Have you ever overslept, then woken up in a panic and scrambled to get to work on time? Did that oversleeping cost you ten million dollars? No? Then consider yourself lucky.

Last week, golfer Jim Furyk was disqualified from the Barclay’s golf tournament because he missed his tee time by a few minutes.

The reason he missed the tee time? He overslept.

The reason he overslept? He was using his cell phone as his alarm clock, and the battery died so the alarm never rang.

My goodness. One dead cell phone battery leads to a few minutes of tardiness, and now he has severely hurt his chances to win a $10 million prize. That comes out to something like $2,500,000 per minute. Or $41,666.67 per second.

Most. Expensive. Sleep. Ever!

Any sane person reading this will think to themselves, “how on Earth could a person do that? Why didn’t he have a backup plan??”

Good question, and one I asked myself too, until I thought more about it and realized that many of us, in many situations, tend to ignore backup plans. It’s easy to assume things will go exactly as we intend – but as we all know, Ding Happens!

Lest you fall into the trap of assuming that everything will go as planned (and then get screwed when they don’t), here are three ways you can prepare yourself to deal with life’s unexpected hiccups:

Check Your Equipment!

If your cell phone dies because you forgot to charge it, well, that's your own fault...

Technology is not infallible. Far from it. If you are going to use your cell phone as an alarm clock, especially before a big event, check the battery first. Or leave it plugged in overnight. Just do whatever you need to to make sure it works.

In the same way, double check all your equipment before major events. Get that little rattle you hear from car fixed before your road trip. Test your PowerPoint on the actual laptop you will be using in your presentation. Double check your bag and make sure you have everything packed that you need for your business trip.

Checking equipment isn’t hard, it’s just something we need to remember to do. Make it a habit and you will cut down on the number of headaches you have to deal with.

Use Backups!

Have a backup, in case the first one breaks down (note: throwing your hands up and complaining is not a backup plan)

Here’s the obvious lesson from this story: Use backups! Furyk had many backup options. He could have set an alarm clock. He could have had a wake up call. He could have had a friend check on him. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t do any of those things. He put all of his eggs into one cellular basket, and that led to disaster.

I speak on the importance and power of having the ability to improvise. However, just because you can improvise doesn’t mean that you should use that as an excuse to not prepare!

You don’t have to stress over every little thing that might go wrong, but at least consider the few major potentialities and create backups for those.

For example, in my motivational speeches and workshops I use a bell. It’s a fairly critical piece of my presentation (watch this video to see what I mean). When I travel, I take two bells in case one breaks. I also take a physical copy of my handout even if I sent over a copy to the planner to make copies in advance, just in case they didn’t make copies for me. If I ever use PowerPoint (I try to avoid it like Paris Hilton avoids smart decisions) I would take a copy on a USB drive even if I previously emailed the presentation to my client.

Create backups for your critical items and activities. Not only will you cover your butt in case of a problem, but you’ll also be less stressed because you know that you’ve got it handled.

Know Thyself!

Take a look in the mirror - you know what you need to worry about

Oversleeping is not usually a problem for me. I am a light enough sleeper that even quiet alarms will wake me up. And, for important events, I often wake up before the alarm goes off (of course, even though I know this I still set back up alarms, just in case).

On the other hand, I know some people who sleep like the dead. You could send a marching band into their bedroom and they wouldn;t budge. They are the ones who need to set multiple alarms and have backup plans (like a good friend with a pitcher of ice water…).

Self-awareness is an important skill, and one of the things that separates us from the evil sentient robots (for now). You know your strengths and weaknesses better than anybody, so there is no excuse for you to not set up plans and backups to deal with your weaknesses.

The next time you have an important event in your life, don’t make the same mistake Jim Furyk made. Check your equipment, use backups, and know your weaknesses! A little bit of prep and thought can prevent a lot of problems (and save you $10,000,000!)

***
Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page now!

I was recently interviewed by Brett Clay, author of Selling the Change, on his radio show, “The Actuation Zone”!

