Day To Day Living
March 29, 2010
Recently the “Post and Courier” newspaper in Charleston, SC included the following quote:
“Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s this day to day living that wears you out.” – Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
I think that this is an interesting statement. I know that many times a crisis or some other big event can really get me pumped up to resolve it.
Many times I dealt with customer issues that were a crisis at the time. They were important and I put a lot of time and effort into them. Even if they weren’t always pleasant to deal with, most of the time I was actually better off from dealing with them. I learned many things that helped me in other areas of life. I also learned that if helped a customer resolve a crisis issue, it often strengthened our business relationship. Often a crisis requires us to focus and we have to be passionate and enthusiastic to resolve it.
Day to day living can get to be somewhat routine. I find this to be true no matter how blessed we are. It is easy to get comfortable without really being excited. It is easy to take things for granted in our day to day living.
While I don’t necessarily want to seek out or create a crisis, they do have a way of helping us put everything in perspective.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Helping Others
March 25, 2010
I’ve had the opportunity to work with and help a number of people recently. I have a couple of observations from these experiences.
Recently, the blunter I was with people, the more I was able to help them. When something was wrong, I didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. I was very direct about what they were doing and what steps they needed to take if they wanted to get different results.
Based on this, my initial thought is that I should just get really blunt with everyone and then I can make a huge positive difference in people’s lives. I would like to have a positive impact like this.
However, there is a real double edged sword with this. If we aren’t blunt enough, we aren’t likely to be heard and we won’t make an impact. If we are too blunt with people in general, they will be turned off and aren’t likely to listen to us.
It’s easy to get caught up on our own success and then our bluntness comes across to others as arrogance or belligerence. This is a trap that we need to be aware of.
Before we are so blunt with others, I find that it helps to let them know that we really care about them and want them to be successful. I also find that it helps to let them know that we don’t do everything perfectly ourselves. In fact some of our best opportunities to help others come from what we learn when we make mistakes.
Now here is my thought – if we really want to help others should we be blunt or should we not be blunt. My answer is “that’s right – to both of these.”
There is a time and a place for both. We just need to figure out what is appropriate in a given situation. It’s really about finding the right balance.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Personal Responsibility
March 22, 2010
It seems that every direction I turn recently I see the need for all of us to take full personal responsibility for our own lives. It’s not a new concept, but it sure does apply today. And it could enable all of us to reach greater levels of personal and professional success.
When I talk with others about their current personal finances, I meet a lot of people that don’t have enough income to support their current lifestyle. In some cases, they encountered difficulties such as the current economic situation. Perhaps they or someone in their household lost a job. For many, even if they find a new job, they are getting a position for less pay. Others simply spend money they don’t have on whatever they want without ever considering the consequences?
Unfortunately, the attitude is often that someone wants to keep their lifestyle period – even if they can’t afford it. This is a choice that people make. Some can do it for a period of time. However, it eventually catches up to them.
The consequences include things like having houses foreclosed, having cars repossessed, having creditors call to collect money, and having a lot of extra stress. Do you know anyone in this situation?
There are some people who have things happen to them beyond their control that devastates them financially. There are also many others that contribute to their own problems. They keep making bad choices without considering what the end results will be.
That’s where personal responsibility comes in. If you encounter difficulties, what steps can you take to minimize the negative consequences? Will you cut back on your spending if you don’t have the money to pay for it? Will you do this even if this includes cutting back on things that you used to do regularly?
Don’t wait for someone else to come along and bail you out. All of us need to take personal responsibility.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Superhero
March 18, 2010
I recently watched a speech contest where the contestants were given a topic and then spoke on that subject on an impromptu basis. They had a moment or two to think about it and then they gave their response without the benefit of advance preparation.
The contestants waited outside the room until it was their turn to hear the topic and speak. Therefore the people who went later in the contest didn’t have an unfair advantage over the earlier contestants.
It is interesting to watch how everyone responds. In this particular contest they all did a great job. While I watch, I also tend to think about how I would respond.
On this particular day, the topic regarded what you would do if you got up tomorrow and suddenly you were a superhero. Responses included helping others and responding to natural disasters and accidents and doing good things as a superhero.
What would you do if you were suddenly a superhero tomorrow? When I had a long time to think about it, I wondered what would happen if the superhero decided that we didn’t really need one great superhero. What would happen if the superhero dispersed his power to his fellow man and gave everyone some of them? What if the only catch is that everyone has to use their new power for good to help others?
Now that the powers are divided, no one person has enough power to fly or to jump over buildings. But we all have plenty of power to make this a better world. When everyone works together and uses all this power, the results are truly amazing.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that we don’t need a superhero to give us this power. We already have it! We just have to get out there and use it.
