In the original The Twilight Zone television series, there was an episode that periodically comes to mind and haunts me to this day. (It really doesn’t haunt me; it’s just fun to think about)…(okay, it haunts me a little)…(HELLLLLP!).

It had to do with a small-town resident apparently possessing the meaning of life. Whenever he’d whisper this “truth” to someone, the listener would go insane. By episode’s end, half the town’s residents were out of their minds, not being able to cope with this new information.

So, the question I’ve always asked myself is, “what could be so frightening about the meaning of life that it would cause everyone to go totally crazy?”

I’ve still never been able to figure that out.

So, I’ll ask you: is there an answer to this question? Not the meaning of life (though, feel free to share your opinion of that, as well, if you’d like) but rather, what could be so scary that knowing it could cause us to lose our minds?

Instead of my responding to each answer, I’m going to just sit back and enjoy, if you don’t mind. Though, I’ll do so without the pepperoni pizza that I used to eat whenever I watched “The Zone.”

Oh, one more thing. Get this, get this; I know this episode aired during the original series, not the 1985 revised series.  I remember the black and white setting. And, I remember watching it in college back in 1980. Yes, I remember it as though I were watching it yesterday. Yet, when I tried to search for it on the site of the original series, I could not find it. I could only find it as part of the new series, the episode entitled, “The Need to Know.”

But, I absolutely, without question, remember it. I remember it clearly as can be. I KNOW I do. What is happening? What’s going on? How can I not…

{Narrator: A middle-aged man with graying hair and a slightly expanding girth cannot fathom why his memory, which he thinks of as a steel trap, is possibly failing him. Or, rather is it the world that is failing his memory? He begins to lose his mind as he cannot deal with not being able to place that which he is sure happened. Or, did it happen? That is the quandary he faces as he wanders cyberspace and finds himself suddenly trapped in…The Twilight Zone.}

Cue theme

I recently posted on my Facebook page the very words from the above title:

“Acknowledge The Problem, But Live In The Solution.”

The basic idea is to put the focus on where it should be, while not ignoring the cause. One annoyance I have every so often with the world of personal development is that it can at times be a bit “politically correct.”

For example, we’ll often hear or read that we should simply ignore the negative; that which we don’t want. Well, I believe that while it’s terrific to think positive and focus on the positive, ignoring the negative is simply not productive. The reason is that…

“What is ignored, does NOT necessarily go away.”

Don’t get me wrong; as usual, there is a time and place for most everything. And there is indeed a time to ignore that which simply doesn’t serve. When that is appropriate then, by all means, do so. Ignore away!

But, “sticking one’s head in the sand” like an ostrich — thinking that not acknowledging what needs to be dealt with will automatically cause it to disappear — is counterproductive. And, that’s the best case. At worst, it will cause the issue to fester and grow bigger.

So, yes, note that there is a problem. Acknowledge that the problem is there. Next, devise a game plan for overcoming it — in other words, determine the solution. And then…focus on that solution. In other words, live in the solution.

How are you doing with this? And, what great examples have you seen of others who tend to do that very well?

When I was growing up — just before the Designated Hitter became a part of American League play — we used to say that the best American League teams could bunt…and all the National League teams could. Not surprisingly, at that time, the National League was also known as the better league.

For those not into baseball, or sports at all, please forgive the example. Though I must explain something very quickly; a bunt is a “small” move and not often used (perhaps once or twice a game). Yet, the team that can bunt is at a distinct advantage.

The point: little things so often make a big difference and help obtain big results. It’s the difference between the hotel employee responding to a “thank you” by saying, “no problem” while his counterpart at the Ritz Carlton says, “my pleasure.” And there’s an even bigger difference between the high schooler working part-time using the first or second response!

If you have a retail establishment is the floor kept clean? Or, is it kept so spotless that one could eat off it if one so desired? (Assuming one would ever so desire which, hopefully one wouldn’t!)

Harvey Mackay’s Famous “Mackay 66” — mentioned in his books, including his newest one, is perhaps the ultimate tool for learning everything you can about your customers. In our recent interview, he again stressed how important going the distance is in terms of details.

