Today’s blog post is a repeat of one I wrote in January of 2019 and reposted in October of 2020. I believe this will forever be the case of human behavior. The title of the blog post is “As I’ve Always Said.”

Get ready! It’s coming! It’s a telling phrase: “As I’ve always said.”

You will be hearing “As I’ve always said” from people who said no such thing.

It will be the ass covering phrase of people who have been extremely vocal in favor of something or someone that can’t be defended anymore.

Their “as I’ve always said” claim will be that they never expressed such allegiance and will express a position they have never taken as the one they’ve been espousing all along.

Think of someone you know who was proven dead wrong, and when confronted with their position, they moved the goal post. The telling, goal post repositioning phrase will be some form of “as I’ve always said.”

It’ll be here soon. Be on the lookout. When you hear it, know you are listening to someone who can’t admit to or bear being wrong. They’re part of the “I’m sorry but” crowd – meaning they’re not really sorry.

Quoting Charles Barkley, “I may be wrong but I doubt it.”

All the best,

John

Listen to the recorded version.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

If you have adult children with families of their own, you may not yet be aware of the change that has taken place. Even if you don’t have children, but you are of a certain age, this change has affected you as well.

What is this transition? Here’s how I capsulize it. “Our children used to live in our world; we now live in theirs.”

This may be especially hard to swallow if you are a “Baby Boomer.” The boomers were the driving force behind major shifts in the way we do things in this world. They are a large swath of the population used to doing things “their” way, more so than any other generation. “Their” way has been “the” way for longer than any other age group, so the amount of resistance they display to change is no surprise.

This shift has been going on for a while. The transfer of power is almost complete, being slowed only a bit by many of this aging generation who are dragging their feet.

The handwriting is on the wall and these folks know how to read, but denial won’t allow them to comprehend. I’m a proud member of this generation and in the past have been reluctant to accept the unrelenting future.

We are living in a different world that has snuck up on us like any other insidious change. Resistance only gives change persistence.

Even a mega power broker like Don Corleone, the Godfather, ceded control of “the way” to his son, who went in a different direction to get things done.

You do have a choice: you can circle the wagons and pontifically preach and pray that your way is the right way, OR get a clue that the way it is, is no longer dictated by you.

It’s this simple: Rant and rave to the grave about your way, or start to see the world you lived in has had its day.

All the best,

John

Listen to the recorded version.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 10-5-20.

Read the written version here.

The Grasshopper gave me a new question to ask myself: “Suppose they’re right?”

How often do we dig in to our position without ever considering another’s angle of view?

I’ve told this story before but it fits perfectly here. I was attending a week long workshop about 20 years ago and got into a “discussion” with another attendee. We were on opposite sides of an issue and both of us were using our outside voices inside. Based on our backgrounds, I was the more experienced debater and easily boxed this person in and made them look stupid in front of our fellow attendees. This person stormed out.

My roommate said this to me after the altercation, “Dude, you really know how to throw a hand grenade under a table.” The room was uneasy.

About an hour passed and this person returned to our group and asked to speak to me alone. We went outside and had a more civil conversation. It was during this exchange that this phrase left my lips: “Ya know, if I were brought up in your house, I’d be exactly like you, and if you were brought up in my house, you’d be exactly like me.” It was an icebreaker. The bottom line is we “hugged it out” and became friendly.

“Suppose they’re right?” is a reminder to, as the song says, “walk a mile in my shoes.”

No matter how absurd you think another’s point of view is, take the time to ask yourself, “Suppose they’re right?” Just for a moment, explore how they got to this conclusion. What shaped their view? Make an effort to find out and you’ll discover more than someone with opposing views, you’ll find out why they think they’re right.

It can lead to a less heated and more factual discussion. When you discover how someone got to the point that they feel a certain way, you’re now finding out how they make decisions vs. deciding, out of hand, that they’re totally wrong.

I’m not suggesting that this strategy is going to bring either of you to the other side of the fence, or even start exchanging Christmas cards. What I am suggesting is, it’s a way to reduce the heat so you can discover more of the light. That’s the magic you create by asking yourself, “Suppose they’re right?”

All the best,

John

Listen to the recorded version.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.