WOW Word-Of-the-Week #390: Gregarious
January 25, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #390: Gregarious
Gregarious – seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable.
Do you think of yourself as a sociable person? Would you rather go to a party or stay home and read a good book? Do you like having “quiet time” or does that make you feel like you are missing out? Do you enjoy the company of your customers, guests, members, clients, co-workers, and employees?
For the next several weeks I am going to revisit WOW’s from my book, “The Fun-Damental Secrets of Service: How to have fun and make your 
customers feel good about spending their money!” I came up with a word for each of the letters in SERVICE. And let’s face it, no matter who you are or what you do, we are all in the service business. We serve our customers, guests, members, clients, co-workers, or employees at work and out family and friends at home!
The S in Service stands for Sociable. If we are to really serve our customers, guests, members, clients, co-workers, or employees then we need to be genuinely interested in them. We need to truly care about them and enjoy their company! Which brings me to my
FUN-damental Service Secret #1
“If you don’t like people,
you have no business
being in the people business.”
Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your customers, guests, members, clients, co-workers, or employees! You can’t pretend to be nice. Being phony and acting like you care is easy to spot and a real turnoff! If you don’t like interacting with people directly, then make sure you are in a job that allows for that. And vice versa!
This week focus on being gregarious. How does it feel to be friendly and sociable? When was the last time you enjoyed the company of your customers, guests, members, clients, co-workers, or employees? How about your family and friends?
Reader Responses
“I really like this weeks service secret! Have a good day in a gregarious way!” – Ralph
“I guess I have the gregarious gene in my DNA. I can’t help it. I enjoy being around people and making them feel good about themselves. When a smile is returned to us, we can’t but help feel good. It is natural. I enjoy the group of people with whom I work. In fact, I look forward to seeing them every day. And we all have to serve somebody, in one way or another in our lives. I know some people who just don’t enjoy meeting new people. It scares them. When it comes right down to it, relationships are what life is all about. We never know what door will open in our lives when we meet new people. We don’t walk through this life alone. And people are put into our lives for reasons that we can’t quite figure out at the time. But it is often revealed later on. Let’s make those people who do come into our lives happy. Let’s be sociable and welcoming. Life is just too short to shut people out. Great word, Susan. Have a great week, and enjoy the Super Bowl on Sunday. It should be a great game.” – “Warrior” Joe
“This is my favorite! I’m this type of person. I would like to do the work you do someday.” – Rita
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #389: Change
January 18, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #389: Change
Change – the action of making something different in form, quality or state.
Do you love the excitement of creating something new? Do you find change difficult or stressful? If you could change one thing in your life, would it be difficult or easy for you?
Once again I received one of S T E V E ‘ S….3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G emails and thought it was perfect for the new year.
“What do you want to change this year? Do you have a clear picture/description of what you want to change?
Do you know how your life will be different when you have the change? Have you quantified the difference by fully describing the attributes that will result from the change, such as how you expect to feel?
Do you have some ideas of how to bring about the change? Actions, resources, requests to make, boundaries to set, things to stop?
Do you already know what some of the barriers to having this change are? Momentum is usually a big one. Someone-won’t-approve can be, too. Do you know of other barriers?
Does change have to be hard or can you let it be easy?
Have you found that changing alone is better for you? If not, who can assist you with your change?
Coaching Point: One year from now is probably going to happen anyway. Do you want your life then to look just like it does now? Or do you want it to change?”
Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Change is a part of life. Four times a year the seasons change. We experience physical changes every day. This week’s focus is on change. Will you view change as a positive and grow from the experience? Will you find it difficult to accept and create more barriers?
