Picture This – EJPitman

Picture this. A 7yo kid that was so excited to get her first library card getting to walk through the holy and beautiful doors of the New York Public Library. Was it the little girl or the 51 year old woman who stepped with respect and awe through the halls?

Picture this. A kid that grew up in small towns around Maine, finding herself seated at a boardroom table that overlooks Central Park in New York City. How is this even possible? If you had been watching you wouldn’t have been able to tell if it was the 10yo me or the mid-life me that was swinging my feet in my chair as I learned.

Picture this. A mom who loved reading to her babies (big and small) getting to walk through the Eric Carle Museum of children’s books. Frame after frame, wall after wall celebrating the art of children’s books.

It has been an amazing week of travel. Flying, driving, walking. Sometimes my life blows my mind. Daily, life seems normal and then I have a week like this last one that invites me to zoom out and see how full and vibrant this life’s adventure has become.

The table overlooking Central Park Learning that I sat at was hosted by Phil M. Jones. His work “Exactly What to Say” can be found in book format and through his teaching around the world. It is often attractive for people in sales, but the genius in Phil’s work is that the magic of words is applicable everywhere. Phil’s work will definitely improve sales, but the potential it has to change relationships (with self and others) is vast.

While I don’t expect to ever hit the point where I am ‘done’ understanding or applying the work I began to absorb last week, here are a few hits from the notes that I scribbled while I was immersed in these learning days.

Master Moments, not words. Become a moment detective.
You can both anticipate moments and create moments
Just decide. You can’t go wrong if you decide. Indecision (procrastination) is the place of stalling and failure.
Slow down.
When you think you know the answer, ask three more questions
Prove to people that you understand the problem, not that you understand the solution
Relationships move at the pace of trust
Fear is the fertilizer of growth
Help people build their script, don’t give them yours
Every word that leaves your mouth either helps or hurts.

I was reminded recently that on September 22, there will be 100 days left of 2024. While we roll into autumn days, there is still a lot of time left to complete something, move something forward, or begin something new. Autumn and winter inspire the cozy in me. I often think of cozy as including easy or lazy. But this year, in my final 100 days of 2024, I will be reframing cozy to include strong determination at a pace that honors my wiring.

Where will you choose to focus and grow?