Reframing the Mundane

Which of the following scenarios sound better to two boys aged five and two? 

Scenario 1: "It is time to get ready for the bath, guys.  Please get your pajamas and your towel.  We need to stay quiet so that we don't wake up your sister."  

Scenario 2: (In a soft voice) "Okay guys...here is our mission tonight if you are willing to accept it.  The enemy is out there (in the hallway).  You follow me. Stay low and stay quiet, otherwise the enemy will hear us approaching. Get your gear.  We roll out on my command." 

I know you are thinking I am nuts, but I implemented option 2 the other night during our typical bedtime routine.  And it worked to perfection.  Okay, I may have had to explain to my five year old that there really was not an "enemy out there," and I have may have gotten a small rug burn on my elbow, but these are small prices to pay for a little sanity with the bedtime routine.  

This is the classic reframing of an otherwise challenging situation.  Reframing mundane situations for fun is not only a helpful parenting technique, but can also be used in work settings.  

For example, think about the people you interact with at the airport.  From TSA workers to flight attendants, my experience is that most act like they have the worst job in the world.  I have even seen a TSA worker publicly shame a passenger at Newark Airport in the last year.  While I suspect they deal regularly with very unkind and stressed out passengers, a far better approach would be reframing the mundane.  What if their outlook was "I am going to make people laugh today?"  Southwest obviously embraces this, so it can be done. The interesting aspect of this kind of reframe is that the job begins to have meaning.  It is fun to put a smile on someone's face.  Even if you have to get a rug burn in the process. 

The beautiful aspect of reframing the mundane is that it applies to all of us.  A few final considerations for application: 

• What if you used social media to encourage others instead of commenting on current events or promoting yourself? 
• What if you used email to write encouraging notes to team members?
• What if you smiled and said "thank you for your service” to strangers we interact with, like TSA agents and Flight Attendants? (We play a role too!) 
• What if we just smiled to others as we stood waiting? 

If we approach our mundane tasks with a negative attitude we do a disservice to ourselves, our co-workers, and our customers.  But if we reframe those same tasks and make them fun, our enthusiasm will be infectious.