Barry Manilow and Dr. Seuss

Julie - “This one’s for you, wherever you are”

THING 1: While I was in college, I called my Dad to tell him about a situation that felt like a disaster. He counseled me to reframe the situation as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. I could see that it was wise counsel, but my immediate response was not to find the stepping stones ….my immediate response was to feel like I had tripped and stubbed my toe and therefore my foot was going to fall off.

I don’t typically write the songs that make stepping stones sing. (I know, I'm a dork.)

THING 2: I was involved in a project where EVERYTHING went wrong. There was so much else going on at the time, I was very frustrated, and thought to bow out of the doomed project and move on….which would have had very unsatisfactory consequences, but… I was just done with the thing.

My friend, Julie, was also involved in the project, and called to give me a status report one day. After telling me the list of things that had, again, gone wrong, she said, “My opportunity is to find a way to make “x” part of this “y” step in the project work so we get “z” on time.

Seeing opportunities is not always my fashion ….at the Copa, Copacabana…

I just don’t think like that…., but I want to. I’ve been thinking how much happier I would be…and all of us for that matter, if we looked for the stepping stones in a challenge…..and what a world this would be if we all saw things for their possibilities, rather than for their problems

I’m going to try it right now: My opportunity is to learn people and project influencing skills at a level I’ve never been at before, without punching someone….

Well, looks like I almost made it.

Oh! The places I'll go ....when trying to share my random thoughts. :)