By Paul Ulasien, Training | President and Senior Partner, Business Training Consultants Several years ago, I was volunteering at a community kitchen for the homeless. One evening, I noticed a frail elderly gentleman sitting at a table in the back of the room. We were in the process of cleaning up and, as I went from table to table folding and stacking the chairs, I looked over at this gentleman, and each time he would give me a wave and a big smile. When I finally reached his table, I asked him if there was anything that I could do for him. He just smiled once more and said: “I would just like to have somebody to talk to. Would you mind?” To this day, I cannot recall his name. But I do remember, he was 85 years young, not homeless, just looking for someone to talk to because he was alone and possessed the most positive reflections on his life of any person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I sat and talked with him, and I was mesmerized by the stories of his adventures, his joys and his losses. What a great hour that was, but the lights began to dim and it was time to lock the doors. As we walked toward the door, he asked me if I would like to know the secret to his life fulfilled. “Absolutely,” I answered, to which he replied: “Make sure that your memories are not spent regretting the things that you didn’t do, but rejoicing about the things that you did do. Carpe diem. Seize the day, my friend.” It Takes Effort In each day, there are many opportunities all around you – both in your personal and professional life. However, they will more than likely not be knocking on your door. You must put forth the effort to seize them. Whether consciously or subconsciously, our surrounding environment is changing constantly. In order for us to adapt, we always must learn from those changes, take what we have learned and apply it accordingly. Learning is also imperative to succeeding. That is how new discoveries in science and medicine are made. All of the ambivalence in today’s society should be evidence enough of that. People are too quick to defer to others instead of learning for themselves. When deference gets into the way, our will to learn enters into a state of intellectual atrophy and we will start to regret what we didn’t do. Conversely, the quest for continual improvement puts us on the path to succeed in what we do and positions us to rejoice about what we did do. You must be willing to seize the opportunity, however. Each opportunity that you seize will lead to a new discovery, and each new discovery will lead to a new opportunity. It’s Your Decision Opportunities to learn and grow are everywhere. It is the willingness to recognize and seize the available opportunities that sets the benchmark of rejoicing over regretting. Consider educational opportunities. They begin at an early age, starting with kindergarten. Each progression to the next grade is another opportunity to learn and grow, based on a will and choice to proceed, or to not. There is no law that mandates a high school diploma or college degree. Those who seize opportunities in learning are positioning themselves to enjoy a life fulfilled, and those who do not may spiral into regret. Superiority or Advantage What opportunities are there to seize at the place you work? Surprisingly, organizations are full of opportunities. That is because they realize productivity is reliant on the continual learning of its workforce. If you’re unsure where to start looking for your opportunities, perhaps buried within the volumes of company rules, procedures and guidelines you also will find opportunities. Training classes, certification programs, tuition reimbursements for continuing education and BOTH BENEFITS and opportunities are a matter of choice. the like are explicit benefits that companies make available to their employees. The problem is: too many employees are not viewing such things as opportunities, but merely benefits. Why? Because benefits are generally considered to be choices that employees can make to promote or enhance their well-being and not as a means of superiority or an advantage. Categorically lumping opportunities with benefits may be out of expedience or convenience for a company, as both can be considered workforce investments. It also can be attributed to the fact that benefits and opportunities are matters of choice that are left for an individual to make. A person’s well-being is served by the benefit and the advantage is served by the opportunity. It all comes down to the choices that you make. No one is twisting your arm to take advantage of a program to go “back to school” for a degree or a certification. It is your decision to seize or reject opportunities to personal fulfillment. Paul Ulasien is president and senior partner of Business Training Consultants (www.biztrainingconsult. com). The company provides innovative and effective training strategies based on Social Learning Theory that strives to stimulate individual learning retention and then share what has been learned to individuals throughout the social fabric of the organization. Ulasien has more than 30 years of experience in training consulting and education. He serves on the Advisory Panel of Faulkner Information Services, a provider of IT and communications information services; has been an Adjunct Professor of Graduate Business Studies; and holds dual Masters Degrees in Business Administration and Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Carpe Diem Seize the day, the moment, the opportunity. Opportunities to learn and grow often can be found buried within the volumes of company rules, procedures and guidelines. Unfortunately, employees don’t typically view these as opportunities, but merely benefits. Photo from iStock VehicleServicePros.com ❚ APRIL 2016 ❚ FLEET MAINTENANCE 31
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