I held out as long as I could (though I’m still not sure why my abstinence campaign meant so much to me…), but, it’s official. I am hereby proudly and fully engaged with the Angry Birds phenomenon. Everyone in my household has at least one item of Angry Bird paraphernalia and yes, I look forward to what I call, my “Angry Bird Therapy” sessions…thank you very much.
(So what?……)
Well, here’s the deal…even during my down time, my executive and entrepreneurial mind are always working. I’ve gleaned lessons (or reminders) and inspiration from a handful of the best “time-management” games like Diner Dash 2, Virtual City, Supermarket Mania…and a few others that we can talk about another day.
…From my “Angry Bird Therapy” sessions, this is what I’d share:
Rise (Early) and Shine In Your Business
Lesson 1: The Early Bird Gets The Worm. That’s kinda straight forward, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t most of the course intro videos show the birds getting ready for “business” in front of a rising sun? If I’m mistaken, it’s ok because the lesson/reminder still stands. If you are “asleep at the wheel” (figuratively speaking), your business is suffering. Wake up and pay attention. Preventative, corrective, and proactive measures are waiting…
Focus (Zoom In) On Certain Project Areas and Consider A Strategy
Lesson 2: Haste Makes Waste. As the esteemed Coach John Wooden once counseled: “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” When approaching a project allow (or require) yourself to survey the scene, analyze the challenge, measure your inventory of resources and evaluate any limitations you’re faced with. Yes, you could attack the game board (or your project) with reckless abandon, slinging birds (or your time, money, and talent) at a complex structure of pigs, bricks, and wood (your challenge) and hope for the best. Or you could zoom out (gain big picture perspective by asking questions and “looking around”), zoom in (SWOT analysis), look at all of the birds you have access to and their order in line (these would be your project limitations), and then PLAN the best approach.
Lesson 3: Understand the “delayed and secondary reaction” effect….and keep trying. (Okay so maybe that’s lessons 3 and 4…but I’m trying to wrap it up so you can get back to your game.) So, here we go, last “one”: How many times have we held our breath hoping that a virtual gust of wind would blow through and that the last pig would go ahead and roll off the ledge into a cloud of smoke and points? Tell the truth, you’ve even shaken your screen once or twice hoping to make a difference, haven’t you?
....Wait fooor it.....
In either case, sometimes that pig rolls and we win…and sometimes it doesn’t. My definition of the “delayed reaction effect” comes into play here because sometimes you just have to wait and see. You’ve planned and executed the best way you know how. So the only thing left to do is see where the chips (or pigs, in this case) will fall. Good luck.
The “secondary reaction effect” is when (whether on purpose or by mistake) you hit on something that creates a domino effect that works in your favor. Both in “Angry Birds Therapy” and “real life”, these positive chain reactions can make a surprising impact on your full project plan. Embrace them and look forward to completing the now “simplified” challenge or moving on to the next.
Finally, as for the “keep trying”…well, what can I say. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Game on, Compadres …
By the way, if you’re really in touch with your inner Angry Bird, you’ll appreciate this video. Which bird are you?
Submitted For Your Consideration 