Living the Life Less Traveled

So, the news that Starbucks is closing 600 stores is not news anymore. There are even folks out there creating “saving our starbucks” campaigns to save their local coffee house.  I think this makes sense for some of the stores, but not all.

There is a Starbucks that is about 2 miles from me and is closing. I will be brutal here, it won’t be a loss.  Their service was always sub-standard and for all the times I went in there and saw the same faces, they never remembered what I ordered.  Once I was seven cents short on cash and the lady actually looked at me like she wouldn’t give me my drink because of it.  I had to go to my car and rummage for a quarter - and then she didn’t give me back my change!  So, if that is the image Starbucks is going for, then keep on it! It’s working well for you.  After repeated incidents like that, I actually drive out of my way to frequent other Starbucks. Yes, they are still getting my bucks, so who’s hurting who here??

As not good as those experiences at that ONE store have been, the other Starbucks in Omaha are incredibly good.  There are others with a drive thru that are amazingly fast and friendly, and others that are walk in only and despite my infrequency, do seem to know that my drink is a Venti Chai Latte. It is the only drink I have ever gotten and will ever get.

Yes, I am a chai fanatic.  It is the closest thing I have found to the Indian tea my dad used to make at home when I was kid. Of course, it’s not nearly the same, or nearly as good, but it’s a nice substitute.  I have tried every other coffee house across the States (literally) and not one chai elsewhere comes close.  What’s worse, there are some coffee chains in Omaha that use powder to create their chai. Just horrible.  I don’t do coffee - never have. I am that odd geek that thinks it’s too bitter and nasty.  Then again, when you see how much milk and sugar I put in my tea, you’d understand!!

I know what you are thinking, with prices rising the way they are, shouldn’t I be cutting back? Well, I have and do.  When I want to treat myself to something, I go the way of Starbucks instead of the mall, a furniture store (I am dying to decorate), or a bookstore (where I could easily spend $100 before I even blinked).  Then I go to a nearby park and enjoy.  I would rather spend $3 than the hundreds I could spend via retail therapy.  Similar to MTV, I want my chai!!

As I approach my one year anniversary in Omaha, Nebraska (and my how fast this year has flown), I find it interesting that many residents consider this the chain restaurant capital of the world.  If there is a chain that exists, it’s here in Omaha.  Well folks, if that is true, where is:

• Baskin Robbins
• Dunkin Donuts
• Steak ‘n’ Shake
• Champps
• Maggiano’s
• Tim Horton’s
• Jack in the Box
• Johnny Carino’s

I put this list in order of importance to ME because my favorite ice cream is Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip ice cream. It is truly heaven on earth.  Every year, in the fall, they have free scoop day.  Every year, I would get a group of folks together and visit all the stores in the Raleigh, NC area - always getting my favorite.  Ahhh, what great memories!

There used to be some BR’s in Lincoln but no more.  And yes, I would have driven specifically to get a quart (or ten).  When I was in St Louis recently, I tried to find a nearby BR, no luck.  I was able to visit a Steak’n'Shake though, so I could takhomasak.  I find it interesting that we have Dunkin Donuts commercials in Omaha, but no actual store.  What a tease!

I am quite taken with the recent increase in books encapsulating a speakers’ recent commencement speech.  Maria Shriver did this well a few years back as have many others.  I am sure my impending graduation in September has got me thinking about endings, new beginnings, and school in general.  This is not new to me as I remember doing some of this three years ago when I was finishing up my MBA.

Ann Patchett has joined the fray and shared her commencement speech via the written word, called What Now?  If that isn’t aptly titled, then I don’t know what is!  That is definitely the sentiment these days for many of us. What now?  What do I do now? What do I do next?  Should I really do this now?  I think we are all thinking of some cosmic question at one time or another similar to these, especially in relation to who we are and what we do. More and more of us are asking ourselves if being on that hamster wheel is enough anymore.

What are the questions you are asking yourself lately?  Mine has been “is this it” and “isn’t there more than this” which is what has been driving some of my major life decisions the past few years.  With great certainty, I can say that corporate America isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be anymore (which in many ways is a good thing) but it could certainly be worse.  As for internet companies and start-ups, steer clear if they haven’t a vision, clear guiding principles that are lived every single day (not just talked about once), and have little structure or foundation.  It is amazing the number of internet companies and start-ups that are backed by some amazing venture capitalists but are running amok in their own idiocy.

What I think is most telling about Patchett’s question of  what now? is the concept of letting the answer come to you through reflection, meditation or just plain nothingness.  Her belief is that some of us are afraid to do nothing because the answer to what now? might actually come back to you as “I don’t know.”  Personally, asking the question alone is a great first step. If you don’t have an answer, keep asking.  Your mind will turn it around and around until the answer does come to you. But being an ostrich and not asking the cosmic questions of your life only leads to more of the same.  If that is where you want to head, then I applaud you for already asking and answering the tough questions.  For some of us, the journey is still continuing!

Do you know how many kids Brad and Angelina have and could subsequently name each?  This is what I heard as I turned on my car today.  The caller was able to name all 6, including the just days old twins.  The DJ then asked the caller to name the Supreme Court justices.  Other than some hmm’s, there was a lot of dead air.  A lot. That is truly sad that the Supreme Court justices, who are appointed for life, can barely be remembered, but celebrity births, divorces, break-ups, and other ridiculous crap is at the forefront of knowledge.  Is this our fault? NO.  The media continues to barrage us with this junk and sometimes, it is the only thing you can find at your fingertips. It’s not until you peel back the layers to get to the “real” news.  You know, about the election, the economy, global warming, the new Dark Knight movie.  Whoops, see how easy it is??