The interview went great. In fact, here is what Brett emailed to me afterward:

“This is my favorite interview! First, I am drinking the Koolaide on how applicable and valuable are your improve techniques. Second, I guess the interview really shows how your improve techniques really work. …You said “Yes, and…” to every comment and question I had—and the interview just flowed.”

Brett is a great guy and host, and it turns out we share a lot of opinions on things. Take a listen for yourself (you can listen on-line or download the MP3)”

Listen to Avish’s interview with Brett Clay on the Actuation Zone!

I have a new demo video for my keynote speaking business! This one does a great job of capturing my energy, humor, and crowd interaction. Check it out:

(If you would like a similar video for your speaking business, drop me a line and I will out you in touch with my Amanda, my video editor)

A Small Favor!

Like most independent business professionals, the lifeblood of my business is word of mouth and referral marketing. Since you just watched my video, I would very much appreciate it if you could take a moment and think about anyone who might like to bring this type of humor, energy, and message to their event…

Since it can be hard to think of exactly who would be a good contact, here are three questions that may help you think of some people who would be a good fit.

• Are you a member of any associations? If so, a conference committee member or board member is a great contact.
• Are you close to anyone (family member, friend, colleague) who belongs to an association or attends conferences?
• Do you know anyone who is a meeting planner, director of communication, VP of Sales/Marketing, or serves on a conference committee at any organization?

If you asnwered “yes” to any of the above, I would appreciate if you would send them to my Motivational Humorist Page so they can see the video and decide for themselves!

Thanks!
Avish

Are you impatient? I am (or at least I can be). Impatience in and of itself is not a bad thing. It all comes down to how you deal with it…

There is a weird phenomenon that occurs on city streets while people are waiting for the bus. They will not only stand on the corner and gaze in the direction from which the bus is coming, but they will also on occasion step into the street to get a better look!

This may not sound like a big deal until you realize that streets happen to be things that cars drive on…when a pedestrian pops into the street to look for a bus, well, you suddenly have to be very careful to not run them over.

This happens to me all the time. There I am, minding my own business, driving down a narrow one lane city street with cars parked on both sides, when up ahead of me some dude steps out into the street and starts looking in my direction to see if he can see the bus.

Logic would dictate that once he a) didn’t see the bus or b) saw my car approaching him that he would then step back up on to the sidewalk, right? Right???

Wrong (my first mistake was assuming logic ever dictates anything when it comes to how people behave…).

For some reason this dude will not budge. He’ll keep looking down the street like Linus looking for the Great Pumpkin. He’s oblivious to my car and the impending doom it represents. I have to slow down to “old man walking with a cane” speed to make sure I can navigate around him. When I drive past him he doesn’t even notice that he is in the way of traffic. I am torn between the temptation to teach him a lesson by hitting him and the desire to not commit vehicular manslaughter. I opt for the latter…

What is this person thinking?? You are stepping out into on coming traffic just to see if the bus is coming! Guess what Einstein? Whether you look or not, it doesn’t make any difference! You stopping up traffic helps nothing…

I get it, you're impatient. Find better ways to deal

I feel qualified to rant on this because I have not only been the person driving through the city, but I have also been the person waiting for the bus. I know how frustrating it can be when you are late for something and the bus just doesn’t seem to come. I once waited half an hour for a bus that is supposed to come every ten minutes. It sucks. But, having a modicum of intelligence, I understand the difference between things I can do that matter and things I an do that don’t. Stepping out into the middle of the street to see if this bus is coming is clearly one of those things that doesn’t matter.

At the heart of this problem is impatience and a lack of good strategies to deal with things we can’t control. Maybe stepping into the road isn’t a huge deal (though I think it is). But the same impatience can lead to other, more destructive behaviors. Avoiding impatient stupidity is a critical skill that far to many people seem to lack.

Here are five lessons you can takeaway from these bus anticipators, even if you never take public transportation anywhere.

Accept What Is

Your impatience changes nothing. Learn to accept what is

This may fly in the face of “The Secret,” but guess what? You can not make the bus show up faster by looking for it!

