Earlier this week I was watching some old reruns of M*A*S*H. What a well done series that was; funnier the first few years than it was later, in my opinion, because they got more political. But the later years did give us a terrific character: Major Charles Emerson Winchester III. Do you remember this guy? What a pompous ass he was. Speaking of pompous asses, why am I spending your valuable time reminiscing about a sitcom? Good question, but I’ve got an even better answer.
I’m a big believer in being present. If you’ve read any of my stuff or heard me speak, then you already know this. As a matter of fact, if you’re anything like the agents I meet out here, you might even be tired of hearing it. You might find the whole topic a little touchy-feely. “There goes Sean again. He might be a debonair, handsome, witty, intelligent, entertaining, man-of-action; but I’m tired of the Zen-happiness thing. (I took a little license imagining what your thought about me might be; you might not actually find me debonair…) So today I’m going to sneak a little happiness in on you using pop culture: M*A*S*H to be specific.
Back to Major Charles Emerson Winchester III; as much of a buffoon as he was, the writers also gave him some of the most interesting lines. I’m thinking of two in particular. During one of his character’s early episodes, by way of explaining himself to the other doctors, he says, “I do one thing at a time, I do it very well, then I move on.” That’s a great line isn’t it? “I do one thing at a time…” sounds like someone who is present. Someone who is focused on what he’s doing right then and there. So far, so good. “I do it very well…” Hmmm, a little ego coming in here; not so much about being present as it is being recognized by others for his accomplishments. “Then I move on.” OK, so now we see that he’s not really present at all. He’s thinking about the next thing, but before Read more