Easy as Pie

I again demonstrate the technique. It is, I add, as easy as pie. Yet anyone who has spent time in the kitchen actually creating one, knows the unique challenge and demands required for success. This paradox, the easy and its demands, are the extrinsic objects referenced. The subjects are us. The strategy is to keep centered, balanced and joyful in the present moment. The tactic is a practice we call the trigger.

The group I am addressing on this rather esoteric technique are my staff. They are Filipino and Mauritian. We are working on a government contract on a remote and isolated island in the Indian Ocean. Our job is to maintain the moral, welfare and recreational opportunities for the military men and women assigned to the base. It is not an easy job but it could be if we all buy into the premise that our enthusiasm, attitude and dedication will be infectious if practiced relentlessly and with sincerity. Excellence is after all, a habit.

The trigger, I continue, is this: We all know what is expected of us and that many times this demand, coupled with our sporadic homesickness, the long hours, the sometimes uncomfortable working conditions and the loneliness of an unaccompanied overseas assignment, gets us down. This emotion left unattended will grow and affect others. Starting today, right now, when we pass each other on the street, in the mess-hall, at the ships store, on the ballfields or during a change of command ceremony, give your teammate a salute, the one we call a trigger, by taking your right hand and pinching your right earlobe. This simple action will trigger the memory of our mission, reestablish the connection between us all, and remind us to stay present in this powerful moment in history. This will be our namaste, honoring the spirit inside us all. I think if we can do this often enough, with as many of our team as possible we stand the chance of changing the entire atmosphere of our work place and in turn create an environment of excellence through service.

I finish with another demonstration and dismiss the group, they respond enthusiastically so I add, ‘easy as pie.’