Thank Goodness It's Monday #441

“TIME FLIES LIKE AN ARROW …”

This penultimate day of 2013, it sure seems as if “Time flies like an arrow.” 

The one, the only Groucho (Marx) made the observation that I’ve repurposed as a perhaps painfully appropriate day-before-New Year’s Eve TGIM headline.

And, being Groucho, after a pause he added:

“… Fruit flies like a banana.”

 

I’ve always liked that quip. I particularly like the wordplay. It catches you off guard.

·         The first line sets a contemplative tone then, just when you figure the funny guy’s about to wax philosophic –

·         It flips the whole thing on its head and gives you a split-second “What???” moment until you process the changed-up meaning of the words.

·         And then it makes you (or at least me) smile.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: I like to repeat it and close with it after saying a few perhaps serious, heartfelt words at someone’s birthday or anniversary celebration or such. 

TGIM END-OF-2013 ACTION IDEA: And I think it’s a useful wrap up when it comes to year-end reminiscences.

How about you? Will you be among the midnight revelers tomorrow evening who mark the passage to 2014 with a raised glass, a rendition of Auld Lang Synge, an affectionate hug and possibly kiss, and perhaps a few appropriate words?

What will you be thinking?

What will you say?

Here are some additional seasonably suitable quotable quotes – a few thoughtfully witty in the spirit of Groucho’s -- that might prove useful as idea starters or for “borrowing” as your big finish tomorrow evening:

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in.

A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

Folksy columnist Bill Vaughan (1915-1977) came to that conclusion.

“New Year's Day - Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”

The ever-quotable Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain (1835-1910) added his cynical twist to resolution setting.

“Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account."

Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) quipped that.

“I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's.”

Sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986) shaped that not-so-abstract idea.

 “I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.

Diarist and free spirit Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) shared that personal truth, similar to Henry Moore’s.

 

“But can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty-year-old habits.”

Nobel Prize winner Andre Gide (1869-1951) set forth this query and observation.

“New Year's Day is every man's birthday.”

English critic, poet and essayist, Charles Lamb (1775-1834) gave this reason to celebrate the passage of the old year.

“It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets.”

Former pro football player William Thomas is supposed to have made that glum seasonal observation.

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and columnist Ellen Goodman suggested this.

"Time has no divisions to mark its passage; there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols."

Nobel laureate Thomas Mann (1875-1955) noted this phenomenon. 

“New Year's Eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.”

Collector and re-teller of children’s stories and fairy tales, Hamilton Wright Mabie, (1846–1916) said this.

 “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

Journalist and appreciative author about the outdoors, Hal Borland (1900-1978) said that. 

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

That’s courtesy of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, (1809–1892) in 1850.

“The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows.”

Speaking of snow at about the same time as Tennyson, social reformer, author and editor, George William Curtis (1824-1892) held this view.

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”

Poet and pacifist Edith Lovejoy Pierce (1904-1983) added that thought to one of her blank pages.

“Be at War with your Vices,

at Peace with your Neighbours,

and let every New-Year find you a better Man.”

This was the counsel in Benjamin Franklin's December 1755 Poor Richard's Almanac.

For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

Poet T.S. Eliot, (1888-1965) made that clear in "Little Gidding,” the fourth and final poem of his Four Quartets.

Wishing you a peaceful finish to 2013 and thoughtful beginning to 2014.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S.  As I noted here last year about this time (TGIM#389) on New Year’s Eve I’m not so much a fan of Auld Lang Syne as I am of the Pete Seeger’s music and 1959 adaptation of the words from Ecclesiastes.

Here’s one version of the lyrics.

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON

(TURN, TURN, TURN)

Chorus:

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time for every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep.

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones

A time to gather stones together.

A time of war, a time of peace

A time of love, a time of hate

A time you may embrace

A time to refrain from embracing.

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend, a time to sew

A time of love, a time of hate

A time of peace

 

… I swear it's not too late.

