The Karate Kid Love Lesson

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success lessons from the greats. Today, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, talk about love and balance.

So, believe it or not, I’d never seen The Karate Kid, that legendary 80’s movie, until a couple days ago. Contrary to what I thought, it fit into Valentine’s Day better than I thought with Daniel Laruso (Ralph Macchio), the protagonist, going off with Ali Mills (Elizabeth Shue) − of course, Daniels’s arch-enemy’s ex.

There’s one scene when the boy’s all but given up on her. He’s celebrating his birthday with his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyugi “Pat” Morita), says that everything in life gets better with balance, alluding that getting Ali back will do this.

Now that’s powerful; many people are of the assumption that either you don’t need a significant other or that without them you’re nothing. I’m somewhere in between − sure, the lover might increase the quality of your life but you can live without them.

That being said, you (the success seeker you are) should settle for nothing less than the best life you can possibly get. And finding someone to share it with just makes everything a little sweeter.

Now, I’m not making a case for marriage here (nor am I for the swinger). I’m not saying you should rush into a situation where you’re in a relationship with someone you hate. What I am saying is that if you haven’t got a significant other, getting one (providing they’re good with your dreams and aspirations) can, as Mr. Miyagi put it, put everything into place. And if you’re running away from people who might make great partners if you weren’t scared, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Now, if you have got a wonderful person to share life with, congrats! You’re doing well. But if not, you can always:

Say something to a stranger

I ask people for their emails all the time. If you like the person, see if you can meet up with them somewhere else. If they give you the hots but are taken, at least you might be able to meet one of their cool single friends, or…

Get an online dating profile

There are some good systems these days on how to do this well. Online dating profiles put you together with people that you know are single and have something in common with you, saving you the time of wasting a date with a person you’d never want to know intimately. And they’re easy to set up. I’ve heard very positive reviews − might not be a bad strategy for you if you’re single and looking.

Have a great Valentine’s day and talk to you next week!

Alex H.

 

If you liked this update, you might also like these other Graceland Ontario posts:

 

• Graceland, Ontario: Love Will Teach You Persistence
• Graceland, Ontario: Here's to Thanksgiving Day, Time to Eat, Love and Play
• Graceland, Ontario: Have a Job You Love (or "Don't Do a 'Normal Job")
• Graceland, Ontario: What Can You Learn from an 87 Year Old and a Dead Rock Star
• Graceland, Ontario: Service Pays Dividends

Mean What You Say

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop blog for success lessons from the greats! Today we’re going to talk about being clear in business and life.

Now, I don’t know about you but seeing sports teams and shows live are expensive in Canada (besides I’m generally busy) so I don’t go for things like that too often. That being said, when I get an opportunity offered to me next to the beans and gravy, I’m not too quick to turn it down (providing I can fit it into my schedule).

So, not too long ago, the Harlem Globetrotters were visiting Toronto, a city not too far from where I live. I’d heard of them, not too much at the time, but it was still pretty cool. And to add, I, being a Scout Leader, was offered discounted tickets for moi and famille. Too good to be true, huh?

But, I still wasn’t sure about going so I waited (I’ll write about this later) until the last minute. The final day on the form had approached. Finally, I went hell, let’s go, faxed it in to the sports centre where the Trotters were playing and waited for email confirmation.

Only thing was it never came.

So, I emailed the major sports centre the next day. An hour or so later they got back to me (prompt service) saying that as far as they were concerned, because we’d faxed them in after their box office had closed (even though we’d gotten them in on the final day they’d specified), they weren’t going to honour the deal. Of course, we could still buy tickets from the regular box office.

So we missed the show and they lost out on tickets and a potential customer who would never see a show on his own choosing unless being offered a deal.

And it’s not because I’m cheap − I have better things to do with that money. If you’re going to make it worth my while, sure I’ll buy from you. But if I’m typically not interested, I’m certainly not going to buy on a regular day.

Here’s the message of the story: sure, I should’ve got the tickets in earlier, BUT if the sports centre had said on the form “Don’t even bother sending this after 5pm, when our box office closes on Friday” I would’ve either sent them earlier or made other plans. But when it says send by this date and you do, then you expect some tickets.

Otherwise, you feel like you’ve been cheated.

Be upfront with your customers, business associates, family members and friends. When you say a date, mean THAT date. Don’t mean when the box office closes, don’t mean if it’s a good day, mean what you say. Because I sure as hell thought I had till 11:59pm and their lack of writing otherwise on the form made me feel like I was tricked.

And unsurprisingly, me and others alike don’t like buying things again from people they feel tricked them.

You never know − they might be bloggers who'll tell the world about it afterwards!

Talk to you next week!

Alex H.