Whether you stare down the street, pace around like a mad person, mumble and rant to the other poor sap who is minding his own business while waiting for the bus (yes, this has happened to me), or just stand there reading a magazine,, the bus is going to come when it comes.

If you rant, rave, and start doing useless things in an attempt to exert some control over the situation (like stepping into the street to get a better look for the bus), you are not accepting what is.

The same rule applies in every other area of your life. What is, is. You can not change it. You can, however, accept it, and then focus your attention on taking the actions to change your future. Just make sure those actions will actually accomplish something and won’t just be the metaphorical equivalent of stepping out into the street, looking for the bus.

First, Do No Harm

Take a page from the docs: first do no harm

Sadly, this point will be lost on most. If you are the type of person who will stand in the middle of traffic looking for a bus, you are probably not a person who cares all that much about inconveniencing others. Still, it’s worth a shot.

Beyond the realm of public transportation, where else are you letting your coping strategies (or lack thereof) negatively affect the world around you? Is your ranting creating a negative energy in your office? Does your impatience ruin family outings? Do you know? Do you even care?

Use the Time to Practice

Practice with the small stuff so you're ready for the big stuff

This is hard to do when major stuff happens – losing a job, blowing a huge presentation, facing a terrible family illness, etc. One of the best ways to be prepared to do this when the big stuff happens is to practice with the little stuff!

A late bus is a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. This is a perfect small “Ding” to practice letting go, not stressing, and focusing on the things you can control. Them, when the big stuff comes along you will at least have some experience with letting things go.

Prepare

Do some work, talk on the phone, play with your umbrella - whatever floats your boat...

If I have to wait for a bus, I don’t want to stand their doing nothing. This might make me fidgety and antsy to a point where I get stupid and start stepping out into the middle of the street to see if the bus is coming. By having some good stuff to listen to on my Zune, I can while away hours while others fume.

I am astonished by how many people enter situations where they know there is a high possibility that they will have to wait but they still don’t prepare and bring anything along. Waiting rooms, airports, the DMV, etc.

If you are the type of person who can meditate on your own thoughts, good for you. But if you are prone to agitation, then I highly suggest you anticipate those situations and travel with some work or entertainment.

Focus on What Matters

Don't rant and rave. Consider an alternative - like a taxi

Is there useful action that could be taken there? Perhaps. You could call and let people know you will be a few minutes late. You could take a cab. You could call a friend for a ride. Heck, you could start walking down the bus route (i.e. where it will take you after it picks you up) – that still accomplishes almost nothing, but at least you will be burning off your energy without hindering anyone else. Plus, if the bus never comes, you will eventually get to your destination!

What if there is nothing useful you can do? For example, if you are in an airport and your flight is delayed 45 minutes, you can’t do much but wait the additional 45 minutes. In that case focus on how you can use your time in either a fun or productive way. Read a good book. Do some work. Make a phone call and catch up with an old friend. Do anything that makes some good use of the time, but for the love of God, please don’t start mumbling and complaining to the people next to you – no on cares about your important flight and we’re all in the same boat together!

Impatience is a major problem in the world today. We have been trained as a society to want things now! Right away! no delay! Speed of delivery is a good thing, but when you get impatient, think about how you are expressing that impatience to yourself and the world around you. If you are being negative, infringing on others, or doing something stupid, then it may be time to rethink your strategy.

And whatever you do, please, don’t step into the road to look for the bus!!

***
Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page now!
 

This past weekend I did a keynote for the National Association for Court Management. A few people “live tweeted” the speech, and I took a look at the Tweets afterward. It is pretty interesting to see what other people pull out of your speech as the most “Tweet-worthy.”

I have listed all the tweets regarding my speech below. This is basically a summary of my main points from my audience’s perspective. You might find some useful lessons and solid reminders to help you react when Ding Happens. The Tweets are listed chronologically (though my favorite is, I am crying so hard I cant tweet. So funny.).

Note #1: If any of the Tweets jump out at you as something you would like more info on, let me know in the comments or email me and I will write a future blog post on it!

Note #2: For more info about my keynote presentations, check out my Motivational Humorist Page.

