This is one of the most inspiring lectures I’ve ever seen. The talk is 20 minutes long. Chances are you didn’t plan on hanging out with my blog for that long. I understand. Go about your business, wait until the time is right, and then come back. You won’t be disappointed.
As I left the school district classroom -my black satchel heavy on my shoulder- I glanced back to make sure I had everything with me. I didn’t. During a long layover hours later I realized that I left my laptop power cord on the table.
I decided then and there on a new rule: Everything that happens to me occurs to increase my delight. How might a missing key piece of equipment add to my delight? I was quite curious to find out.
It was late at night when I arrived in Yakima, Washington. I immediately liked my cab driver’s cheerful attitude. As we careened through the darkness, I asked if there was an electronics store in the small town of Toppenish where we were going. There definitely wasn’t. I was $120 in cab fare away from the nearest one.
My cabbie offered to shop for the power cord for me. Seriously. The plan was that the next day, he would buy the cord and hand it off to his trainee. The trainee would drop it by my hotel on his way home in the wee hours of the morning so that I would have it in time for my presentation. I thought of all that could go wrong. Including the possibility that I was being somehow scammed.
But no. The cord arrived at my hotel at 3:15am. And it was the right model for my laptop.
Cost for new laptop cord: $120.00
Cost of being able to trust my Toppenish cabbie and his trainee: Priceless
One of many Toppenish murals honoring the past.
I met Maxine Shapiro at a networking event. She’s a professional speaker like me, a newbie to Los Angeles and quite an adorable person. The usual next step in the world of networking might be to meet somewhere generic for coffee.
But two words kept coming into my mind about Maxine: Valentine’s Day. Although I already had plans to have dinner with my friend, Clyde, who was coming into town, I had a feeling that I was supposed to invite Maxine along. It was intuition, and as it turns out, she was happy to be included.
Who knows why I had this gut feeling. Maybe Maxine and I will do business together. Maybe we’ll be close friends. Or maybe she’ll get a kick out of Clyde. One thing’s for sure, life’s more interesting when I stick my neck out, am willing to look silly and make unconventional invitations.
And so I dedicate this Valentine’s Day to Intuition. To paying attention to those illogical gut feelings, acting on them and enjoying the result.
Join me in celebrating a love for the mystery of life.
Jean
PS: Keep an eye out for my upcoming free seminar, “Chillax: Stress Relief for Uncertain Times.”
As a business owner, I sometimes find myself feeling “newness fatigue.” This is when I just want to stop. Stop meeting new people, facing new situations, discovering new opportunities and taking on new responsibilities. I have especially felt it when it comes to new technology. Perhaps this explains my attitude when attending my training association’s chapter meeting. The presentation was entitled “Web 2.0.” I decided that I was really there to network.
Enter presenter Tony Karrer – the savvy, passionate e-expert – who shook me up with the New Truth: information has gone mad. Tony explained that information is doubling every two years. While you ponder that gem, know that by 2015 information will double every two weeks.
Is that why I had 160 emails waiting for me last week?
Is that why I often find myself fervently praying I can keep up with all?
And this was just Tony’s warm up. His ultimate question was how am I as a corporate trainer going to prepare my audiences for the onslaught? Correction – the careening freight train from which we can’t get off? Tony had my full attention.
I’m guessing that there were differing camps among us at this chapter meeting; on one side the Technology Enthusiastic and on the other, the Technology Anxious. The T-Anxious could be defined as the traditionally minded professional who harbors wariness, confusion and uncertainly about new media and technology. Typical T-Anxious thoughts: this is getting out of control, there ought to be a law; I want to get off the grid and escape.
Is anyone out there besides me identifying?
Then there are the Tony Karrers –the ones I would call lucky. The T-Enthusiastic professional is really enjoying new technology. This person has an accepting attitude, curiosity and a sense of adventure about it all.
As a recovering T-Anxious, I know that new technology presents a huge opportunity. I get to feel deep to the bottom of my toes how my groups feel when I ask them to step out of their comfort zones. I also know the feeling of accomplishment that awaits me as I become more adaptable and interested.
To the fortunate T-Enthusiastics, I implore you to show us. Pull out your gadgets and widgets, your laptops and browsers, modems and blue teeth and show us what they do. Help us know why you like them and what benefit they give you. Reassure us that though it is the end of the world as we know it, we’ll all be in the new world together.
As for me, I’m starting a speed reading course to help me with my Inbox. I write a blog, I socially network and know that one day I’ll understand why Twitter is all the rage.
As for the chapter meeting, at the end a colleague noticed my new phone and complimented, “ah, an early adapter.”
I glowed.