 

And one of my favorite versions of Pete singing, HERE.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #440

GIFT ENCLOSED!

OPEN TODAY!

DO NOT SAVE UNTIL CHRISTMAS

 

Have you seen the Christmastime social-media-distributed “prank” I’m about to describe?

Upon scanning their boarding passes at a special kiosk at the gate, airline travelers are interrogated by a live-but-video-connected blue-suited Santa who smooth talks them into naming a “gift” they would like for themselves for the holiday.

We see some highlights of these conversations and --

 

►   The adult answers run the gamut from “socks and underwear” to the seemingly outrageous giant flat screen TV.

►   The kid answers are, well, typical kid answers, sometimes given with a charming reluctance.

 

Then the video production cuts to great dashing around while, unbeknownst to the high-flying travelers, the gift wishes of the plane full of passengers are acquired by the airline …cheerily wrapped  … ultimately delivered at the flights destination via luggage carousel … to the surprise and delight of the travelers (especially the guy who wanted the flat screen).

 

Bah! Humbug! While the comments of many viewers suggest they find this scenario delightful and full of seasonal brio, the whole thing –

Really ticks me off. At many levels.

To catalog just a few:

·         It’s a commercial, dammit, not much more and intended as such.

·         And I find the whole idea crass.

·         Imagine the cost.

·         Why such generosity for presumably more-affluent-than-many airline travelers?

·         Imagine how, if the airline wanted to endorse the gift-giving spirit of Christmas, that expense might have been more charitably dispersed.

·         And why didn’t we see the Christmas wishes of those who asked for world peace, or for a cure for little Jimmy’s cancer, or to be reunited with absent loved ones, or … 

I think you get the idea.

 

I DO NOT “Like.” While I probably do like a substantive, tangible, material holiday gift as much as the next person, you can’t win my admiration and respect with that kind of twisted representation of holiday goodwill. 

So why this rant, under the guise of a headline about gift giving?

 

Years ago Eric Taylor and I started a business conversation that has evolved into a friendship and more-than-a-few frank discussions of better ways to set and accomplish one’s goals, manage time, interact with others – generally how to live in a fulfilling and meaningful way.

It’s a continuing and evolving conversation. We respectfully sort through positions and points of contention … try to convince and influence one another … keep an open mind … accommodate new input … agree to disagree about some strongly held but not objectionable positions.

And while we are two distinct and different people, there are a number of positions we hold steadfastly in common, one which we find is most easily conveyed at this time of year, using the language of the season:

 

It Is A Season For Giving

 

But unlike the tangible, material, commercial “gifts” featured in the makes-me-angry airline-commercial-in-the-guise-of-holiday-cheer, we agree that one of the best gifts any one can give at this or any time of the year is –

The Gift Of Yourself

 Your love.

Your time.

Your thoughtful involvement.

 

A number of years ago when we shared a holiday message about this gift that keeps on giving Eric pointed out that –

 

This enlightened and enlightening present is –

 

        … something that everyone wants

        … one size fits all

        … requires no last minute shopping or trips to the mall

        ...  is essentially free, and

        … no wrapping is required.

It’s that simple. This “gift” is what those you care most about really want.

TGIM Takeaway: And, when you ponder and understand the fullness of the concept, you’ll know that it’s the only gift of lasting value that you alone can give.

 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: ‘Tis the season. Give the enlightened and enlightening gift of yourself, your love and your time and your involvement, unconditionally, now and throughout the New Year. You’ll soon realize this cost-free present will yield an abundance of riches for the giver and the receiver far greater than you could ever imagine.

One last cool thing about this gift:

 

It’s a gift that’s sure to be “returned” to you in so many ways.

What more could a giver ask for?

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S.  Just in case you considered giving us a gift this holiday season … here’s –

HOW TO DO IT:

Re-gift this message.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #439

SEASONS GREETINGS,

HAPPY HOLIDAY

-- AND, PLEASE: LIGHTEN UP

Does that sound– Bah! Humbug! – unseasonably vague and cranky?

