Brian Said

I swear, that sounds like a Country song - "And debuting at #9 on the countdown, George Jones' new hit single, 'When The New Wears Off.'"

ANYWAY...

It's a couple of days after Christmas and I'm witnessing firsthand what happens "when the new wears off".

I have 3 boys, ages 11, 7 & 5... which means my house smells like the men's room at the local park, but I digress...

You see, they loaded up on the usual Christmas take for boys their age: Video games & accessories and various action figures - mostly of the Star Wars variety. Personally, I was most excited for them to open the steering wheels (used to play their driving games on the Nintendo Wii) and the light sabers (also used on the Wii for their Star Wars games). Funny thing abut those accessories, though. You see, the boys almost instantly complained that their new toys weren't as cool as they thought they'd be.

This is to be somewhat expected. After all, sometimes those kinds of things just get in the way. They're too cumbersome & make it harder to play the game effectively. I certainly get that, so no harm/no foul in my book. No need for lectures about the virtues of being grateful & no discussions of how we were lucky to get a pack of Juicy Fruit when I was their age.

No need to verbally assault them with stories of how their uncle & I would anxiously await the Sears catalogue and find the ONE THING we wanted for Christmas & then wait ever so impatiently for something like 60 days for the big event, never once asking for anything during that time & praying that Santa would come through. No need to contrast that experience with their own, pointing out that they get a new toy or game WEEKLY & that it's almost reached the point that Christmas is simply the day you get a few more things than you get on a typical day.

No need to mention that, although we celebrate "The Reason for the Season" in our house, we'd still like the Christmas morning experience to be fun and exciting, and that's becoming increasingly difficult because of the aforementioned.

But then it happened.

All three of them walked into my bedroom & with one voice asked, "Dad? When can we go to Toys R Us and take our gift cards?"

I'm still picking up the pieces of my skull, which exploded almost before they finished speaking. If I had a nickel for every time I uttered the phrase, "Honestly fellas..."

Approximately 48 hours... That's how long it takes for the "new" to wear off. And it occurred to me that adults are the same way, and I'm not talking about how we get tired of that new plasma after the big game is over and we make the mistake of walking into Best Buy a week later... when the NEW models just came in...

I'm talking about our hopes & dreams.

What happens when "the new wears off?" What do you do when things aren't exactly what you expected in the pursuit of your dreams? How do you handle the realization that after the initial thrill comes the daily routine?

One of my heros, and the most famous person you've never heard of, Jim Rohn, says, "You can get all excited about lifting 300 pounds until you get to the gym. Then you need a new excitement." What do you do when the new wears off? How do you maintain your passion, enthusiasm, excitement for your future?

That's what my site, my blog and indeed my career, will seek to discover. I hope you'll sign up to receive updates about new entries and new releases, and I especially hope you'll join The Tinderbox Tapes to receive monthly motivation delivered directly to your door.

Thanks for stopping by...

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Brian Said...

December 2008 - "When the 'new' wears off"

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