Meet People Where They Are

 There has been a definite emphasis on boundaries. In the last few years a lot of people are setting boundaries and not doing things that they shouldn't be doing. This is a good thing and it helps protect people from harmful situations. However, it can go overboard and I'm seeing a trend where people are not having decency, or are being tribal in the name of boundaries.

You always have a decision how you interact with other people. If you feel what they are asking is too much, you can decline to engage. This can be a great idea and will protect you in some situations. If what you are being asked to do can cause physical harm, is illegal, is morally ambiguous, is over-stimulating, or is socially unacceptable, please don't do it.

However, if you are setting boundaries to make it easy for yourself or because you are simply being lazy, while this is your choice, you are only going to make it harder on yourself in the long run.

You need to meet people where they are.

You need to change your approach to get through to people. You need to change your approach to draw people in to your way of thinking. You need to be the difference maker in the interaction to get what you want now, and in the long term.

All this is contingent on people understanding delayed gratification. Doing the hard stuff now and everyday will one day make life a lot easier. It will make you indispensable and you will be able to command how things go because, you have their trust, you have their attention, and you have their answers. You have all this because you met them where they were. You have this because you made the first step easy and now they are on a journey that they like because of you. You have this now because you made the effort.

Effort, maybe that is the difference these days. Maybe the secret sauce is just keep trying. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to keep moving forward and putting out the effort. It will put you in a place to shape the world around you because you are meeting people where they are.

Success comes to those who do the work. The work is really just putting I the effort on a consistent basis. Being consistent is hard at times and getting out of your comfort zone is even harder but, if you consistently meet people where they are, you will be their hero and you will move them forward. Over time, this will all come back to you so many times over. It isn't a quick fix, it isn't revolutionary, it is really just a slow easy way to make a difference and get what you want.

The Lesson We Need to Learn From COVID

As we walk away from a global pandemic it is time to take a look back to see what we can do better next time. From my perspective there is one over-arching lesson we need to learn.

If you want to be successful, no matter what, no matter how hard it is, do not stop what you are doing. You may have to change how you deliver your wares but don't stop.

As we look at how things are going in 2023, there are some obvious truths. Now, since I live in Canada, this will have a significant Canadian slant.

Organizations that stopped or essentially stopped are having a lot of trouble getting going again. Let's look at airlines. They were almost completely shut down. Now they are having trouble getting people and their luggage to their destinations on time. Flights are late so often that passengers are expecting and planning for it. The likelihood of your luggage arriving with you is not great. This is all on domestic routes. Operating an airline is a very complex and demanding task. However, like anything, if you do it everyday you will get better at it. If you stop, you will start to lose skills.

Government agencies are failing to deliver services that used to be routine. Try and get a Canadian passport in a timely manner or any pilot documentation out of Transport Canada. You will be frustrated, you will be waiting, you probably won't have much luck getting answers if you reach out. It's an unmitigated disaster. At the start of the pandemic, the staff was sent home to flatten the curve. What they flattened is their ability to deliver their mandates.

Now, let's look at the other side of all of this. In Canada grocery retailers never stopped operating. You could always go to the grocery store and buy food. You may have had to wait in line and toilet paper was an issue in the beginning but retailers trundled on. Now, some Members of Parliament feel that they are making too much money. The large operators are being asked to have their Chief Executive Officers testify before parliamentary committees. Imagine, you kept working and got better at what you do, not to mention serviced more people than you ever have before, and as a result, you need to justify the money you made. If you keep working, you keep learning. That makes you better. If your goal is to make money, you should end up making more money, which will look even more impressive next to businesses that stopped and are now on a very long road to recovery.

People are saying the pandemic showed us a lot of things. They say it showed us that knowledge workers can work from home. I think the jury is still out on this one. Some say that we were not prepared, and will not be next time. This may be true but only time will tell. However, the lesson that we do really need to take away is if you want to be successful, don't stop. You won't be perfect everyday but, doing what needs to be done will continually bring you closer to your goals, and teach you the hard lessons you need to go forward.

You Wouldn't Want To Break A Sweat

I should start by saying that I, like most people do not do as much as I could possibly do when I go to the gym. That being said I saw someone completely waste their time at the gym today.

It appeared this person has never been to a gym before. They were carrying their coat around and not really doing anything. There was a brief stint on the bike with very, very slow pedaling and some strange arm movements.

I suppose it really shouldn't matter to me if someone else is wasting their own time. If they stay out of my way and do their own thing, why does it matter to me?

It matters because I want to see people use their time well. I want to see people enjoy the benefits of an active and fit lifestyle. I also don't want someone to hurt themselves when I'm around.

The really strange thing is any gym, including the one I go to, offer services to get you going or help with your fitness goals. People who are not sure how to proceed should take advantage of these services. No-one would just hop into an airplane and try to fly it without lessons, why would you attempt to exercise without the knowledge on how to do it. Many high school physical education curriculums include instruction on how to exercise but I think this was added to the school system long after our example was in high school.

In the grand scheme of things it's not my problem if someone wastes their time at the gym. Most people don't use their time as well as they should but most people do a fairly good job of using their time to some effect. Of course not everyone can even say that.

Do You Have It In You?

I have been thinking a lot about being human and dealing with change. Both of these are inevitable if you are going to live for any length of time. I have come to realize that everyone is capable of affecting change, the difference between success and failure is the willingness of the person to do what is required to produce the desired effect.

It is commonly held that change is difficult. It causes stress. It can be frustrating. It often fails. To make the change, people must be willing to see it through to the end. People must be willing to make the hard decisions. People must be willing to break down what exists. People must be willing to leave behind the non-believers.

These are often not very easy to do but, anyone can do it if they have the will to.

Having the will to leave behind non-believers is difficult. These could be friends or people who helped you get where you are today. Unfortunately if they are not on board with where you want to go, and will not be convinced to change their position, there is no place for them in the new reality. I know it sounds harsh but for any organization to be successful the members must have buy it on what is to be accomplished and how it will be accomplished.

Breaking down what already exists is also difficult. There may be some good stuff, and there may be a place for it after the change but there also may not be a place for it and this must be accepted or the change will not take place. You have to be willing to be rid of anything that is not in line with how you want things to go. You must be willing to get rid of your own good work and ideas.

So, what it really comes down to is you must be willing to see through the dark times to a better place and stay on the course to get there. Everyone can do this. Not everyone has the will, desire, or effort to get it done. If you want to affect change, do you have it in you?

Big Mo

Time sure flies when you are having fun. I've been working a lot, getting a lot done. As such it seems that things are working out for the better as of late.

For a while it seemed that if it could go wrong it would. The last week it seems that things are moving in the right direction. It isn't as though there are no set backs but more things are working out more often. Everything seems to have positive momentum again.

I don't know if this momentum thing is real, lets face it there may or may not be a big cosmic force that keeps the universe in order. I may just be that being so busy has produced a lot of effective work, laying the groundwork for a better chance of success. It's hard to say.

You can definitely see momentum shifts in sporting events. You can feel them in your life from time to time.

I can say that if you feel you are having some negative momentum you need to work even harder to get things turned around. The world does not owe you a living and will not take care of you if you don't take care of yourself.

Maybe Big Mo is real however if you want it on your side you should definitely work hard at laying the groundwork for success.