Note #3: If you are not yet following me on Twitter, you can do so by clicking here.

Ding! Happens Live Tweets:

• Avish Parashar beginning keynote address after NACM business meeting concluded.
   
• NACM volunteer rings bell to help Avish improv.
   
• how well do you deal when the unexpected occurs?
   
• principle 1 – let go on what you can’t control and just do what you can control.
   
• the only thing you can control oftentimes is your response
   
• We can’t control situations but we can control our reactions to those situations.
   
• people will do stupid things you can’t control
   
• I am crying so hard I cant tweet. So funny.
   
• when “ding” happens don’t honk the horn.
   
• focus on what you can control, leave the rest
   
• remember to think about the big picture.
   
• it’s important to have a good attitude, try and be willing to make mistakes
   
• pbt – pause, breathe, think
   
• What is the big picture when something goes wrong? You need to pause, breathe, and think before reacting.
   
• ding can come on big and small sizes
   
• sometimes unexpected events are exactly what you need
   
• when ding happens, don’t say yes but….instead say yes and.
   
• When something unexpected happens, step back, regroup, refocus, and respond by thinking “yes, and…”
   
• Responding to situations using “yes,and” builds collaboration and positive energy.
   
• action always beats inaction
   
• Action always beats inaction.
   

***
Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page now!
 

Texting while driving is stupid. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know this. And yet, people still seem to do it. I recently observed someone texting while driving and it got me thinking about the mindset of someone who does this. I realized that even if you never text and drive, there are still a lot of things to learn about success from these people…

I was driving back into Philadelphia from New Jersey, and I noticed the car in front of me seemed to be having a slightly hard time staying in its lane. You’ve seen this before – the car that keeps drifting into the next lane and then jerks back, only to repeat the process twenty seconds later.

Watching this, I has the same thought I always do in these situations: “Hmm, is this person drunk or just stupid?” Well, since it was a Sunday afternoon and there is such a large number of stupid drivers on the road, I assumed the latter. But I kept a safe distance anyhow.

As we approached a toll, we both slowed down and my car pulled closer. I was able to see into the driver’s side view mirror and get a look at the driver. It took me me about two seconds to realize what was going on. From the side mirror, I could see it was a girl who’s head seemed to be switching between looking straight ahead and looking down and to the right with great frequency. Guess what a person who’s head keeps looking down and to the right while driving is doing…that’s right TEXTING. *sigh*

Oh my God! Did you hear? Brandi just caused a three car pile-up! Oh my God!

I am constantly amazed by this. What could possibly be so critical that you have to send a text, right now as you are driving? And if the text is so important, why can’t you pull over to send it? I have racked my brain trying to think of a scenario, and I have at best come up with one:

You are a secret agent, a la Jack Bauer from 24. You are in your car, and you have just figured out the code numbers that will deactivate the bomb you have been hunting for all day and you need to get those numbers to Chloe at CTU. However, you are being chased by bad guys so you have to keep moving. You are about to call in the numbers in when suddenly a terrorist pops up from behind you! He has been hiding in your car and now has applied a choke hold on you! So, in this situation, a) you can not pull over because the terrorists are chasing you, b) the call must be made immediately, and c) you can not simply use your hands free and call it in because you are being choked.

Jack Bauer, on the phone. You know what he’s not doing? Texting. Or driving. Jack knows, "safety first"

I am working on the assumption that most adults and (God willing) most teens know that texting while driving is a bad idea. We’ve all heard the studies now that show that texting while driving impairs your ability more than drinking (The difference is that alcohol impairs judgement, so you can at least understand why someone who has been drinking makes the stupid choice to drive. Not so with the texters). Take any random group of people and ask them whether they should text while driving and most will say “no.”

So why do people do it? I am guessing it’s because in the moment, while you are driving and your phone vibrates to let you know you have a text message, you are faced with four challenges. These challenges not only tempt you to respond to a text when you know you shouldn’t, but can also be a factor when it comes to dealing with other areas of your life:

Overestimating Importance

If it’s that important, pull over...

