What's Your First Response?

If you’re from Burlington, North Carolina, you know what it means when you’ve parked downtown and find a little orange ticket underneath your windshield wiper: you’ve got a parking ticket. If you’re not from Burlington, you may have had a similar experience in your city. Those little orange tickets are not my friend. In the past few years, I’ve paid….well…more than my share of parking ticket fines.  And every time, I kick myself for throwing money down the drain.  (I mean, it’s $10 a pop; $30, if you forget to pay on time.)

So, I decided this year was going to be different. Very different. Not only did I vow to decrease the amount of money I’m throwing away on those little orange beasts, but I promised myself: No more parking tickets! Period.  (Besides, all that wasted money could have bought me a TON of chocolate!)

Let me tell you, it’s been a challenge. Especially on cold, rainy days where I REALLY didn’t want to walk the few blocks from the parking lot to the office. So, yesterday evening, I walked to my car, in the all day parking lot, and what did I see? You guessed it. The dreaded orange beast, tucked beneath the windshield wiper. Ugg!

My first thought was…..well….I can’t say that word out loud. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I mean, it was like the meter maid had gone crazy. (I’m sure there’s a more appropriate—and modern—term than ‘meter maid’ but you get the picture.) And it wasn’t just me.  As far as the eye could see, there were parking tickets on every car! In a lot that was designated for all day parking. What?

Have you ever had a moment when things weren’t exactly what they seemed? Well, this was one of those moments. As I swiped the dreaded thing off the windshield, I realized, it wasn’t a ticket at all. Instead, it was an advertisement. What a relief!

I turned over the piece of paper to find this:

Then I realized that I had let my first response color my attitude. Even for a brief moment. I had reacted to what I thought was true before looking more closely to see the real truth. (Of course, looking at that little slip of paper, I'm just glad ALL the cars had them; I might have been a little offended if they had singled me out!)

I learned a lesson yesterday, and it’s summed up in this quote by Stedman Graham, a businessman: “People who let events and circumstances dictate their lives are living reactively. That means they don’t act on life, they only react to it.”

Today, I’ve made another promise to myself. Oh yeah, I’m still going to live out 2013 without any parking tickets. But, going forward, I’m also going to “act on life” rather than react. My first response will be well thought out before I respond.

·         Have you ever reacted to a situation that turned out to be different than it first seemed?
·         What can you do, starting now, to eliminate knee-jerk reactions?
·         If you’re parking in downtown Burlington, watch out for those little orange beasts!

No-more-reactively yours, 

Jean

Guest Blogger: Janet Harllee on Making a Difference, Your Way

Today, I welcome Janet Harllee, storyteller and entertainer, to share with you "Making a Difference, Your Way." Read on as she shares how you can make a difference, starting today. -Jean

St. Mother Teresa, Walter Cronkite, the 9/11 Heroes, Pat Tillman, Billy Graham, and all the

men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country.  The list can go

on and on of well-known people who have made a difference.  But you do not need to be well-

known or famous to make a difference. 

Recently, I spoke with several individuals and asked them who made a difference in their life

that has affected them.  Here are some of their comments…

  “My grandmother had a hard life.  She passed on to me that you have to work for what you really want.”

“I learned more about life from my aunt.  She was legally blind and deaf, but was always positive and felt blessed even with her challenges.”

“It’s friends who are always there when I need them.  Their life example is a blessing to me.”

“The way my supervisor did her work as a nurse, and how she encouraged her staff helped me to be a better supervisor.” 

“It was my 5^th grade teacher who told me that I should buckle down and work hard, and since I did not receive encouragement at home, what she said has always stayed with me.”

“My Mother told me to leave a place better than you found it, whether it’s cleaning a room, or talking with a person.  That has stuck with me and applies to anything I do.”

Robert Frost is quoted saying, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less

traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Look through a different lens today.  Take notice of people and the opportunities of how

you can help them.  It is the little things in life that make the biggest difference.   A friend of

mine told me she went to her bank the other day.  A lady stopped her and said, “Thank you for

smiling.”  My friend spoke to the lady and found out that she lives alone, and was quite touched

that someone took the time to smile at her.   Let someone go in front of you at the grocery

store check-out, or wave a driver to turn in front of you. I know you are in the right, but you just

might be changing someone’s outlook for the day.

