Dominoes and life?

When I was a young child, I saw a commercial on TV right before Christmas.  It was advertising a Dominoes set.  Not the actual game of connecting Dominoes in multiples of five but the setting up of the Dominoes to eventually push one and see all the them fall down in a big wave.  I was amazed as I watched these kids set up what seemed to be a million domino pieces in an incredible maze which included, ladders, falling off tables, going through an inner tube, up hills, down hills, over model cars, being pushed by a train, falling using a parachute, and on and on all the while staying connected in a wave of one knocking down the next one.  I had to have that domino set!  I imagined all of the things I could do.  All of the incredible mazes I could build, the friends I could impress, the domino contests I could win.

Do you really want the Domino set?

I went to my mom and asked her if she could buy the domino set for me.  She tried to talk me out of it, by saying that what I saw on the commercial is not as easy as it appeared.  She said that I would end up frustrated because I am not patient enough to take the time necessary to build the domino maze. She also asked me if that is what I really wanted or if I just wanted it because it seemed cool on TV.  Then she went on to tell me a phrase that I did not understand at the time.  She said, “Son, remember that all that glitters isn’t Gold.”  I was not buying it; so I begged and begged her to buy me the set for Christmas.

Where is my Domino set?

Christmas day!  My brothers and I woke up at the crack of dawn to get to our presents.  We ripped through all of them.  Of course, I was looking for my domino set.  However, I was disappointed to find out that after opening all of my gifts, there was no domino set.  All of the sudden, my mom and dad appeared with what they called a special gift for each one of us.  I opened mine and jumped up and down with joy to see the domino set I had seen on TV.  I told my family that I was going to set up my set just like the commercial I had seen and give them a demonstration right after breakfast.

I don’t want this stupid Domino set anymore!

After breakfast, my brothers went outside to play with their toys.  I stayed in and decided to make the kitchen floor my domino palace.  Over the next several hours, I tried and tried but could not get the domino to stand in sequence without tipping one over and seeing the whole domino wall come crashing down.  I became increasingly frustrated and at one point, was almost in tears because I could not get the dominoes to do what the commercial showed.  Sensing my pain but not wanting to say, I told you so, my mom walked into the kitchen and sat on the floor with me.  “Do you want some help?” she said.  I burst into tears, hugged her and said, “Mom, I can’t do it.  I can’t get the dominoes to do what the kids in the commercial did. I don’t want these stupid dominoes.”  She said, “Son, like I told you.  This game requires a lot of patience and practice.  We are not going to return the domino set and get you a new game because this is what you wanted.  Now that you have it, you need to learn how to set them up and I will help you.”

Making my own Domino commercial.

We spent the next hour or so, setting up the set, not like the commercial, but in our own special way. After we had set up a couple hundred or so dominoes in a pattern, we called in the rest of the family for the big unveiling.  Just as they all made it to the kitchen, due the fact that my brothers were running, the floor shook and the dominoes started to fall.  They did not quite fall precisely in order but they all came tumbling down nevertheless.  My brothers kept saying how awesome it was.  My mom looked at me with that knowing smile and winked.

Lessons learned from tumbling Dominoes

I learned a couple of very valuable lessons that day that I have carried with me my whole life:
1.)    Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.  Just like with a job or career, it is important to really think about why you want something and the implications on your life after you receive it.  Are you truly prepared to handle what comes with the change or are you just trying to be like the people in the commercial?
2.)    Everything new that you attempt requires patience, persistence and a commitment to learning what it takes to be successful.  How do you make your dominoes look like the ones on TV?  One domino at a time.  How do you become a top salesperson or a top manager?  One day at a time and trying to get better and better each day. This is where my philosophy of The Kaizen Way really comes into play.

Time for your story

What has played the role of the Dominoes in your life?  And what are your comments or thoughts about this blog.  Please write back and let me know.

To your Story!

Ja Marr Brown