Waycation

Way.ca.tion: A rest for the mind; an unconventional method of escaping the moment and returning refreshed and better than before.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

When In A Funk!

Picasso's greatest artistic period was as a result of being in a deep funk. Years ago when I was in a funk a friend of mine told me this story about Picasso's funk.

As the story goes, Picasso was painting in hues of yellow. While painting in these hues of yellow on a canvas in his studio he got stuck with where to go next with his painting. He began to grumble and moan and as the day wore on Picasso simply became down right unruly to his wife. While working in the kitchen her husbands constant grumbling and bad attitude started driving her nuts. No longer able to maintain her silence she said with great attitude of her own @&!&@&#*&! just throw any color on the @%@@^@&@@^ canvas!

Feeling very obstinate Picasso did throw a totally opposite color on the canvas which I think was suppose to shock his wife initially however what it did was take him in a totally different direction artistically. The painting lead to his most famous artistic Blue Period.

I learned three things from the story one of which is never never impose my funk on anyone else hence the name "my funk"; and secondly, when in a funk, do something completely different maybe even out-of-the-box maybe not drastic just different; and lastly never underestimate the power of a funk because what can be there is something rich full and abundant.

Dunno if some of the facts of the story have fallen by the wayside since first hearing it years ago however the bottom-line is a funk can be a rich fertile place to work from.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Do Something Different!

It may be a small a matter, or maybe not, however, if you haven't noticed anger can't be overcome by more anger. If a person is directing their anger to you and you show anger in return, the result is 99% certain to be a disaster. In contrast, try to control your anger. Do something different—think before you react, show compassion, show patience, or even walk away until the issue can be talked about. Not only will you remain at peace and avoid confrontation, but the anger of the others and yourself will gradually dissipate.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Time Out! Not Just For Kids


An angry customer is sure bait for an argument, however, an argument can't proceed without a participant. Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by speaking and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent. If you feel that a customer is making you escalate in your anger, use time-out. You learned that approach in Kindergarten.

Taking a time-out will immediately help to de-escalate anger before it becomes too intense. Quick burst of intense anger leads to verbal and physical abuse for many people. Use the time-out technique to avoid the anger trap. When taking a time-out try repeating one of these affirmations:

I don't need to prove myself in this situation.
I can stay calm.
As long as I keep my cool, I'm in control of myself.
No need to doubt myself, what other people say doesn't matter.
I'm the only person who can make me mad or keep me calm.
I need to take time to relax and slow things down.