Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, especially orange. Our office has a spritely ceramic jack-o'-lantern on the counter. A guest recently stopped in and commented on how much he loved jack-o'-lanterns. He said he’s collected them for years and every Oct 1st he gets them all out and displays them until Halloween, after which he puts them all away until next year.
Fancying myself somewhat of a decorating maven, I immediately recommended that he just “turn” the jack-o’-lantern faces to the rear and then he could enjoy the majesty of the pumpkin all throughout November in celebration of Thanksgiving! He was amazed. “So simple”, he said, “Yet so brilliant”. Just one change in position and a whole new use was born. Sometimes in life, just looking at something from a different angle gives it a whole new life.
I’ve used this simple juxtaposition several times over the years. Once in a corporate setting where we had difficulty finding the right fit for a key managerial vacancy, I reassessed the current personnel hand I was holding, and decided that a shuffle of the existing deck was in order. By placing new faces in new places, we gave managers the chance to broaden their resumes and bringa fresh perspective.
When I was entrusted with carrying on a second generation, legacy business, my job was to stabilize and then grow the existing company after our founder passed. We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just needed to make some slight shifts. We rebranded in such a manner that we kept the base of what made us tremendous and added a new face to our corporate identity.
But perhaps the greatest repurposing in life is within us. Are you tired of the same old pumpkin head staring at you in the mirror? You can remake yourself as often as the changing of the seasons! Make sure you are constantly scooping out the mush in your head and putting some real sustenance inside. You are a wonderful work in progress who is already of great value to many. But relish the opportunity to make slight adjustments to your life that can give you a whole new use and purpose.
wipe that smile off your face, jack
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, especially orange. Our office has a spritely ceramic jack-o'-lantern on the counter. A guest recently stopped in and commented on how much he loved jack-o'-lanterns. He said he’s collected them for years and every Oct 1st he gets them all out and displays them until Halloween, after which he puts them all away until next year.
Fancying myself somewhat of a decorating maven, I immediately recommended that he just “turn” the jack-o’-lantern faces to the rear and then he could enjoy the majesty of the pumpkin all throughout November in celebration of Thanksgiving! He was amazed. “So simple”, he said, “Yet so brilliant”. Just one change in position and a whole new use was born. Sometimes in life, just looking at something from a different angle gives it a whole new life.
I’ve used this simple juxtaposition several times over the years. Once in a corporate setting where we had difficulty finding the right fit for a key managerial vacancy, I reassessed the current personnel hand I was holding, and decided that a shuffle of the existing deck was in order. By placing new faces in new places, we gave managers the chance to broaden their resumes and bringa fresh perspective.
When I was entrusted with carrying on a second generation, legacy business, my job was to stabilize and then grow the existing company after our founder passed. We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just needed to make some slight shifts. We rebranded in such a manner that we kept the base of what made us tremendous and added a new face to our corporate identity.
But perhaps the greatest repurposing in life is within us. Are you tired of the same old pumpkin head staring at you in the mirror? You can remake yourself as often as the changing of the seasons! Make sure you are constantly scooping out the mush in your head and putting some real sustenance inside. You are a wonderful work in progress who is already of great value to many. But relish the opportunity to make slight adjustments to your life that can give you a whole new use and purpose.
2 comments
traceyjones
Thanks Mike:-)
Mike
Some great advice and ideas in the blog. Loved it!