TGIM Guy with the Big Guy
 circa 1949
Hey! He knows if you've
been bad or good.
You'd be apprehensive, too.

Perhaps it is.
So let me clear the air by saying upfront --


I’m a Christmas celebrator. Have been for as long as I can remember and expect to continue keeping the season and many of its traditions, especially the English/German ones that are part of my family history.

 

But I also try to “observe” and appreciate and enjoy experiences beyond my roots.

And I’m also more than a bit weary with the increasingly escalating broadcast, print and social media “fuss” over forcing the most doctrinal parts of Christmas front and center in the tangible, material world, especially to the exclusion of others.

In this day and age I can’t help but wonder at the failure to recognize the connectedness of all the belief systems that find reasons to celebrate at this time of the year. 

And I’m pretty confident that, in the best interpretations of those sacred observances, even the most orthodox adherent could find at least one secular, non-dogmatic connection that binds us in celebration to this –

Universal Truth: ‘Tis the season, in the northern hemisphere, of the Winter Solstice.



Actually ... it's NOT
precisely Christmas.
This frequently shared
social media image
from recent days
underlies a bit
of my adamant tone.

It’s science, folks (not just Stonehenge mumbo jumbo). This year December 21 will be the day with the least hours of daylight and, therefore, the longest stretch of night.

Historically solstice celebrations have influenced the lives of many over the centuries, through art, literature, mythology and religion. So, whether you officially “celebrate” or not, you probably will (or recently have) observed the Winter Solstice in some way.

If you care to, you can find doctrine-neutral recaps at sites such as ReligiousTolerance.org/ or Beliefnet.com. There, and elsewhere, you can learn more about the wide range of solstice-related observances across time and cultures both extinct and extant around the globe.

 

Wikipedia lists 40+ that range from contemporary observances at science stations in Antarctica to references in Western Hemisphere cultures that date back to 1800 BCE and further back to Neolithic and Bronze Age practices in Europe.

So, for 12,000 years and maybe longer, the return of the sun and the lengthening days, represent –

The return of hope. Perhaps prehistoric man feared that the sun would keep on sinking until it went away forever.

I'm sure they knew it wouldn't. They were as intelligent as we. (They just didn't know as much.) But it’s only human to fear the darkness. When the sun came back, fear receded and hope returned.

In our bit of the globe the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of brighter days after the Winter Solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing.

At this time of the Winter Solstice we all – without confronting the conflicting tenets of particular spiritual or secular beliefs -- can trace the evolution of our seasonal celebrations to origins in ancient nature rituals. We can acknowledge the primeval link to today’s widely practiced religions, monotheistic and otherwise.

And in this 21^st Century we can use all the tech and gathered wisdom and best thinking at our disposal to come to one inevitable –

TGIM TAKEAWAY: It’s still about the light.

►   Beacons of hope.

►   Moments of illumination.

►   Glimmers of insight.

►   The promise of brighter tomorrows.

Miracles of light and enlightenment. Whatever your traditions hold dear and celebrate and commemorate at this time of the year, we are all very much one in spirit.

It IS a very small and very interconnected world after all. Daily it becomes closer still.

 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Lighten up and be enlightened. Know what you believe and why. Your core beliefs need to be your own, arrived at freely. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Like exploring the history of solstice celebrations, look for evidence yourself. Dig down. Get back to the source as you gather facts. Make your decisions based on your informed research and insight. Decide what works for you and use it.

Lighten up. You don’t even have to wait for an “official” holiday to begin.

We wish you an Enlightened Solstice … (belated) Happy Hanukkah … Merry Christmas … Joyous Kwanzaa … 

“Peace toward men of good will.” 

Happy holidays, one and all.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S.  Deep peace of the winter solstice to you.

        Deep peace of the falling snow to you.

        Deep peace of the love of friends to you.

        Deep peace of the gentle deer to you.

        Deep peace of the moon and stars to you.

 

       Deep peace of the running wave to you.

       Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

       Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

       Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

       Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

 

       Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

       Deep peace to you.

       Deep peace to you.

              -- source(s) unknown

Thank Goodness It's Monday #438

UNTANGLING THE “NOTS”

THAT KEEP US FROM OUR GOALS

 

It’s that time of the year – again. Seems every December we remember to dig out our “resolutions” made nearly 12 months ago and evaluate our success. 

 

Ooops. Got some shortfalls there?

Me, too. But that’s doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the year is the end of the world. 

• If you’ve been able to check off a significant portion of your 2013 list, kudos.
• If, however, it appears you can create your 2014 goals/resolutions list simply by changing the date atop 2013’s, we need to talk further.

All too often we erect mental barriers that weaken our goals and turn them into mere wishes. Or we make wishes, but never begin the deliberate process that transforms these ethereal dreams into reality.

 

The biggest mental barriers take the form of “nots” – negative attitudes that keep us from even trying.

Here are some of the toughest “nots” and some effective ways to slice right through them, starting with the biggest:

Not Enough Time

Suppose your company’s expanding its business in Germany and having a full blown command of German would be a great boon for you.  When you consider a goal like this, is your first thought, “I have no time to master another language”?  Or maybe you phrase it as a frantic, “I already have too much to do!”

Not having enough time is a universal complaint, especially if you’re juggling the trifecta of job, community and family responsibilities.

So what’s the goal-achieving solution to this “not”?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Make time. 

This isn’t meant to be flippant. Sure, achieving a worthwhile goal takes time. But so does BS-ing … grousing about the difficult client, unreasonable boss or cantankerous coworker … churning through social media … playing Candy Crunch.  At home nothing takes as much time as watching TV.

Even if none of these apply to you, you can probably think of your own private time wasters. Any one of them is stealing time you need to work on significant goals instead, nicht wahr?

You’re not wasting a second, you say? Then maybe you do have too much to do. In that case –

Delegate.  Surely not every one of your time-consuming tasks is as important as certain big-deal goals you’d like to achieve. Delegate the less important jobs. Do it at the office. Do it at home. Do it in your community, verstehen Sie?

Another way to find time for your big, significant goal is to make it the first priority of every day – not let it bump along until you can squeeze it in. Treat goals like afterthoughts and they’ll remain inconsequential.

 

Not The Right Goal 

Sometimes we direct our efforts in the wrong direction.

• If you want to be the head of your own operation next year, starting from your current position as one of many in the sales force, your goal is probably too big.
• If you’re spending hours and hours fretting over and re-designing your new business card, your “goal” is probably too small.

And if you’re not sure whether your goals are too big or too small –

Check this: Do you change goals frequently before completing them? Then they may not be the right goals at all.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: The way to untangle this “not” is with a deliberate thought.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION #1: Reflect on past goals to discover why you abandon them. What happened that made you switch goals?

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION #2: Now choose your next goal carefully. Is it significant? Doable? Can you accomplish it within a set period of time? Does it make sense in terms of your current responsibilities? Then press on.

Not Enough Courage

What often prevents many of us from even attempting to meet our goals is plain old fear.

Of course we seldom come out and say aloud, “I’m too afraid to try this.” 

 

Instead we say, “I’m too old,” “I’m too young,” “I don’t have enough education,” “I’m comfortable with how things are now.”

No doubt it’s true: There ARE many things to be afraid of. “What if I fail?” “What if I succeed?” “Won’t things be different after I try?” Fair considerations all.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Acknowledging fear is often the best first step in overcoming it. It also helps to realize that most other people have the same fears too – even those who go on to succeed.

So clearly, just having the fear doesn’t mean failure –

But not doing anything does. 

So, in addition to courageously acknowledging your fear factor, another way to work through the “notty” situation is to construct a worst-case scenario – 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Ask and objectively answer the question: “What’s the worst that thing that could happen if I try?”