At the very least, wait until your car is stopped at a red light, traffic jam, or something similar.

In the same way, you can get stuck giving trivial things in your life too much importance. Sometimes the thing that’s right in front of our face seems like it requires immediate attention, but in the grand scheme of things it’s really not important and will ultimately only serve to knock us off course. When these kinds of things pop up, remind yourself to take a breath, relax, and re-focus on what’s important.

Question: How often do you fall into the trap of overestimating importance?

Overestimating Ability

If you need two hands to text, then you really shouldn’t try to multi-task...

Another problem is that people just simply overestimate their ability to do things. “Oh, I can send this quick text message while keeping focus on the road.”

Riiiiiiiight. Good luck with that.

Keep in mind, this is never a rational decision made away from the car, outside of the scenario. No, this decision always happens right in the moment, while you are driving. It’s when we forget about how dangerous the activity can be and assume that we are one of those blessed outliers who can do it all.

Same thing applies outside of driving. People often overestimate what they can do, how much time they have, and how little help they need. As a result they end up spreading themselves too thin and burn out.

Question: Do you ever make the mistake of overestimating your own ability to “do it all”?

Lack of Emotional Control

Emotional control is important

Ahhh, sweet relief! You can now get back to the task at hand: driving. That is, until thirty seconds later when your friend texts you a reply…

The ability to control those immediate urges, to put long term benefits ahead of short term gains, is critical to our overall success. Beyond the driving situation, how often do we all sidetrack ourselves by succumbing to those immediate urges? How often do we get off track because we are too impatient to wait or to persevere when things get tough?

Consider receiving a text while you are driving as a simple opportunity for you to practice your patience and emotional control…

Question: How is your current level of emotional control?

The Ding! Factor

Ding!

When you do something like text and drive at the same time, you are severely reducing your ability to deal with the unexpected Dings that come along while you are driving. Sure, if the roads are clear and nothing happens, you could probably drop your head for a couple of seconds and be fine. But if in that two seconds the person in front of you brakes hard, or the person to your right tries to cut into your lane right in front of you, or if any one of hundreds of other things happen, you could very well be screwed.

It’s so easy to make decisions based on how we think we can do if everything goes great, or at least stays as is (housing crisis, anyone…?) But remember: Ding! Happens. Make sure your decisions will be sound even if everything doesn’t go perfectly well.

Question: Are you ready for the big Ding! to come along?

The next time you are driving along and you feel tempted to send a text, please remember these few lessons. Not only can they keep you safe on the road, but they can also help you be more successful in your non-driving life too!

***
Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Conference Speaker page now!
 

Here’s a clip from a funny motivational keynote speech I did recently:

The clip starts with a demonstration of the improv comedy game, “Ding!” Then I explain how life is the ultimate improvisation and just when you think you have it figured out, the universe comes along and goes “ding!” deal with this. Goal setting and planning are great, but usually our success in business and life come down to how well we deal with the unexpected “dings!” that come our way.

Thought you might enjoy

a) the demo of me in action speaking
b) the lessons about how and why improv comedy skills can help you be more successful.

If so, please forward on to a few friends who would enjoy it too!

Click here to see more videos
Click here to see Avish’s conference speaker page

***
Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Conference Speaker page now!
 

The ability to improvise is a wondrous thing. It can help you out with so many situations, big or small.

To give you a few ideas on how you can improve the quality of your “life improvisations,” let’s take a look at some classic masters of improvisation from the fictional world of television…

(Note: I did not include anyone from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” because that’s a real improv comedy show and this list is about fictional characters improvising on their shows. So get over it…)

Jack Bauer

24

Are you ready to "get Jacked!" ?

Oh sure, these days Jack’s improvs consist mostly of what household devices he can use to torture suspects. but back in the day, he was a quick thinking machine.

Just watch Season 1 where he has to break a guy out of jail. (warning: season 1 spoilers! But come on, that’s from 8 years ago…) First he pretends to assault the guy and choke him, but he is actually stuffing a piece of paper with a phone number in his mouth. Then he gets back in the room again assault the guy again, only this is a ruse to lift the key from one of the officers who breaks the fight up. Brilliant.

