Hallway Philosophy

“I love it when I have no business!  It means things can only get better.”  - Les Ellison

Hallway Philosophy

I happened upon Les Ellison walking down the hall of our office and greeted him.

“Hi Les.  How is business?”  I said with anticipation.

Yet, I could never have anticipated how he would respond.

“I love it when I have no business!”  Les responded with a genuine smile.

Then his grin widened as he saw the perplexed look contorting face in an instant.  So, he decided to help me out a little by continuing.

“It means things can only get better.”  He said as he wheeled around and headed into his office to get back to work.

I continued down the hall to my own office pondering his words.  In fact, I’ve been pondering them for many years since that day when Les opened my eyes with his profundity. These particular words of Les have combined with others, as we’ve worked together over the past sixteen years, and his hallway philosophy created a sage-like position for him in my life and work during that period.  He has an enormous capacity to see everything positively and to encourage others.  Such an attribute is a treasure in an industry where ninety-seven percent of all practitioners are no longer in business within their first five years.

This week, after working with Les for many years, we all celebrated his work, friendship and success during his retirement breakfast.  There were lots of people there.  Some from our office and company and others from other companies also came.  It was a true demonstration of respect and awe for what he has contributed to our lives over a long career.  We all came to show our esteem and hear from him one last time.

I say one last time, but for me, his words won’t end.  They’ll continue to last in my heart and mind for a long time.  I’ll always remember when he captured my attention for the first time, in the hallway, very early on as he said, “Most people don’t make it, but you’ll be one of ones who do.” 

I’ll also remember his final words of advice to everyone.  “This is an industry where you need to save your money.  Save when times are good.  Work hard.  Focus on a particular geography and always say good things about everyone, especially your competitors.” 

This is great philosophy for all everyone to live by.

Now Les is going to be living his life apart from our office.  I’ll still be walking down the hallway there.  But, unfortunately, I won’t be able to greet Les there anymore.  I won’t be able to ask him about his business, his family, or his hopes and dreams.  Still, I’ll be able to anticipate what he would have said to me as I feel the warmth of his memory and relish his hallway philosophy for the remainder of my days.

Mixture

Mixing compatible elements can create something amazing and quite extraordinary.

Mixture

As I sat, comfortably talking with my friend James Alders, it wasn’t long until it was almost as if his voice had become my own internal voice.  You see, our experience of how we came to live in our town was eerily similar.  We had been casually looking for a new place to live, over an extended period, and nothing had felt right, until we came to the streets on which we currently reside.  Both of us simply felt drawn here.  We know that this is our place in the world, and we’re still discovering why, many years later.

Finding one’s place is in the world is important to the quality of life.  It’s like finding the right pair of shoes. Fit is imperative!  And, really, it is, for many of us, more important than the style of the shoe itself.  Fit is always a personal thing, and as I was listening to James he caused me to think of another aspect of fit.

It’s fair to say that mixture is more than just a matter of taste.  Mixing incompatible elements can be a disaster and mixing compatible elements can create something amazing and quite extraordinary.

I have a great hot fudge recipe.  Its taste is simply heavenly.  I love it so much that one day I decided to make a batch and share it with my kids.  So, I was happily mixing, stirring and heating away as I described this delightful confection to wide-eyed children.  I couldn’t wait to share it with them.

I spoke to them as I cooked, so as to build the anticipation of wonder and delight.  When it was finished I dipped a spoon into the pot and invited my daughter Kilee over for the tantalizing treat.  I carefully, not to waste a precious drop, reached out to her with the hot-fudge-coated spoon.  My eyes were aglow.

“What do you think?”  I said with the expectancy of one hoping to achieve the status of hero.

“It’s not good!” she said with a grimace consuming her face.

“What!?” I replied back, thinking she was joking.  “Really?”

“Yes.”  She said.  “I don’t think you made it right.”

I was indignant!  And, my taste buds had been drooling for this mixture for many minutes as I cooked, so I prepared to take a taste myself.  The spoon was in hand.  The heavenly combination was coating the entire eating surface.  It went in my mouth!

There was laughter all around as my eyes bulged and my face frowned.  I had added salt to the mix, rather than sugar!  It was awful.  Mixture is everything!

As we sat, comfortably, James and I were sharing the tale of how we came to be mixed-in together in the same town.  It wasn’t long until it was almost as if his voice had become my own internal voice.  You see, our experience of how we came to live in our town was eerily similar.  We had been casually looking for a new place to live over an extended period and nothing had felt right, until we came the streets on which we currently reside.  Both of us had simply felt drawn here and we know that this is our place in the world.

“Mixture is everything!”  I thought to myself as James spoke and he transformed into a new, critical element of place right before my eyes. I saw him in a new light, through different eyes.  We had so much more in common than I ever would have guessed!  Mixing compatible elements can create something amazing and quite extraordinary.  Our town is the perfect example of this!

Howling Success

“Look what I brought to your door!  See the lessons you learned.”

Howling Success

The wind was howling and pounding the windows of houses throughout the town.  Such nights are a common occurrence, yet that doesn’t seem to remove the angst that blows in with the wind.  That was the case on one howling night as I was reviewing the events of my particularly challenging week.

The week seemed to be stack-upon-stack difficulties that had absorbed all of my attention.  And, these same challenges seemed to be stirred up and swirling anew as an accompaniment to the weather.  That is until there was a shift in the wind.

The shift in the wind happened as soon as my consciousness began to follow the wind, like the string of a kite, dancing to the wind’s voice. 

“Look what I brought to your door!  See the lessons you learned.”

I caught hold of the string and the evening’s torture became enlightenment as my mind went from one lesson to the next, building a new sense of gratitude. Suddenly, the week’s long list of challenges were no longer a source of fear; the wind had indeed shifted.  Rather than viewing problems as trouble, I could see them as growth and opportunity.

Opportunity doesn’t always knock gently at the door.  It often comes disguised as a challenging problem. So next time your heart is filled with apprehension and angst ask: “What important, life changing lesson can I learn from this?”

Then as the wind is howling and pounding the windows of your soul, remember that such challenges are a common occurrence in life.  And, let your mind follow that wind, like the string of a kite, dancing to the wind’s voice, as it directs you to see your path toward growth.

“Look what I brought to your door!  See the lessons you’re learning.”

Opportunities, for success, come howling for everyone who can recognize them in all forms.