Turbo Leadership Systems^™

"Bad habits are like a comfortable bed - easy to get into, but hard to get out of."

Shelley, supervisor for a restaurant chain in Yakima, Washington, told Session 2B of the Leadership Development Lab:

"About 15 years ago, I jumped out of bed around 3:30 a.m. This was about 2½ hours earlier than normal. I started my getting ready to go to work routine, how be it a little faster than usual.

"As I was getting ready for work, I went through my usual routine – showered, dressed quietly – I didn’t want to disturb my husband who was still sound asleep when I got up. I put my hair up, dabbed on a little makeup, and walked as quietly as possible out the front door of our home. I parked in the driveway the previous night. I never use the garage because we use the garage to store all of our many toys and variety of hobby gear. I decided to back in the night before because I knew it would be dark the next morning when I was leaving for work at a little past 4:00 a.m. When I got into my car, which, as I said, I am in the habit of parking in the driveway, I continued my usual routine – started the engine, buckled up, and put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. Needless to say, I heard a loud bang and crash as I backed into the garage door. I didn’t want to go into the house to wake anyone. I was in a hurry. The garage door was still standing, so I just drove on to work. When I arrived at work, as I walked in the door to my office, the phone was ringing. It was my husband. In spite of all my preparation and efforts not to disturb him, he was wide awake!!

"The lesson I learned from this experience is that I am a creature of habit. I get ready for work the same exact way, in the same order every day, and although it is good to have routines, it can cause me to not pay attention to my surroundings when I do venture out of my comfort zone.

"The action I call you to take is to wake up, get out of your comfort zone and have new enlivening, stimulating experiences. The benefit you will gain is your life will have a fresh edge. You will be alive and alert. You will move forward, not backward, in every area of your life. You will even wake up those around you to live fuller, richer, more productive lives."

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