Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Take Charge of Your Situation

"I once ran into a wise old friend, and he asked how I was doing.

'Fine, under the circumstances,' I replied.

He raised his eyebrows and laughed:

'What, pray tell, are you doing under there?'


What circumstances are you under? List three moves you can make to rise above those conditions?"


From Zing: Five Steps and 101 Tips for Creativity on Command by Sam Harrison


(Added thought from Peggy: when you write down what circumstances you're under, keep it short, a sentence or two. The idea is to go beyond the situation, not sink deeper into the mire of it.)




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3 comments:

Mamie said...

The only uncontrollable circumstances I find myself under are those imposed by a certain Commander In Chief and his band of henchmen, and I hope to be out from under them in a few months.

Great question, Peggy.

Mojo said...

I don't remember the movie, or even the character, but I'm pretty sure the actor was either Denzel Washington or Morgan Freeman. Anyway, the line went something like, "The only things I gotta do is stay black and die!"

And looking around at some of the people in the world today I'm pretty sure even the first of those things is optional.

I can't use the line in its original form (being Caucasian and all) but I try to remain mindful of it when the pile gets too deep.

And Mamie, good luck with that. I hope you don't find yourself among the involuntarily extended. It ain't worth the extra money in my view. Nowhere close. Keep your head down, okay?

Peggy Payne said...

I'm with you on the Commander in chief, Mamie. And I must say you have a lot of control of your circumstances, when that's the only part of life you don't currently have in hand.

Mojo, thanks for the gotta-do line. I'm not sure I understand "involuntarily extended."