Reader Responses
“I like this! A lot of helpful questions to ask ourselves!” – Sandra
“Change is difficult for all of us, because of the inevitability of it. If we don’t change, at some point it may be forced upon us by forces that we can’t control. So, if the opportunity is there to make positive changes in our lives – and not just at New Year’s Eve – then we should try to take a look in the mirror and see what we need to do first. Once we take stock, we should make the change workable, in increments. We can’t change overnight, so if we take our time and make it work in manageable chunks, then we will be able to accomplish our goals of change. The biggest obstacle to change is fear. My wife does not like change at all. She wants things to remain routine so that there are no surprises in her life. When there are surprises, she does not like it. I don’t try to force things on Kristen, but I let her know that she will have to make small changes that are manageable and make things easier for her. None of us likes change, but it is the only clear path to growth in life. As I have looked back on my life, there were probably a few things I might have done differently, but in retrospect probably would not have been drastic changes in my life. I am a positive person and work hard to adapt and change. It is not easy, but nothing that is worthwhile in life is ever easy. Great word for this time of year, Susan. Thank you.” – “Warrior” Joe
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: Angkor Wat – Eiffel Tower – Stonehenge
January 12, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups: Angkor Wat – Eiffel Tower – Stonehenge
In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural
marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, we go back and see all of them together!
Chichen Itza
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
The Great Wall
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
#9 Statue of Liberty, New York – 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – 2005
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – 2010 – It is the world’s largest religious monument covering 200 hectares and is an architectural masterpiece of fine proportions and rich detail of Kmer construction. It consists of 600 meters of bas relief & 2000 apsaras (celestial dancers). The temple is a representation of Mount Meru, the home of the gods: the central quincunx of towers symbolizes the five peaks of the mountain, and the walls and moat the surrounding mountain ranges and ocean. There are over 80 temples in the area and one of them is where Tomb Raiders was filmed. We saw 9 of them and I wished I had spent more time here!
Angkor Wat
Eiffel Tower
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – 2010 – On our way home from our Africa trip we stopped in Paris for 3 days. Unfortunately they were on strike (again) so I didn’t get to go to Versailles. We did have a very nice time walking in the city and taking the “hop on, hop off” boat on the Seine. The Eiffel Tower was named after one the most influential people in its construction, a contractor, engineer, architect and showman by the name of Gustave Eiffel. It took around two years and two months to build and was completed on March 31, 1889. You can see around 59 kilometers or around 37 miles from the top of the Eiffel Tower. It is made of 2.5 million rivets, 15,000 pieces of iron and 40 tons of paint and is approximately 984-990 feet tall/high (depending on temperature).
#15 Stonehenge, England – 2011 – This was our last stop on our Ireland, Scotland, UK and Belgium trip in the fall. Stonehenge (meaning hanging stones) is as old as the Pyramids (5000 yrs) and older than the Acropolis and Colosseum (both also Runner Ups). Called a stone circle “built by giants” it is different from others in England. (There are over 900 stone circles in the British Isles) It is believed that more than 30 million hours of labor were spent in the construction work. It has cross-pieces spanning the vertical monoliths and the only one with smooth, uniform stones – each one designed to calculate the movement of the sun, moon and stars. The monoliths were built out of sandstone, weigh about 35 tons, and came from 20 miles away. The shorter “bluestones” came from Wales which is 240 miles away. The question is, “How did they get there? And why didn’t they use the stones that were nearby?”
Stonehenge
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #388: Rigid
January 11, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #388: Rigid
Rigid – incapable of compromise or flexibility.
Do you think you are more flexible or rigid? Are you willing to compromise? Do you get upset when things don’t happen the way you planned? If so, how long do you stay upset?
Last week I watched the movie “Buck” and if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you do. He was the original horse whisperer and his story is
incredibly interesting. Despite having a mother who died at an early age and a very abusive father, he turned out to be a most gentle and kind man. His ability to relate to horses and change their behavior in a very short amount of time is truly amazing.
There were two great lines that I took from the movie. The first came from is foster mother who said, “You have to be flexible, otherwise, you could get bent out of shape.” And how true is that! The second one was from Buck. When asked about his childhood and dealing with it he said, “It is impossible to be in two places at the same time.” That made me come up with a new saying, “You have to get your head out of your past.”
Are you rigid when it comes to forgiving people? Do you hold onto resentment and bitterness for months or even years? What purpose does it serve you?
