I was brainstorming on some thoughts on the growth of my business. After reading what had frantically spilled out of my brain as translated by my awkward typing, I realized I had used the word "standard" too many times. (Obsessive topic for me I guess.)
This is what I had typed: Upholding stringent customer satisfaction standards and treating our associates as partners are two of the many attributes that define the mission of our Company, and will set the standard for our industry.
I pondered a bit. Befuddled, I turned to Theo, my constant companion and sage advisor, for direction. What word, I respectfully asked, would convey what I am trying to say with the word "standard"? "Standard"..., Theo repeated, also pondering the possibilities. "average.....ordinary...." Those weren't the words I was looking for to describe my company! "...regular...typical...unusual..." Unusual??
Hmmmm, that seems strange, but it stands out. What's another word for unusual? "Unusual.....odd....extraordinary....abnormal..." Theo was starting to concern me. It didn't make sense! What you're basically telling me is I could be extraordinary or abnormal and still be considered unusual? And what happened to my original question? Can we get back to that? I believe we were replacing "standard".
"Orthodox...." I haven't heard that word in a while. What else? "Conformist..." OK this is getting strange again. "...sheep". Now I know something's definitely wrong with Theo.
So I started asking about some other things that came to mind, and Theo's perspective on everything started to make sense. This is what I learned from Theo tonight:
Love and mania are 2 steps apart.
Fear leads to shock and is the basis for 15 different emotions
Success is not directly related to money
Money is the root of only cash, currency and change
Wealth is defined as abundance but abundance is not a synonym of wealth
Triumph is 2 steps away from attack.
I really have to stop playing with the Thesaurus and get back to work!
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