Direct Life Coaching

Recently I was on a flight from Florida to St. Louis when I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to me. We got talking about Disney World and he told me how he spent a semester in college working there as part of the Disney University college credit program. Having had a cousin who also participated in the program, I was really curious to know how they split people up into the different positions.

He explained how you basically choose one of the different employment areas, such as entertainment or hospitality. Once you choose the area, one of the Disney U facilitators places you with a specific job. He said the process was a little misleading though, and then told how his roommate wanted to work in hospitality thinking he would work in one of the hotels or at a customer service station. During this placement interview, it went a little something like this...

Interviewer: You like hospitality?

Roommate: Yes.

Interviewer: Do you like helping people?

Roommate: Yes.

Interviewer: Do you like talking to people?

Roommate: Yes.

Interviewer: Do you like being outside?

Roommate: Yes.

Now - here is the kicker. His roommate then said the interviewer described his job in this way.

Interviewer: "You like talking to and helping people, and you like being outside. So, for your job, you are going to be 'playing the role' of a street sweeper. You are going to walk around the park carrying a broom and dust pan. If you see any trash on the ground, you sweep it up. But here is the thing, people in the park are going to have questions, and you are going to be one of the first people they see. So, you will be playing the role of a street sweeper, but you'll actually be doing customer service."

Wow, how is that for selling the position of a street sweeper? Well, his roommate didn't feel great about the job - but that line of reasoning from the Disney interviewer really got me thinking.

Do you see where I am going with this?

In one light, you could look at that reasoning and feel that the guy is being totally misleading and full of B.S. - or you can really think about the thought behind that reasoning and ask yourself...

"What role am I playing?"

Think of your job for a second. Technically, you have a job title, and it may be a prestigious title, or maybe it's not. Under this rationale, it really doesn't matter. Do you see that under that job title, you are basically just playing a "role?" With each position that we have comes certain attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that are expected with each title. Most of us fall into these roles pretty easily, and we let others fall into theirs as well.

Yet, if you looked at your work from the Disney line of reasoning, it could really shift just how you view your work. As the street sweeper, you could view your job as lame and valueless, and walk around the park all day with your head lost in self-pity. Or, you could truly see yourself as being the front line of customer service. You could approach every interaction with a customer as an opportunity to serve - an opportunity to bring joy and help to someones day.

Isn't this the opportunity we all have?

So, whatever your job is - you are really just playing the "role" of that position, and you still need to do all the responsibilities that job requires - but maybe your bigger job - or higher purpose - IS TO SERVE?

Maybe?

Imagine how your day might change if you took that approach to your work? If you have been feeling stuck in a rut, or wanting to do more with your job, or maybe you are unhappy with your position all together - perhaps this is the opportunity to SHIFT your thought of how you view your work.

But wait - there's more!

Think about the different relationships in your life - your role as a spouse, parent, friend, son/daughter, etc. Is the opportunity to serve and bless any different in these relationships? Yes, you still have your duties to get done - but what impact are you leaving on the people around you? Are they feeling your love?

In one of my favorite books/films "The Peaceful Warrior," there is a scene when Dan (the lead character) is chastising his mentor (known as Socrates) for working in a gas station.

Dan: If you're so wise, than why do you work at a gas station?

Socrates: It's a service station!

So, I dare you to find me a job that doesn't serve. Whether it's a customer or co-worker - or family member - we are all in the service industry.

"So, on a scale of 1 to 10...1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest - how would someone rate your last interaction with them?"

Do you like the role that you are playing? Maybe it's time to change your script.

Have a great day!

Much love,

Travis
561.676.4583

Labels: customer service, Dan Millman, life coaching Travis Thomas, Peaceful Warrior, role playing

"There are no insignificant moments!"

If anyone has seen the film or read the book "The Peaceful Warrior," that phrase is probably one you have spent some time thinking about.

Isn't it true?

I got the chance to put that idea into practice this past week on my way home from St. Louis. I had just spent an inspiring two days deepening my spiritual discovery which included viewing the clip from "The Peaceful Warrior" mentioned above.

When I got to my car in Ft. Lauderdale, parked on the top of the long term parking garage, in 91 degree heat - I discovered it was dead. I left the lights on - so the battery was toast! In that moment, for a few seconds - there was some frustration, anger, and a pinch of self-condemnation.

But, I also realized that I had the CHOICE of what I made of the situation. So, instead of staying in a mindset of "whoah is me," I decided to make the best of it.

It only took a few minutes to contact security and let them know I needed help. So, in those few minutes I had to wait for assistance - I decided to stop, listen, and see what was "significant" in this moment.

Meaning, now that I had moved on from the disappointment of being inconvenienced from "my schedule," might I be able to see and appreciate what was going on around me in that moment?

So I tried. There was the parking lot. Nothing too exciting about that. Though, there was a row of beautiful palm trees I hadn't noticed before - which was a stark contrast to all of the concrete. I saw a plane take off from the airport - and I thought about all of the people on the plane and the excitement of going on a journey. I heard birds, felt the heat, and noticed the huge line of taxi's waiting to pick people up.

Hmmm...maybe there was nothing significant after all.

Then, a security guard pulled up in a golf cart realizing he really couldn't help me - so he called the service truck. The man was an older gentleman, Jamaican descent, and had a wise and gentle presence to him. Instead of taking off he decided to stay and keep me company.

