Categories
motivation

Do you know why with certainty?

Cartoon of birds on a wire

When something happens, it’s easy to assume we know the answer to the event. But what if the “obvious answer” isn’t all that obvious? Our assumptions can deceive us, can’t they?

The little bird in my cartoon thinks he knows why his yellow friend is so large. Naturally, he must be eating some killer birdseed! But is the bird’s assumption correct? What if another factor caused the yellow bird to have some hefty prominence?

  • What if the yellow bird was an escapee from a science experiment?
  • Could the yellow bird have an overactive pituitary gland?
  • Maybe he had been on Sesame Street and birds naturally get yellow and large there
  • What if he is a she and in this species of bird, the females are larger?
  • Perhaps he is simply a different species?

Humor works because a joke or a cartoon sets us up to think in one direction, then the punchline takes us in another. It’s a bit of mental whiplash. Henny Youngman was great at it.

“If at first you don’t succeed…so much for skydiving.”

Henny Youngman

We make assumptions all the time. Could it be we shouldn’t be as certain of our assumptions as we are? Perhaps we need to be humble enough to consider there are other answers to why something is the way it is. It could lead to creativity…and perhaps a breakthrough.

Cartoon of birds on a wire
Categories
motivation

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

Man with son. "Welcome to the computer age, Son! I got you the finest Commodore 64 money can buy."

How would you like to be the kid in this cartoon? Dads can be clueless, can’t they? He may be surprised to discover his find doesn’t have a way to connect to the Internet. It would be a nice machine for someone looking for a trip back in time. But it wouldn’t be very practical for today’s computer needs. The father had not considered what his son truly needs.

This cartoon was for a book I illustrated entitled New Rider’s Official Internet Pages. It seems silly today, but at the time, a book about how to find what you were looking for on the Web was a good idea. Search engines were still a bit clunky. Google wouldn’t exist for another three years. So why not use a paper book to search on the Web? Today, that book is about as cutting-edge as a Commodore 64 computer.

You can still buy Commodore 64’s. E-bay has plenty of them for sale. While they don’t cost as much as when they were new, they still appear to cost as much as a new tablet or laptop. Today, you wouldn’t buy one for its power, but for nostalgia.

We can get stuck in thinking we know what the solution is when it isn’t appropriate. Old technology won’t work for today’s students. Yet, someone with an eye for eighties technology would love it. When considering a solution, be sure you know your audience. You want someone to be surprised in a good way.

In the meantime, who wants to play Ace of Aces on an old Commodore 64?

Man with son. "Welcome to the computer age, Son! I got you the finest Commodore 64 money can buy."
Categories
motivation

When we have unrealistic expectations

Cartoon of a dog washing dishes

I wrote a post in 2014 entitled How do you know when criticism isn’t working. We all face criticism if we do anything of value. One of the most common reasons we face criticism is unrealistic expectations.

We don’t expect a dog to wash dishes, much less do it perfectly. We can’t expect a child to act like an adult. Yesterday, I witnessed a mom trying to reason with a toddler about leaving the playground. I felt for the mom because the child wasn’t interested in a logical argument. It just wasn’t going to work!

The pandemic has caused all of us to reevaluate our expectations. It’s going to be a while before business and society get back-to-normal. We don’t know what normal will look like in six months, much less a year!

When you have unrealistic expectations…

  • Rethink if you need to wait for better conditions
  • Give yourself and others grace
  • Consider if there is an alternative to meeting similar goals
  • Find ways to be positive while acknowledging the situation is less than ideal

You probably can’t have your dog wash the dishes or the cat tidy up the kitchen. But you may find a better way to meet the goal. And perhaps an alternative timeline is the way to go.

Cartoon of a dog washing dishes
Categories
motivation

Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunset over Southwest Ohio

Depending on when you read this post, you may be sure this photo is of an early morning sunrise. Or is it? Is it an evening sunset?

Our perspective influences what we see.

  • It may be close to your bedtime
  • You may be an early riser and love seeing the sun come up
  • It’s nighttime and you are ready to call it quits
  • It reminds you of a sunrise/sunset you saw with similar clouds or landscape
  • The colors give you a clue
  • You are ready to start something new and get at it

So is it a sunrise or sunset?

Frequently, we see images and make assumptions. We all have biases. Be careful about making conclusions that can limit your thinking.

(P.S.: If you really want to know, you can check out the alt text for this image or you can ask me.)

Sunset over Southwest Ohio
Categories
motivation

Stuffers and Gushers

Cartoon of a girl and a boy with a bottle for a head. The girl says, "Why do you bottle-up your emotions like that?"

When I drew this cartoon several years ago, I knew whether I was a stuffer or a gusher. It is a reminder to me there is a downside to always being positive, even when we suffer hardship.

What are stuffers and gushers?

  • A stuffer doesn’t express their emotions
    • They may think it isn’t socially acceptable
    • She may be embarrassed by their emotions
    • He may have been punished for being angry or having a fit
    • It may even be part of their personality
    • So they stuff emotions until they can’t hold it in anymore
  • Gushers freely express themselves
    • He may easily cry
    • She may be expressive and love to act out
    • They may have been encouraged in the past to let it all out
    • So they let everyone know how they are feeling

I admire gushers. However, I admit to being a stuffer. Frequently, stuffers marry gushers. I have and it’s been a good thing for me. Because of this, my wife has been there when I’ve had a hard time expressing emotions. Therefore, I have rarely had to play the guessing game of What-is-she-thinking-this-time? She could very well have uttered the phrase the girl in my cartoon says.

Most of my blog posts have a positive tone to them. But I realize not every situation calls for positivity. There are times when denying our emotions can be harmful.

Therefore, we need to acknowledge our emotions. Not all of our days are going to be sunny with roses and unicorns. We need to balance our reality with positivity. Yes, we’re going to have challenging times. There is a time and place for everything.

“For everything, there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven…

A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance…

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4–5 (NLT)

In conclusion, we need to acknowledge and express our emotions when it’s appropriate. It will keep us from stuffing it until we have to let our emotions out in inopportune times. It can also help us stay positive while acknowledging the reality of our circumstances.

Cartoon of a girl and a boy with a bottle for a head. The girl says, "Why do you bottle-up your emotions like that?"