I find it amazing that, even after signing into a site and adding items to my cart, my cart will go empty after an hour (or a day for that matter).  I know I use Amazon.com as a frequent lesson of a great site, but I love the fact that no matter when I log in, my cart is always there.  A day could go by, or a week.  Amazon doesn’t care how long I go between my visits.  The last things I placed in my shopping cart are still there. I can delete them, save them for later or make my purchase then.  Regardless, when I log in, my stuff is still there. I was ordering some birthday gifts for a friend online and got distracted by a phone call.  Two hours later, I returned to my computer and when I hit the checkout button, I was told my cart was empty.  I was on a site I don’t frequent nearly as much as Amazon and had browsed for gifts I knew she would like.  To recreate that was a huge time waster and pain point.  That’s not the point of online shopping!! I truly wish more websites would grasp the convenience and benefits of this feature as Amazon has.

YES, they do!  At least all the cats I’ve had like to play fetch.  And at the oddest times like 3am and 5am.  And with the oddest things like a McDonalds’s straw.  The first time I encountered this, my cat liked to go after golf tees on linoleum but she never quite brought it all the way back.  It was a modified version of fetch.

Nope, not Menley and Mew.  They love to chase, or catch in mid air, whatever I throw and then proceed to bring it back to me.  If it’s at 3am and I have winged the toy away from me, they will bring it back and drop it on my face or chest.  They feel it’s important to get my attention and continue the game.  I know, I am the glutton for punishment as I am the one who winged the aforementioned toy off my face to begin with, which prompted the games to begin.

In the event this goes on for too long and I am starting (starting??) to get annoyed, I will take the toy and hide it under my pillow.  This works occasionally though they will start pawing at my pillow, the blankets, my hands to see where I have hidden the toys.  These are not dumb kitties!

On the drive home after a get together with friends, I found myself reflecting on some of our conversation.  It is truly sad the number of bad bosses there are in the world.  I have shared this before but it is sad that I don’t know a single person who likes their immediate boss. I mean likes as in they are learning new things from this person, enjoys the working relationship, feels motivated by this person, and is actively being developed and coached by this person.  All I ever hear is how miserable my friends are and how much they can’t stand their boss.  It is rarely the company, or the pay, or the benefits.

What I hear repeatedly are things like:  my boss is an idiot, my boss has no vision, my boss couldn’t make a decision if it was to save her soul, my boss is a jerk, my boss doesn’t know anything about what I do, my boss wouldn’t even know where to find me (this boss must never leave her office), my boss doesn’t even know enough to be the receptionist, my boss talks a good game but that’s all it is- talk and a game, my boss makes big to-do’s about things once and then never mentions them again (that’s corporate America for you - mission statements and core values discussed once, never to be heard from again).

I find it more and more amazing that Gen X’ers are starting their own businesses.  My belief is we are tired of working for Corporate America when layoffs, pension cuts, insurance increases, little or no pay raises (1-3% pay raises for the past 10 years is a smack in the face), fading bonuses, and increased work demands provide little time for anything else.  What amazes me is the hope, determination, and desire that still exists and is now being shared with the world.  If you would like daily inspiration, I suggest this blog.  I can suggest other sources as you decide to paint your professional canvas!

I am frequently amazed at the number of people who believe that just because a person is nice it means they are weak.  Weak meaning she can be taken advantage of, manipulated, taken for granted, or used.  Nice is not the equivalent to stupidity, or slowness, but that is apparently how some view nice people.

I have noticed this most within the workplace.  If you are nice, others believe they can stab you in the back, walk all over you, take credit for your ideas, malign you, and in general, just dump all over you.  Because if you are nice, it must mean that you are not interested in getting ahead, learning new skills, or wanting more for yourself.  Nope, if you are nice, then by all means, when I partner and collaborate with you, use the information to your advantage and then throw me under a Greyhound.

I don’t think the very old saying “the meek shall inherit the earth” is for naught.  There is a reason niceness pays. Not to get things, mind you, but to gain things such as love, peace, happiness, and contentment.  The persons who I coach the longest tend to be those who have deeply hurt others in the name of success and can no longer ignore their soul to do so.

I am in the midst of reading Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and amazed at the heart this man had.  On several occasions in college, we were assigned to read Elie Weisel’s Night, which truly was worth every read, every time, but was never assigned Frankl’s book. Now, if you know me, I read anything and everything now, but in college, if it wasn’t assigned, I didn’t go the extra mile.  Lately, my head has been in the world of business, leadership, coaching, management, and motivation.

So to offset this kind of reading for my graduate program, I decided to do something I said I would do “later”.  As a way to go back and read some classics that I missed in high school due to moving around so much or that I missed in college, I have been on enjoying my own version of a summer reading list.  I have found various Top 100 books of all time lists and compared them.  It is amazing the level of variability in them - one had Spock’s guide to raising kids on it.  Yes, I am sure that was a milestone book, but not of the caliber I was looking for.  After finding the list with classics I wanted to read while taking into account those that I had already read, I am on my journey.

Frankl may have passed away in 1997 and may have written this book from the perspective of his time during the concentration camps, but his meaning, his heart and his message are just as great today as they were then.  Inspiration can come from unlikely sources; this being one of the biggest for me.  As I read more through the list, I will share my thoughts.  Maybe you will join me!