It was the great philosopher Lennon (that is: John) who wrote âLife is what happens when youâre busy making other plansâ. It was the other philosopher Bueller (that is, Ferris) who stated âLife moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss itâ. That oneâs less relevant, but Iâve always liked it and figured this was as good an excuse as any to use it. Perhaps another source of inspiration is everyoneâs GPS, who (at least mine) regularly states âRecalculatingâ.
Who of us isnât, at one time or another? I donât know about you but, in my life, the only consistency is change (Trophy Wife notwithstanding). Curve balls get thrown at us on a regular basis. Weâve got a course plotted, and then a storm approaches. Itâs how we deal with these sudden changes that make us who we are. In some cases, we are made into quivering piles, laying on the floor in the fetal position, but it doesnât have to be (even Iâve stopped doing that!). We all have to be ready for the next surprise or curveball thrown at us.
In that Iâm often in the mode of zigging where Iâd planned to zag, itâs been my ability to shake things up that has kept me sane (okayâŠup to a point). We all have to allow for the unexpected. Itâs how we deal with it that makes us who we are.
The following is a collection of thoughts and ideas as to how to turn and face the strange. As Iâd mentioned before, Iâve spoken and written about this before. If itâs not a way of life for you, then it really should be. Youâve made it a point of reading this far into my columnâŠthereâs a positive change for you right there! We canât be afraid of making changes in your life and your career. Buckle up and deal with it.
Maybe itâs as a result of all those creative writing classes I allegedly took, but I know how to tell a story and keep you interested. Allow for and expect the Plot Twists. Here are some pearls of wisdom (or whatever it is I use). Take a read and let me know what you think:
- Every great story has a plot twist. You wouldnât want to read a story without a plot twist. You cheer and cry at the end of a great story because you know how hard it was because you know that the protagonist was against all odds and, despite wanting to give up s/he kept on going. All hope was lost and yetâŠsuccess.
- Not enough people embrace their plot twists. Our dream is nothing but plot points along our own story. When plot twists come along and we think âitâs a failureâ, our nature is to let it stop us. The opposite of success is not failure. The opposite of success is inaction and indecisionâŠgiving upâŠnever trying. My point? Donât do nothingâŠdouble negative notwithstanding.
- In the words of Albert Einstein, success is failure in progress. Thatâs ironic, as per a popular internet meme (as such, take this at face value), Einsteinâs parents felt that he was âsub-normalâ as he did not speak until he was four years old. Teachers also believed that he was âmentally slowâ.
- Many so-called âovernight successesâ were actually the results of ten years of failure
- Website crashed? Plot twist
- That didnât work? Plot twist
- Someone gave up on you? Plot twist
- I love this one: If someone were to make a movie about the story of your lifeâŠif you succeeded at everything you set out to do, that would be the most boring story ever. No one would want to see that. As to who would portray youâŠget creative!
- The stories where someone should have given upâŠbut didnâtâŠ.thatâs what people want to see. This makes you relatable.
- Big failures: Look up Laugh-o-Gram Films: this was an early failure of Walt Disneyâ. He was also fired from a newspaper job because he âlacked imaginationâ. Weâve all seen the memes about Michael Jordan being cut from his high school basketball team. Steve Jobs was unceremoniously dumped by Apple, only to be brought back as its savior.
- Pushing through the plot twists makes for the best stories.
- Scars and failures donât tell the story of who you are and what youâve been throughâŠthatâs not you. You have to move past that. Theyâre part of you, but they donât define you.
- Keep writing your stories. Donât throw that manuscript in the trash. The world needs your dreams. And your plot twists.
Just be youâŠwith some wiggle room. BesidesâŠwho else would you really want to be?
Mike Schenker, MAS, is âall thatâ at Mike Schenker, Consulting, where he assists businesses entering the promotional products industry, mentors professionals, and offers association management. He is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.