The Tournament of Roses parade in color. Now this event may seem silly to some, but being able to see happenings in realistic color instead of black and white…was a big deal. Think of it like this, if you’ve ever seen videos of people who are color blind and they put on those new glasses that help them see color, their reactions are priceless. Maybe I might be overstating it a bit, but it was an event that was much anticipated for a long time. And as my father told me how excited he and his family was…they had their TV on waiting for the switch to happen. The minutes passed like hours as they stared at the screen afraid to blink for they might miss the moment…that one moment that they knew they would tell their children and grandchildren about, saying, “I was there for this event and it changed my life.” They kept their eyes glued to the screen as the switch was about to happen, and they waited, and waited, wondering why their TV hadn’t switched over when the parade had come on TV. Was it a glitch, did they have the date wrong when it was supposed to happen, or maybe something else had gone haywire. It wasn’t until later that they realized that to see things in color you actually had to have purchased a color television. You couldn’t see color with the old black and white TVs. And we all laughed at his telling of the story, as he said who knew that you actually needed a color TV to see color, and he ended the story saying “what a gyp.” Now, I know this is a funny analogy of not having the right tools to see what you need to see or do what you need to…but I want you to think about times in your life that you’ve brought hammers to a job that required a screwdriver, how you brought a knife to a gun fight, or how you tried to explain something auditorily or visually to someone who is a kinesthetic learner. In my book that I’m finishing up writing, the first lesson I talk about is choosing which direction to face. Now that can be tricky as it’s a subjective process of deciding what’s right or wrong. But in the beginning, facing the right direction isn’t as important as deciding to face a direction, any direction, to make a choice. Because it’s better to move and make mistakes than it is to not move and never learn from making a mistake. And it reminds me of the quote, “show me a person who has never made a mistake, and I’ll show you someone who has never lived.” And I think we get trapped by trying to see things only at face value. If you look at some of the most successful businesses around today, you might ask yourself what’s similar in their success? I think most would argue that these businesses help people have the right tools for whatever it is they are trying to tackle. But I think it goes deeper than just the physical product or service that’s given to a consumer or even an employee within the company…it’s what’s behind the whole process. Take for example Apple. There’s a story I heard about Steve Jobs talking with his employees when he returned to back to Apple for the second time years later after being fired. He said, “remember that we don’t just make tools for people to get their jobs done, we make tools for people to change the world.” He also said that “Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” Or if you were to look at Starbucks coffee, you’d think the product is what makes it so great. And sure people love their delicious beverages, I’m not much of a coffee drinker myself, so I’m taking people’s words for it. But what Starbucks did, was to create a 3rd environment for people. It was a place in between home and work that could be visited to get work done, to relax and enjoy a good beverage, to get together with friends and chat, or maybe to get together with colleagues to do some brainstorming. What Starbucks was hoping to create…was an experience. And if you look at the Disney adventure parks. Sure they’re fun rides, they have great food, and fun educational stuff too. It’s a great time all around, but what Disney does that I think no other park does, or at least as famously, is they create an experience. You’re literally taken to another world that everyone is in sync with. You become part of something more than just a theme park. The Castle, the iconic creatures and individuals who never step out of character, the parade that happens daily—sometimes even two parades, and also Walt’s attention to details. One story of Walt’s demand for a great experience even came down to trash cans. He was particular about how trash cans were arranged in the park. He studied people’s habits in other amusement parks. And found that after people finish their food, they usually wouldn’t travel more than 30 steps before littering their food if they couldn’t find a trash can before them. And in the Disney parks, there’s an abundance of trash cans arranged so people can always reach one. If that stat is true about people littering, that’s a pretty sad statement on our level of commitment as a society in not being lazy greasy bums. Don’t be a litterbug people, but I know all of you listening aren’t like that. In each of those examples, they turned the equation around, and they found a way to create something more. They created experiences in helping their customers be fully engaged in what their goal was. I remember reading the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, and how he talked about how Starbucks had great employee training courses on giving their employees the tools to handle rude or ungrateful customers. Starbucks went above and beyond to create the environment for the customers, but they also helped guide the employees into making that experience even more. It was an immersive experience at every angle to help the customers with their frustrations, and to help the employees be better equipped to not let a rude customer ruin their day. Do you have the right tools for the job you’re performing? I’m not saying you can’t be creative to find better ways, but sometimes we aren’t doing things as efficiently as possible. I know sometimes I take the easier road, instead of taking the better road. For example, I have a few filing cabinets in my home office, and I have all