As many of you know, I am a Director of Dining Services at a local retirement home. I have worked at that job for 10 years. After 10 years, it's easy for me to become stale and stagnant. It's easy for burnout to set in because I've been down this same road many of times. It's easy to pass the blame to someone else about why things are the way they are here. What I've learned over the years throughout life, both personally and professionally, is to be spontaneous. Be adventurous. Sometimes the only thing a stale situation needs is something(s) different from the ordinary.
Invest time! For the past several months, I have been modernizing our menus to upgrade our dining services department. Recently, we had the fantastic time to launch those menus. For the past five weeks or so, I have been working tediously to bring life back into this stale area. Prior to our new menu launch, there were minor adjustments made to the menu. Basically, the menu remained the same for nearly ten years. In my opinion, there should be a revamp every 2-3 years. Surely, you can relate to something lasting longer than it should. If there is a situation that is stale and stinky, maybe you should invest the next solid three months into spontaneity and adventure. Sometimes your breakthrough is simply a breath away!
Be ye separate! One thing that I've learned over the years is to separate myself from the nay sayers. I believe and am confident that there are stagnant people that love to keep us in a state of being stale. When you have adjusted your way of thinking and you are trying to better yourself, move the people out of your life that are keeping you in the lull place. I believe that friends are a great thing. However, friends can influence you either positively or negatively. If you are trying to get to the place of 'new and fresh', then you may have to abandon all. Abandon people and situations that are not edifying you and exhorting you to a better place in life. Don't allow your friends to keep you bogged down in the mundane things of life. Break away! Be adventurous!!
I'm overwhelmed and scared of change! Like we did on the job, it is easy to become accustomed to the routines of life and not wanting to veer far from that path. It's easy to become accustomed to routine in your relationships and scared to change. However, change is not always bad thing. When I decided to take the leap and alter everything that we knew as safe with our menus, the cooks and production team were a little overwhelmed and scared. All the time leading up to the change, I've encouraged, warned and invested into this team about the changes. I warned them that we could flop. The residents could not adhere to what the vision is and not be satisfied. I warned them that we would have to work as a team to grasp the concept of modern-style dining. However through every warning, I soothed them with encouragement. They were encouraged that I would be beside them all the way through it. I'd hold their hands until they were comfortable leaping on their own. I'd take 100% of the fault if this failed, but really knew it would be successful. The team jumped on board, grasped the vision and everything has changed. You know things have changed for the better when you can feel at peace.
Be bread! Did you know that if you put a slice of bread in a Ziploc bag overnight with stale cookies in it, the bread breathe life into those cookies. Seriously, your cookies will be softer. How does this happen? In simple terms, the cookies suck up moisture from the bread. Once you get your stale season defeated, be bread to someone else that needs life. Allow your experiences and examples to be moisture to their stale circumstances. Don't throw out the cookies because they are stale. Utilize the qualities that someone (bread) put into you and put it into someone else that needs it (cookies). It's amusing to think that if people knew it just took something simple like bread to save cookies, they wouldn't toss them out with the trash. It is so easy, especially when we are fresh and full of life, to toss others that maybe stale out with the trash. Don't do it. Expel moisture into their dark, dry circumstances. Help them have a fresh start if they are willing. Be bread! If you are stale, start surrounding yourself with bread people and watch your life/ vision change.
I think Dr. King said it the best... 'Keep Moving Forward'...
Watch this video of Christian Musician Matthew West saying it great too... "Do Something"!
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