Recently, well the last four months actually, I have been working with an international partner to remedy some implementation plans. The time commitment has been large and the proposed solutions have been many. There has been weekend work and some 16 hours days. My family has seen me frustrated and other times have not seen me at all. Personally at times, I felt like I did in High School taking Mr. Dill's Pre-Calculus class...I wanted to put my head down on my desk and cry. Fortunately, I did not cry at my desk this time. I am not sure the same can be said for me back in Mr. Dill's class however.
For those that know me, I am not naturally the most optimistic person in the world. So, what changed my perspective from the negative to the positive recently? A simple comment by my daughter...She waited up for me one of the nights that I was working late to excitedly tell me "Daddy, I get to go to the dentist tomorrow!" Now, the only person I know who dislikes the dentist more than me is my 5 1/2 year old daughter. She usually requires restraints to be held into her chair and the entire ordeal leaves the dentist (and my wife) exhausted. When I asked her why she was so excited, she told me "They are going to check on my loose tooth. Hopefully it will fall out soon so that the Tooth Fairy will come!” Her excitement around going to the dentist, a place that has yet to provide any good memories for her, made me realize that it is all about perspective. I don’t have to continue working on this implementation plan; I get to continue working on this implementation plan. And beyond that, there may be a Tooth Fairy opportunity for us at the end of this plan. All the more reason for me to view this as a “get to” instead of a “have to” situation.
Oh, and a side note to my daughter’s tooth situation. She hasn’t lost the tooth yet, but the dentist did confirm for her that it will be on its way out soon. My wife and I now have to explain to our daughter that going to the dentist every day will not help the tooth fall out any faster…
