Month: May 2015 Page 1 of 2

A couple of weeks ago (Friday 8 May 2015) it was the anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), marking 70 years since the end of the second world war in Europe.

The occasion was commemorated with events across the UK. On the day, I reflected on how much suffering the war had brought to many people and the debt of gratitude and appreciation we owe to the people who fought to protect our democracy and freedom.

As I thought about this it occurred to me that in today’s busy world, it is all too easy for us to not consistently translate our thoughts of appreciation into words and acts of appreciation. This can relate to people who do things for us, who perform acts of kindness or our staff who when undertaking tasks go above and beyond what they are expected to do.

We can all fall into the trap of thinking more about our challenges and things that do not go according to plan than we do the opportunities that we have in life and all that we possess and experience.

Many years ago, I was told a story about Captain Charles Plumb and the war that the USA fought in Vietnam. It is a great reminder about the importance of taking more time to express appreciation.

Captain Plumb graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Plumb completed Navy Flight Training and reported to Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego where he flew the first adversarial flights in the development of what would be called The Navy Fighter Weapons School, currently known as “TOP GUN”.

He went on to fly the F-4 Phantom jet on 74 successful combat missions over Vietnam. On his 75th mission, with only five days before he was to return home, Plumb was shot down, captured, tortured, and imprisoned in an 8 foot x 8 foot cell.

He spent the next 2,103 days as a Prisoner Of War in communist war prisons.

During his nearly six years of captivity, Charlie Plumb distinguished himself among his fellow prisoners as a professional in underground communications, and served for two of those years as the Chaplain in his camp. He received many military honours.

Here is his true story called “Packing Parachutes”

“Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant in Kansas City. A man about two tables away kept looking at me. I didn’t recognize him. A few minutes into our meal he stood up and walked over to my table, looked down at me, pointed his finger in my face and said, “You’re Captain Plumb.”

I looked up and I said, “Yes sir, I’m Captain Plumb.”

He said, “You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down. You parachuted into enemy hands and spent six years as a prisoner of war.”

I said, “How in the world did you know all that?”

He replied, “Because, I packed your parachute.”

I was speechless. I staggered to my feet and held out a very grateful hand of thanks. This guy came up with just the proper words. He grabbed my hand; he pumped my arm and said, “I guess it worked.”

“Yes sir, indeed it did”, I said, “and I must tell you I’ve said a lot of prayers of thanks for your nimble fingers, but I never thought I’d have the opportunity to express my gratitude in person.”

He said, “Were all the panels there?”

“Well sir, I must shoot straight with you,” I said, “of the eighteen panels that were supposed to be in that parachute, I had fifteen good ones. Three were torn, but it wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I jumped out of that jet fighter at a high rate of speed, close to the ground. That’s what tore the panels in the chute. It wasn’t the way you packed it.”

“Let me ask you a question,” I said, “do you keep track of all the parachutes you pack?”

“No” he responded, “it’s enough gratification for me just to know that I’ve served.”

I didn’t get much sleep that night. I kept thinking about that man. I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform – a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back and bell bottom trousers. I wondered how many times I might have passed him on board the Kitty Hawk.

I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said “good morning”, “how are you”, or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor. How many hours did he spend on that long wooden table in the bowels of that ship weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of those chutes?

I could have cared less…until one day my parachute came along and he packed it for me.”

This week, why not take a few moments of reflection to consider if there is need for you to express your thoughts of appreciation. Are there people who “pack your parachute” that you need to tell how much you appreciate what they do for you?

Who are the special people in your life who provide you with the encouragement you need when the chips are down?

Perhaps it’s time right now to give those people a call and thank them for packing your parachute!

Quote for the week:

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”William Arthur Ward

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

I really enjoy helping people to get absolute clarity on their natural talents and strengths and supporting them to develop plans and the confidence to express those fully.

It is incredible how many people do not have an understanding of the value that they bring to the world and other people.

So many people that I meet spend much mental time and energy thinking about what they are not good at, how they are not good/capable enough, how they need to improve and how they are not as competent, talented (insert your own adjective) as Person A or Person B.

Enabling people to recognise the value that they offer and contribute to others and the world is one of the most rewarding and satisfying things that I do. I feel extremely fortunate and privileged to have the opportunity to help bring the best out of people and enable them to be the best they can be.

It is fulfilling to watch people grow and fulfil their potential.

When I was doing some research last week, I came across the following which I thought was worth sharing. It is a good reminder to us all to remember our worth and the value that we bring to the world.

You Have A Worth:

• Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself to others. It is because we are different that we are all special.

• Do not set your personal goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

• Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life.

• Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or too far in the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

• Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until you stop trying.

• Laughing and crying makes you feel better.

• Love and value your family and friends

• Feel the calmness on a quiet sunny day

• Always remember life is often better than it seems sometimes

(Author Unknown)

This week, why not take a few moments out to reflect and think about what you need to do to increase your sense of self-worth and value. What do you need to change to use more of your innate talents?

Quote for the week:

“Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.” Wayne Dyer

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

In last week’s blog, I featured a quotation by Randy Pausch and it reminded me that I had read a book that he had written many years ago.

Randy was an American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

He learned that he had pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 he was given a terminal diagnosis: “3 to 6 months of good health left”. He gave an upbeat lecture titled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” on September 18, 2007, at Carnegie Mellon, which became a popular YouTube video and led to other media appearances.

He then co-authored a book called The Last Lecture on the same theme, which became a New York Times best-seller.

I picked the book up this past weekend and opened the book at a random page. The page that I came across gave Randy’s different perspective and tips on time management, which I thought were worth sharing.

Here is what Randy had to say on the topic.

“All my life, I have been very aware that time is finite. I admit that I’m overly logical about a lot of things, but I firmly believe that one of my most appropriate fixations has been to manage time well. I’ve railed about time management to my students. I’ve given lectures on it. And because I’ve gotten good at it, I really do feel I was able to pack a whole lot of life into the shortened lifespan that I have been handed. Here’s what I know:

Time must be explicitly managed, like money.

My students would sometimes roll their eyes at what they called “Pauschisms” but I stand by them. Urging students not to invest time on irrelevant details, I’d tell them: “It doesn’t matter how well you polish the underside of the banister.”

You can always change your plan but only if you have one.

I’m a big believer in to do lists. It helps us to break life into small steps. I once put “get tenure” on my to do list. That was naïve. The most useful to do lists breaks tasks into small steps, like when I get my son to clean his room by picking up one thing at a time.

Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?

You may have causes, goals, interests. Are they even worth pursuing?

I’ve long held a clipping from a newspaper in Roanoke, Virginia. It featured a photo of a pregnant woman who had lodged a protest against a local construction site. She worried that the sound of jackhammers was injuring her unborn child. But get this, in the photo; the woman is holding a cigarette. If she cared about her unborn child, the time she spent railing against jackhammers would have been better spent putting out that cigarette.

Develop a good filing system

When I told my wife I wanted to have a place in the house where we could file everything in alphabetical order, she said I sounded way too compulsive for her tastes. I told her that filing in alphabetical order is better than running around and saying I know it was blue and I know I was eating something when I had it!

Rethink the telephone

I live in a culture where I spend a lot of time on hold, listening to “your call is very important to us.” Yeah right, that’s like a guy slapping a girl in the face on a first date and saying “I actually do love you.” Yet that’s how modern customer service works and I reject that. I make sure that I am never on hold with a phone against my ear. I always use a speaker phone, so my hands are free to do something else.

I have also collected techniques for keeping unnecessary calls shorter. If I am sitting whilst on the phone, I never put my feet up. In fact it’s better to stand as you are more likely to speed things along. I also like to have something in view on my desk that I want to do, so that I have the urge to wrap things up with the caller.

Delegate

As a professor, I learned early on that I could trust bright, nineteen year old students with the keys to my kingdom, and most of the time they were responsible and impressive. It’s never too early to delegate. My daughter Chloe is just eighteen months old, but two of my favourite photos are of her in my arms. In the first, I’m giving her a bottle. In the second, I’ve delegated the task to her. She looks satisfied. Me too.

Take time out

It’s not a real vacation if you are reading emails or calling in for messages. When my wife and I went on our honeymoon, we wanted to be left alone. My boss, however, felt I needed to provide a way for people to contact me. So I came up with the perfect phone message:

“Hi, this is Randy. I waited until I was thirty-nine to get married, so my wife and I are going away for a month. I hope you don’t have a problem with that, but my boss does. Apparently, I have to be reachable.” I then gave the names of my wife’s parents and the city where they live. I told them that if they call directory assistance that they could get their number and if they convince my new in-laws that their emergency merits interrupting their only daughter’s honeymoon, they have our number. We didn’t get any calls!

Some of my time management tips are dead on serious and some are a bit tongue in cheek. But I believe all of them are worth considering. Time is all you have and one day you may find that you have less than you think.”

This week why not take a few moments to think about how you are managing your time and consider if there are steps you need to take to improve the quality of your life.

Quote for the week:

“We cannot change the cards that we are dealt just how we play the hand” Randy Pausch

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk