Quote of the Day - April 13/11

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

Gandhi

Anyone ever asked you how you are?  Ever replied "ok", "been better" or "don't ask"?  Anyone ever asked you how your day was going?  Ever answered "it sucks so far" or "well, I'm still standing" or "how much time have you got"?

If you have ever given an answer like those above then you and I have something in common! I used to be one of those people who often gave a negative reply.  Upon reflection, I have no idea at all why I was doing it.  I think it might have been habit-forming.  One of the changes I would like to see in the world is more happiness so you can probably guess at how I am trying to be that change...

I was recently thinking back to one of the most stressful times in my life.  It was March - May 2002.  There was a big public service strike in my part of the world.  I was assigned the duty of working in a correctional facility because I had corrections experience.  I worked the 12 hour night shift ( 7 pm - 7 am) every night for 49 consecutive nights.  The facility was a treatment centre for male sex offenders and men who had addictions issues.  There were no cells - just 30-man dorms.  I was only able to see my family twice during that time and the worl was exhausting. 

In order to get through the shifts, I was determined to be as cheerful as possible all the time.  This, I reasoned, would make me feel better, make the inmates more relaxed and would hopefully elevate the mood of the whole management team.  Guess what - it actually worked!!  I realized a few weeks ago that this was a strategy worth applying to every day life.  People seem suprised when my answer to their "how are you" question is "spectacular" or "fabulous" - but they'll get used to it :-)

Here are a couple of other changes I'm modelling:

• I'm consciously trying to apply the Charter for Compassion into my daily interactions and have added it to my formal workplan - this may be a little risky but I think it's a risk worth taking.

• I'm telling as many people as possible about TED.com.  The ideas really are worth spreading!

What change would you like to see in the world and how can you start to model that change in your own life?

Add a comment and share your ideas - there are people from all over the world following my HQ blog!!