The first few seasons of 24 seemed to revolve around, “let’s put Jack in an impossible situation and see how he gets out.” He had to use all of his badass improv skills to do it.

He’s like the MacGyver of counter-terrorism

Fatal Flaw: He is a bit violent. And people around him have a tendency to get killed.

Lesson: Look to what’s immediately at hand. – When the unexpected happens, there’s no point whining about what you wish you had, or what “should” have happened. Take a cue from Jack: what’s done is done. What can you do right now with the resources you have available to you right now to get you what you want?

The Professor

Gilligan’s Island

How come we never saw the Professor making the world’s best Pina Colada?

Was there anything this dude couldn’t make out of coconuts? I understand that the show was supposed to end with Professor crafting a Flux Capacitor out of coconuts, palm trees, and Ms. Howell’s jewelry that would take them all back in time before they got shipwrecked. But the show got canceled before they could do that. Oh well…

He’s like the MacGyver of coconuts.

Fatal Flaw: For some reason, he never even bothered to try to simply create a transmitter. Or a boat. Or patching to fix the old boat. Or a raft. Or a phone. Or anything that would have gotten them rescued.

Lesson: Remember the big picture – Improvising isn’t just about taking immediate action; it’s about taking the right immediate action. Before you start responding to a crisis, ask yourself, “is this the best way I can spend my time and energy to deal with this situation and get the result I want?”

i.e. Don’t get caught up making coconut explosive when you could build a boat.

Sydney Bristow

Alias

The first two seasons of Alias are as good as anything that has ever been on TV. Seriously. Go check it out.

Sydney was an ass-kicking quick-thinking super spy. Pretty much every episode during the first two seasons involved Sydney going on a mission, having something go wrong, and then having her have to improvise her way out of it. Sometimes that took the form of simple beating people up. Sometimes she got a little (or a lot) more creative, like leaping off a fifth floor balcony into a swimming pool or communicating in Morse code via blinking. Such is the life of a super double agent.

She also gets bonus points for the simple fact that many of her improvs involved her wearing skimpy clothing. I’m just saying…

She’s like the MacGyver of spies.

Fatal Flaw: Occasional Extremism Look, just ’cause you come up with a brilliant creative solution to a pressing problem doesn’t mean you have to implement it. The season finale of season 2 ends with Sydney waking up after a fight in Hong Kong, which is not where the fight was – that was in L.A., so this is a bit of a development. Turns out, this is two years after the fight – she has no memory of the past two years!

Great cliffhanger, stupid resolution. We find out that Sydney wiped her own mind because she discovered some “secret” and was afraid of that knowledge getting out. So of course, the logical thing to do is to completely wipe her memory of the last two years Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…

From an “in-story” stand-point, this was plain stupiditude. Did she not stop to think that, “hey, if I wipe two years of memories, won’t I, super spy and all around inquisitive gal devote my life to figuring out what happened?” Well she should’ve, ’cause that’s what she did. Again, I say the lesson here is just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.

Frankly, I think the writer’s introduced the memory loss angle with no idea of where they were going. When it started to go nowhere they introduced this stupid “I did it to myself” plot turn just to end it off. But I digress…

Lesson: Keep moving forward – What I loved about Alias was how things kept moving. As a character, Sydney was excellent at making progress, not just settling for activity. This is a lesson for us all – when Ding Happens it is imperative that we keep moving towards our goals, and not getting paralyzed and stuck in the mud.

Gregory House

House

Ok, this is a creepy picture. But he gets the job done, right?

Sure, House is a jerk and I am sure that the mysteries and solutions on the show are medically dubious at best. But for a fictional doctor, this guy is a master improviser. House could detect a rare cellular level disorder using nothing more than some duct tape and a pocket knife.

He’s like the MacGyver of doctors.

Fatal Flaw: He’s a jerk. And he’s always super confident, even when he’s wrong. If he was a real doc, he would most likely have been fired and jailed years ago for killing a patient due to a reckless procedure.

