Sounds like some pretty solid advice right?
I was about 12 years old at the time when I learned this lesson [Never cut the grass with your winter coast on] that has lasted a lifetime. More importantly, the lesson is easily transferred to daily life situations.
It all happened like this…It was time to cut the back yard during the summer. In one corner: Slightly over five feet tall and weighing in at 100 pounds dripping wet…me at 12 years old. Full of excuses and what I thought was clever answers as to why I could not cut the yard on any given day. “It just rained,” “I have a headache,” etc. In my mind, I had the answers to solve all of the world’s problems. Only if someone/anyone would have asked.
In the other corner: A legendary giant and weighing in at a proportionate number…my mother, the undisputed champion of my known universe. On this fateful day her mindset was, that she would not entertain any of my feeble excuses. Today is the day that the yard was getting cut, come hell or high water.
I considered all of my options and conjured up in my mind how I was going to make the point that it was too hot. My plan came to me in a flash: Since she thought it was not too hot to cut the yard at 102 degrees, then I would have to show her a thing or two. I grabbed my winter coat, went outside and proceeded to cut the grass. It started out somewhat promising, as there was a little bead of sweat developing on my forehead. Every few steps I would look up at the window, expecting to see her so she could ask me to stop. That never happened. I cut the entire yard with my coat on and do not believe she ever noticed.
The lesson I learned that day was, “Never be so stubborn that you almost seriously harm yourself for the sake of proving someone wrong.” Instead, make the necessary corrections to make better decisions. It is less painful that way…trust me.
At the end of each day, do these two things:
1. Take a minute to reflect on your behaviors and or actions for the day and ask yourself five simple questions; and
2. Remember, when it is 102 degrees outside, do not cut the grass with your winter coat on.
The five questions are:
1) How do my actions and or behaviors (positive or negative) at work reflect on my employers?
2) If my behaviors and or actions were positive, how could/would that impact my work environment a week or month from now?
3) If my behaviors and or actions were negative, how could/would that impact my work environment a week or month from now?
4) Why should I even care? And;
5) What could I have done to make it better?
Ultimately each of us has the power to make individual choices on a daily basis that would benefit the team. The choice is yours. Make a commitment to yourself to elevate the workplace and watch the change develop.
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