I was walking in my neighborhood and noticed a young girl’s birthday party going on. Inflatables, a pinata, and a bunch of balloons. A little girl was holding on to a string that was attached to a purple helium balloon bobbing about in the wind.
All of a sudden, the wind took the balloon from the little girl. I braced myself for some screaming and crying.
But, no! As the little girl turned to watch her balloon go skyward, she gleefully shouted out, “Hot Dog!”
I didn’t realize it at that moment, but that little girl taught me something.
Later that week, I received a phone call from another real estate agent with bad newsof an unexpected problem. I felt like responding with, “Oh no, that’s horrible what can we do?” But remembering that little girl, I found myself saying, “Wow, that’s interesting! How can I help?”
One thing’s for sure: Life’s always going to keep us off balance with its unexpected problems. That’s a given. What’s not preordained is our response. We can choose to be frustrated or fascinated.
No matter what the situation, a fascinated “Hot Dog!” will always beat a frustrated “Oh, God.”
So the next time you experience one of life’s unexpected gusts, remember that little girl and make it a “Hot Dog” experience.