If you plan a client event, do you simply show them a nice time, or do you research every individual client’s desires to the point that the entire event is one value-based surprise of delight after another. My friend, Lou Imbriano, provides a glimpse of how-to in this post and goes into detail in his newest book, Winning The Customer.

Yes, you’ll get by, and can even do well, doing everything correctly. But, if you really, really want to separate yourself from the pack and achieve stratospheric success, then pay attention to detail; every detail, and communicate that through your actions.

Is this something you are able to do in your business? And, if so, how?

A recent post discussed a very important business thought from the book, The Game-Changer by former Procter & Gamble Chairman & CEO, A.G. Lafley and business consultant, Ram Charan.  In this post, let’s look at a different but just as vital lesson.

The subtitle of their book is: How You Can Drive Revenue And Profit Growth With Innovation. Early on, the author’s make several key points that set the tone for their teaching. A major one is:

“Innovation must be the central driving force for any business that wants to grow and succeed in both the short and long terms.”

One key point is that this cannot be left only to technical experts, or to luck. They say it must “become integral to the way you run your business. That means making innovation central to the goals, strategy, structure, systems, culture, leadership, and motivating purpose and values of your business.”

In other words, it’s not a matter of some genius working alone in a laboratory but is very much a matter of “key social interactions.”

Today, let’s discuss another aspect of wisdom they shared, and that is:

“To understand innovation, you first have to see the difference between an invention and an innovation.”

They define them as such:

Invention: A new idea that is often turned into a tangible outcome, such as a product or a system.

Innovation: The conversion of a new idea into revenues and profits.

As the authors say, “An idea that looks great in the lab and fails in the market is not an innovation.”

Being able to innovate helps the business owner or salesperson to change the game which, as the authors say, is to control your destiny.

So, what about those of us who are not – by our nature – innovators? Personally, I’m neither an inventor nor a natural innovator. You might be, but what if, like me, you are not? How do we stay competitive and even ahead in the game?

I believe that we create an environment for innovation. We can do this in several ways. We can align with innovators (in my case, Kathy Zader); we can Mastermind with innovators. We can hire innovators (though, we cannot abdicate responsibility). And, we can read and study those who are innovators, find out what they do, and utilize their knowledge to provide ourselves with ideas.

We can also take confidence in knowing that innovations don’t have to be huge in nature. Sometimes, just a tweak in the right direction makes a huge difference in the “thing” itself, and how it effects the bottom line.

How about you? Are you an inventor? An innovator? Both? Neither? How have you found the best way to create innovation?

While it’s generally good to be action-oriented (as my friend, Robert Ringer calls it, having a “bias toward action”) very seldom is it good to rush into things. While being decisive is often productive, rarely is it beneficial to act without thinking something through.

Before doing a major procedure, a good doctor will suggest her patient obtain a second opinion. Before receiving a major procedure, a good patient will insist upon obtaining a second opinion.

There is wisdom in taking that attitude into many areas of our lives. A friend recently wrote:

“I am learning that I need to be careful because in my attempts to add value I sometimes trip over things. I guess that is the downside of being a person of action!”

I can relate. My inclination is to get an idea and just run with it. Over the years, a certain solution has proven to be very beneficial. If I have any question about it, I first run the idea past someone I trust.

There are several people I do this with. And, some of them do the same with me, often using me as a similar-type sounding board.

Unless something is so vital that it MUST be done without forethought (and those times are rare), then discussing it with someone first allows you to be even more assured that your decision is the correct one. And, there’s no downside. If it’s good, you go with it; if it’s not, you make adjustments or squash it altogether.

Please don’t confuse this with “paralysis by analysis”, where you think something over to the point that it never gets done. Nor should this be confused with “perfectionism”. Both can stifle action and production.

I’m simply suggesting that, like a fired bullet, once something is written, said or done, it can’t be taken back. So, if the choice to get a second opinion is available, it probably couldn’t hurt to seek it out.

Have you found this to be true? What other ways have you found to ensure your decision is the right one?