 

If you enjoyed this update, you might also like these other Graceland Ontario posts:

 

• Graceland, Ontario: Traits of the Superhero
• Graceland, Ontario: It's Quicker with Experience
• Graceland, Ontario: High Expectations
• Graceland, Ontario: "Image Scrimmage"
• Graceland, Ontario: Life's a Haunted House and We're all In It
• Graceland, Ontario: What Can You Learn from an 87 Year Old Doctor and a Dead Rock Star
  

Storm of the Century

How’s it going, guys and gals?

Well, if you live in the Great Lakes area (give a couple latitudinal points here and there), it might not be so well. We’re getting a hell of a snow storm around these parts… it started yesterday and is meant to break a couple records.

And you should read what the papers and weather channels are saying about it; it’s gonna be the worst storm in years, a mega-storm, it’s all over after twelve noon.

Sure, they have a right − it’s not going to be a pretty day. But, that storm’s still coming.

And, guess what? If you live in the area it’s going to touch, there’s just about nothing you can do about what the weather will bring.

You can clean up afterwards, you can acknowledge the trouble it might cause you, you can prepare for it. But when it’s grease to frying pan time, you’ve got to work around it.

And however bad it is, you’re going to end up living through it and having to deal with it.

It bugs me (or makes me laugh) when media sources and people in positions of authority say disturbing things like those mentioned above (no offence to media sources or people in positions of authority). They’re right and we should appreciate the facts they have to give us.

But that’s where it should end − the facts. The big titles, the record-breaking damage it’ll cause, the witty slogans of doom, they’re all unnecessary.

And people who pay too much attention to them end up wasting time and energy they could be using to do something productive.

Today could be a nightmare − you might not be able to make it into work, it could be even worse where you are than where I am. And, depending on how bad it is, it could mean a lot of extra work for you (the benefits of living in a cold country − I suppose at least I don’t have to worry about tsunamis). But you’re going to have to deal with it realistically, not with all the elaboration. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “more matter with less art”.

Do yourself a favour and get on with the work that needs to be done. Exaggerating the worst won’t make it better. But it might throw your mindset and make it harder to deal with the inevitable. The bad is bad, no doubt about it. But making the best use of what you have is what it takes to be successful. That’s what all the big athletes, movie-stars, singers and CEOs used, one day at a time, to get where they are.

And you’re as good as any of them are.

Talk to you next week!

Alex H.

If you like this Graceland Ontario update, you might also like these older posts:

• Graceland, Ontario: The Respectful Parting: Firing with the Future in Mind
• Graceland, Ontario: Violence on the Roads: A Lack of Humanity
• Graceland, Ontario: Your Life Is a Jagged Line
• Graceland, Ontario: Cool Down!
• Graceland, Ontario: The Elvisian Diamond Jubilee Special

Fun or No Fun?

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success advice. Today, we’re going to be talking about fun and how it applies on the job site.

I just finished What they Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark McCormack, the founder of IMG (International Management Group), the largest independent producer and distributor of televised sports media. If you get a chance to purchase the book, it’s money well spent.

 

But there was a disagreement I had with the book: McCormack says that in his offices, he didn’t allow talking or making friends − works for work, he says.

On the other hand, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, a multibillion dollar corporation, used to have end of week parties all the time at his house before the company grew too big to contain his employees anymore (and even now he holds events for managers and recognized employees).

So, fun or no fun? It seems to be a personal decision. When people work, they do need to get work done − fun or not. But to me, letting people have fun, therefore enjoying their job more, will keep those people’s loyalty even if the company has financial trouble. They won't want their job to end (they were having a good time after all) so they're more likely to deal with windy weather with a smile on their face than the person who hates coming to work.

Sure a job is serious… but no one ever said that seriousness was an excuse for making your employees’s life a tragedy. As long as your people are producing and your business is making a profit, why not have an end-of-week party at the boss’s house? You see each other everyday, you might as well enjoy your time together.

See you next week!

Alex H.

 

If you like this Graceland Ontario update, you might also like these older posts:

• Graceland, Ontario: What You Have in Common with a Teenage Girl
• 35 Years Without Elvis (And Why He's So Popular Today)
• Graceland, Ontario: The Witches's Marketing Secret
• Graceland, Ontario: What's Your Lucky Number?
• What Can You Learn from an 87 Year Old Doctor and a Dead Rock Star?

A Lighter Wallet

Welcome back, friends! 

Thanks for checking out Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success tips and other useful stuff. Today, we're going to talk about dealing with things you have no control over.

Up here in Canada the penny ceased being given as change this Monday. And, you know, I understand the official reasons why: it costs too darn much.

But that doesn’t make me feel any happier. Maybe growing up with it and being sentimental about small things make me think it was the wrong decision.

But, this is one of those cases when the problem lies outside of my circle of influence (in my circle of unfluence) − unless I attempt getting into politics and fighting the penny back into Canadian money, there’s nothing I can do.

Painful though it is to write that.

