Hi Friend
Another glorious week of being alive. I’m certainly grateful I was here for it. I participated in a 3-day virtual mastermind conference last weekend and then flew out Sunday night for Spokane to be back with Washington Trust Bank. I love that area, as you know. I felt really honored to be there. In September they had me speak to their retail team. They thought it was so useful and effective, they exerted force to have me back for their Commercial team!
I think what I do matters. I also believe it possesses the power to transform lives, teams, leaders & organizations. For others to share that same sense of importance and necessity is gratifying. Though I’m in the “speaking business” the goal is never to just hear myself talk. I’m confident in the value I generate in the right setting.
The event was hosted at a Casino. I’m not a gambler, at least in that sense, but I do like games. I came across a little pizza place that had numerous pinball machines. I love pinball. Growing up in the 80’s I did go to the arcade every Saturday morning. I was a Pac-man, Galaga and pinball wizard. Our local movie theater had a pinball machine that I also loved.
Because I’m always superimposing inanimate objects onto life, I was wondering if I was the flippers or the ball? Or are we both? We make a decision to send our life in one direction and have no idea who or what we’ll interact with that redirects us. We could get bounced around a lot or we could go through special entrances that enhance all of our life.
LIFE IS PINBALL
I am certain the machine and all of its innards – the bumpers, the ramps, the lights, the kickers (rubber posts), the hidden places, the holes, the levels – those are definitely the world around us. Often our opportunity to interact with one element of life is directly related to how we responded to a different aspect. The magnetic field can shoot us out in any direction. Is that how your life feels?
That whole concept is comforting to me. The ball whips around all over the place but it ALWAYS makes its way back to one of the flippers. I eventually get to exercise my will. What’s so accurate is that even when I intend to send the ball in a certain direction it doesn’t always go there. Ha! When we make decisions and act intentionally, we can still miss the mark. It’s frustrating and energizing. It’s the pinball life.
Granted it also always eventually finds its way past the flippers and the ball disappears.
THE PLUNGER
I love that word in this context. That’s the spring-loaded handle you pull back to shoot your ball into play. You can pull it all the way back or use some finesse to attempt to place your ball. What plunges your life forward? Inevitably we all get knocked out of the game for a minute. What levers do you pull to get yourself reengaged? The next 7 weeks are a plunger for me. Reflection + Anticipation = Energized. I’ll be writing more about those things as we get closer to 2024.
We know that our daily habits dictate the fulfillment and success of our life. What are some daily plungers you utilize? Monica has a really powerful morning routine that she’s honed the last few years that set her up well to engage each day. Obviously, we’re shot into the world every morning without any effort. How we begin it though dramatically impacts our ability to respond effectively. My Identity Statements still serve me exceptionally well for this pinball life.
Instigating Ideas…
1. When you get bounced around in life who do you blame?
2. What’s one effective plunger that you’ve stopped using? Start again…
3. What risks do you need to take?
4. Go play pinball!
I would like to be a personal plunger. I envision myself as someone who compels others forward to embrace their pinball life. I’m super fortunate. I have many friends and clients who invite me back year-after-year to serve their leaders and teams. I interpret that as being a positive plunger. Being invited back 8 weeks later makes me feel like a golden plunger!
In my life, I have a group of amazing friends that I may start referring to as The Plungers. They ask good questions. They offer perspectives I would never have. They challenge my thinking. They provide truth, not ease, but are comforting plus encouraging! Be a plunger! Get some plungers. They’ll make this bouncy existence much more enjoyable.
FREE PLAY
I won two extra games. In the few games that I played; I found the places to send the ball. They exponentially increased my points, gaining enough for free play. Last weekend’s mastermind conference kept coming back to one word: FOCUS. When we point all of our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical energy in one direction we will produce significant results. Love this pinball life!
I hope this week you control what you can and let go of what you can’t. Be focused where you currently are and anticipate you’ll get a chance soon to insert a flipper decision or plunge forward.