A few weeks ago I was on a plane bound for Chicago. It started with all signs of being a business-as-usual trip… window seat… latte in hand… my Kindle already out (still working through Team of Rivals)… but then I met him. More accurately, he met me. Before he even sat down, he had already extended his hand to greet me, "How are you? I'm Buzz!"
Normally on a flight I'm trying to burn through as much of my reading as possible–four hours of uninterrupted reading time is priceless in my world. But Buzz captivated me.
Buzz was an older man. He was with his wife who had some kind of cast on her foot. I can't say exactly why–maybe it was as shallow as his ultra-casual dress or maybe it was that he didn't seem "tailored" or maybe it was simply because it took a while for me to figure it out–but whatever the reason I was genuinely surprised when I found out he was the Founder and President of a very successful international company selling products he invented.
I never met a self-proclaimed inventor before! I felt like I had the opportunity to learn from a man I could just as easily end up reading about in a biography one day. Our conversation was too short, but I learned something from Buzz I hope I never forget.
He talked about the hundreds of products he invented, most of which are completely unknown, with a sparkle in his eyes. This entrepreneur/inventor taught me an important lesson on that flight. I asked him how it was that he could think of SO many different products. After a thoughtful pause he said to me:
"Well, I listen to my frustrations. I get frustrated with something and then think, 'wouldn't it be great if I could…' then try to make the solution"
This has been sitting with me ever since. What inspired me from his thought was that his frustrations weren't victimizing him, they were the kindling to build his fire to create.
How would your life be different if you listened to your frustrations? And what if instead of getting frustrated and feeling victimized by the situations in life that frustrate you, you decided that when you feel that frustration there MUST be a solution waiting for you to create it?
Are you frustrated by dysfunction in your team at work? …your job altogether? …your relationship with your spouse or kids? …or even homelessness? …poverty? …injustice? …or your health?
Or in Buzz's case: the fact that he always had a broom in the kitchen but never could find his dustpan.
Whatever the case… what if you didn't ignore them anymore? …what if you listened to your frustrations and took action to do something about them?