A lot of people focus on things like this that pop up in the news − incidents they don’t approve of, maybe even impact them directly. But they don’t have a way of fighting back or creating any action to change it.

Sure, I could write a petition, I could stand outside Parliament Hill (where our Federal Government’s housed), but I’ve got things I want to do with my life that take priority. Though I think it would be a cool initiative, I have priorities that prevent me from being “The Man Who Saved the Penny”.

But what do others do? They still complain, they still whine. For me? I immediately start ignoring problems I can’t help. I mean, why worry about what you can’t change?

With fights that you can take up the banner and help − things in your own life, goals you want to achieve − go get ‘em!

But, if there’s really nothing you can do (or nothing you can do without losing focus and hurting your vision), why hurt yourself worrying? It certainly won’t improve the situation and it might even take productivity away from stuff you should be achieving.

Talk to you later!

Alex H.

If you like this post, you might also like these other Graceland Ontario updates:

•  Graceland, Ontario: The Time Trap
•  Graceland, Ontario: Move On When It's Time
•  Graceland, Ontario: High Expectations
•  Graceland, Ontario: Give Back
•  Graceland, Ontario: They Gave Then, Now It's Your Turn

The Beef with Ground Hog Day

So, today is Groundhog Day… nothing wrong with that. It’s a fun day, one that I enjoy immensely. Since Kindergarten, I’ve always liked guessing whether Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow or not and how long the winter will, in theory, stretch on. And, to top it all off, it inspired a verrry good film of the same title starring Bill Murray (one of my heroes… if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favour and get a copy − my Mum, a Murray-hater, even loved it).

But I do get a tad annoyed with people’s response to the day.

Now, I know I might be about to kick a landmine, but hear me out.

For some people, Groundhog Day is a very serious event. They get up early, checking the news channels, listening to radio stations, waiting for a sign.

People are so desperate to be told what the future is going to be like, they’ll even seek advice from a groundhog. The thing is, whether he sees his shadow or not doesn’t matter.

I’ll go one step further − if the winter stretches on for six more weeks or twenty, it shouldn’t matter either.

And, contrary to what you may be thinking now, it isn’t because the tradition lacks merit.

Heck, maybe Mr. Groundhog can sense how long winter will stretch on − maybe he’s right. I’m certainly not questioning his season-reading abilities.

It’s that both he and the six weeks of winter are external factors. Whether it snows for longer or not, your plans shouldn’t be altered. You shouldn’t be disappointed either way, even if you do believe in the shadow-sighting theory.

You are responsible for your life − the more responsible you are, the more you’ll feel like you’re at the wheel of your destiny, in charge and confident of it. The more you give away control to a groundhog, your spouse or even your boss, you’re gradually losing ground to the world outside your circle of influence. And you’re losing the deep value you receive for earning a life well lived.

So, don’t take offense, Punxsutawney Phil; you’re certainly not the problem. Nor are you, Mother Winter. But you, dear reader, may be… take responsibility for as much as you possibly can. You’ll feel better for it − extra winter or not.

Talk to you next week!

Alex H.

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• Graceland, Ontario: The Elvisian Diamond Jubilee Special

The Only Disability

Welcome back, Graceland Ontarians!

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wd89IydtXyk

This video was sent to me this morning, it was posted yesterday and now I’m paying it forward.

With all the hype about the upcoming Super Bowl, for some of you this may be a timely post.

 

Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens received an email from a fan the other day entitled “A Reason to Win”. Inside, he read about Mathew Jeffers − a senior acting major at Townsend State University and Ravens supporter.

 

Mathew, at 21, is 4’2”, has enduring over twenty surgeries and has a mother with a stage four brain tumour. He realizes life isn’t fair.

 

But despite all the pain he’s gone through, he also realizes that life doesn’t care how sorry you feel about yourself. It only responds to a positive attitude, to pushing forward even when you feel you’ve had enough, even when you’ve lost your last couple games − even when your mother’s dieing.

His message: The Only Disability in Life is a Bad Attitude.

Instead of the Ravens focusing on how bad things have gone, he encourages them to look on the bright side, like him, and keep pushing to win.

 

I don’t know what you’re going through, I don’t know the pain you’ve suffered, I can’t understand where you are in your life but one thing’s for sure − Mathew’s advice is good. It is solid. And you’d be wise to take it.

 

Good luck to the Ravens, good fortune to Mathew Jeffers and his message and good will to you… keep thinking positive.

 

See you next week!

 

Alex H.

 

If you like this Graceland Ontario update, you might also like these posts:

• The Time Trap
• How to Have a Better Coming Year than those in the Past
• Graceland, Ontario: The Witches's Marketing Secret
• Graceland, Ontario: They're Exceptional − And YOU Can Be, Too!
• Graceland, Ontario: The Elements of a Good Story