Cross Post: Just a Little Patience

Posted on 2012/10/302012/11/01 by Jason Hensel

If you didn’t know already, I also write for the Dallas Comedy House’s blog, The DCH Rimshot! Yesterday, I wrote something that, while it directed at improvisers, it can be applied to any one who feels like he or she has never been given a fair shot.

Here’s what I wrote:

The other day I was checking out the ol’ Tumblr and came across a post via Improv is Easy citing The Broken Record. The post was about famed improv instructor Mick Napier and a two-word phrase he uses to remind people that improv “is the least important thing we’ll ever do in our lives and that even the name ‘longform’ is imbued with undue importance that impedes our ability to be free and just play.”

The post’s author goes on to write that Napier’s two-word motto will be her two-word motto going forward. After reading it, I believe I’ll make it my motto as well. And you may want to consider it, also.

The part of her post that really hit home was this declaration: “I won’t compare myself to my peers and feel jealous or envious when good things happen to other talented people. I will be patient in my own progress.”

I’ve been involved with DCH for almost three years, and being patient with my progress is something I’ve struggled with. I’m sure many of you have, too. You may see your friends being asked to be part of troupes. You may see others creating cool videos. And you may be wondering why it isn’t “happening” for you.

But you see, everyone’s educational path is different. Some improvisers get it right from the start, while some need more time to grow. The one deciding factor for success, I promise you, is consistent commitment. If you’re serious about the art form and you want to succeed (your definition of success is your own), then don’t worry so much about how well others are doing. Yes, please support them and sincerely congratulate them–we’re all a family here–but stop comparing yourself so much to others. Work on yourself at the pace that is natural for you and your strengths will be noticed.

It’s not a competition at DCH. It’s a group effort toward success. And I know it may sound backwards to say this, but sometimes the best thing you can do for a group is to work on yourself first. You have to be good to help the group be good, and the group can only be as good as the individual members.

I think we can all use a motto that reminds us to just let it go, that some things in life aren’t worth worrying over. That’s something that has taken me many years to understand, and I’m finally getting it.

What’s your life’s motto?

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Are Your Meetings Making People Dumb?

Posted on 2012/10/142012/10/17 by Jason Hensel

A person’s decision-making performance indoors can be negatively affected by moderately high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂), according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

“The primary source of indoor CO₂ is humans,” wrote Julie Chao for the Berkeley Lab News Center. “While typical outdoor concentrations are around 380 ppm, indoor concentrations can go up to several thousand ppm. Higher indoor CO₂ concentrations relative to outdoors are due to low rates of ventilation, which are often driven by the need to reduce energy consumption. In the real world, CO₂concentrations in office buildings normally don’t exceed 1,000 ppm, except in meeting rooms, when groups of people gather for extended periods of time.”

Meetings, eh? I can already imagine the sensational headline I will write and use: “Are your meetings making people dumb?”

The researchers suggest that it’s too early, though, to make recommendations, as more tests have to be done, especially on a larger scale.

“Assuming it’s replicated, it has implications for the standards we set for minimum ventilation rates for buildings,” said Berkeley Lab scientist William Fisk, a co-author of the study, as reported by Chao. “People who are employers who want to get the most of their workforce would want to pay attention to this.”

Until then, let’s just have meetings outside when possible. Sound good?

(Image via Flickr: Patrick Lauke / Creative Commons)

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Review: The Chairs are Where the People Go

Posted on 2011/10/192011/10/20 by Jason Hensel

I work in the meeting and event industry. And one of the things that attracts me most to this field is group dynamics and learning. I love figuring out why people get together to exchange ideas, what ways best foster interaction, and how all of this can make us better humans.

Misha Glouberman loves it, too.

Glouberman, a Toronto-based event planner and facilitator, is also a thinker, a ponderer. His book, The Chairs are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City, is an exploration of his opinions on a variety of topics. Primarily, though, they focus on interactions and how best to nurture them.

The book is co-written with his friend, Sheila Heti, who originally set out to write a fiction book based on Glouberman. She didn’t get too far into it, because she realized that a fictionalized Misha is no match for the real deal. She decided she would ask him his thoughts about several topics and transcribe verbatim (some of you grammarians may squirm a bit).

Examples of these mini-essays include: “Conferences Should be an Exhilarating Experience,” “Don’t Pretend There’s No Leader,” and “Sitting Down and Listening as a Role.” Each topic analysis is strictly Glouberman’s opinion. This isn’t balanced, journalistic reporting. And that’s what makes this book enjoyable and interesting.

For, you see, Misha Glouberman is a modern-day Montaigne. His thoughts are never settled. He leaves himself room to let alternatives enter into view. And that’s the book’s main theme: Think of others. Learn from them. Entertain other viewpoints.

“It’s easy to underestimate the fact that other people have had similar problems to yours and that you can learn from their experiences–and learn from people who’ve spent lots of time thinking about certain problems,” he tells Heti in the chapter titled, “A Decision is a Thing You Make.”

Glouberman’s thinking about certain problems will cause you to think, as well. And for me, that’s the sign of a great book.

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Changing the World Through Yourself

Posted on 2011/09/222011/09/27 by Jason Hensel

I was originally going to write about a recent survey result showing that women use social networking more than men. In my research on the story, though, I came across another study that I found more interesting.

According to a Walden University and Harris Interactive survey, “more than nine in 10 (92 percent) Americans have taken action to engage in positive social change in the past year and that more than three-fourths (77 percent) say it is important to them personally to be involved in social change.”

The Social Change Impact Report’s “results show that Americans have a strong belief in their own power to effect change with nearly nine in 10 adults (85 percent) agreeing that they can make the world a better place by their actions. Fifty-two percent say they are most likely to personally get involved in social change in the future as individuals acting on their own or in informal groups.”

The 2,148 U.S. adults surveyed believe that the top social change issues are education, health, and poverty. They also believe that technology enhances social change by making it easier to follow news and increasing awareness. Finally, they feel that the best way to impact change is to begin at the local level.

This survey interested me because lately I’ve been trying to impact change in various aspects of my life, some successfully, some not so successfully. Really, the ultimate local level is yourself. You can have the biggest ideas for change in the world, but sometimes it’s yourself that needs to change before larger changes can occur.

I can totally hear in my head Gandi’s quote now, as I’m sure you can: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Personally, some changes I need to work on are learning better persuasion skills and becoming more accepting of the process of letting go.

We all have ideas and changes for the world. But before they happen, what are some of the changes you’re working on for yourself? What are your small changes that will lead to larger changes?

(Photo credit: love2dreamfish / creative commons)

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