these folders stuffed in the cabinets with no real logical order, or more accurately not taking the time to sort them right. And when I need to find a folder, it takes me awhile to find it since there’s no logical order to them. I’ve forgotten what folders I created, so I have multiple folders with the same topic, which causes redundancy. And so I have important files that should be together, and then I’m pulling my hair out knowing I’d filed that one file but I can’t find it. And the best place to start in creating a more fulfilling life, a more organized life, and a more rewarding work environment, begins by looking within. Yes, it’s nice to have the right tools for the job, the newest and latest technology, or whatever makes your job easier. But a great tool won’t create something amazing from a lazy or poor craftsman. Are you seeing yourself as the best tool in the toolbox? I know there are times that we want to get something done as fast as possible, and so we create subpar efforts which produces crappy work. We settle in life thinking it’s ok to put copies of what everyone else is doing flooding the market, instead of seeing how we can make a difference, how we can change someone’s day, and how we can we put our masterpieces into the world.   So how do we end our commitment to being subpar and create a life dedicated to greatness? Maybe to end that dead end way of living starts by asking these questions…”What am I really wanting to do? What difference do I want to make in the world? And how can I start out small at first and continually grow?” You see, there’s nothing wrong with copying someone or something…in the beginning. In fact it’s probably necessary to get better. Most of the ideas in this world aren’t all that original, so we should learn from others, but we must then ask how can I add my unique twist to this, how can I add more effort, how can I make what I’m doing matter? And I think that’s why employees, students, and people in general are disengaged…they’ve been waiting for someone to give them the tools, they’ve been waiting for someone to tell them how to be great, and they’ve been stuck in the habit of doing…to just do…not to look beyond and ask how can I create something better? We all start out copying someone or something in hopes to get better at it, in hopes of mastering a craft, but when does it stop from copying into creating something more? I can’t answer that for you, but I hope YOU take the time to really answer it for yourself. The world has enough imitators, find the right tools externally and internally, and begin creating something more. Get to the root of what you want to create, and be original, be more than what’s asked for…and I bet you’ll find life will surprise you…in a good way. -Go above what your manager asks of you. -Give more than what your customers expect of you. -And continually ask more of yourself. And you’ll be rewarded with a fulfillment most have never known, because those people decided to be average. And when we shoot for average we become insignificant, we give less than what’s required, and we complain wondering why it’s never our turn to get what we think we deserve. Mediocrity is a crippling disease, and we bring it upon ourselves by not understanding that we are the greatest tool for the job. A bad workman blames his tools…but a great workman sharpens his tools and expects more from his tools. Demand more from yourself, in a loving manner, not because someone else expects it from you, but it’s what you want for yourself. And the more you challenge yourself, the more you’ll find yourself being sharpened without even trying. Be a great artisan, be a great tool, be the answer…the world is waiting for your signature to be placed upon it. Today’s Personal Commitment:Ani Difranco said, “Any Tool is a weapon if you hold it right.” Are you a weapon of destruction or are you a tool of great merit? Everything you do will create great things, destroy great things, or create nothing. Do you bring beauty to this world in all you do? I can’t tell you what you should want for your life, but it’s my hope that you decide to rise above the attitude of mediocrity that has plagued this world. It’s my hope that you see yourself as the greatest tool in your arsenal. So maybe the best question to ask yourself is, is mediocrity the place you want to make your home? It’s not my goal to change people who don’t want to change. But I believe people choose mediocrity when they are comparing themselves to others. They believe they could never be as good as that person. And they’re right; you aren’t meant to be that person, you are meant to be your own unique person. When we choose mediocrity, we are essentially saying I am afraid, and I would rather live in fear than to be free from my fear. We are holding back just in case things don’t work out, just in case they fail. But if you tried, if you put yourself out there, and gave 1% more than you normally would—then you will never fail because there’s more honor in the person who asks more of themselves, than the coward who decides to quit because it was easier. So if you’re stuck in a place of comfort and mediocrity, ask yourself if you want to stay there. And if you don’t…begin asking how you got there, what you could do differently, and how you can continually keep sharpening yourself to be a better tool in all that you are applying yourself towards. A fulfilling life isn’t in what we received from our work, but in the opportunities we decided to give more of ourselves to. How will you give more of yourself and your life to this world consistently? You aren’t meant to be like him, or her, or them…you are meant to be your own unique signature in this world. So instead of comparing yourself to why you could never be good as them, pivot your mind towards the task of creating your own greatness. And know, you are the best tool in your toolbox, and you are an exceptional tool in this world. I’m The Best Tool In My Toolbox   Thanks for listening.  I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn Contact info- email: [email protected]  phone:865-219-3247     Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide