Sticky Living E-Book

Peter Lyle DeHaan

• Herausgeber: Rock Rooster Books
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Serie: Sticky series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 102

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Live a life that sticks! 

Sticky Living challenges us to make every moment matter and leave a legacy that lasts beyond our careers…and our lives. 

While work is important, it only accounts for a fraction of our lives. Embrace the significance of family, relationships, and non-work time in creating a fulfilling life that sticks. 

Through chapters on family, attitude, celebration, busyness, and more, discover practical advice and wisdom to help navigate life’s complexities with intentionality and purpose. 

From money management to social media use, from forgiveness to community engagement, Sticky Living provides a roadmap for living a life that lasts and impacts others positively. 

Join Peter Lyle DeHaan on a journey to transform your daily interactions, habits, and mindset to cultivate meaningful relationships and build a legacy that goes beyond work and career. 

Sticky Living is a must-read for anyone seeking to make a difference in the world and create lasting connections that matter most. 

Take the next step towards a life that sticks with Sticky Living. 

Get your copy today.

Leseprobe

STICKY LIVING

MAKE EVERY MOMENT MATTER AND LEAVE A LEGACY

STICKY SERIES

BOOK 4

PETER LYLE DEHAAN

StickyLiving: MakeEveryMomentMatter and Leave a Legacy

Copyright © 2024 by PeterLyleDeHaan.

StickySeries, book 4.

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form, by any means, or for any purpose without the express written consent of the author or his legal representatives. The only exception is short excerpts and the cover image for reviews or academic research.

Published by RockRoosterBooks

ISBN:

979-8-88809-089-3 (e-book)979-8-88809-090-9 (paperback)979-8-88809-091-6 (hardcover)979-8-88809-092-3 (audiobook)

Credits:

Developmental editor: JulieHarbisonCopy editor: RobynMulderCover design: TarynNergaardAuthor photo: JordanLeighPhotography

The stories in this book are all true, as I remember them. I did, however, change some names and inconsequential details.

To all who see life as more than a vocation.

Series by PeterLyleDeHaan

StickySeries

In the StickySeries of career development books, PeterLyleDeHaan, PhD breaks down key business strategies in a coherent story-driven process to highlight what works and what doesn’t. Through personal stories and eye-opening insights, he shares how readers can more effectively produce long-term results and increase their fulfillment.

CallCenterSuccessSeries

Join call center veteran PeterLyleDeHaan, PhD as he shares a lifetime of industry experience to help readers operate their contact centers with increased effectiveness, produce greater success, and generate long-term profitability.

CONTENTS

Sticky Living

Family Matters

Watch Your Attitude

Celebrate Positive Outcomes

Tips for Successful Travel . . . and Living

Going from Good to Better

Law of Reciprocity

Shoot the Puck

Our Actions Are Nothing to Sneeze About

Apologize

Be Nice

Be Friendly

Take Your Turn

Be Quick to Forgive

Lessons from the Game of Chess

Money Management

Are You Too Busy?

Reclaim Your Life

Social Media

The Truth about College

Learn from History

Under the Influence

We Can All Use a Little Help

The Ripple Effect

Generosity

Respect the Environment

Take Care of Yourself

Be Present

Pursue Community

Other Books in the Sticky Series

About Peter Lyle DeHaan

Books by Peter Lyle DeHaan

STICKY LIVING

In this series’ first three books—StickyCustomerService, StickySales and Marketing, and StickyLeadership and Management—we looked at life from a commercial perspective. The goal of these books is to produce business success and help readers advance in their careers. To make the work we do—and the results we produce—stick. To last and to make a difference.

Yet work only consumes about 25 percent of our lives (forty to forty-five hours out of a 168-hour week). What about the rest of our waking hours? Our non-work hours account for much more time each week. We must address this too.

InStickyLiving we’ll take a holistic perspective, acknowledging that life is much more than work. We must not lose sight of this. Work is not the end. It’s the means to something better. This non-work time matters more; it matters most. It’s family, and friends, and the connections that go beyond them, transcending vocation.

We want these relationships to be sticky. We want them to last. We want them to be significant. And this starts when we become sticky ourselves. It’s when we live a life that sticks, one that lasts, that we can best impact others and live a fulfilling life.

MayStickyLiving move us closer to achieving this important outcome.

LifeLesson

Let us be intentional about making every moment of our lives count.

FAMILY MATTERS

THOUGH WE CAN’T CHOOSE OUR FAMILY, WE CAN CHOOSE TO ENJOY THEM

My wife and I are fortunate.

We live close to our children and grandchildren. We had to move to make it happen, but it was certainly worth it. In case you’re wondering, we first asked our kids for their approval before relocating. Though they cautiously accepted the idea at first, they later gave us a resounding “Yes!” and soon grew to embrace living near each other.

Now we all relish our proximity. It was a wise move and a cause for celebration.

Half of our family lives four miles south of us and the other half lives nine miles northeast. It’s a quick drive in either direction. We see each half of our family frequently, sometimes weekly and occasionally more often.

On most Friday nights, everyone converges at our house for pizza. It’s the highlight of my week. We share a meal and share life, enjoying each other’s company, and the grandkids get to hang out with their cousins.

In this celebration of family, we have trivial conversations, and we have deep discussions. We enjoy being in each other’s presence. I strive to have significant interaction with each family member. With intentional effort, this usually happens.

I’m better for it and hope they are too.

In doing so, I invest in future generations. It’s a high calling as a parent, perhaps the highest.

