Because in most cases, we have gotten ourselves into this, we can change it. To do it, we need to see things differently.

In Dead Poets Society, John Keating (played by Robin Williams) is an English teacher who wants to get his students to see life differently than they have.

To do so, he begins in a small way… by having them stand up on his desk in classroom. It is just a classroom. The same classroom they have come to day after day. But seeing things from 29 inches off ground can provide an entirely different view of world.

Now I don't advise anyone to knock off everything from dining room table and climb on top, just keep it simple. Take a different way to work, re-arrange furniture, change your routine a little bit. You'll be surprised at how different 1 hour can make things seem.

Finally, perception is something in which 650 words can not do justice. There is so much more to it than just seeing things differently, although that has a lot to do with it.

There are still our perceptions of ourselves, of our surroundings, of others, of what others think of us, of what we think others think of us and so many more combinations.

In a way, perception is who we are, who we can be, what we can do and where we can go. The best news? We have power. We are in control. We can change it if we don't like what we see. As song says, (and maybe a bit of a re-write can be used someday), that's about size, where I put my eyes… that's about size of that.

Then there were "faithful"; many nice people who sent a quick note such as "Don't worry about it", "You're spending too much time in your bathrobe", and "It's always nice to hear from you, even if by mistake".

Here are some things that I learned:

1. You can't please everyone, no matter what you do. Some people are just cranky, so you have to just let them be cranky! Nothing you say or do will placate them.

2. Sometimes you just have to let go. At first I tried to tell those who complained that they had been on list for months, but then realized that if these people don't even realize that there is no sense trying to hold on to them. They obviously don't need newsletter or read it. "Buh- bye"!

3. I've got to lighten-up on myself. Even though negative messages amounted to less than 1/2 of one percent, and they were outnumbered by positive messages by at least 4 to 1, I still found myself focusing on them and feeling bad about it.

4. When something goes wrong, it is important to try to identify ALL of ramifications. It never occurred to me that people would see "Welcome" message and think they were subscribed to something new. If I had thought of that, I would have mentioned it in my follow-up message and perhaps fended off a few of requests to get off of list. (Maybe not... see #1 above!)

The next time something goes wrong, think it through calmly before you take action. Then let chips fall where they may and look at entire situation as a learning opportunity. If you don't, it just might happen again.