Monday 19 August 2013

Outside the Box


During a walk around Bedford river this morning I saw a lady rummaging in the grass with a plastic bag on her hand. Since she had a dog with her, I assumed the obvious.

But later on, I saw her again and it became clear that what she was doing - was tidying up litter. She looked "normal" - well-dressed, affluent and her Scotty-dog was well-groomed.

I thought about why she was doing what she was doing. Honestly, I don't know what her reason was, but wouldn't it be great if her reasoning went like this:
"Well, I'm out walking the dog - we both need exercise. I don't like to see the litter in this lovely area, so I thought - why not get even more exercise on my walk and clean up the litter - for me and the world in general?".
Common responses to that idea might be:
  • Litter!" People are so ignorant
  • Not fair - why should I pick up other people's litter?
  • I pay taxes so other people can pick that stuff up
  • Ewww - that is demeaning!
 - that's all "normal" thinking - the like of which we all do most of the time.
But this lady's approach (as I have invented it) is different.

Often our internal lives - the ones in our heads - are so full of blaming and excuse making that we're too busy to see the real opportunities in front of our eyes.

Challenge your own thoughts - try to get our of the box more often.


 
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2 comments:

  1. With coaching trained to listen, to observe and to customize approach to individual client needs; seeking to elicit solutions and strategies from the client. I believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful.

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  2. I do this too in the park near my house. The way I see it you can be bitter because people litter, or you can bend over and pick it up and get some exercise. Always a choice :-)

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