Month: June 2010

I was thinking back to a situation that occurred about 5 years ago. I was managing a Starbucks and one of my regular customers was a car enthusiast. He had a 2004 Porsche 911 Turbo S (a $140,000 car mind you) and man did he keep this thing sharp. He consistently cleaned it, treated the leather seats, and made sure to do the proper washing and waxing to keep things immaculate. He and I got to talking about what we liked about cars and he (very unexpectedly) gave me the keys and told me to take it for a spin.

What?

Yes, he wanted me to test drive it and let me know how it felt. I told him that I’d love to but would be pretty nervous driving someone else’ car, especially one that was a six-figure car. He convinced me by saying he’d be in the passenger seat. So I did take it out and was caught very off guard by a car that can hit 0-60 in 4.3 seconds! He did make me do a sprint and then some freeway driving and let me tell you I learned a new appreciation for automotive engineering.

A month later I found out that he traded it in for the 2005 model. He then wanted me to drive that one to give my input on the differences. There were some slight model improvements, and he was unsure if it was that significant a difference. I drove that one on the freeway, no sprinting though as there was less than 500 miles on the odometer.

When I got back, we had a good talk about the differences and feel of the car. He then shared that he takes great joy out of sharing what he has in life. He had done very well financially but really thought things were only valuable if they were able to be enjoyed by the people he knew.

I was floored. I think most people who had a $140k+ vehicle would be very protective and worried about their expensive possession, but not him. But that taught me a wonderful lesson. It is easy to get caught up in preserving and protecting but really it is more important to share what you have. If you get over the fear, then you can share what you have/are and then really allow others in too. Life shouldn’t be an exclusive club but really a way to share our experiences and help each other out.

A year later I was at a park and noticed a girl who was having car troubles. I went over to help and assessed it was a corroded battery and needed a jump. At the time I had my Celica GT which happened to be one of her favorite cars. While I was working on getting her car started I unlocked mine, tossed her the keys and told her to check it out. She was floored! I said that it was no big deal and that if she wanted to sit in it and look around the engine. She loved it and said that it would be one of the cars she wanted to get in the future. It was a little thing to me but was just happy to share. Now it wasn’t the same as what I went through, but nice to be able to have a similar impact.

So what would you like to share? What guarded possession or attribute would make someone’s day? What would you need to let go of to share that one thing? It’s an interesting give and take process but one I’d invite you to try out. It’s worth it!

I recently noticed a nail in one of the stairs that leads into my basement. It started poking up about a quarter inch or so and found it quite annoying. This happened one time before and found there are 2 ways to handle it:

The first time this happened I found it annoying. Occasionally I’d step on it and get annoyed. Then I started remembering where it was and then stepped just to the side of it. Occasionally my sock would get caught on it and one time I even tripped when carrying some laundry. Luckily I didn’t fall and remembered to step to the side. Eventually I kept stepping on it and tripped one more time and then used expletives and got really angry. There was about 18 months of this and I finally got a hammer and pounded it down.

The second time I noticed it I got a hammer right away and pounded it down.

Lesson here is that when there is a minor obstacle in your way, you don’t need to get mad, or curse or even avoid the situation. Small roadblocks are easily dealt with and once dealt with you don’t need to even think about it. I think of how foolish I would have felt if I would have tripped, got injured, all because I didn’t grab a hammer. Man, how lame!

If you find a small roadblock in your way and know how to deal with it then just do. Don’t put it off.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered-Japanese proverb

Over the Memorial Day weekend I was spending time up at the in-law’s cabin on Legend Lake (Keshana). While on the dock fishing I heard an 8 year old across the way ask his dad about what kind of fish has spots and is grey. The dad replies that it was probably a rock bass and ‘they’re no good’.

No good? Why is there no perceived value in that type of fish? Or that particular fish? Isn’t it part of a food chain or some life cycle? At the very least, if you’ve ever hooked into any kind of bass on an ultralight fishing pole I can tell you there is a good fight coming your way!

OK, back to my point. That dad is subtly teaching his son that there are forms of life that are of no value and can be disregarded. Two points related to this come from the Dalai Lama. First, all sentient beings desire to minimize suffering in life and a sentient being is one that can perceive some kind of suffering. Second, if you can’t help a sentient being at least don’t hurt them. I think if you disregard life as not valuable then you won’t take to mind these two pleas from a prominent spiritual leader.

To me, sentient beings are trying to live life the best they can in various ways and really don’t want to be hurt. By keeping an open mind and an open heart one can remember the inherent value in all sentient beings and when possible actually help them along this path of life that we are on. So remember that subtle messages can elude to perspectives that can alter perceptions and philosophy of life.

“They’re all good.”
-Jason