Category: motivation

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motivation

Making the Best Use of Pain

Cartoon of a boy on the ground in pain and another boy. One says, "They call it a medicine ball because if you catch it, you'll need pain killers."

Yesterday was painful. Without going into detail, there has been a lot going on in my life. There are challenges that call for change in an old, broken system. There are emails that have a ton of information but not the details necessary to get a job adequately finished. To top it off, one of my parents and several of my friends are going through health crises. Yes there has been a lot going on and much of it has been painful.

Our society tends to encourage us to numb the pain. They implore us to take this, or try that. It may work for a time or two, but only leaves a person a zombie that demands more of the “medicine.” It causes addiction, avoidance, and makes a person care less about themselves, their loved ones and the world around us.

There are people going through chronic pain, and I am not telling anyone in constant pain to just deal with it. What I am saying is that all of us face pain in one form or another on most days. How do we make the best of it?

  • Acknowledge pain instead of pretending it doesn’t exist
  • Allow yourself to grieve when the pain is a loss
  • If the pain is a situation, ask yourself what you can learn from it
  • If the pain is because of growth, ask yourself if this is natural and if it needs to be endured
  • If it is a slow pain of an ancient system, ask yourself what needs to change. What does this make possible?
  • If the pain is from a toxic situation or relationship, get help to determine if you need to leave it

Some pain is inevitable. We live in a broken world filled with broken people. Sure, we all need medicine to ease the pain once in a while. But consider if it is something to learn from, grieve or leave instead of denying or numbing the pain.

And if it is a medicine ball in a gym class, perhaps the best thing to do is let the pain producer pass you by instead of catching it.

Cartoon of a boy on the ground in pain and another boy. One says, "They call it a medicine ball because if you catch it, you'll need pain killers."
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motivation

Relying on Technology or Persistence?

Cartoon of woman spying a periscope in her backyard.

You have to wonder how animals would fare if they had similar technology to what humans have. There are some critters like raccoons, coyotes, and moles that are so persistent, they have learned to thrive in spite of human intervention.

They also thrive despite their lack of technology.

  • They have no smartphones to tell them where to go
  • They can’t text their friends or use workflow software to stay productive
  • They keep plugging away with what they possess
  • They can get quite creative in evading capture without group chats

I tend to rely on technology a lot. Email is the primary form of communication at work. It’s necessary when I communicate with people across the country. But we use it a lot internally, even though we may be within walking distance of visiting a coworker and clarifying a confusing conundrum.

At the end of a busy day, I’ve found it is persistence, creativity and a good attitude that keeps me going. I have learned to use technology when it is helpful and pull back when it is not. Relying too much on one type of tool can become a crutch, and even a hindrance if I am not careful.

Even so, I have always loved periscopes. Perhaps I should get one of those whenever I am searching for someone in a cubicle. Maybe I can find one with a HUD (Heads Up Display) and night vision! Wouldn’t that be cool? Now here I go, geeking out on technology again!

Has there been a time when you found technology wasn’t helping and you had to find another way? Let me know in the comments.

Cartoon of woman spying a periscope in her backyard.
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motivation

Know Your Audience

Cartoon of two women. One looks disappointed. The other says, "It was a good try. But maybe the neighborhood kids just aren't interested in an all-you-can-eat tuna casserole event."
Originally published in "Kidzmatter Magazine"

Some things should be obvious. No matter how funny they are, it’s hard to get today’s teens to watch a Laurel and Hardy movie. Most men will not be attracted to binge-watching The Gilmore Girls And you won’t attract many senior citizens with a Justin Bieber concert. Sure, there are always outliers that are the exception, but you can’t bank on an entire retirement community getting Bieber Fever.

It’s important to know your audience. At the same time, you have to be true to yourself because the biggest audience is the audience of one: yourself. If you found an audience but you hate doing what attracted them in the first place, it won’t last long. To achieve any kind of success, you must be true to yourself.

That’s why I feel for the lady in my cartoon. She must love her tuna casserole, and she probably excels at making it. But if she is trying to do something nice for the neighborhood kids, she needs to find another way.

When you find that happy balance between what you like and what your desired audience likes, that’s the sweet spot. I’m still working on it. Heaven knows I sometimes wonder if my writing and cartooning style hits the mark. Perhaps I’m still looking for that key audience for me. It’s a continual process.

How have you balanced what you like doing with finding the right audience for you?

Cartoon of two women. One looks disappointed. The other says, "It was a good try. But maybe the neighborhood kids just aren't interested in an all-you-can-eat tuna casserole event."
Originally published in “Kidzmatter Magazine”
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motivation

A Day of Love

When I drew this, I could just have imagined how my seemingly tough grandfather would have reacted to such a get up. Yes, he would have balked, pouted a little, then retired to his shop where he could put on his dirty overalls and chew his cigar.

Yet I knew he loved and cherished his wife. One of the best memories I have of the two of them was when I asked them how they met and got married. Both of them smiled bashfully and made eyes at each other. It was as if they were reliving those romantics feelings all over again.

Today will be a different kind of Valentine’s Day. My valentine is in the Southwest while I help my father. He is a guy who has shown me through the years what a valentine is supposed to do.

He and my grandfather have shown me that love is patient and kind. It isn’t proud and not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs and true love never fails.

Thank you to my parents and grandparents for showing me how be a decent valentine.

Categories
motivation

Will the Right Words Make it all Better?

Cartoon of a girl and a boy in a corner. The girl says, "Looks like to me you have yourself a public relations problem

Public relations is the diplomatic side of marketing. Some call it “spin.” It’s managing the spread of information. Politicians are great at it. Corporations know it is necessary to avoid a crisis and to put the best positive angle on some less than favorable news.

Sometimes the right words make it better. There are two sides to every story. A company or senator would be foolish not to make their perspective known. 

However, there are times when it is just better to fess up. Maybe the boy in my cartoon doesn’t have a public relations problem. He may just need to say, “I’m sorry!” instead of explaining his infraction away.

Sometimes, we need some public relations. Other times, we just need to own it and apologize.

Cartoon of a girl and a boy in a corner. The girl says, "Looks like to me you have yourself a public relations problem