Good or Bad -- Interesting and Amazing

Where do we go from here? That question gets asked in many forms every day. We lose a loved one or a large sales account. We lose our first love or maybe the job we thought we couldn’t live without. Sometimes, it may be a positive question. How about hitting a large goal and wondering what to aim for next? I love phrases or words that when spoken can mean so many different things to a vast amount of people.

Many years ago, I had a friend who was a great tennis player. He was an even better person and quite the proficient salesman. One day, we were out together working on a few business dealings and he told me something that I have held on to for all the years that have followed. When in doubt, when you cannot find words to politely describe something you can never go wrong with “that was amazing,” or “that is interesting.” Think about it. We instinctively become disarmed when someone tells us that something we have poured our hearts into is amazing. We all want to be interesting. It is skillful to praise someone for their effort without personally enjoying what they deliver. Is it hurtful to let them think it is good? Actually, does it really matter if you don’t like it as long as they are satisfied with the product they have delivered? Yes, sometimes it matters when it comes to business dealings but in day to day life be polite and leave them with a smile.

So now I go back to the original question I posed in the first line: Where do we go from here? The negative tone that question has can be changed. It is up to us. If the answer is a negative start there and move up. Look at yourself each day and ask the same question. Did you answer it in the positive today? What about the day before? After a few days momentum begins, and the goals become bigger. There was a time in my life I was a highly fit, competitive, and eager athlete. Let’s just say that I am not that person as I sit here and write this. I can be honest and say that I have asked myself this question repeatedly. Some days I get a complimentary review but a majority of the time it is disappointing. A couple of weeks ago I walked a 5k. The excuse for walking was to hang with my dad since he came out. That was a reason, and a great one but the real reason I walked was because I can no longer run 3.1 miles. That is sad, humiliating, and a touch depressing. Where do I go from here? Easy, I start jogging some while continuing the walking. Add more jogging and maybe a bit of running. Run 3.1 miles and see where that takes me.

This is so simple to achieve. It is also easy not to achieve as well. Where do we go from here? When you wake up tomorrow you get to decide. I hope your choice is the one you want. You never know what interesting and amazing things are out there.

Photo by Lachlan Donald on Unsplash
Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash