As a young (clueless) lad straight out of college, I worked in sales for Standard Office Supply, a small company based in Washington, DC. I knew little about the real world and even less about sales. But I was eager to learn about the glamorous world of door-to-door selling!
In those days, there were no e-mail marketing campaigns, Instagram stories or Facebook posts to help get the word out to prospective customers. There was the phone at your desk and the shoes on your feet. And most people didn’t pick up the phone.
So I threw my bag of office supplies over my shoulder and hit the pavement! After several weeks of fruitlessly canvassing downtown office buildings for new customers, I was at my wit’s end. I was kicked out of offices, escorted to the streets, and called every name in the book. Was it too late to go back and seek a 5th year of eligibility in college?
Finally, I decided there had to be a better way. I (really) loved parties. Why not throw a party in my target office buildings, bring my office supplies, and invite all the tenants? Instead of pushing my products, why not pull?
I asked my manager, Dave Brooks, if I could get a small budget for a couple big soirées. His response was classic:
“Absolutely! As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, it’s cool!”
The parties were a huge success and I took my first big step toward building a profitable book of business. But the response from Dave had a far more meaningful impact on my life in terms of creativity and tolerance. And provided the perfect baseline for building resilience.
In our work lives, there should be no constraints on our thinking and creativity. As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, it’s cool. And in our personal lives, why do we get so hung up on on how other people conduct their lives? As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, it should be cool with us!
A Fresh Approach
In our work lives, we tend to focus on incremental progress, and lose sight of the larger opportunities. Instead of selling the same products to the same customers, why not look for new applications and new markets to explore? Instead of teaching the same curriculum in the same manner, why not tailor our approach to meet the needs of the individual students? Instead of adding a few new plays to the existing offense, why not explore an entirely new scheme. As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, it’s cool!
I’m not suggesting we indiscriminately blow up our routines just for the sake of change. Sometimes, incremental gains in our careers are profitable. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But every now and then we have to take a broader look at our strategy. Is our thinking getting stale? Is stagnation on the horizon? Is our lack of creativity holding us back from massive opportunities? A fresh approach to the same problem can exponentially propel us forward. Why try to walk faster when we can fly?
Tweet ThisA New Measuring Stick
There are countless scenarios that can unnecessarily cause us anguish. What if we applied this same mantra to our personal lives? As long as it’s not illegal or immoral, it’s cool!
So what if your neighbor’s lawn looks like the 12th fairway at Augusta. And yours looks like the surface of the moon. So what if the car in front of you has a “CoExist” bumper Sticker. And you just returned from a hunting trip. So what if your “friend” on Facebook just posted pictures from an undisclosed Caribbean Island. And you just got back from Baltimore. Annoying? Of course! But we can’t obsess and get caught in minitiate that has nothing to do with us.
We need to change our perspective, step back, and remember that as long as it is not illegal or immoral, it’s cool! If we take this new measuring stick to politics, finances, personal habits and idiosyncrasies, think about how much better off we would be. Think about all that reduced stress and anxiety. Think of how liberating it would be to let it all go.
A Resilient Mindset
So what does all of this have to do with resilience? In times of true strife and heartache, we need all of our strength and positive energy. We can’t wallow in self-pity and depression. We have to bounce back and solve problems. We have to be creative in our approach. And, most importantly, we can’t waste energy harboring negative feelings of jealousy and resentment. Focus is the key. And it starts with a little empathy and a positive and fresh outlook.
If we want to live a resilient life, we have to embrace a whole new mindset. If it’s not illegal or immoral, it’s cool!
Sound cool?