I have learned that if I am flexible I have less disappointment. I can’t be attached to the “perfect outcome.” There are some things that I am very rigid about. When it comes to my integrity and honesty, there is no compromise on that!
This week’s focus is on how being rigid affects you. Where in your life could you be more flexible? How would it feel to compromise? Do you feel you are an “easy target” because you’re too flexible or compromise a lot of the time? How would it feel to be a bit more rigid in that area?
Reader Responses
“By happenstance, I watched Buck yesterday…such an amazing movie! Thanks for thinking to write about him in your Fun-damentals – I’m still enjoying them!” – Amy
“I read your WOWs every week and thoroughly enjoy them. This one in particular hit home with me and brought so many scenarios to mind with my kids and brother. I really think they will benefit from this if they will just take a minute to absorb the true meaning behind those quotes. (not to mention that I WILL be better for absorbing it too!)Thank you so much for bringing FUN and a higher meaning into my life each week! I hope you have a Happy FUN New Year!!” – Mary
“How appropriate in this political climate. There is so much rigidity in the House of Representatives that it almost sank the U.S. economy. We have all heard that politics is the art of compromise, but the freshmen in the U.S. House have been rigid to the extreme when it has come to the extension of unemployment benefits, payroll tax breaks for 160 million working Americans and the extension of the country’s debt ceiling. Their rigidity has made it impossible for the Speaker of the House to come to any kind of agreements with the President. He can’t get them to budge. As you noted, it is important not to compromise on honesty and integrity, but with everything else, there has to be some give and take. That is life. If not, then nothing will get done. The next elections in November will go a long way toward changing things in the House, I’m sure. During my life I have been known to listen to common sense and work with others. I have not only been flexible, but open to ideas that are not my own. I am not so rigid that I will let it get in the way of accomplishing goals. After all, everyone is negotiable in the immortal words of Muhammad Ali. Let’s all get along. Great word, Susan. Have a wonderful week. Take care.” – . “Warrior” Joe
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #387: Resolution
January 5, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #387: Resolution
Resolution – a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner.
Do you usually make a New Year’s resolution? Is there something you want to do this year? Would you like to modify or change any behavior?
I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions and I was asked during the Holidays what I wanted 2012 to be for me. My first thought was my new travel mantra, which is, “I want to be surprised, but not P..O..ed.” What that means for me, is that I know enough information but not everything. I like to be surprised!
I don’t want to do so much research that I know what to expect. Perfect examples of that are when we went to Egypt (I had no idea how many different temples there were other than the pyramids) and Xi’an, China (I had no idea there were 8000 life size terra cotta soldiers buried there.) And I don’t want all of my days filled with pre-planned activities. For long time subscribers you might remember my WOW on “planned spontaneity.”
Things that I have learned that will make my resolution work are: 1) find out when the weather (temperature, precipitation, air quality) is most ideal and go at that time. 2) you can never assume you will find a hotel room on the weekend in the off season. 3) don’t book your air before you know what your itinerary is! You could be set up for great disappointment.
If you’re like me and don’t really do New Year’s resolutions, think about what you like to do and how you could improve upon it or make it better. Maybe it’s like not making the same mistake twice?
This week’s focus is on resolutions. Don’t feel pressured to come up with one just because it’s New Year’s. Do it because it feels right. Is there anything you have wanted to do for a long time? How would it feel to make plans for that to happen? Is there any behavior you would like to change? Do you have the support to help you make that happen?
Reader Responses
“If you have a solution and you do it again is that a resolution??” – John
“I know that I want to change my eating habits so that I can lose weight this year. I really like to munch on chips either in the afternoon or late in the evening. That is one habit I really need to break in order to lose the weight I want to this year. I think that resolutions gets a bad name because so many of us have not kept our promises for the new year. We start out with a clean slate, but somehow don’t follow through. As I approach my dotage, I want to watch my weight especially. Thanks for the word, Susan. Happy New Year to you. Take care.” – “Warrior” Joe