"Well, that it is a canary in the coal mine!" Have you ever heard that saying? It is often used to indicate that trouble is brewing. Its historical context comes from a common practice used by coal miners. Coal miners would often take a cage with a canary in it into the mines with them each morning. It was common for poisonous gases like carbon monoxide to be released during the process of excavating coal. The mines had very little ventilation so the accumulation of these gases was life-threatening. The canaries in the cage would be the unknowing barometer of these poisonous gases as they would succumb to the toxic effects long before the lives of the coal miners were at stake. A dead canary in your coal mine was an indication that trouble was brewing. Thus, when someone says 'that is a canary in the coal mine', it means that there are indications that disaster is just around the corner.
It would be nice if we had coal mine canaries in other areas of life. We would all love big flashing warning signs on the pathway of our lives. The type of signs that say 'go this way for sure success' or 'u-turn now!!' I am intrigued by the study of failure, or better-put the overcoming of failure. Along the way, I've studied a lot of different forms of failure. A particular form of failure that is rarely identified on time or overcome is the failure that is caused by ulterior motives and bad attitudes. Ironically, this form of failure is completely under the control of the individual. I have found that this form of failure had many warning signs that were never adhered to; there were dead canaries everywhere. Here are some of the 'coal mine canaries' that are all over the stories of failure with no happy ending, and I think we need to look in the mirror on all of them...
ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL PEOPLE RATHER THAN SERVE THEM - Historically, there are plenty of examples of this. When we are in the midst of this experience it is very hard to step back and evaluate our motives because we are so focused on what we want. Focus, in essence, becomes our downfall. There are two canaries that indicate 'controlling rather than serving.' 1) We believe our way is the only way to accomplish an objective. 2) We have no concern for what others are saying or how they are feeling about our methods. Do not control people. Serve people and watch how fulfilling life becomes.
ASSUMING THE WORST ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR INTENTIONS - We now live in a society of distrust. I honestly believe today is not any worse than 20 years ago, we are just more aware of all of the human struggle around us with the advent of the internet and social media. We read these stories and accounts and our trust of others begins to erode. Distrust, cancel-culture, and shaming are unfortunate evolutions of our times. It also warps our ability to effective connect with, add value to, and benefit from the people around us. Assume the best about people and their intentions.
THE FAILURE OF OTHERS EQUALS YOUR SUCCESS - Negotiators call this the 'zero sum' game where there has to be a clear loser and clear winner. The only place this type of cut throat competition does not lead to problems is on the scoreboard of an athletic contest. If you find yourself secretly rooting for the people around you to struggle and fail, you are not in a good place. Life is far too complicated and relationships far too valuable to live with this type of mindset. Root for others and you'll be pleased with how many people are rooting for you.
REFUSING TO MAKE TIME FOR QUALITY OF LIFE HABITS - We are all busy! But, the old saying, 'you have time for what you make time for' is still true. Marriages erode, relationships with children become distant, blood pressures rise, anxiety slips in the door of exhaustion because we simply refuse to prioritize quality of life habits. My wife and I live insane lives. Most days we are outside of the house for 12-14 hours. We also go to the Dunkin Donuts drive through together every Saturday and Sunday morning. It's a quick reminder that we are still in control and there are things that are non-negotiable even in the midst of the chaos of life.
NO CONSISTENT DEMONSTRATIONS OF GRATITUDE - I've been taken back recently by how often the Bible speaks about habits of gratitude. 'Do this with gratitude', 'do that with gratitude', and 'embrace gratitude in all situations'. It's everywhere in Scripture! Why? Because habits of gratitude have a way of greasing the wheels on all sort of other positive behaviors and attitudes. It's incredible how easily we spend time with our children, when we focus on how grateful we are to have them. You'll be amazed at how well you complete tasks at your job when you're grateful you have a job. If you are not regularly thinking about and expressing gratitude, there is some poisonous fumes in your life.
While we are all grinding away in the mines of our lives, let's not forget to pay attention to the canaries.
Keep on, keepin' on, friends!
It would be nice if we had coal mine canaries in other areas of life. We would all love big flashing warning signs on the pathway of our lives. The type of signs that say 'go this way for sure success' or 'u-turn now!!' I am intrigued by the study of failure, or better-put the overcoming of failure. Along the way, I've studied a lot of different forms of failure. A particular form of failure that is rarely identified on time or overcome is the failure that is caused by ulterior motives and bad attitudes. Ironically, this form of failure is completely under the control of the individual. I have found that this form of failure had many warning signs that were never adhered to; there were dead canaries everywhere. Here are some of the 'coal mine canaries' that are all over the stories of failure with no happy ending, and I think we need to look in the mirror on all of them...
ASSUMING THE WORST ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR INTENTIONS - We now live in a society of distrust. I honestly believe today is not any worse than 20 years ago, we are just more aware of all of the human struggle around us with the advent of the internet and social media. We read these stories and accounts and our trust of others begins to erode. Distrust, cancel-culture, and shaming are unfortunate evolutions of our times. It also warps our ability to effective connect with, add value to, and benefit from the people around us. Assume the best about people and their intentions.
THE FAILURE OF OTHERS EQUALS YOUR SUCCESS - Negotiators call this the 'zero sum' game where there has to be a clear loser and clear winner. The only place this type of cut throat competition does not lead to problems is on the scoreboard of an athletic contest. If you find yourself secretly rooting for the people around you to struggle and fail, you are not in a good place. Life is far too complicated and relationships far too valuable to live with this type of mindset. Root for others and you'll be pleased with how many people are rooting for you.
REFUSING TO MAKE TIME FOR QUALITY OF LIFE HABITS - We are all busy! But, the old saying, 'you have time for what you make time for' is still true. Marriages erode, relationships with children become distant, blood pressures rise, anxiety slips in the door of exhaustion because we simply refuse to prioritize quality of life habits. My wife and I live insane lives. Most days we are outside of the house for 12-14 hours. We also go to the Dunkin Donuts drive through together every Saturday and Sunday morning. It's a quick reminder that we are still in control and there are things that are non-negotiable even in the midst of the chaos of life.
NO CONSISTENT DEMONSTRATIONS OF GRATITUDE - I've been taken back recently by how often the Bible speaks about habits of gratitude. 'Do this with gratitude', 'do that with gratitude', and 'embrace gratitude in all situations'. It's everywhere in Scripture! Why? Because habits of gratitude have a way of greasing the wheels on all sort of other positive behaviors and attitudes. It's incredible how easily we spend time with our children, when we focus on how grateful we are to have them. You'll be amazed at how well you complete tasks at your job when you're grateful you have a job. If you are not regularly thinking about and expressing gratitude, there is some poisonous fumes in your life.
While we are all grinding away in the mines of our lives, let's not forget to pay attention to the canaries.
Keep on, keepin' on, friends!
‘Bite Down and Don’t Let Go’ is a collection of writings on being intentional about life in a way that produces great persistence. Read about it more here.
Dr. Chris Hobbs is an educational leader with more than two decades of experience. He’s earned a few degrees and won some awards. He’s happily married to his high school sweetheart and they have three teen age children. Life is messy and complicated most of the time. You can follow him on Twitter for all sorts of inspirational thoughts and good laughs.
Comments
Post a Comment