Page 37 - 2025 GBC spring English

Paul Huschilt, the closing speaker at the 2024 Golf Business Canada
Conference & Trade Show, delivered an entertaining message on
maintaining perspective, particularly during challenging times. He
expands on that theme in this article for Golf Business Canada readers.
What is your first reaction to some new issue or problem? If you’re
like most people, it’s fear, trepidation, maybe a bit of intrigue, sometimes
exasperation. I am a pretty ordinary person, so I first react with all of
these. Then, I try to put the issue in perspective. I do this by looking at the
issue from a less personal view, or with humour, or by finding out how
much I need to worry. Sounding similar to a phrase often used in real
estate, my approach is perspective, Perspective, PERSPECTIVE.
LOOK! TRY REFRAMING
The power of using reframing to keep perspective was demonstrated at
the 2024 Golf Business Conference and Tradeshow in Calgary. We had
fun with the reframing/perspective activity in my session. I asked the
group to tell me what was stressing them out. We heard things like: Kids!
Health! Deadlines! Money! Traffic!
 With any of these or other stressors, we can look for something positive:
•  Kids? They eventually move out. (They move back, but they move out.)
•  Health? At least we’re alive.
•  Deadlines? There is never a dull moment.
•  Money? Thanks to those deadlines, we have some!
•  And traffic? Finding something positive about traffic is a stretch, but,
you do get some time to listen to music.
By stepping back and looking for what’s positive in everyday stressors
we can often find what’s funny. And when we laugh things improve. Our
mood lightens. We find ourselves
problem solving more creatively.
Instead of arguing with what’s
there, we work with what’s there.
And we do it with less stress.
LAUGH AT IT
It’s funny how humans don’t tend
to take a sense of humour seriously.
If a sense of humour were a feature
on a new car it would probably be
optional, like seatbelts in the 1970’s.
I think a sense of humour should
be standard equipment. Over the
years, I have leaned on my sense
of humour the way angry drivers
lean on their horn. It lightens any
bad mood and often helps to make
a point that gets remembered.
To laugh at something – I
mean really laugh at it – puts
it in perspective. Back in 1999,
when I was a student in George
Brown College’s Career and Work
Development Program, I learned
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