Case in point: Suppose you’re convinced the company would benefit by having a Chief Technology Officer (a post you believe you’re qualified to fill). Imagine then you pitch the idea to the top brass and your idea’s turned down flat or, after due consideration, someone new is brought in to fill the position. 

Now what? You still have your job. Plus your reasonable, even profitable, suggestion shows you’re company-minded and ambitious. Pretty good accomplishments for “failure.”

Not Enough Willpower 

“I know all about goals,” you may say. “There was a time I started to create a whole new system for the company. And the time I started to teach myself C++.  And the time I started the MBA course so I can better handle executive level responsibilities. I just never finish anything.”

That certainly resonates.  Good intentions often crumble when you’re faced with the actual work. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy or not capable. You simply need a few concrete tools to help see a job through from start to finish.

These tools are useful for everyone—no matter what your specific goal-completion problem.

1. Set realistic deadlines.  Set a deadline for the goal itself. Also set deadlines to mark each step or series of steps. Meeting these interim deadlines provides you with tangible proof of your progress. They’re also good points to reward yourself for ongoing work.

2. Tell your mentor about your goal. If you don’t have a mentor, tell a friend or trusted co-worker. You’ll be less likely to “let yourself off the hook” if someone is watching what you do. Just be certain you don’t tell someone who will blab to everyone or in some way disparage your efforts.

3. Use a written plan.  It’s been said ad nauseam that the key difference between a wish and a goal is that a goal is written down. A goal somehow becomes more serious when it’s in writing and reflects a deeper commitment on your part. A written plan will also help you break the goal down into its separate, more easily achievable steps.

4. Visualize success. Imagination can help you succeed.  Studies of athletes show that visualizing playing and winning a game can increase performance as much as actual practice. Imagine, in detail, the job complete, the project in full running order. Imagine enjoying the results – as well as all the recognition and respect you’ll get.

Which “not” has you tangled up?  Use the above strategies to start working on your 2014 goals today.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

 

P.S. “Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem – in my opinion – to characterize our age. If we desire sincerely and passionately the safety, the welfare, and the free development of the talents of all men, we shall not be in want to the means to approach such a state. Even if only a small part of mankind strives for such goals, their superiority will prove itself in the long run.” The brilliant goal-achiever Albert Einstein (1879-1955) shared that thought on the moral obligation of a scientist with his peers in 1941.

Thinking of Nelson Mandela

  

Thinking of Nelson Mandela

 

Since 1997, the South African national anthem has been a hybrid song, combining extracts of the hymn Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and the former anthem Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (The Call of South Africa) together with new lyrics in English. In total, the anthem uses five of South Africa's eleven official languages (Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English).

Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa, South Afrika — South Afrika.

Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land

Understand its roots and the wonder of the accomplishments of the man and the transition he created for his country --

With this excerpt from the closing "credits" for the 1987 film Cry Freedom: HERE

And, also from 1987, Paul Simon's controversial-at-the-time concert appearance in Zimbabwe: HERE

Consider the man. Cherish the memory.







 

Thank Goodness It's Monday #437

THE LESSON OF THE LEFTOVERS

I apologize in advance if the thought of even more post-Thanksgiving turkey makes you groan.

Still, I hope you’ll read on because –

 

1. No matter how abundant your second-, third-, or even fourth-day surplus was, it’s miniscule compared to the “leftover” challenge Gerry Thomas successfully overcame.

And --

2. Although he died in 2005 at the age of 83, it’s particularly appropriate to revisit his claim to culinary fame on this Monday after a l-o-n-g weekend of coping with Thanksgiving leftovers since it supplies us with a seasonal TGIM TURKEY TAKEAWAY or two.

Here’s the story: During World War II, Thomas was a U.S. Army intelligence officer and was awarded the Bronze Star for his work in breaking Japanese codes. After the war he went to work as a salesman for C.A. Swanson & Sons.

 

In 1953, the company overbought turkey for Thanksgiving.

