- Posted on September 8, 2011
Sharpen your Pencil
Does anyone use pencils any more? I do. (In fact, recently I made a comment about needing to "sharpen a pencil" and got one of those glazed looks that implied why would I need a pencil when I could be tapping on a digital device?)
I associate the week after Labor Day with the ritual of going back to school. When I was a child, this ritual included new, freshly sharpened pencils. The return to school always signified a fresh start, one where you knew that you began with a clean slate.
I think we forget that we can do that at any time. Not only can we capture that same feeling, but it's actually a great way to reboot when we need a fresh start.
It's easy to do. The first step is to identify the project, department, process, methodology, attitude - whatever - that needs a fresh start. Determine what's not working up to par or what you want to change.
Next, isolate the issue. Take yourself out of your regular environment to study it, and bring others into the discussion as appropriate. Analyze it. Dissect it. This is the time to take it apart.
After you've done this, wave the "magic wand" and create the ideal scenario. Don't edit at this stage - include everything that you'd like to have.
Sit with this for a while, and then shape it into a realistic form that you can work with.
The last phase is to declare the old way as finished, kaput, defunct, and the new one as alive and open for business.
You've just sharpened your pencil, and created a fresh start.
Anyone can do this, and I recommend that you seek at least one area that can benefit from this simple exercise. Let me know what you discover.
Have a great week!
Copyright 2011 Lisa M. Aldisert
Quote of the Day
"Labor Day is a glorious holiday because your child will be going back to school the next day. It would have been called Independence Day, but that name was already taken."
- Bill Dodds
September 8th Trivia
Today is Oprah Day, marking the premier of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1986.
On this Day in History
In 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance was first published by the Youth's Companion.