Tuesday 27 November 2012

"This too shall pass": the power of positivity.

As some of you may know, my fortune in the health department over the past month or so has been, well, unhealthy. Due to my inability to do anything active and my complete lack of hobbies that aren't sports, I spent an unnerving amount of time inside my head. In this seeming eternity, I discovered a few things about a few things.

First, it is absolutely impossible to do completely nothing and keep your mind blank... and can someone please explain this to my doctor? It CANNOT BE DONE.

Secondly, it is absolutely impossible to be positive all of the time. Even if you are the kind of person who eats rainbows and sunshine for breakfast.

Lastly, you cannot even attempt to be positive without a little help. This, my friends, is where your friends come in. Your support network. What is that? You might ask. It is comprised of the people who are there to believe in you when you can't believe in yourself.

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." - Bernard Meltzer
 These people are your "phone a friend" lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?: Life Edition. Don't worry, I'm not going to rhyme off a bunch of stupid clichés about friendship (except the quote that I just rhymed off... and the one right before that).

The moral of the story is that sometimes life makes you eat a big sh*t sandwich, maybe even several of them. Sometimes life's bad, AND it sucks. On those days, above all, lean on the people who are either going to a) tell you to stop being a baby and change out of the big underpants that you've worn for 5 days, b) split the sh*t sandwich in half and help you eat it, or c) sit in the life ER with you after you've eaten the sh*t sandwich and wait by your side until you've been seen by the doctor.

For example, an awesome note from Dad last week.
With this, I encourage everyone to think about a few things ... Who is on your "phone a friend" list? Do they know that they are? If not, let them know. It will make their day AND it will prepare them for the inevitable shi*t burger that they'll have to eat with you at some point down the road. Who's list are you on? If you aren't sure, are there a few people that you should reach out to and say, "HEY, when the golden arches of life hand you a McSh*t, I'll share it with you"? 

Take a moment inside your head and do a few loads of life laundry. In the long run, it will pay off for you and for the people you love.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Mo' mo's, mo' problems?: not this time, P. Diddy.

So here's the thing about November. Aside from the fact that the 'N' has been changed to an 'M', dudes all around us are trying to look like Ron Swanson and, well, failing miserably.

BUT, aside from the constant crap that I give my BF about his stringy soup strainer, I must say that I'm intrigued by this entire phenomenon ... It got me to thinking (and channelling my inner P. Diddy), do mo' mo's mean mo' problems?

PS Check out their sweet mo's!
What I'm trying to say is, Movember is an absolutely wicked concept. Guys, who historically don't do a lot of active fundraising (no offense to all the "Ron"nabee's out there .. get it? Wannabe?), are working their asses off to raise money for an incredible cause. But, there's always another side of the coin - are people just growing 'staches because everyone else is? Because it's cool to look like a teen sex offender? Now, the tiny little cynic inside of me initially thought that this excitement of trying to grow a cool mo' would overshadow the real reason behind Movember. Luckily, that little cynic was recently knocked the eff out by my inner moustachio after witnessing all of the incredible sharing, comraderie and overall CARE that dudes have been exhibiting this month.

So, I say to you P. Diddy (and Ma$e, but who remembers him anyways?) ... this time, Mo' mo's mean less problems. We are lighting a dirty-duster fire on the upper lips of the dudes of our generation, which is not an easy task, since it has always been "cool to be dumb" and say "Whatever" as often as possible. So let's jump on this stubbly wave and ride it as long as we can.

Which leads me to my point of the week: I am sincerely thrilled to be exactly where I am at this moment - we should all be. Not only can we be part of the amazing Movember fundraising campaign that is igniting our inner Tom Selleck, but we are also alive in a time where simply telling our razors that we want to see other people can move mountains.

So, to the guys out there ... THANK YOU, for taking part in this wonderful campaign and being okay with girls cringing at the sight of your upper lip. And, to everyone - be proud of what this month has accomplished and keep doing whatever you can to support your loved ones, friends and community as a whole ... Mo' mo's? Yes please.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Thursday 8 November 2012

Concussion day 11: why you shouldn't be a leader while concussed.

In the past 11 days, this is what I have learned.

Ponytails hurt. I am really good at making soup when I'm bored. I'm shockingly capable of sleeping all of the time. And last, but certainly not least, you really should not be a leader when you have a concussion ...


Here is why.

It is very difficult to keep track of your belongings. As a leader, being organized is always helpful. Particularly when you need to keep track of people, things and thoughts. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to remember to go pick something up from the bank that is literally 100 metres from my apartment ... Mission: Impossible.

It is very difficult not to cry at all times. Seriously, my eyes feel like a water fountain in the desert: overused. I cannot STOP them from excreting tear drops. As a leader, emotional management is paramount, particularly in moments of uncertainty and stress. For example, when your lovely boyfriend offers to drive the car so that you don't have to, it is not appropriate to start bawling as if he just bought you a puppy, let you fall in love with it, then ripped it out of your hands and gave it away to someone who doesn't even like dogs.

It is very difficult to do anything useful when you are by yourself all of the time. As the transformational leadership theory notes, both leaders and followers advance each other to higher levels of effectiveness, motivation, morale, etc. This could not be more true. It is so important to surround yourself with people who can make you better. While sitting alone in my apartment cave, I have been outrageously unproductive ... aside from the vats of soup that are in my freezer. Without the energy of others, I have done a fraction of what I am capable of on any given day.

All in all, many leadership lessons can be learned through boredom, injury and just plain bad luck. And, as always, I like to look at life events through a leadership lens to help gain perspective. So, I encourage you to do the same - especially those of you whose brains are not bruised ... I'm sure you'll come up with what I did and then some. Also, I must warn you: if this concussion goes on much longer, there is a strong possibility that I might go bananas, buy a lot of cats and start collecting porcelain clowns ... I guess time will tell. Kidding. Or am I?

"Find beauty in the ordinary and you'll find joy in unexpected places."