After a few minutes of small talk, umprompted, he shared this story with me (and picture the Jamaican accent):

"So there was a man in a village who was really down on his luck. He lost his family, lost his job, and really had no reason to live. He didn't even have any money for food. While walking around he noticed a tall tree. He decided he would end his life by jumping off the top of the tree. As he began climbing the tree he found an old chicken bone. He licked the bone but could find no extra meat or anything on the bone to feed him. So, he dropped it to the bottom of the tree. As he got to the top of the tree, many of the townspeople could now see him toward the top. They gathered at the bottom of the tree to see if he was going to jump. Right when he was about to jump and end his life, he noticed a man at the bottom of the tree picking up the chicken bone he had dropped. The man also tried to lick it clean, but he couldn't find anything either. In that moment, instead of jumping, the man yelled down to the man on the ground, 'Don't move - I'll be right there!' He then climbed back down the tree to help the man."

"So you see," my new Jamaican friend told me, "Even when you think you got it bad - there is always someone who has it worse. So be happy!"

By this time, the service guy had jumped my car with cables, and my car was back to normal. I thanked both men for their help, especially my new friend for staying with me and sharing the story.

As I thought back to the story in my car - I loved that it was the guy in the tree who not only noticed the man worse off than him - but in that instant he let go of his own self-pity to come down from the tree to help the man. I am not sure if that was the moral of the story - but that is what I got from it.

So, in my 15 unplanned extra minutes at the airport parking roof - what did I notice? Well, it reminded me that there are no insignificant moments - and if you stop beating yourself up long enough to notice what is happening around you - you might be able to help someone else in need.

Isn't that what my Jamaican friend did for me?

And for me - it was pretty significant!

Much love,

Travis

Labels: Peaceful Warrior, self-help, travis thomas

Have you ever forgot to take the trash out? Man, the bags pile up in the garage, the smell becomes brutal, and you start to attract some unwelcome visitors. It's not a pretty picture.

Now, imagine how bad things would get if you didn't take your trash out for a few weeks - or months? Yikes!

Most of us would never think of such an experiment - yet when it comes to the trash we carry around in our own thoughts - we aren't always as tidy.

What trash are you carrying around?

This weekend I was watching "The Peaceful Warrior" (again) - and Nick Nolte's character, who is the mentor, talks about the need to "take out the trash." To get rid of all of the thoughts in your head that either keep you anchored in the past - or distracted with the possible future. The thoughts that are based on worry and fear; thoughts that center around what others think of you; and thoughts that dwell on the negative.

Do you know those thoughts?

Most of you have heard of Randy Pausch, the inspiring professor best known for his "Last Lecture" that has landed him all over the Web, including appearances on Oprah, and most recently, ABC's Primetime.

For someone who is literally living day-to-day, Randy Pausch is not carrying around any trash. Yet, when watching the special on ABC, it was his wife who shared what I felt was one of the more helpful ideas I have heard in a long time. Diane Sawyer was asking her how she was dealing with her own grief, especially when watching her husband play with the kids, and knowing he will be gone soon. She shared that her therapist gave her a mantra to repeat whenever she was having these thoughts and feelings. The mantra she recites during these times is "This is not helpful."

This is not helpful!

I am not sure there could be a better phrase or statement in helping you mentally take out the trash. Just that one simple statement - "This is not helpful," and you can bring yourself back to the present. It might sound too simple - but it works.

Last week was an incredibly busy and full week for me. For this I was grateful. For 6 days straight I was either presenting or performing - so I really to be on top of my game. I had been praying for the weeks leading up for harmony, patience, and humility - and the ability to yield to each situation knowing that everything that needed to be done would unfold in proper time. This was part of my process of taking out the trash.

Unfortunately, on the first day, I came down with the flu - which needless to say, wasn't something that was going to help my week. At first I was feeling a lot of frustration and discouragement - angry over the fact that I had to deal with this. Plus there was the fact that I wasn't feeling well - which was making me question how I was going to get through all of the performances. There was a whole lot of frustration, fear, worry, and negativity bouncing around in my thoughts. Needless to say...

"This is not helpful!"

If I were counting, I probably repeated "This is not helpful" over a hundred times during the past week. Some of the thoughts were like this...

"Why the flu now?" "This is not helpful!"
"I am not sure I can do the show tomorrow." "This is not helpful!"
"When will this flu be over?" "This is not helpful!"
"Why did this week have to be so busy?" "This is not helpful!"

All of these thoughts - it is easy to see how they were either leaving me in the past or taking me to the future. None of them were helping me deal with the present. And if you are entertaining any thought that is taking you away from the present - you need to take it out as trash.

This is not helpful.

My week ended beautifully. Every single presentation and performance went smoothly - and I couldn't of been happier with the results. I got extra rest when I needed it, my wife chipped in big time and took care of all of the kids needs, and I just yielded and trusted that Love would get me through every experience - which IT did!

So, whether we are dealing with our ego running rampid - or fearing "what could be" - these simple words - "This is not helpful," will always bring us back to the present.

If you need help taking out the trash - just give me a call - I would be glad to coach!

Much love!

Travis
561.676.4583

Labels: life coaching Travis Thomas, Peaceful Warrior, Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture