Category: motivation

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motivation

Change Comes When You Accept Responsibility

Cartoon of a dog retrieving a laptop

The other day, I had a conversation with two people at different times in the same organization.

One said, “Things aren’t the way they used to be!” And I suppose they are right. Things always change. I’ve also noticed our perceptions change over the years. We look at the past as the good old days no matter how hard or brutal they were.

The other person said to me, “Oh, that’s just the way things are here! It’s always been that way. They’ll never change!” Wait a minute! They can’t both be right. Either things have changed or they never have. They were both looking at some challenges, but had two very different perspectives.

Yet, both views had a few things in common.

  • They were frustrated and didn’t see a solution
  • They weren’t taking responsibility for a solution
  • They decided the challenges were someone else’s problem

As a person who has worked in publishing, I’ve seen many changes. I have also seen businesses that have had trouble adjusting to change. Newspapers are a big example of that. I get that the glory days of newsprint are gone. And it’s just not the same.

Cartoon of a dog retrieving a laptop

But at a certain point, organizations (which are the people within an organization) must change. The past is gone. We need to deal with the present, not live in the past.

At the same time, if a challenge has always been in an organization, it is the responsibility of each person to change for the better. Everyone has the ability to grow, adapt and improve. When each person accepts that responsibility, businesses, and organizations grow with the new and improved workforce.

We can all be change agents. Let’s make it happen!

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motivation

Who’s Going to Bring Good News?

Cartoon of a coach and teachers

There is no shortage of good news. Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of bad news either and media seems more and more enthusiastic about the latter. I’ve noticed more headlines that have this format: Such and such happened. Here’s why you should be terrified!

It doesn’t take much courage or imagination to find bad news. People will be more than glad to share theirs. The media loves to share the latest tragedy locally, nationally and internationally. It’s not hard to find. And it is easy to find someone that agrees with how bad things are.

It takes much more courage to share the good news… especially to preschoolers!

Cartoon of a coach and teachers

In the last two days, I’ve heard a lot of moaning, bemoaning, and groaning. I’ve heard that things aren’t the way they used to be, not will they ever be again.

It takes a lot to say, “Maybe things aren’t that great, but there is hope and there is faith.” It takes even more courage to say the obstacles and challenges are actually the way to a brighter, better future.

So who is going to bring good news? Do you have the courage to make a positive difference instead of chiming in with the prophets of doom choir?

The bad news is plentiful. Who needs to search for that? The good news is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. It reminds me of Psalm 119. I think I’ll read up on that and take some good news!

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motivation

Certainty Versus Infinity

Cartoon of two boys walking. One says, "Today at school I discovered there are an infinite number of ways to annoy a girl."

As a boy, I learned there were infinite ways to annoy a girl. Many times, my discovery would be purely unintentional.

One afternoon, I was riding the bus home from school. There was a girl in front of me with golden curls. At the time, my sister was too young to have curls that big. For some reason, I was fascinated by them. My second-grade, male mind had no idea the time it to create those perfect curls. I found them fascinating. I was like a moth to a flame.

Cartoon of two boys walking. One says, "Today at school I discovered there are an infinite number of ways to annoy a girl."

I found myself wanting to touch them as if I wanted to confirm they were real. I thought I could do so without her noticing. I was wrong! She turned around, glared at me, and scolded me for being so rude.

Part of me was crushed. I had no intention of pestering her. But the other part was satisfied with my scientific experiment. Yes, they were real. Those golden curls somehow defied gravity and spiraled into infinity, but they were real.

I like to think I live in a certain world. If I do A, B will naturally follow.

  • If I keep my head down and do my work, I will never get laid off
  • If I am a safe driver, I will never be in an accident
  • If I eat my veggies and exercise, I will be the first nearly immortal guy to compete with Methuselah.
  • If I am good and never do rude things like touch the golden curls of that third-grader on the bus, my life will go smoothly

The truth is, we have far less control than we would like to believe. Life is uncertain. There are infinite ways our lives could go today.

There are infinite ways our day can go wrong today. However, there are also infinite ways our day can go right today.

Instead of attempting to control everything, I will do my best to live a life of faith, hope, and love today. It may not make things any more certain, but it can allow me to trust that things will turn out all right no matter what curveball may come my way today.

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motivation

Of Clowns and Parents

Cartoon of clown dad and son

My kids probably thought I was a clown at times. I’ve spent the better part of thirty years coming up with cartoon gags, being silly in front of a large group of elementary kids and firing off one-liners at occasionally inappropriate times.

Cartoon of clown dad and son

I have taken pride in getting someone to laugh, especially when they were feeling down. I take less pride in the times I was more immature than funny. It has happened much more than I would like to admit.

I have learned over the years that attacking immaturity with an immature attitude never works. If a child has an anger issue, striking back with an angrier, overpowering tone may appear to work. But in the long term, it only makes parents and children angrier.

Do as I say, not as I do may sound catchy, but we all know the hypocrisy of such a saying. I have been there, parents. When your kids are acting up, keep your cool. Stay mature and save the clowning for intentionally fun times. You can do it! I tip my polka dot hat with the squirting daisy to you!

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motivation

Surfing the Information Tsunami

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

Like many of us, I have a bad case of FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I like to be in the know. After all, if I am going to blog anything, I need to have information, right? If I am going to write about a business trend or positive philosophy, I need to be in the know, right?

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

My wife kids me when I get alerts for Twitter accounts I follow. I get breaking news alerts for the latest doom and gloom news. Occasionally, I need to put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” in order to break my train of thought. Even then, it is too easy for that thought train to derail and spill my brain granules all across the landscape.

In the pre Internet years, we had information gatekeepers in the form of editors and television producers. They sorted through all the junk for the public. Now, anybody with a phone can be an information provider. In one alert, I see news about a homicide, SWAT standoff or traffic travesty. The next moment, I get an alert about twenty surly kittens that will make you laugh your socks off. Even if I was doing nothing at the time, that is quite a whiplash of discordant information!

I know! Just the fact that I am writing a blog contributes to this tsunami. My goal is to contribute positively and be an encouragement in a negative world. Still, Here is one more town crier attempting to make his voice heard above the crowded field.

So here is for myself and for others that are feeling the same information wave overtake them.

  • Take a breath and relax. While there is always something going on in the world, I don’t have to be aware of everything. If it is important, I’ll hear about it sooner or later.
  • I don’t have to be the first one in my circle to hear breaking news. Let someone else have FOMO while I am getting things done.
  • I will be discerning in my information consumption. If I am getting down because of a series of bad news, I need to either get away from the news or find some good, uplifting stories.

FOMO and bad news can affect my productivity. I choose to have more than a Breaking News! perspective.