I have a fondness for Skunks. Not real skunks, I live in Phoenix and I am not sure we even have skunks. But I love the stuffed ones. Something about an all black outfit with the white stripe down the middle is so slimming and attractive.
One of my favorite parts of Bambi, is when he is learning the names for everything. He learns “flower” and then he meets a skunk. He accidentally calls the skunk, “Flower”. Everyone laughs, but the skunk who says, “He can call me a Flower, if he wants to.” I love that. I have one of those easily mispronounced names and I have always just let people pronounce it however they want to.
Sometimes just changing the name of something can make it a little bit better. If we call a challenge at work a “Dragon”, then we can see ourselves as the knight who can slay it. If life gives us lemons, we know to make lemonade. If we call the struggle with a two-year-old, “the terrible twos”, we can know it is short-lived and manageable. Sometimes just giving a name to something can change your attitude and make it a little better.
What can you rename to make it better?
