How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a
bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive colleague ruin your
day?
Of course, for an instant you will probably be set back on your
heels.However, the mark of a happy & successful person is how quickly one
can get one's focus back to what is important.
I learned it in the back of a London black cab. Here's what happened. I
hopped in a taxi at the Bank and we took off for Moorgate tube Station. We
had been driving about 200 yards when suddenly a black car jumped out of a
parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks,
skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!
Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost
caused a big accident, whipped his head around and instead of apologizing,
started yelling bad words at us.
Now, here's what took me by surprise. Instead of getting angry or annoyed,
my taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. He was actually friendly
towards the other man!
I said, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent
us to the hospital!' And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now
call, 'The Law of the Rubbish Bins.
Many people are like rubbish bins. They run around full of garbage, full of
frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their bin piles
up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they will dump it
straight on you.
When someone wants to dump on you, do not take it personally. Just smile,
wave, wish them well, and move on.
So this was it; The 'Law of the Rubbish Bins.
I started thinking, how often do I let 'Rubbish bins' run right over me?
And how often do I take their rubbish and spread it to other people: at
work, at home, on the streets?
It was that very day I decided that I was not going to do it anymore. I
then began to see be aware of rubbish bins. I see the load they are
carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And with the grace of our
beloved Lord; I too have learnt just to smile, wave, wish them well, and
move on.
" THE LAW OF THE RUBBISH BINS "
"Do More Than Asked" - By Zelig Pliskin
There are people who prefer to do favors for others when they volunteer to do so. When they are asked, they often consider it a burden. The benefit of being asked by another person is that then you know for certain what this person’s needs actually are. Show that fulfilling this person’s request is something that you really want to do. How? By doing more than you have been asked to do.
At times we might do what we have been asked to do because we find it difficult to say no. We know that we should do acts of kindness and therefore do things out of embarrassment. Our going beyond the specifics of what was asked of us is an expression that our true inner will is to do acts of kindness.
Many people hesitate to ask for favors because they don’t like to be a burden to others. They don’t want others to do things for them just because those people would feel guilty for refusing. When you do more than you have been asked, you demonstrate your sincere willingness to help. We go the extra mile when we enjoy what we are doing or we feel that this is the right thing to do.
Doing more than you have been asked will enable the recipient of your kindness to feel better about all that you have done for him before, are doing now, and will do for him in the future. The extra thing you do could be a relatively minor thing, but the benefits are major.
The author heard these examples from friends:
"I asked him to lend me five hundred dollars. I was overwhelmed when on his own he offered two thousand dollars and he told me, ‘Thank you for asking. It’s my pleasure.’ "
"I asked my friends if I could stay at their home for a few days. They told me their house was available for even a month. The entire week I was their guest I felt totally at home."
"I asked my neighbor if she could watch my children for a couple of hours so I could rest. My neighbor offered to have them stay overnight so I could get a good night’s sleep. I felt grateful beyond words."
"I asked a few questions about how to use my new computer. I was treated to a full three hour lesson."
"I asked for a lift and expected to walk from my neighbor’s house to my own. Instead, the driver went out of his way to take me the full distance that I needed."
When Do Ideas Die ?
When Do Ideas Die ? and what to do about them?- Edward de Bono
Why Ideas die...
1. When enough people attack the idea.
2. When there is no enthusiasm or passion for the idea.
3. When the cost of trying out the idea is considerable and there are other priorities demanding funds.
4. When the idea appears to be risky.
5. When there is no one senior to champion the idea.
6. When an idea does not seem feasible at first appearance.
7. When there are ego problems between those promoting the idea and those opposing it.
8. When the idea is seen as 'the same as' an old idea or something that is already being done.
9. When a change of circumstances or strategy lessens the value of the idea.
10. When the idea has been tried and has failed.
There may be many more reasons to add to the above list.
When new ideas die, they are assigned to a sort of cemetery. They may never be looked at again. Or they may be reviewed periodically.
If an idea genuinely offers value then it is always worth reviewing it periodically to see if that value can now be delivered or if the value is now even more significant.
There are concepts of value and concepts of delivery. As usual in creative thinking, it is important to extract and spell out the concept that seems to be in use in the new idea.
If the concept of delivery is made clear, then this concept might be challenged and an alternative way of delivering the same value might be found. If the concept of value is made clear, then there might be other forms of value derived from this basic concept.
Even when an idea 'dies', the concept behind the idea need not die at the same time. The concept can survive while efforts are made to see how it might be delivered through a practical idea.
When an idea dies, it is important to spell out very clearly why this has happened. Is it a matter of cost? Is it a matter of implementation? Is it a matter of feasibility and practicality? Is it a matter of risk? Is it a matter of low value? In practice, it will usually be a combination of several of these. It may simply be a matter of low motivation for the idea. That is always difficult to admit.
Keep analyzing your ideas and idea bank. It may spring surprises