Working with seniors on a daily basis, I see how making a difference is in the simple things

like, a smile, or taking the time to sit down and listen to them.  It makes them feel special – and

they really are.  When you do something for someone else, it makes you feel better too. 

In today’s world of cell phones, texting, and computers, I hope we never get so impersonal

that we forget to make a difference in our home, our community, our church, our country. 

Readers, I hope you've enjoyed Janet's words of wisdom today! Be sure to check out her website at www.JanetHarllee.net. You'll be glad you did! -Jean

(Thanks, Janet, for sharing with us!)

Six Super Lessons from Super Bowl XLVII

It was T minus 3 hours, 36 minutes, 24 seconds and counting until the kickoff of Super Bowl XLVII. I could hardly wait! Even though, I have to admit, none of my favorite teams had made it. (Although I do love SF quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.) Still, there’s just something super exciting about watching the best of the best in the NFL go head to head. Plus, I love to watch (and critique) the commercials. How about you?

3 hours, 36 minutes and 24 seconds s-l-o-w-l-y ticked by. Finally, it was time! To see Jennifer Hudson and the Sandy Hook elementary school kids sing “God Bless America”….well, it was heart-touching.  And Alicia Keys’ rendition of the National Anthem was simply beautiful.

 And what about that 11-second kick return for a touchdown by the Ravens? Honestly, I was hoping the 49ers would win. But I was super impressed by that play. You’ve gotta recognize talent.  (Sorry, K!) But then there was the fumble recovery….yep, so much talent on the field tonight.  And 17 San Francisco points scored in just over 4 minutes.  Plus Quarterback K’s touchdown! Longest in Super Bowl history. Wow!

Congrats to the Ravens for the win! And, now that the game is a part of history, here are a few life lessons I learned from this Super Bowl that I want to share with you. #herewego

     1.  Be genuine. Always sing (don’t lip-sync).  Even if you admit you’re going to do it, lip-sync-ing is often perceived as being ‘fake’ or taking the easy way out. (Which is interesting if you’re lip-sync-ing to your own performance.) Now, I certainly understand that the sound quality would be better lip-sync-ed. However, I’ll take a live performance anytime over perfection. Kudos to Beyoncé for going for it. She genuinely rocked the house at half-time!

2.  Be prayerful. Before taking the field, we saw players praying. In your personal and professional life, it’s important to have balance. Men and woman of great faith draw strength from and give glory to God. Don’t neglect your spiritual life.  

3      3.  Be grateful.  Just like making it to the Super Bowl, there are going to be key people and key events in your life that get you to your shining hour. Remember those that got you there and let them know you appreciate them.

4      4.  Be forgiving.  Life isn’t fair, especially if you disagreed with the referee’s call on…you know what play I’m talking about! Yeah, that one. If you focus on times you’ve been treated unfairly in life, you’ll never reach your full potential. You have to forgive in order to focus fully and live your purpose.

5      5.  Be ready for anything. Sometimes, the unexpected happens. Sometimes it’s beyond your control. Like when the lights go out in the Super Dome during the big game. When life happens, focus on what you do have control of, not on what you don’t. And ALWAYS have a Plan B. Use your downtime wisely. Be ready for when the lights DO come back on. (Even if it takes 35 minutes.)

6       6. Be the best. NFL teams that make it to the Super Bowl didn’t do it by being mediocre. Be your best in what you do, take a journey of continual growth and find your own success!

Are there any lessons you’ve learned from watching the big game?

What was your favorite commercial? Mine was a tie for first between the RAM “So God Made a Farmer” and the Jeep/USO one. With bravery at the prom (Audi) coming in second.  (Maybe not a close second, but second just the same.)

What was the tackiest? Yeah, the Go Daddy kiss.

To your super success,

Jean

Check out the Super Bowl commercials here!