“The mind is it’s own place and can make Heaven out Hell or Hell out of Heaven.” – John Milton
By Susan Russo
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Everyone has issues they are dealing with which range all over the “life experience” board. From relationships, to money, work, health, love, debt, decisions, crossroads, revenge, jealousy, bosses, bitterness, and on and on. These issues seem to consume us and fill us with worry, fear, hurt, pain, anxiety and more. But, they don’t have to. I know it’s easy to say but when you are going through it, it’s just not that easy. The truth is, it’s easier than you think because being upset is a choice.
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If you are in debt, what good does it do to worry about it? For that matter what good does worrying do for anything? Does it help you to get out of debt? Does worrying make the fear of more debt go away? What about your jerk of a boss, does it help you to have anxiety every time you are around this person? Does it make you feel better to fear what might happen?
The above video clip always makes me burst out in laughter. Do you remember when the TV show “Seinfeld” was a huge hit on NBC’s “Must-See TV” every Thursday? I have probably watched every episode at least 2 or 3 times. The one episode that really stands out for me more than all the others is the episode where George Costanza decides he’s going to do the opposite of what he would normally do. The episode was called “Opposite George.”
Almost anyone would assume that the typical clown that we have seen so often at the circus, would bring smiles and joy to all they visit. As it turns out, the odds are that an unchecked assumption like this one we make about clowns is a pretty good bet to be wrong. Research is actually showing that clowns may be more scary than comforting to a young child.
Think about the times you may have visited a children’s ward or maternity section at most any hospital. Whimsical drawings of fun things to make kids feel happy often decorate the wallpaper. Some of this decorated wallpaper depicts drawings or illustrations of circus clowns.
“The problems of today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created those problems.”
Albert Einstein
How many times in the service contracting business have you ever had a challenge that just went away by waiting? One of the secrets to being successful in the contracting industry no matter what job you do is to muster the courage to take action.
For instance, think about an installation crew walking around in circles thinking about the job instead of just doing some of the basics that need to be done regardless of the difficulty. Things like protecting the home with floor mats or drop clothes, unloading materials or even removing the old materials and equipment. Sometimes we think too much or try to be an “Einstein” and those thoughts can impair our ability to act.
Everyone has no doubt heard of the many behavioral conditioning experiments in which animals in a laboratory are rewarded with sugar pellets or punished with an electric shock for pushing for a particular button.
What if the animal was randomly shocked with no regard to which button was pushed?
The answer is that the animal will take no action because they are not sure what will happen. Basically it becomes to risky to do anything therefore they go into a stressed out shell and wait for something to happen. Eventually the stressed out subject of this type of experiment loses the ability to think clearly due to the environment they find themselves in.
Most people identify “Mom and Pop” shops for their welcoming charm. Yet despite a reputation for exuding a comfortable feeling, many end up closing their doors. Whether the challenge is big-box competitors, an economic slump or limited resources, making ends meet can be tough. But for Precision Air-Conditioning of Memphis, Tenn., the family business figured out the secret to staying open for 37 years and counting.
Just as individuals have a story, so do businesses. Ten years ago, asking Kathe Stewart if she would ever work in the family business would have resulted in a firm “no.” As a practicing lawyer, she never imagined she would one day be chief operations officer of her father’s air-conditioning company.
But in 2002, an unfortunate event changed the course of her life and the direction of her father’s company.
When Joe and I first discussed the possibility of me writing a “Dear Julie” blog for our Web site, I thought, “What could I possibly have to blog about? Who would want my advice? What if no one sends in any questions for me to answer? Then what, Make up my own?” I spent many hours thinking about what I would say and how I would say it and still felt I had come up with nothing.
The only other time I felt this uncomfortable was one of our very first consulting jobs. Well I should say one we actually got paid for, which was with an East Coast plumbing and HVAC company outside of Boston, MA. Joe had already been to the company several times, going on ride-a-longs with their techs and waxing philosophically, as he often does, when he brought me in to talk about some of the other problems going on in the office.
Contracting Heaven Or Hell?