YetI realize this is a season in our lives. As our grandchildren grow, other activities and interests will pull them in different directions. Pizza with their grandparents may dim in comparison. But as long as this season lasts, I’ll embrace it fully and seek to maximize its value and the impact I can have on my family.

I pray this season will last a long time, and that we’ll continue to gather for Friday night pizza whenever possible.

This idea, however, didn’t begin with my wife and me. My parents started it decades earlier. We all gathered every Saturday evening for many years, starting when our children were young, continuing through their high school years and into college. Often, they’d invite friends to join us. And two of those friends became spouses.

The legacy lives on.

Questions to consider:

What can you do to have a positive effect on your family?If you’re estranged from your family, what can you do to repair the rift?If your family doesn’t live nearby, how can you celebrate each other from afar? Alternately, what can you do to form family where you live?

LifeLesson

We will do well to seek to connect and maintain our relationships with family. Make family matter.

WATCH YOUR ATTITUDE

EMBRACE EACH DAY WITH INTENTION

On a weekend trip, my wife and I found ourselves at a popular quick-serve restaurant for breakfast. “I’ll have a number 10,” I announced to the perky teenager at the counter. Her nametag said “Amber.” She acknowledged my request and smiled pleasantly.

This encouraged me to make small talk while my wife contemplated her choices. Not fully awake, I said something apparently mildly humorous, causing our order-taker to laugh and brighten her smile. What a pleasant way to start my day, I thought.

My wife conceded that what she wanted wasn’t part of a meal deal, nor were the items listed individually.

“Tell me what you want,” Amber said, “and I’ll see what I can do.”

My wife listed three disparate items, and Amber began pushing buttons on her register. After a series of thoughtful keystrokes, she announced she had accomplished my wife’s request. We paid for our meal and stepped aside to wait for it.

As the people behind us placed their orders, Amber’s friendly demeanor continued to capture my attention. Suddenly, she spotted someone in her periphery. Her smile widened as she looked up. Her face beamed. “Good morning, Jimmy!”

In the split second it took for my glance to move from Amber to Jimmy, I pictured who I expected to see. Certainly, he would be her peer, perhaps a jock or maybe a prep, possibly even her boyfriend.

I was wrong. Jimmy was an older man with a weathered face, worn clothes, and a considerable limp. He moved forward with effort, alternating between a herky-jerky lunge and a short shuffle. After he made his way across the room, he didn’t get in line. Instead, he headed straight to an open space at the counter near Amber.

With much effort, he produced a handful of coins, cupped in his twisted paw, and gave them a little shake. Two coins spilled out onto the counter and then a third. He poked his gnarled index finger into his open hand and moved it around as though stirring a pot. Then he flicked a fourth coin onto the counter, stirred some more, and released a fifth. With the last coin still rattling on the counter, Amber was there. She picked up the change, rang up an unspoken order, pulled a dime from the cash drawer, and carefully dropped it into Jimmy’s still-cupped hand.

What happened next made me curious. Amber reached under the counter and pulled out two containers of cream and several packs of sugar. Then she turned to the coffeepot behind her and laid the additives on the counter.

Amber grabbed a coffee cup and filled it half full. Even more curious. DidJimmy only want half a cup? She picked up one cream, gave it a brisk shake, meticulously opened it, and carefully emptied its contents into the cup. Then she repeated the procedure with the second cream.

Amber glanced up to see if anyone else needed her help. Assured that she wasn’t neglecting another customer’s need, she picked up a pack of sugar, shook its contents to the bottom and prudently tore off the top, pouring every granule into the coffee. She repeated this a second time, but then another customer diverted her attention from Jimmy’s coffee for several moments.

She returned to the partial cup and added two more sugars. But her task was still not complete. Amber grabbed a stir stick and thoroughly mixed the contents. Satisfied with the results, she topped off the amalgamation with more coffee, put on a lid, and presented it to a grateful Jimmy.

She didn’t do any of this begrudgingly or with indifference. She performed her task with all the precision of someone making their own cup of coffee. She was there to serve Jimmy, and she did so happily and without hesitation. Her kindness touched me. Such a gesture surely wasn’t in the restaurant’s efficiency manual, but it was the right thing to do. Amber’s attitude established the framework for the rest of my day. If her example affected me so much, I can only guess what it did for Jimmy.

I imagine that when Jimmy woke up that morning, there was no question where he would go for coffee. His morning trek to the restaurant was likely routine. I suspect, however, that he wondered who would wait on him. He might have said to himself, “I hope Amber’s working today. She treats me like I’m special. My whole day goes better when she gets me my coffee.”

Likewise, I wonder what Amber thought before work that morning. Did she make an intentional decision to have a positive attitude, thereby producing a difference in the lives of those with whom she came into contact? She may have, but I suspect it wasn’t necessary. I think her attitude of cheerfully going the extra mile was so much a part of her that it had become a habit.

WhileI focused on my own needs, Amber focused on those around her. And what a difference she made, not only for Jimmy and for me but for the other customers and her coworkers as well.

This challenged me. My attitude as I start each day affects how my day goes and has a ripple effect on those around me. Though it’s unlikely I will ever match Amber’s personable, outgoing disposition, I can aspire to her positive, helpful, serving attitude.

LifeLesson

Whether pouring coffee for someone or doing a more significant task, we can all be like Amber. It’s not hard. All it takes is an intentional effort to have a positive attitude.

That positive attitude starts inside us, and it can start today.