Lesson: Diagnostics can be creative too When we think about “using our creativity,” we usually try to think of creative things to do.

However, one of the best ways to use our creativity effectively is to use creative approaches to diagnose a problem. Don’t just ask the same questions over and over (especially if you are not getting any good answers). Mix it up, attack the problem from different angles, and throw out unique questions, even if they don’t seem to make sense. They will allow you to see and find solutions you never would have before.

Angus MacGyver

MacGyver

In junior high, MacGyver was hands down my favorite show. And for good reason. I had never even heard of improv comedy, but I was drawn to the master of the form...

How many other TV shows turned their title and main character name into multiple spin off words:

• MacGyverism noun – Anything cool MacGyver made or did. By extension, anything cool you do or make out of nothing. ex: “I fixed my car with duct tape, chewing gum, and a box of Good ‘N Plenties. It’s like one big MacGyverism”
• MacGyver verb – To fix or create something out of completely unrelated parts. To make do without. ex: “We had no wine opener so I MacGyvered the bottle using a candle and chef’s knife.”

Sure, the effectiveness of his experiments was exaggerated, and the writers always left one key ingredient out of the explosives (in some cases, it seemed like the ingredient they left was, “an explosive”) so people didn’t run around at home blowing themselves up, but boy, there was some crazy creative stuff.

MacGyver made it cool to be nerdy (at least, that’s what I told myself back in the day). And he never used guns (except once, in the pilot) and wasn’t much of a fighter. He was truly a “brains over brawn” kind of guy, and TV’s first and best master of improv.

He’s like the MacGyver of MacGyvers.

Fatal Flaw: He ran out of ideas. Technically, I think the writers ran out of ideas. In later seasons he stopped making cool chemical and mechanical stuff and would just do things like, “knock out the bad guy by turning on the dry cleaning rack.” Still a thinking man’s operative, but not nearly as fun.

Lesson: Expertise matter when it comes to improvising. MacGyver was able to do so much cool stuff because he was brilliant. In order to know that chocolate bars can seal a chemical leak, you have to know the chemical make up of chocolate, the chemical make up of the leaking liquid, and how those two things would react when combined. Many of MacGyver’s MacGyverisms cam from a deep of understanding of chemistry or mechanics.

In the same way, the more knowledgeable and experienced you are in your field, the easier time you will have improvising and rolling with the unexpected.

Did I leave off of any other Masters of Improvisation from TV? If so, please share yours in the comments!

For you non-viewers, let’s clear this up right now: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is awesome!! It is one of the best TV shows ever, and I am not ashamed to admit that I love it.

This new year’s day, I came across a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon, and since I was, um…shall we say, “a wee bit tired,” from new year’s eve, I ended up laying on my couch and watching a whole lot of Buffy that day.

One of the episodes ends with a character, Whistler, delivering this voiceover:

“Bottom line is, even if you see ‘em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are. You’ll see what I mean.”

Brilliant!

This quote essentially sums up the entire crux of my speaking message. Planning is important, but improvising is essential. Ding Happens! No matter how well you plan, the universe is going to throw you a curve ball. Our success in life is not dictated by how well we do when everything goes right, but how effectively we deal with things when they go wrong. And so on, and so on…

I love how in a few short sentences he lays out exactly how “Ding Happens!” works:

• Even if you see ‘em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments.
  So true. There’s a difference between knowing something is going to happen and being truly “ready.” It’s important to try to be ready for what you can, but it’s equally, if not more, important to be able to improvise with whatever happens.
• No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that.
  Change is inevitable. People who don’t improvise well are the ones who a) desperately hope things will never change and b) sit there whining instead of taking action when things do change.
• It’s what you do afterwards that counts.
  Absolutely! It’s not what happens to us, it’s how we respond to it that matters. This relates to the idea of focusing on what you can control and letting go of the rest. You can’t control of lot of life’s big moments, but you have 100% control over how you respond afterwards.
• That’s when you find out who you are.
  This is my favorite bit. The reason I love improv is because it deals with authenticity. When you react instantaneously you are revealing your true self. No editing, no time to craft a response; what comes out right away is who you are.

