From Good to GREAT

My husband Todd read the book "From Good to GREAT" and knowing I probably wouldn't get around to reading it soon...gave me his summary by saying, "The main thing this author said was that the companies who are great have DISTINCTIONS"
What that means is that they have authentically LOOKED and DISTINGUISHED what works, what doesn't work, and what's missing the presence of which would make a difference.
They don't keep operating and doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results...they know Why they are doing something, Where something went wrong or What is missing that could be put in, that would alter the future. And When they are going to do that by.
All those things are clear, DISTINCT.

I can see in my life, in areas with my company, family, my kids, that are Good, and I would like them to be GREAT...that in those areas I am simply Not Aware of what is missing that would make a difference. Not that anything is wrong...just missing...
Recently I created with my coach that I would be SILLY all day. For no reason but that it was missing in my life. I will follow up with her the next day how it went...I have a by When. I am confronted by that, but it's my life I am creating!

My days with the kids are beautiful, my time to work is fullfilling, my relationship with my husband is nourishing, and yet silly might be just that little something extra to give my life an omph!
So I declare it to my children while we are driving to school, "Today Mommy is creating having a SILLY day! And I am going to find silly things everywhere! Like that car in front of us! It looks like a big red squashed tomato butt! That's silly!"
My children and I begin to giggle and talk about butts.
We revisit running family jokes " What's butt plus butt? TRASHCAN!"

We are alive with laughter, funny faces and they are finding silly things to point to all around us. I give them silly raspberry kisses at drop off and ask them what kind of days they are creating. They create their own kind of days, FUN, WACKY....and I take delight in their own creations.
I go about my errands with my 16 mnth old toddler and suddenly see where I am NOT being silly...getting groceries, making calls, getting gas...I am just on automatic doing doing doing. It takes every ounce of being present to see that, to break it up by making funny faces through the window at my son. When I do, I wonder what my life would be like if silly was an automatic way of being for me..what would that be like?

I go home, work,email, again in doing mode, and then look again for how I can insert being silly. Like little girl silly..hmmm pigtails! I put pigtails in my hair, give up that I look silly to the other moms, and greet my son Bodee at preschool for pick up with a silly smile and shake my pigtails. He loves my hair in pigtails (which has only been an at-home hairdo once before by his request), he says I look like a bug(with antennas)and laughs and I hug him, picking him up and twirling him in the air ...his head falls back, his curls bounce and his laughter fills me so full I could cry.
This silly day is GREAT.

Zen Honeycutt
www.zenspurplegarden.com