With all of the predictions that the world is coming to an end in 2012, you’d think my laptop could have given me a little heads up that its time had come.

Not until the ominous blue screen with the heading WARNING.

“Oh that’s the blue screen of death” my daughter’s computer science friend said.

That didn’t sound good.

After a quick call to my computer tech, he announced, “I think your hard drive

has crashed.” Which meant a 14 car pile up on the interstate, not a little fender bender in the parking lot.

So he took away the laptop to try to retrieve some files – it seems there are magical tricks for doing this apparently perfected by the CIA – and I am surprisingly calm.

I’m taking this as an opportunity to practice the Buddhist principle of nonattachment and accepting that nothing is permanent.

I suppose there may be some cosmic message in this unexpected turn of events today. I’ve decided to find the wisdom in a fine glass of merlot instead.

How’s your day?

I woke up this morning to gremlins in the computer and counted my blessings that I have a great resource in Catherine Vu  and her wonderful tech team.

Sometimes I find computers to be the most curious of inventions. The vast majority of us rely on computers but don’t really have a clue about how they actually work.

Kind of like life. 

Most of the time we go along our merry way and then we hit a glitch. We’re not quite sure how or why it happened. Wouldn’t it be great if life had a little pop-up box like the computer that said:

Do you really want to do this?

On the computer I’m never quite sure but my techies tell me that most of the time the answer is yes.

What would it be like to have a little pop-up in life that helped you be more conscious about your decisions? Sure just like the computer the answer would likely be yes. But every so often stopping and asking that question might just save us from making an unconscious choice.

Just curious…

What would you like your pop-up box to say?

Lately there seems to be a glimmer of hope in all the doom and gloom about the economy. While people might be feeling a little more optimistic, unemployment numbers are still on the rise.

Facing a potential job loss can make you feel like a victim. You spend time and energy worrying and your stress level rises.

There is another way.

Instead of playing the victim in these economic times, you can be proactive in your outlook and actions. Give these workplace ideas a try:

Let go of worry.  Some things are simply out of your control. It’s an unfortunate reality that good people doing good work might still lose their jobs. Instead of spending your time worrying, use that energy to control the things you can – your attitude and actions.

Give up the doom & gloom attitude. In every crisis there is at least one opportunity. We just tend to miss them because we are so focused on the negative. Use this time to practice gratitude for what you have, and keep your eyes peeled for the opportunities. Your attitude at work impacts on your perceived value to the company. Nobody wants to keep a negative nelly.

Become solution focused. Shift into a “how can we..” perspective. Companies are looking for out of the box thinking to help weather these challenging times. Offer potential solutions rather than complaints.

Be a team player. Use “we” rather than “I” thinking. This economic situtation is not just happening to you. Demonstrating a “we’re all in this together” philosophy helps to create optimism. Building relationships is key in your long term success in an organization.

Design a Plan B. Consider now what you would do if you were laid off. Planning before an emergency lets you think with a clearer head. Take a look at your finances and see where you might cut back. Brush off your resume. Keep your industry contacts fresh. Often simply having a plan B makes people feel more secure as it removes some of the uncertainty.

Get back to the basics. During uncertain times there is a great opportunity to take inventory of your life and make some changes. Do you spend your time and energy on the most important things? Are you doing work that you enjoy? Do you have a list of life goals and a roadmap of how to achieve them? Now’s a terrific time to do a little self assessment and re-align things that are off track.

The downturn in the economy is just the current situtation.

Circumstances are never what hold you back.

It’s the way you think about them that makes you unhappy or stuck.

Choose something more empowering than victim.

When we get off track or tend to forget the things that are most important, the universe sends a little message. That happened last week when Dave Freeman passed away suddenly at the age of 47.

 Dave wrote the book 100 Things to Do Before You Die, one of the very first books in the bucket list genre.  In the book he commented that life is a short journey. Indeed it was for him as he only had enough time to visit about half of the travel sites recommended.

Have you written your list of must do things before you die?

Are you actively designing your life so you have the richest, fullest experience possible?

 Or are you simply waiting until “some day”?

So here’s my thought for today:

Give thanks to the universe for its reminders and then honor Dave Freeman by working on your own bucket list.

What’s one of your must do items for this life?

Contrary to what you might have been thinking,

I have not…

been abducted by aliens

entered the witness protection program

run off with Johnny Depp (although that would have been cool)

or succumbed to any other dramatic circumstance.

My rather lengthy absence from this blog was simply due to the convergence of several events…

two weeks in Italy

one week of a nasty cold

one week helping my eldest daughter prepare for a three month trip to Africa.

Sometimes life just happens.

Life imitating art went over the top in Edmonton last week. 

A long time supporter of the local theatre scene, I’d been anticipating the first production of the new season, a delightful farce by Michael Frayn called Noises Off.  I’d seen this play many years ago and it was a wonderful romp.

Noises Off is about a fictional play called Nothing On.  Let’s just say that nothing goes quite right.  The play begins with the final dress rehearsal where actors still don’t know their lines and the director is losing both patience and mind.  The second act shifts to a backstage view one month later where dissention in the cast causes no end of shenanigans.  In the final act, everything has fallen apart with hilarious consequences.

Little did I know that this time, life had way more in store for the entire production. 

A few days before the play was set to open, one of the lead actors, Julien Arnold had a heart attack.  Fortunately he is recovering well by all reports but veteran actor Ashley Wright had to fly in from Toronto and jump into the part.  Then one day before opening night, actor John Kirkpatrick was called away for a family emergency. 

What to do?

James MacDonald, a director who was in rehearsal in an adjacent theatre stepped into the role of “the director” – with one day’s preparation. Yikes!

Of course all these developments had been covered in the local media and so on opening night when Bob Baker, artistic director of the Citadel Theatre and director of this play, took the stage to make a few comments, the audience was attentive.  Dead pan and entertaining, he certainly set the tone for a play about play where unexpected and unpredictable things run rampant – in the script and in real life.

So what happened?

A FABULOUS performance.  The cast rose to the occasion and provided the audience with a hugely entertaining evening.  Whatever missteps the actors may have made were indistinguishable from those in the script.   Even real-life actors who didn’t know their lines carrying scripts, seemed to fit perfectly into a play about actors who don’t know their lines or marks.

I know in the theatre the show must go on but it would have been a simple and even predictable solution for the play to have been postponed for a while so that everyone could “get it right”.  In this case, Bob Baker got it exactly right by forging ahead.

Life happens – so you can either bring your best to it – or not.  Cast and crew in this production were shining examples of what life can be if you only go with it.

Bravo.