  As Wayne Dyer says, “When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out – because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside.” Or perhaps you prefer James Allen: “Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him.”

  I find this to be true. If you want to see what someone’s really all about, see how they respond when the Ding hits the fan. Anyone can be all smiley and nice when things are great. A person’s true dumbassery usually only reveals itself under pressure.

You may be sitting there thinking, “wow, this guy thinks way too much about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” You may be right. I did, after all, read a book of essays on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and philosophy…

But the lesson from this episode applies irrespective of whether you like Buffy or not. Let’s say that you happen to have no taste in TV shows at all and don’t like Buffy. You can still take away the idea that no matter what, the big moments are going to come, and how you respond afterward will determine your success while revealing who you are.

If you just remember that, you’ll be 5×5…

P.S. What’s with the name “Whistler” and vampires? Buffy has a character named Whistler. Blade’s buddy in the Blade movie and comic is named Whistler. It’s not that common a name to appear in two separate vampire universes. Is there something significant about “Whistler”? Maybe vampires hate the sound of whistling. If so, they must really hate Bridge Over the Rive Kwai.

P.P.S. This quote is from part one of season two of Buffy. I think the season two finale is the best one of the series. Others will argue that it’s the season five finale, but I find season two to be more powerful. I also thinks she makes a bigger sacrifice in season two. I won’t give away what she does in either in case you haven’t seen it (’cause I know after reading this you’re going to run out and watch the entire series), but for those who have seen it, you know what I’m talking ’bout…

Here is my “way out on a limb” prediction for 2010: Things will change, surprises will occur and a few things (if not many things) will not go as planned. Basically, Ding will happen.

Change is inevitable, and yet, even though we should be expecting it, it still often throws us for a mighty loop. But it doesn’t have to. Here are 6 tips you can use to deal with change quickly and effectively in 2010 (and beyond!)

1) Remember Your Big Picture

The first thing you should do when change happens, big or small, is to immediately refocus on what your goals are. By simply remembering what’s important, you can quickly adapt to the change by changing your tactics to still get you to where you want to go.

Children flip out when things go wrong. Intelligent adults adjust their approach and keep going. Based on the number of people I see flip out when the unexpected occurs, I can only deduce that there are few intelligent adults in the world. This is your chance to be one.

Don’t have a big picture? Well then you better go make one…

2) Make a Decision

Like Shelob, the giant spider monster guarding the pass into Mordor, change has the complete ability to paralyze you. Something throws you off your plan, so you stop doing anything and sit around wishing thing were better. Bad move.

People who deal with change well take action. And the first step to taking action is to simply decide and commit to what you will do.

3) Take Action

Of course, just deciding won’t get you anywhere. Making a decision is like noticing an attractive person looking at you from across the room: It’s an important first step, but if that’s all you do you can waste a lifetime just sitting around waiting for something good to happen.

Decisions need to be followed by action. It doesn’t have to be a giant action. Just say, “yes, and” and take a step forward.

4) Stop Whining

Ah, the whining. People do love to whine. And few things bring out the whining more than unexpected change. Unfortunately, whining does nothing to help you actually deal with the change. It just keeps you stuck. Oh, it also annoys the heck out of everyone around you.

Here’s a tip: if you catch yourself talking a lot about the change and hear yourself using the word “but” a lot (as in, “but this wasn’t supposed to happen!”) You’re whining. Take a step back, smack yourself in the face, and re-read this list.

5) Look Forward, Not Backward

The problem (or change) lies in your past. The solution lies in your future. Sure, you can study the past to find out what happened so you can make sure to not repeat errors, but if you really want to roll with the change then spend more time (a lot more time) focusing on how to make the future better.

6) Resolve to Improve the “Status Quo”

What’s funny is that when change happens, many people desperately seek to get things back to where they were “pre-change” as quickly as possible. This is stupid.

Change can suck, but it also serves as an oft-needed shake up. Rather than immediately trying to return to your pre-change status quo, use this opportunity to try to create a new situation that is even better than the old way.