You think you had leftovers? Swanson had 260 tons of “left-over” turkey.

 

What to do? They had no room to store the excess, so they loaded the half a million+ pounds of poultry into ten refrigerated train cars that had to keep moving continuously so the electricity/refrigeration would stay on.

Clearly, this wasn’t the most efficient solution.

So, as Gourmet magazine reports it, the Swanson brothers challenged their employees to come up with an alternate use for the meat.

Although there is some dispute about the depth of his contribution, for years Gerry Thomas maintained he came up with –

The solution:

Package it as frozen dinners
 with side dishes
in aluminum trays.

Talkin’ turkey: Thomas said he designed the company's famous three-compartment aluminum tray (the dessert didn’t appear until 1960) after seeing a similar tray used by Pan Am Airways.

He also –

... said he coined the name "TV Dinner"

… brainstormed the idea of having the packaging resemble a 50’s-era TV set

and

… contributed the recipe for the cornbread stuffing.

In 1954 it was an immediate success: Swanson sold 10 million of the dinners -- at 98 cents each -- in part because they took "only" half an hour to heat up.

The company quickly expanded the line to other meals, which some say Thomas tested on his own family. In the late 1960s he reputedly helped adapt the meal to a new kitchen appliance -- the microwave oven -- which cut prep time to about 5 minutes.

Now, according to the American Frozen Food Institute, the average American eats 72 frozen meals a year and frozen foods are a $60 billion industry.

The Library of Congress says the history of the TV Dinner is murky, but notes that frozen dinners existed several years before Swanson made the idea famous. Pinnacle Foods, which currently owns Swanson, still credits Thomas with proposing the TV Dinner concept.

In an interview with the Associated Press news agency Thomas recalled, “I think the name made all the difference in the world … It’s a pleasure being identified as the person who did this because it changed the way people live.”

Changed the way people lived? 

If you’re not old enough to recall, that’s actually pretty accurate. 

Due to Swanson’s brand notoriety, expansive advertising campaign, and catchy concept, the idea and availability of TV Dinner s altered the way people approached frozen food.
 

And that rippled out to have wider societal repercussions. 

The original “Mother’s little helper.” Even before the Rolling Stones popularized the phrase (and in a far different context) the TV Dinner was deemed “The Great Liberator” arguably giving women (who were predominantly the family cooks) more free time to pursue jobs and other activities while still providing a hot meal for their families.

TGIM TURKEY TAKEAWAY: Gerry Thomas was and is a great example of the EHFTB-FTWMIH credo I espouse -- “Everything Happens For The Best—For Those Who Make It Happen.”

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Confronted with a challenge, he drew on skills he had developed and observations he had made and applied them to the situation at hand. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: With a marketer’s “find-a-need-and-fill-it” mindset, he took apparently disparate information he had absorbed (perhaps even unconsciously) in his routine – air travel, kitchen skills (see the P.S.), awareness of trends in popular culture and emerging social developments – and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 

Then he brought the elements together and applied the –

Useful Rule of a Successful Product or Service:

Be first, best or different.

Can you do the same?

 

Of course you can. The EHFTB-FTWMIH concept argues simply that you must take action for anything to turn out “For The Best.” You must be ever alert for opportunities to triumph in the face of adversity.

It’s not easy. You can’t be a passive bystander. You must be always preparing for the future. And, when challenges arise, you must rally that preparation and confront them. It isn’t enough to want the best. Continually challenge yourself to know what you’re going to do to get to where you want to be. Effort makes achievement.

Talkin’ Turkey—and makin’ the effort to make it happen.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. Historical sidebar: Gerry Thomas abstained from the quickie frozen meals. According to the BBC, Thomas’ wife admitted that he was a gourmet cook (lucky for her) who never ate the dinners.

 

Thomas later said he was uncomfortable with being called the "father" of the TV Dinner, because he felt he just built upon existing ideas. In 1999 he also observed, “If it were today, we'd probably call it the 'digital dinner'."