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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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MY UNDERWEAR WON'T LET ME
Back in the 60s, there was a series of popular television commercials for an undergarment manufacturer. In the commercials various people were shown trying to accomplish such ordinary tasks as stepping up onto a public bus or reaching for an object on a high shelf. In each instance the person unable to complete the task would say, "I want to, but my underwear just won't let me." Of course the ads provided a simple solution to these problems. People just needed to purchase the company's less restrictive underwear. Simplistic or not, I liked those commercials so much that I have used their punch line in various situations throughout the last four decades. For example, when I couldn't quite reach a high note in a choral group, I would simply reply, "The basses want to sing that note, but our underwear just won't let us." Such shenanigans always gets a laugh, especially from those who are old enough to remember the commercials. Underneath the merriment, though, is a sad fact about our society. When we can't do something, we need an acceptable excuse or somewhere to place the blame. Think about it for a moment. Whether it is the child whose dog ate the homework or the CEO who didn't know what the accountants were doing, people always seem to be ready make up an excuse or to place the blame elsewhere. Most of us can come up with many examples of this from our own responses to various situations. We don't want to admit that we screwed up or were unable to get the job done, and we certainly don't want to suffer any consequences as a result. While the solution to such situations is rarely as simple as purchasing less restrictive undergarments, taking responsibility for finding a solution is almost always better than getting caught with your pants down.
© 2005 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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