Inspiration for a joyful and creative life

This is continuing the conversation in the series Ten Reasons NOT to have what you want.

You know to get what you want won’t happen overnight. Maybe you think you should have started earlier, then maybe you would have a chance.

You may think that you can’t have what you want because it will take too long.

There is a story of the woman who said she couldn’t get a college degree because she was too old and it would take her 5 years to get it. But someone told her that in 5 years from now, she’ll still be 5 years older, just without the degree.

What if something does take you longer than you planned?

Is that really the reason you can’t do it or is it that you are afraid? There may be reasons you are anxious but will you regret it more if you never try?

I’ll admit I get frustrated that things always seem to take me much longer than I think they will. Sometimes it is just because I don’t really know when I start out what all is involved so I didn’t factor in the extra time it would take.

Other times, it may be that I’m dragging my heels on getting something done because my perfectionist personality insists that it’s not done yet. Sometimes it is better getting something out than to wait until it’s perfect. That’s a tough one for me. The ironic part is, of course, it is never perfect so it becomes yet another excuse.

How long is too long for something you really care about?

I’ve always thought that patience and persistence are two undervalued qualities to getting what you want.

We live in a fast paced society where instant isn’t fast enough.

We also have the misconception that everyone else has overnight success. If you really look at the stories of those with “overnight” success, you’ll find it usually took them years of practice, patience, and persistence.

If you are putting off your dreams because you think it will take too long, where will you be 5 years from now?

The other day I watched the last part of Oprah who was interviewing people from  the new show Undercover Boss, which airs on CBS.

Larry O’Donnell, Chief Operating Office of  Waste Management, a company with 45,000 employees and 20 million customers,  poses as a man shooting a TV show about entry level jobs.

O’Donnell worked alongside Fred learning and doing the hard job of cleaning  portable toilets.

What he found was Fred not only worked really hard but had an amazing attitude.  He took a job that was dirty, and that most people at best would just put in their time.  Instead Fred found a way to do it the best way and to take pride in what he did.  And he did it with a great attitude that was inspiring.  He said he thought of cleaning toilets as an adventure.

Larry, still acting as undercover employee Randy, went on to work with Janice   as a trash collector.

He saw first hand that she had some customers who waited for her to come to run and greet her with  a hug.  They appreciated her hard work and it was obvious that she really cared about her customers.

He found out that she was on such a tight schedule that she couldn’t even afford to take regular bathroom breaks and had to bring a can with her on the truck.

He discovered that some of the rules that “corporate” handed down to the employees left them feeling devalued, and simply weren’t working.  These were rules he had helped establish.

I thought that was an insightful moment.  In my opinion, rules are often made by people that don’t have to follow them.  If they did, they would probably make different and better choices.

These people stood out because they chose to make a difference.  They brought  their best to what they were doing, even if the job wasn’t glamorous or fun.

Larry O’Donnell gave recognition to his employees and said he had a new found appreciation for the hard work they do.  He also said he would make changes for the better for them.

This is the perfect opportunity for companies large and small to see the value of including the people who actually do the jobs in brainstorming ideas of how to make them better.

How you do something makes a difference.

It’s good for you and it’s good for the people around you.

How could you bring this idea to your own business, job, or even as a family member?

I just wrote an article for the ezine about Less is More.  I think it is really important to think about what you want less of so you can have more of what you want and need.

My husband and I went to Tokyo Joe’s, one of my favorite places for healthy, fast food, last month.  They always have something that impresses me in the way they run the business and in their philosophy that is refreshing.

They had a sign about Kaizen, which is a wonderful Japanese concept of small, continual improvements.  Kaizen is one of the foundations of my Kaizen-Muse coach training and my own personal philosophy.  It wasn’t the first time I had seen it mentioned in Tokyo Joes.  I was delighted to see that they had a 2010 Less is More 365 Days of Kaizen campaign.

Some of their sayings

Less Stress, More Laughter

Less Getting There, More Being There

Less TV, More Music

Less Greed, More Giving

Less Striving, More Celebrating

Check out Tokyo Joe’s web page where you can see the rest and add your own.

What do you want less of that will allow you time, money, or space for more of what you want?