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Have you read The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom? I read it a number of years ago. It is a touching story that stays with me.

I thought about the book when I received an email from a public relations firm this week, looking to write a story about an entrepreneur for a major newspaper.  The story and “The angle is far more about you personally than it about the company you run — so if you live unusually, or on the edge, then you’re the ideal candidate.” Exciting examples included climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, and being personal friends with and playing bridge with Bill Gates. It made me think about the The Five People You Meet in Heaven.  Why?  

Because the book is about Eddie, a maintenance man in an amusement park; a man who feels that his “Days are a dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret.” How often do we hear that at work and in life? But are they? The book has a number of life lessons. Eddie may not have climbed the highest mountain on each of the seven continents or played bridge with Bill Gates but his life had meaning.

Lesson 1: We all have different perspectives on things; and there is no such thing as a random act; we are all interconnected. We can certainly see this in any workplace. Reflect on how someone’s bad (or good) mood or comments impact everyone around them.

Lesson 2: Sacrifice, whether big or small, is not something to regret. We are only passing something on. What a nice way of changing something that seems like a negative (giving something up), to something that is positive (passing a “gift” on)!

Lesson 3: Forgiveness and letting go of things lets you live life to the fullest. Hate is like a poison that eats you from the inside out. You can say that again – life is lighter when we let in the love!

Lesson 4: There are many types of love. Life has to end, but love doesn’t. A lost love is still love. Anyone who has lost a loved one knows this! Love goes on in the memories we cherish.

Lesson 5: Life has a purpose. No matter what you do in life, you are here for a reason. You may not even realize what your actions have meant to others. If someone does something special, don’t hesitate – tell them – make their day – you might even make their life!

Like Eddie “maintenance” man, who impacted many people by his seemingly mundane activities, we are all important. Our words, our actions, and our behaviour, do impact others. We can make a positive difference in this world by the little things we do!

Read the book. The movie, while a shortened version, is pretty good too. Think about the lessons and how they can be applied not only to your personal life but also to the workplace. You don’t need to live life on the edge, climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, or play bridge with Bill Gates, to live a life of meaning.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and productive New Year,

Joanne

Joanne Royce is the Founder of Royce & Associates, a Human Resources and Training Solutions company.
She is passionate about Creating Happy, Healthy and Productive Workplaces.
She continues to look for the good in people and in life.
Joanne originally published her review of the lessons and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, in the The Royce Formula Newsletter 2005.

Last week I shared some of the lessons and AHA moments that I’ve experienced so far – really my philosophy on life and work. Originally written for my university aged children, I reflected on my thoughts and I realized I often shared the same insights with my coaching clients. This week, at our HRPA Halton event, I had the pleasure of hearing Paul Copcutt, a leading Personal Brand Architect, talk about 3D Branding. He referred to branding as giving yourself permission to be your authentic self.  In his talk he mentioned my brand as being “the happy HR person.” What a nice thing to say … “The Happy HR person.” Life is too short, not to live (and work) a happy one.  You can read Part 1 or start here with Part 2. 

The World So Far According to Me (Joanne Royce)

-Don’t judge or criticize unkindly. Everyone has good in them so look for that. When you do provide feedback, do so from a place of L.O.V.E.

-When your tummy tells you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t right. Don’t ignore it. Use your intuition as a prompt to check things out more rigorously.

-Sometimes the mean folks from school, work, and beyond don’t get what they deserve. Yep, life isn’t fair, so don’t spend another moment thinking about the mean ones. There are plenty of other nicer and kinder fish in the sea, so seek them out.

-Respect others and your self. Don’t be pressured into doing something to please someone else or because you are worried about fitting in. You might think that’s a good thing to do to build a relationship, but in the long run you will end up being resentful. Politely and assertively stand your ground if it is important to you.

-Ask yourself, “Is this really important to me, or can I let it go?” If it isn’t that important then you don’t need to work to have your opinion heard. This makes it easier to stand your ground when something is important to you.

-Budget. Ask yourself – do I absolutely need it or is it just a great big want. A great big want isn’t worth going into debt for.

-”Engage brain before opening mouth.” Wise words from my dearly departed father C. Donald Royce. You can say anything in a thoughtful tactful way that respects another person, but that means thinking before blurting something out that you might regret later.

-”Everyone does something they regret and won’t do again. Learn from it. Pick yourself up, hold your head high and keep going.” Wise words from my dearly departed mother Miriam Royce. Don’t let a mistake paralyze you or destroy you.

-Sometimes to get to living your passion, you need to do the not so fun stuff. The garbage needs to be taken out, the laundry needs to be washed, the Excel spreadsheets need to be created, the files need to be purged and policies written. Do it well, with a smile on your face, and the fun stuff – living your passion – will come.

-Know your strengths and weaknesses. Why? Because you don’t want to spend a life time trying to develop your weaknesses. Your weaknesses will be someone else’s strength and they will always do it better. It’s best to know your strengths and then head in a career that will make good use of those strengths!

-It’s never too late to make a change for the better in your life and in your work. You just have to believe you can do it, rise above the fear of the unknown, and take action to make it happen.

-Don’t compromise your values and principles.  They are your guide through life. If you try to ignore them and live a life or work at a job not in sync with those values, it will make you sick.

-Everything will be alright if you surround yourself with people who care about you and love you!

