Category Archives: Roars

The Path of Least Resistance

There are times in life where you come to a crossroads. I know this probably sounds trite, but it is very true. You know those times only in retrospect when wondering, “what would have happened if I chose the other road instead?” 

 I have reunited with some of my past and have been reminded of some of my own “crossroads” and how the decisions may have changed where I am today. 

For instance, I stole a pack of gum when I was five years old. Or, at least tried to steal it. I got caught by my mother. Interestingly, stealing gum is very common…. (read here: We’ve all stolen gum). I took the path of least resistance and slipped a pack of gum in my pocket rather than asking my Mom to buy me a pack. When she caught me, she could have shrugged, disciplined me and left since she only found out about the gum after we left the store. Instead, she did the “hard thing” and dragged me in to apologize to the store manager. I wonder what would have happened she too, decided to take the easy route.

Eye

Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.  There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.  ~J.C. Watts

Then comes a big decision in High School. It wasn’t “Should I do drugs, drink or have sex?” I was very square and a pretty straight-laced student. I was quiet, obedient, and a little wacky. The big decision was “Should I NOT try out for my dream of being a Drum Major for our band?”I know…..lame, geeky, bizarre.

Band Line

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.” George Bernard Shaw

I wanted to not try and just have the outcome be what I feared it would be if I tried for it. My sister Lynn, normally very quiet – yelled at me and told me that I would regret NOT trying more than I would regret trying and failing. My friends were all supportive as well, but the unusual behavior from my sister made me listen more. I remember realizing that she made a sacrifice and did not let me “go gentle into that goodnight”.

 I made Drum Major and so did my best friend Kathey. Had I not tried, I would have never tried for anything worth trying for in my life. I know this because I still remember the courage and humiliation that day with sweat running off my fingers and doubt running through my mind.   That same queasy feeling occurs in my adult life when I want something badly enough…and I push that envelope to avoid regret.

Had I not tried then, I would have never have been brave enough to be a Voice-Over Artist.

One year later, I suffered a major blow to my ego and failed. My freshman year in college I tried out for band, and was rejected. Yep….rejected. No problem. No therapy needed!

Now that I’m older, the crossroads are much more complicated and not always met with 100% successful outcomes. There is sacrifice, disappointment and heartache.

Do I have regret? That’s a tough question.

I promise myself to always try my best to follow the truth in my heart avoid the path of least resistance as it normally leads to an outcome that is regrettable and mediocre…at best.

Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

3 Responses to “The Path of Least Resistance”

  1. Erik Sheppard says:
    Great post Kat. Dylan Thomas is one of my favorites and is quite appropo here.
  2. jazzyjett says:
    Much truth in following another’s well measured beating of overly cautious living. I submit that fearful living is a life, perhaps, with more comfort but a very bedeviling daily grind. Life doesn’t get us or grind us down; rather the manner in which we purposefully choose to reference it. It has its miseries, no doubt, but the doubting that follows misery’s momentary departure is what nabs the 90 percent of us all. If fact it is easy to find character in a crisis, but the other 90 percent of our lives we oft struggle to find it. But what a joy to know that joy, in fact, does exist when not externally sought after. Not possible and if it were, we’d be satisfied with the “feeling like a failure” and being perfectly fine with it. My short novel hardly intended but, I may have made the mistake of being a bore and long-winded; I do hope so. That means I’ve got my first mistake out of the way well before the sun shall rise in about seven hours! “My first mistake is worrying that I will make one.” – BJett (Smile) Get it out of the way. No one will even notice and it might even serve a grander plan in spite of our “perceptions” of mistakes in light of “coincidence’s” folly… No such a thing.

    BGJ

    Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ. -C. S. Lewis

Boycott Valentines Day! Don’t pay to share your feelings.

In the voice biz, we communicate lots of things….usually educating, persuading or selling. Commercial Valentine’s Day is a blatant attempt to commercialize how we show love.Boycott Valentine’s Day and be thoughtful, loving and giving every day of the year.

Valentine’s Day has become a confusing and stressful day for many people.

Love it’s its own gift and should be shared freely every day.



Cook a romantic dinner.Pack a sunset picnic.Pick wildflowers on the way home.Burn a CD with hand selected love songs.Snuggle together on a rainy day.Leave little love notes everywhere.Send a love email every day.Take a moonlit walk on the beach….or anywhere. Snuggle together while watching romantic movies.Bring home good coffee or tea.Take a walk down memory lane — visit some of the special places from your early days of dating. Make a scrapbook with photos, mementos, and little notes from you lives together.Kiss in the rain.Ride a ferris wheel.Sneak away from a party and make out.Bring home great take-out, and light some candles.Fix something in the house together.Slow dance to romantic music.Take a nap together.Kiss slowly, touching his or her back and neck and nape — slowly. Make a list of everything you love about him or her.Write a love letter.Clip or email things that make you think of him or her, every day.Go to a movie, ignore the movie, and make out like teen-agers.Take some quiet time and talk about your day.Write little notes, one for each way he or she drives you crazy.Feed each other.Recreate the first time.Sing a favorite song to him or her.Have dinner on the deck, with some candles.Say I love you in a different way, every day.Declare your love, very publicly.Do what comes naturally. Slowly.

This list was inspired by Creative Zen’s 50 Ways to Be Romantic on the Cheap

Can you hold please?……click….music…..

Have you ever been placed on hold calling a business?

Of course you have!

When it happens to me, it usually goes something like this…

Business: Please hold.

Me:
UhhBusiness: ……click….music…..

Or, maybe they are more polite…

Business: Will you hold please?

Me:
Uhh ….yes.

Business: ……click….music…..

Sometimes the “click” occurs prior to me stumbling through an answer. WOW!

It kind of makes me wonder what would have happened had I said NO.

Companies today are working harder than ever to “stand out” to their audience of potential clients. They do whatever they can to generate interest in their products and services: They create White Papers, have an online presence, advertise wherever they feel their audience is and ……then a prospect calls to do business.

Many businesses don’t practice good conversational skills and basic manners.

Here are basic rules everyone in business should practice
1. Always greet someone when they call or visit. Depending on your level of formality of your business and the client, you can adjust the greeting. But, you should always say, “hello” or “hi” when someone visits so that the client feels welcome visiting or calls.

2. Say, “Please” and “Thank you” generously! There is no such thing as saying it too much. Showing these manners shows the other person respect and appreciation.

3. If a person says thank you, you should acknowledge them with a “You’re welcome” or “Anytime!”. This tells the person that they are welcome to come to you again with a request. It is a kind way to say that you invite their correspondence.


“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” – Anonymous

4. Wait your Turn! Don’t interrupt other people when they are speaking. Never assume you know what the person is trying to say. Oftentimes the act of speaking and being heard is all a client wants. Be sure and give your full attention and really HEAR what they are saying without assumptions or prejudice. Oftentimes, conversational acknowledgments such as: “Uh-Huh”, “Yes”, “Oh”, “I see” tell the other person you really hear them.

“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

5. Clean up after yourself. No matter who is to blame in a conflict or complaint, be pleasant and gracious. If your client is found to be to blame, don’t gloat or show off, but be kind . If you or your business is to blame don’t sulk or get mad, but be gracious and sincerely apologize.

“If you want the last word, apologize.”

6. Take compliments courteously. If someone praises your business, be gracious and say, “thank you”, and invite further communication.