Spilling the Cheerios

For an old man, I have a lot of friends and co-workers who are expecting or who have just had a baby. And I always have the same reaction (in my mind) when friends tell me they are expecting: “How can you have a kid when I’m so tired?”

I say that in my head because our evolutionary imperative to reproduce makes it verboten to divulge exactly how hard having and raising kids is – especially at the beginning.

The problem with this unwritten taboo against spilling the Cheerios is that young parents believe us, and when parenting turns out to be hard (SO HARD) they feel like failures.

So evolutionary imperatives be danged, I’m gonna shoot straight here.

To start with, when you get that little alien... I mean your bundle of joy... home from the hospital the first night, it is going to scream from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., then pause for 15 minutes just to raise your hopes, and then scream from 7:15 a.m. until 7:15 p.m., and then repeat the process. For a month.

I'M SPILLING THE CHEERIOS! Parenting is hard! Check out the rest of the column here.

Upcoming Events
I really enjoyed speaking last Thursday to the American Society of Women Accountants in Glen Allen, Va. Then, on Saturday, I was in Grand Rapids, Mich. speaking to the Michigan Division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, and it was a blast!

Coming up:
June 8 - The Maryland-Delaware-DC Division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals - Columbia, Md.

June 30 - The Virginia/West Virginia Division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals - Lynchburg, Va.

August 24 - International Assocaition of Meeting Planners Conference - Richmond, Va.

If the folks in your organization, company or association are grappling with the craziness of this world, maybe I can help.
In my speaking, I provide organizations and their people with strategies for sanity in this world gone nuts. With lots of humor, high energy and fun, I cover topics such as:

Keeping Balance & Perspective Amidst (Hurricane-Strength) Winds of Change – Chuck taps his own wide variety of hilarious business and life experiences and misadventures, as well as the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau, to present a funny take on dealing with change and keeping one’s balance and perspective amidst planetary insanity.

E Pluribus Humor: Diversity, Community and Getting the Best Solutions – Chuck Hansen (disclaimer: no Latin scholar) uses hilarious insights and anecdotes from his “diverse” career and life experiences to demonstrate the fact that true diversity connects communities in a common cause to arrive at the best solutions. With humor and positivity, Chuck explores how conformity in thinking, uniformity of background and “conventional wisdom” combine to limit the ability of organizations and individuals to innovate and succeed.

Living and Leaving the Caribbean Dream: Surprising Truths about Setting Goals – Chuck samples from his several lifetimes’ worth of wildly varied and often humorous experiences – from crossing the Atlantic in a small sailboat, to Caribbean saloon bouncer, to speechwriter for national political figures and Fortune 500 company leaders, to blackjack dealer, donut maker and private detective – to present some surprising truths about setting and achieving goals.

For more information, go to my web page, drop me an email (chuck@chuckhansen.com) or call me (804-240-7743). I would be grateful if you’d pass my information along to friends or colleagues who might need some energizing and perspective! Thanks!