St Conti Communicator

Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category

CMS Wire recently reported in its “Social Media Minute” that Canada is big into Facebook.  Actually, it reported in   More Figures on Facebook’s Worldwide Popularity that roughly 43% of its population is on Facebook.  I was not surprised to read this.  See, I have to thank a Canadian friend of mine for getting me on Facebook, and, once I was, I found many of my Canadian cousins and friends already very active on the site.  So, go, Canada!  DSJC.

This week two of the email newsletters to which I subscribe had a swimming theme.  That’s appropriate, considering we are at the height of summer.  Each newsletter serves a different purpose for me – one is from Trust Your Journey, which has to do with well being; the other is from Susan Finch, who is a PR/social media consultant (check out the new St. Conti Communications website Susan designed for me).  Yet, they carried a similar message – JUST KEEP TRYING.

It’s been said over and over again, many people are struggling right now, a lot of us.  But, some of us are succeeding, too, even after being dealt tough blows.  How?  Well, by choosing to “go with the flow.”  According to Trust Your Journey and Susan Finch, people are going with the flow in at least two ways:  by changing direction and by taking more strokes.

In the Trust Your Journey newsletter, writer Beth Brownlee relays a story about a woman who fell into a pool as a child and thrashed around until she was saved.  Beth wrote, “My friend said ‘saved’ had a whole new meaning when she realized that the pool’s edge was within easy reach if she had just turned around instead of thrashing around.”  Beth’s point was this:  “…many of us are truly just an arm’s length away from whatever we want to achieve in this life.  We often become so caught up in our struggles that we don’t take the time to turn around and realize the edge of the pool is right there behind us.  It’s just a thought away–like so many of life’s solutions.” 

It’s that idea of taking a step back and looking at a situation from another perspective, changing the way you are seeing it.  When you do this, sometimes a new answer presents itself.

In her Summer Newsletter, Susan Finch makes a different and also helpful point.  Her point is to just keep working away at your goals, even if it’s a little at a time; make progress.  Susan wrote, “As long as you keep moving forward in some way you can make progress in your business (I-DSJC-would also insert “Life.”).  Hats off to all of you who have been embracing social media, adding new elements to your websites and marketing routines….  If you can work in a 15 minute block of time a day or every other day to explore social media, that would be a great start.” 

I agree with Susan, too.  As long as you are making some progress, you can feel good about the fact that you are doing SOMETHING, and you never know where that progress will take you.

Just keep swimming.  It’s bound to be better than doing nothing at all.

I found this quote by Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider of Northern Exposure that nicely sums things up, “A person has three choices in life. You can swim against the tide and get exhausted, or you can tread water and let the tide sweep you away, or you can swim with the tide, and let it take you where it wants you to go. “  Just keep swimming.

DSJC

It was a hectic Friday morning, one in which I was running several errands and feeling very much in a hurry prior to starting my work routine for the day.  I had to have some keys made, so I went to the local hardware store.  I expected to simply have a key made.  I was handed a key to simple wisdom.

At first I was annoyed.  The older man in charge of making the keys was not in the same hurry that I was in.  Rather, he shuffled slowly, smiling all the while.  His gate arrested mine.

I told him simply, “I need a key.”  He responded, “That’s what I’m here for.”

He suggested I take one of the designer keys to suit my personality.  There are keys painted with smiley faces, hearts, flowers, and a dozen more designs.  He waited patiently as I quickly shuffled through the keys.  He whistled quietly, still smiling.  I selected a patriotic key, one covered in small American flags.

He said, “Good choice.  That’s a good one.”

This time, it was my turn to smile a little.

As he was making my key, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, “Keys, Line 1!  Keys, Line 1!”

I said to him, “You seem to be pretty busy today.  Go ahead; answer Line 1.”

He smiled and said, “Yep, when I am finished serving you.”  He returned his focus to my key.

Something in the exchange triggered a memory for me.  It reminded me of a saying that a spiritual advisor used to tell me. 

He used to say, “Relax into it.”  It was his philosophy on how to deal with stress.  Relax into a situation to let your mind think more clearly, and often the solution presents itself.  The philosophy applies to any situation, even if it doesn’t involve a problem or challenge.  Relax into it, and things will go better.

My thoughts brought me to a more recent example about handling stressful situations.  A friend of mine, Beth Brownlee of Trust Your Journey, launched her company on the concept of relaxing into a stressful situation, of trusting one’s journey, even the major challenges presented by Life, as a way of growing and living a fulfilled life.  Beth overcame breast cancer.

Somehow this key man reminded me of what I already know, and I’m glad he did. 

I left the store relaxed and smiling.  The key man gave me back my key to the simple wisdom of “relaxing into it.”

DSJC