The Pain of Comfort

April 30, 2010

I was struck the other day by how often people are quite content to stay exactly the same.  We are comforted by the thought and feeling that today will be the same as yesterday and we hope that tomorrow will be more of the same.  We’re not interested in something new.  We’re quite happy having the same kinds of challenges as work, the same routine in the evening, the same kind of weekend. 

Biological equilibrium in humans called homeostasis is important since we want to have steady levels of all sorts of things – blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.  And, so it seems reasonable that we would want to have steady levels of experience to keep things “level”.  And, I believe that many many people work with that mentality as their mantra. 

But, I would argue that a “steady state” is great for periods of reflection or rejuvenation but not great for us as humans in the long-term.  For example, we know that stress is a two-headed beast.  If we have too much stress it hurts us.  But, the lesser known evil is that if we have too little stress it can also be as damaging.  We need a certain amount of stress in our lives to be able to function property, to be motivated to move forward, and to strengthen us.  Just like the tree that experiences the forces of the wind on its branches grows to be a stronger and more powerful tree, so do we. 

This even shows up in our brains.  Research shows that being challenged mentally is important for us to keep our brains healthy.  Patients of Alzheimer’s or other dementia are encouraged to do puzzles and brain exercises.  The reason, is just that, it exercises the brain which it has been shown will slow the progression of the diseases.

Not having a the right amount of challenge and change can show up in a different ways for different people.  You might get a little depressed.  You might become disinterested in things.  You might become less social.  Whatever it is for you, it will be true that when things get a little too comfortable, there will likely be some pain involved.

Good luck on your journey.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy a little pain from time to time.

Paul Frazer
The Performance Explorer 

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Posted by Paul Frazer

Harlam Globetrotters, A Brand and A Basketball

April 20, 2010

We went and saw the Harlem Globetrotters with close friends recently.  Wow!  What a great show.

I had seen them once as a kid, one of the major outings that I had as a child.  There were lots of fun then and they still are now.  They are good family fun and absolutely are rated F for family.

In fact, when I started to think about them, I realized what an amazing brand they are.  They have endured a very long time with an untarnished, accessible and totally successful brand.  And, what I realized while being at the game, or maybe event is a better word, is that they weren’t just putting on a show for today.  They were building an audience for tomorrow.  They were creating a legion of marketing representatives by doing what they do so very well. 

Here’s what I really liked.  They were accessible in so many different ways.  Their humour was easy on everyone.  But, more importantly, they priced their event (seats from $20 to $180 ) so that eveyone could attend.  And, of course, they had many kids there who were sponsored by groups. 

But, they left one of the most lasting impressions for last.  After the show was done, they invited people to come down and meet the players and get their autographs.  But, they also had merchandise available.  Specifically, the item that was being sold in astounding numbers were Harlem Globetrotter basketballs.  At first, my friends and I were hesitant to even think of getting one.  We thought they must be quite expensive as they were branded and were really nice balls.  But, we found out that they were only $25.  Amazing!  Why amazing?  Because, they were offering a great product for a reasonable cost (basically you couldn’t get something of the same quality for any less even without the branding).  Also, they had priced it so that most families could afford a ball for their kids.  They were offering something that was actually going to support exercise and play amongst the kids.  And, finally, the most brilliant part is how they were creating a viral brand.  Today, we talk about viral brands being on the internet, maybe a video or something like that.  Not in this case, they have balls going to hundreds of homes after each show.  What a brilliant way to create a following, not just now but for years and decades to come.

And, the image that will stay with me for a long time was the faces of the people in the Starbucks just outside the auditorium whose jaws were dropping and who were smiling from ear to ear as they saw all these kids walking down the sidewalk bouncing red, white and blue balls.  Now, that’s a brand!

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Posted by Paul Frazer

I need a BBQ

April 14, 2010

Okay, apart from sharing some personal stuff, what’s so exciting about needing a BBQ?  Well, I do love to BBQ and I was really excited to get a new BBQ since the old one was on its last legs.  But, the really interesting thing I learned was in the shopping process.

You see the process of shopping for a BBQ could have been a really painful process.  For some people, they just go into one store, look around and then pick a BBQ.  For me, it’s not so simple.  I want to get the perfect BBQ for me.  If I were to just go into a store, I’d get overwhelmed and probably a little lost. 

In this case, I can say that the experience was a good one and here is why…… I knew what I wanted.  I took inventory of what was important to me, did some research as to what were the reasonable options and then when I went shopping, I knew what to look for, I’d narrowed down my search and I had a great deal more focus.  Does this sound like something that applies to only BBQ’s?  No!  Of course not.  This is the recipe for creating a powerful business, a powerful life, a powerful organization, even a powerful family. 

Knowing yourself is a wonderful tool in being content, being more successful and in general, being your best.

It’s exciting and in this case, it means that I have the right tool for the job… yum.  Here’s to a successful BBQ season (which is basically year round for us).  And, here’s to a successful season for all of your endeavours too.

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Posted by Paul Frazer

Can’t Say Can

April 8, 2010

You can take the title of this post however you like.  It has many great meanings.  But, to flesh out what I’m thinking let me tell you about something that happened to me this morning. 

We all suffer from both can and can’t mindsets.  And, they can both show up in interesting ways.  I was on the phone with a lady setting up an appointment.  She asked about my availability for next week.  And, trying to be helpful I started telling her when I was not available so that she could schedule me in sometime around that time.  When you think about this you can see the problems.  First, she’s now focussed on connecting with me on the days that I have the least availability because those are the days that I hear.  And, I am now at her mercy in terms of when she schedules the appointment.

I could her the hesitation in her voice and then realized what I had done.  So, I quickly changed things around and said, “Actually, I can make it sometime Monday in the morning.”  What happened was that I told her what I could do.  She could more easily work with that and I was again in the drivers seat of my schedule. 

Most people understand that approaching this from “can” will get us farther often that from “can’t”.  But, everyone, including me, needs to be reminded from time to time.

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Posted by Paul Frazer

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