What I’m about to tell you is a secret, so I’m asking that you keep it between us, OK? I have a guilty pleasure that always seems to bring a smile to my face while making my kids laugh at their old man.
When we go to places like Starbuck’s, or Chick-Fil-A or other places that ask your name so they can call it out when the order is completed, I like to give funny names. I have had a few common goto names through the years, I originally cameoed as Jose Gonzalez Rodriguez III, I then transitioned for a season to being Heyyou. Yes, it is pronounced as Hey You, always made the Chick-Fil-A staff cringe as it forced them to appear to be rude.
Recently though, I hit upon the mother of all fake names. But rather than just blurt it out, let me set the scene for you and walk you through the interaction.
Team Member: Welcome to [insert restaurant name here], may I take your order.
Me: Yes, I’ll have [insert healthiest menu item here]
Team Member: Great, may I have your name for the order
Me: Yes, it’s E-Dwah
Team Member: Oh, I’m sorry, can you spell that
Me: Sure, E-dwah, I.D...I.O...T.T. It’s French
Team Member: Great, thanks.
Did you catch it. Just like that I have the staff member entering my name, or at least its “French version” as IDIOT! Every so often the cashier will catch it, but I’ve perfected the delivery pausing after the I D, again after the I O, and then the TT followed by me telling them that it is “French”.
Now, assuming we get through all of that without the cashier catching my humor, we sit back and wait until it comes time to call out my “name” for the completed order. The reaction is hilarious to watch, we’ve gotten all sorts of responses including one girl laughing almost the point of tears as she told me she couldn’t say it, to which I responded by asking why she couldn’t say “E-Dwah”.
Her response when I told her how it was pronounced was priceless illustrating a very important lesson to life. Her perspective was locked in on the name, thinking it was “IDIOT”, which of course it was. But in being told to pronounce it differently she was able to look at it differently and suddenly it was OK.
How often do you get locked into something based on a perspective that in the end proves to be wrong? Some might call it tunnel vision, or having your blinders on. The truth is, we all do it. I am just as guilty as you are, perhaps it is our cynical side, or our inherent mistrust of people we don’t know or understand.
I remember a few years ago a sign popped up on the intersection near our house that said:
“Come Let Our Crap Become Your New Treasure”
Or a guy standing at a Freeway exit ramp holding the sign that said:
“I’ll be honest, I’m just lazy”
It’s perspective, and the fact is my perspective of an issue may be different than yours, and absent you being able to offer up your perspective my approach to an issue may be wrong or flawed, or in need of some help. I love the imagery of tackling a project is like eating an elephant, best approached one bite at a time.
Life is like that though, our perspective gets locked in based on our notions, and the reality is sometimes that perspective hinders us more than it helps. Much like the cashier at a restaurant faced with having to call out the name “IDIOT” instead of “E-DWAH”, the perspective brought to a situation has the potential to effect either positively or negatively the outcome.
This week spend a few minutes looking at your perspective. Are there areas that need improvement? I’m always looking for new ways to approach a subject or project, I’m not always perfect, but being able to adjust and take a broader view opens up the opportunity to learn a new way or angle of approach which I believe, in the end, makes YOU more effective.
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