Royce & Associates
A Human Resources and Training Solutions company
Creating happy, healthy, and productive workplaces

Becoming an empty nester this past fall was quite an event. With my youngest starting university this past fall and my eldest finishing university next spring, it was a time for reflection.  As we journey through life’s many adventures, we learn lessons and have AHA moments.  So here, in no particular order, are lessons I’ve learned growing up, going to school, working, building relationships, making mistakes, observing and coaching others, and being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, employee, HR professional…all part of the journey of creating a happy, healthy, and productive life. I originally wrote this for my children, so perhaps I should have titled it “The World So Far According to Mom,” but I realized that the learning moments are insights I often share with my coaching clients too.  

The World So Far According to Me (Joanne Royce)

-Work hard and put in the maximum effort – it is always worth it (and I am not talking about more money either, I’m talking about learning and gaining knowledge and skills).

-You can’t change another person, but you can change how you interact with them and that will change how they react to you.

-Love what you do. If you don’t love it, don’t complain. Do something about it.

-Volunteer. It makes you feel good, and helps make the world a better place.

-Be positive. Be happy. It’s a choice and it starts with you and your thoughts. Stop negative thinking; it will drag you and those around you down. Hang with the positive folks and avoid the energy vampires.

-If you think you can’t, you won’t; if you think you can, you will. (Henry Ford was right then and he’s right now). Get out of your own way and get rid of thinking that stops you from succeeding.

-No matter what life throws at you, somewhere inside of you there is the ability and the power to rise above it all and thrive.

-You can be kind or you can be mean spirited. Being kind is a much nicer way to live.

-You can’t make someone else be happy. They have to do it for themselves.

-Sometimes your most important role models in life can also teach you what NOT to do.

-Love your body especially when you are young, because it does change. Then you’ll wonder why you spent so much time fretting over how you look, your hair, or how you fit into a new pair of jeans.

-Don’t carry a grudge. The only person you are hurting if you do is yourself.

-Don’t live beyond your means. Hand-me-down couches and chairs and a low rent apartment help you save for the future. Lawn chairs and tv trays with candle light and a nice bottle of wine are just as good as a fancy restaurant or a luxury dining room set.

-Take care of yourself; exercise and eat properly. Have balance in your life. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else. And if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will.

-Take accountability for your life. Don’t give your power away by blaming your parents, your boss, your teacher, etc. for where you are in life. You have the power to change it, IF you become accountable for it.

Live a happy, healthy, and productive life,  Joanne Royce  (Stay tuned for Part 2 next week).

Royce & Associates
A Human Resources and Training Solutions company
Creating happy, healthy, and productive workplaces

I watched The Doc Zone a few weeks ago. The topic was “Facebook Follies.” It highlighted the good and not so good about social media, specifically Facebook which appeared on the scene in 2004. I had coffee with a colleague and we talked about recruiting and how different it is for Gen Y, who are growing up with social media with so much of their young lives forever captured in pictures, videos, and comments on-line, compared to how we grew up.  (A teen who started using FB in 2004 is just about ready to start their career.)  

No young person thinks about actions of the moment and how that might impact the future. This is true of most young people, from any generation. They don’t think about the future when they are enjoying the present. But the difference today is that something they did in their youth can come back to haunt them now or later when they want to be a lawyer, politician, charity worker, teacher, police officer, and even a spouse or parent. Most young people are not thinking about how those old FB pictures and Twitter comments might impact future opportunities. Unfortunately, they live on forever on-line.

Sure we oldies (Boomers and GenX) who are doing most of the hiring at this point in time, did things when we were younger too. But we didn’t have mobile phones and social media making it easy for youthful escapades to be immortalized forever on Facebook. If we were lucky, like I was, we had our mother telling us to “Learn from your mistake, hold your head up high, and carry on.” So we have the moment etched in our mind somewhere, not like today when it is out there for the whole world to see, especially if it’s in the hands of “friends” who think it’s something the whole world should see. (No such thing as privacy or control on the Internet). Of course, moms will still say “Learn from your mistake ….” but it sure must be a lot harder to “hold your head up high, and carry on” with the whole world watching.

It seems unfair that those doing the hiring have the knack of forgetting. Somehow we don’t remember some of the silly events of our own youth. We were allowed to make our mistakes in our small circle of friends and family. We don’t have the “social memory” of on-line media to remind us of our youthful mistakes. (Not that mistakes are reserved for the young – i.e. Mr. Weiner). In a recent poll 4 in 10 students worry that FB might hurt their chances in the job market. Will the percentage increase as more and more students venture out for their first jobs and/or career advancements?  I wonder when GenY get to positions where they will be making hiring decisions will they be more understanding?

I enjoy reading David Hall’s blogs on social media and there are two that stand out. One on reputation management, “92% of employers say they will “creep” potential employees’ profiles: Like, manage your reputation already, OMG! ” (including a great video by Lee LeFever of Common Craft Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English) and the other “Are you bad at technology well then you are bad at life, there I said it” I especially enjoyed the comments on the latter blog. Jeremy McQuigge commented that looking at technology in our lives from a generational standpoint “… is interesting because Generation Y/Z have grown-up with access to some of the most advanced pieces of technology of our society, yet struggle to use it in productive / meaningful ways. Technology without instruction is nothing more than say… a fancy paperweight.”

“A fancy paperweight” to which I might add that can come back to bean you in the head and knock you out of the running for an opportunity in the future that just might be your heart’s desire. I have Gen Y children; I have had the pleasure of teaching Gen Y students, and I coach and mentor some very focussed and dedicated Gen Y individuals starting out in their HR careers.  They are going to do just fine. The generation growing up and in their formative years when FB first arrived on the scene are like guinea pigs at the start of the great big social experiment of living out loud on-line. And anyone doing the hiring today should remember that.

Best regards, Joanne Royce   
Royce & Associates
A Human Resources and Training Solutions Company
Creating Happy, Healthy, and Productive Workplaces

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