212 degrees

Make it fun! Change the world

The people over at Volkswagen are known for automobiles, but they also have a little side project going on to change the world. They are the creator and sponsor of a project and website called The Fun Theory. According to their site, they are "dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better."

The premise is that people are more likely to do something -- cleanup up dirty streets, exercise, talk to each other, recycle, be polite -- if it's fun for them. Humans are complex creatures. We are driven by a number of multi-dimensional needs including the need to fit in, the need to acquire stuff, the need to be loved, the need to feel safe, the need to feel in control. Even the most altruistic among us is still in it for themselves (even if it's just to leave the world a better place than it was when they got here). Engage all of that selfishness and still make something that's fun... that's ambitious. Get people to do something good for their neighbor, the neighborhood, the area, the world at the same time? That takes true talent. Glückwünsche Volkswagen! Glückwünsche.

You're invited to participate as well. Be part of the movement. Get inspired by others' submissions, vote on your favorite, then submit your own ideas.

Small steps, big rewards

I once read a story about a salesman. Vacuum cleaners I think. He was a new salesman learning the ropes of door-to-door sales. He'd practiced his spiel over and over again in front of the mirror. He had all the product specs down cold, and was very personable. He knew that this was the way to make his fortune.

He spent the first several weeks under the tutelage of a more senior salesman. He listened intently as his senior extolled the virtues of the products -- more power, quieter than the competitors, etc. As he listened, he would pick up bits and tips that he could use when he was on his own. He grew more confident with every visit the pair made.

Finally it was time for him to strike out on his own. He approached the first house on the first day. He knocked on the door and greeted the homeowner pleasantly. After a very brief dialog, the homeowner stated that they were not in the market for a new vacuum and he went on his way. The next several houses ended the same way -- "Thank you, but no thanks." He made several more stops that day, and he did finally make a few sales.

This pattern repeated itself several times over the next few days. On occasion he'd get the chance to deliver his pitch, but more often than not, he'd be rebuffed at the door. Maybe this wasn't the job for him, he began to think. In short time, his anticipation of rejection began to show as he approached the doors of his potential clients and his highly polished pitch, soon became just another solicitor interrupting the chores of a busy housewife.

One day, between rejections, he decided to take a break at a local coffee house to try to collect his thoughts and try to figure out what he had gotten himself into. Chance placed his mentor at the same shop that day and the two began to chat about business. The Senior was in jolly spirits and cracking jokes with the waitresses as they walked by. The Junior was complaining about all the rejections and how hard he really had to work to earn his commission for a sale. It would often times take him ten houses just to make one sale. 'That's nine houses where I just waste my time," he complained. He continued for several more minutes while the Senior just sat back and absorbed with a slight hint of a grin.

The Junior finally took notice of the grin and asked the Elder, "How do you do it? I didn't see you making sales at every stop. Doesn't it bother you that you spend all that time for nothing?!"

"You're looking at it all wrong, son," he said. "You're only looking at the final sale as when you get paid. You're only making your $100 commission at one house. That's why you see the other houses as a waste of your time. Me? I see that each of those other nine houses are earning me commission as well -- $10 at a time; I just don't collect until the last house. Even if those nine reject the sale, I'm still making money from them. It's a different way of thinking."

The two finished their coffee, mostly in silence, and went on their way.

As the Junior returned to his territory, he was still thinking about what he had heard. He wasn't sure that he had bought into that philosophy yet. He approached the first house somewhat gloomy. As he began his speech, the homeowner waved him off. Instead of turning in defeat though, he reached out his hand and shook the woman's hand and thanked her. In his mind, he had just made a sale -- one that earned him his $10 commission.

How often do you look only for the big reward? How often do you ignore the deferred benefit, only looking for the immediate and tangible reward? Would your attitude be improved if you took the small gains as a reward in and of themselves? Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Idea hamster

I have a coworker who is an idea hamster. Everyday he's got another idea to make things better. In fact, he's go so many ideas that he doesn't know what to do with them all. So he doesn't...mostly. He's paralyzed by information, and choices, and chances. And by perfectionistic tendencies. His fear to date with most of his ideas is that he doesn't have the time to make them good enough to stamp his name on it. None of us want to release a poor quality product.

Right now, he's got the time (if he makes it) and certainly the talent to take any of his ideas to an incredible place. Yeah, he could make millions off one of them someday, or thousands of several, or nothing off any of them. You never know til you try.

They say that life is a journey, not a destination, and that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Well, in much the same way as my starting this blog, not knowing if I'd have enough, or too much, to talk about, or if anyone would actually read this (outside of my immediate friends and family), we all have to "leave the harbor, because a ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for" -- or something like that. What I'm trying to say is that whether you're an idea hamster, or someone with a single fantasy that you keep putting off because you don't think you're ready for it -- GO FOR IT! DO SOMETHING! START! You can, and will, make it better, but if you don't have anything to make better because you didn't start, where are you?

Good luck man!

Working for "The Man"

A lot of people talk about working for "The Man," but who is "The Man?" Is he the corporations that make a lot of money off the sweat and ingenuity of their employees? Or is it YOU?!

It's all about perspective. You choose who to work for. You may have the wherewith all to strike out on your own and start a business of your own. Or you may not. Regardless of who actually "pays you," you must choose to work for you self -- to make things better for yourself, to further your goals, dreams and ambitions. Only then will you enjoy what you're doing and feel a real sense of accomplishment.

There are story after story after story and quote after quote published about the people that we all recognize as famous, or rich, or talented, or happy. Stories where those people shared the fact that life was not always what it is for them now. They struggled. They had bad times. They failed. And many failed more than once, but they persevered and kept on working toward their goals. And they came out on top.

My wife and I took the kids to see Disney's Meet The Robinson's over the past weekend. In it one of the character's catch phrase was "Just keep moving forward." It reminded me that no matter how big the challenge, no matter how insurmountable it might seem, it can be overcome with dedication and perseverance, and steps in the right direction.