Take a Plus Action
The next time you are faced with a “minus” situation,
take a “plus” action. Here’s how John Wilson did it when he
was dean of students at a college in the Midwest.
John was awakened in the middle of the night by a knock on
the door of his apartment, which was just off the lobby of
the men’s dormitory.
He opened the door, looked into the lobby and couldn’t
believe his eyes. There was his little Volkswagen! It had
been carried up a wide flight of stairs and placed right in
front his door.
Instead of waking up the dorm and finding the culprits, he
walked around the VW and laughed out loud. When the
pranksters saw his surprising behavior, they came out from
around the corner and said, “Hey! Can you believe we
actually did it!?”
John said, “This is amazing. I’ve got to see it for myself.
I’ll bet you can’t carry this thing back down those stairs.”
“Just watch us,” the bragged as they quickly lifted the car
and carried it back to its original location. And that was
the end of the prank.
If he had punished those students they would have tormented
him for the rest of the semester.
Right now, think of a bad situation – then think of the best
possible solution to your make-believe problem. If you stop
to think about it, there’s always a “plus” in the picture.
Neil Eskelin
www.neileskelin.com