Respect and A Balanced Breakfast

“Big, Fast, Strong, Unorthodox…that’s a monster…that’s a balanced breakfast”

That’s a quote that sticks with me from a favorite movie. When I hear it, I think about the value of respect. Respect is a meaningful currency. It means that when you meet in the center, you can put aside accomplishments, rank, prestige, and all other classifying mechanisms and just get to the heart of the matter and how to work together to move toward something positive or choose not to and just enjoy the moment.

So I choose to strive to be a balanced breakfast. What does that mean?

Big - For me, this is about energy and positivity. It is about what you bring to a room or a conversation. It’s also about what is left in the room or conversation once you leave it. It’s a presence that’s all around us. It’s about setting the temperature to be more comfortable and conducive to creativity, about being the thermostat. It’s about being a valued addition. That is big. Big always matters.

Fast - This is about the pace of action. It is about getting things done at the right place at the right time at the right level of quality. This is about shifting smoothly from idea to insight to impact. It is about forward movement and momentum. That is fast. Fast always matters too.

Strong - This is about effort. This is where your why is so important to you that you have unlimited energy for the what and the how. This is when you are willing and able to push through obstacles, uncertainty, doubt, fear, ambiguity - all the real and imagined scary staff. This is about being able to weather the storms that will inevitably come at work and in life. That is strong. Strong always matters too.

Unorthodox - This is about perspective. This is about exploring self and understanding and embracing your own uniqueness. This is about your roll out of bed abilities and using them every single day. This is about creating a framework for living, being, doing, that is flexible and adaptable to the changing and evolving world around us. It’s about making new patterns, new knowledge, new mores, new ways of doing things. You don’t have to be ‘like’ anyone. You can be the best version of your self in an unpredictable way that is the very essence of being human. Being unorthodox is beautiful, a strength, an advantage. Advantages always matter. That is unorthodox. Unorthodox always matters too.

That’s a balanced breakfast right there. That person can’t help but be a difference-maker. You can be that person. You can be a balanced breakfast. You deserve respect.