What do you think?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Get Tough
March 15, 2010
I enjoy the following line from Dave Ramsey’s book Financial Peace Revisited. “As the famous philosopher Ursula the sea witch in The Little Mermaid says, Life’s tough, iddin it”.
A lot of people in our country are struggling right now. Food is expensive. Medical costs and insurance are expensive. College tuition is going up significantly.
Unemployment is still high. The housing market is still in a difficult situation. Many businesses are struggling and many others already closed.
Between the Internet and cable news, we have round the clock coverage to make sure that we are reminded of how bad things are.
Yes things are difficult. Many people are struggling. We all face tough times. And we always have a choice in how we respond to them.
We need to be careful to make sure that we don’t take unethical shortcuts. Whenever things are difficult, we need to remember what’s important to us.
Don’t let difficulties get you down. Life is tough. If you need to make changes to improve your life, get started and do what you need to do. If this difficult, then be persistent and get tough.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Really Now
March 11, 2010
Recently I spoke with a potential client about an issue that they needed help with. They had made the initial contact but I had to call them back. This person didn’t know me nor did I know them.
This person immediately started in on everything that was wrong with me and how people like me caused them to be in the bad situation that they were in. It didn’t really bother me. In fact it became somewhat entertaining.
After I hung up the phone, I realized that I was glad that I wasn’t working with this person. They wanted to blame me (and they didn’t even know me) and probably most anyone else for their problems. I quickly realized that this person’s real problem started with not accepting responsibility for their own life and situation.
I probably missed a great opportunity to tell them that. Please don’t misunderstand what I am trying to say. I hope that they resolve their problems and move on to great successes. However, until they accept responsibility for their own choices and actions, I believe that it is unlikely that they will take the necessary steps to fix their situation.
We all are responsible for our choices and we have to live with the end results. We need to be careful that we accept responsibility ourselves if we want to make improvements in the future.
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
A Better Time
March 8, 2010
Is there a better time than right now to take control and find balance in all areas of your life?
For many, it seems that every way we turn we run into problems. Prices on food and other items seem high. More and more costs such as insurance and taxes are being passed on to families and individuals. Wages for many aren’t going up.
These are challenging times. A lot of Americans are dealing with personal debt and are concerned about America’s rising debt. The economy is still a concern.
Throughout history, people have overcome obstacles and problems. I believe that it can help to know this. We may realize that if others overcame problems then we can also. However, when problems are hitting us in the face daily, we have to deal with what is confronting us.
There are a lot of things that are beyond our control that affect our daily lives. It’s important that we focus on the things that we can control.
Is there a better time than right now to take control and find balance in all areas of your life? Are you taking care of your health needs? Are you taking care of your spiritual needs? Are you taking care of your social needs? How about your financial needs?
Do you have your life in balance? Is there a better time in your life to do this than right now?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
Piece of The Pie
March 4, 2010
A number of years ago I attended an awards recognition banquet for a company. One gentleman told me a little bit regarding the founder of the company. It was obvious that the founder did a lot over the years to build a successful company. The gentleman said that the founder of the company used to say – “when they pass the pie, make sure that you get your piece.”
This is simple good advice. Most of us follow it at the dinner table. What about in life?
He wasn’t talking about being greedy. He was talking about getting out and getting things done.
Do you see other people doing what you want to be doing?? Could you be doing what you want to be doing with your life if only (fill in whatever excuse you would like to here) or if it were not for (fill in whatever excuse you would like to here).
Are you using excuses and holding off on getting started on something that you want to do? Life is short. The rest of it begins immediately. The clock is ticking. Do you need to get started now? Are you getting your piece of the pie?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC
The Perfectionist
March 1, 2010
Someone once told me a story about a statement that he made to his wife.
He said that he told her the following. “You know what our problem is? Our problem is that you are a perfectionist and I am not. And that is why I married you and why you married me.”
I thought that this was kind of funny. Of course the guy wasn’t married any more by the time that he told me the story. I often jokingly use this line with my wife when we disagree on something.
While I like this story, it reminds me when I try to be a perfectionist, it keeps me from getting started on the things that I need to do. If I try to get things perfect, I don’t get my best results. I don’t try to do a bad job or be sloppy. I just have to remind myself that I can’t do everything to perfection
The pursuit of perfection keeps me from moving forward. Do you have any areas in your life where you aren’t moving forward because you are a perfectionist? Do you see someone else succeeding because they aren’t a perfectionist?
Copyright Kevin Drum 2010
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided it is reprinted in its entirety including this copyright information and it is attributed to
Kevin Drum
Titan Solutions, LLC