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Think about the last time somebody stressed you out..
Somebody?
Really – nobody can stress you out until you give them permission to do so. YOU can get worked up and all – but don’t blame it on someobdy as “it is your response to what they did or said that got you worked up.”
OK, OK – you might already know that
So, what’s the solution you ask.
Simple – next time someone or something stresses you up, think about it with a mood of wonder. May be say something like -
“Hmm..Isn’t that interesting…”
and look at it with all the curiosity in the world.
It might calm you down and in the first couple of days, instead of getting yous stressed, it might crack you up
It is a problem if you are “smart” and “lazy” as you can explain away several things to your convenience. One way for coming with “explanations of convenience” is to mis-attribute things.
If you want to distinguish yourself, you can avoid common mis-attributions AND stop playing mind games.
I have chosen a few mis-attributions to jumpstart your thinking. This list is in no way complete and please feel free to add/modify the list. The idea is not to get the list right but to get into the practice of noticing mis-attributions in your daily life and shun it.
So, here is the mis-attribution list:
1. “Hard work due to incompetence” mis-attributed to “Going the extra mile”
2. “Ineffectiveness” mis-attributed to “Wanting to be a nice person”
Only few people will have story that is so grand as the story of Taj Mahal. Or the beauty of the Niagara. Or the size of the Grand Canyon. That won’t prevent us from telling stories everyday. We are telling stories to others and we are telling stories to ourselves. We are even telling stories to ourselves about stories we are telling stories to others. We live in our stories.
The point is – whether you want or not – others are expecting that you will tell them stories. Good stories. Stories that will mean something to them. If those stories ALSO mean something to you, it’s good but that’s really not their concern – they just want to hear good stories. Plain and simple.
This is a good thing because if you know how to tell a good story, you will have a big audience. But remember that if they don’t get to hear stories that are relevant to them, they also switch off. And, they switch off – FAST!
So, what’s the big deal, you might ask.
The deal is that when you have a “good” story, you want to tell this to anyone and everyone that might want to listen that story. If you tell that story in all that excitement, people won’t want to curb your excitement so they might “pretend” to listen to your story with great enthusiasm but in their mind they are probably thinking you are wasting their time.
This is all the more important during tough times as “time” is at a premium for everyone during these times. However tempted you are tell your “cool” story – pause and think – “How is this story relevant to the person that I am trying to tell this?” or better yet – “How can I make this story relevant to this person?” If you don’t have a good answer, skip the story and have a great conversation without that story.
Stories are powerful, but ONLY if you use them wisely.
What can a multiplayer pinball game teach about teamwork?
A lot.
Over the weekend I was at The Tech with Sumukh and saw this multiplayer pinball game. The objective of the game is to get their ball to the final destination.It was a game to watch as the kids were battling to win.
While every kid is working hard to get guide his or her own ball, he or she is indifferent to the efforts of other kids who have their own individual agenda. Every effort to win by a kid thwarts the efforts of other kids to win.
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