Complete Article List:
- Building a Creative Business Culture
- Defining Yourself
- 4 ˝ Stages of Organizational Success
- How to Fail Your Way to Success
- Six Life Lessons I Learned in Vegas
- Making Sense of Humour in the Workplace
- The Art of Professionalism: Learning the Right Way to Get Ahead
- The Secrets of Effective Decision-Making
- The Customer Rules:
Surviving & Thriving in the New Customer-Driven World - The Fascination of Sport
- Are You a Twenty Percenter?
- The Times They are a Changin'
An Investigation of Five Future Trends - The Business of Global Greening: How Technology and Business are Saving the Planet
- The Changing Face of Charity: How Businesses and Individuals are Redefining Philanthropy
- Web 2.0: Business in a Connected World
- Searching for a Needle of Knowledge in an Information Haystack (pdf format)
- The Power of Design (pdf format)
Articles
Six Life Lessons I Learned in Vegas
By Steve Bannister
When it comes to summer travelling, my wife and I have nomadic genes. In the summer of 2004 we started our travels intending to go to a theme park in Massachusetts and ended up in Orlando (a total of 12,000km roundtrip). This past summer we packed up the trailer, two children and two dogs and headed off across Canada.
After visiting friends and relatives in Ottawa, Saskatoon and Calgary, we crossed over to B.C. and headed south to sunny California. Once we arrived in California and took in the sights we started our way back home through the southern states. On our way was Las Vegas, Nevada.
Vegas, baby. Sin City, gambling, Celin Dion, CSI, and of course, everything else that comes with a big money town. As we drove the long, straight, hot highway towards Vegas we were bombarded with numerous billboards and my mind drifted towards all of the typical Vegas stereotypes. Stereotypes which were to be put to the test.
Now I'm not saying that the reputation of Vegas is pristine. All I know is that the major strip had, believe it or not, a very friendly family atmosphere. To say I was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. Once we settled in our Trailer Park near the end of the strip behind the Circus Circus Resort, we set off in the incredible 1200F heat to explore the Vegas Strip.
The Strip is incredibly long and made up mostly of beautiful themed resorts: hotels, casinos, restaurants, and shopping complexes. The themes are taken from Paris, Venice, New York, Egypt, Caribbean, and the list goes on. Some other themed stores included a Jimmy Buffet Restaurant (for you to drift away in Margaritaville), a Harley Davidson Store, a Hard Rock Café and a Coke Store. Yes, a Coke Store. One of only two totally exclusive Coke Stores in North America (the other is in Atlanta, the birthplace of Coke).
I never realized how much Coke had become apart of our life until I walked into the Coke Store. It was the combination of modern clothing and memorabilia mixed with a warm and fuzzy trip down memory lane. These people at Coke knew that they were not just selling caramelized sugar water; they were selling the "Real Thing".
When I left the Coke Store I was never to look at the Coca-Cola Company the same again. As much as there are complaints about the unhealthy effects of Coke, the company has always stuck to doing one thing and doing it the best way they possibly can (with the exception of the New Coke glitch a few years ago). There was a lesson to be learned here:
Discover and foster your one true strength. Do not waiver.
On the way back from the Coke Store we waited for a trolley. Trolleys were basically shuttle busses built to look like old fashioned trolley cars. A five dollar ticket would get an all day pass up and down the Strip.
The weather was still hot and we were starting to feel it. When the trolley arrived at our stop, we wearily stepped on and were then instantly greeted by Stella. I knew when she told me to, "hustle my butt on up in", that Stella was not your ordinary trolley driver. She was immaculately dressed in her uniform and her face was beaming. A definite welcome sight for the sardine-like trolley ride we had ahead.
Well, little did I know that this was just the beginning. When we left the trolley stop, Stella started some playful banter with the passengers next to her. One time she told a standing passenger to, "hang on to his wife and don't be shy". Her voice was upbeat and she had a contagious, fun demeanor. The really entertaining part of the ride came whenever we were turning or approaching a speed bump. At this time, Stella would warn us by shouting, "WEEZA TURNIN", or, "WEEZA BUMPIN". What a riot! Everyone in the trolley was laughing! No one seemed to mind the broken air conditioner and cramped quarters.
The trip back to the Trailer Park flew. After I got off, I started thinking more about Stella and how she acted. She didn't have to go through all that trouble to lighten the mood...but she did anyway. Another lesson learned:
Make a constant effort to live above any unpleasant circumstances.
Now it's day two and off we go to continue our Vegas adventure. On the agenda today was a matinee featuring Mac King, a magician comedian. My son had seen him on television and thought that it would be a great show to take in. The show took place in a cozy setting in one of the resorts. There was a small stage, some booth seating and chairs set up near the stage. As we entered just a few minutes before the show was to begin, we were met by Frankie, a friendly guy with a New York accent and an anything-I-can-do-for-you personality. Well I figured Frankie would seat us front and center where there were still some free seats. We ended up back and far left. Not what I had envisioned.
After sitting for awhile, with my partially obstructed view I decided to take Frankie up on his offer. I asked him to move us to better seats. He hesitated, checked with someone else and then came back and seated us front row center. The show was great and we had a fabulous time. Afterwards I found out that the front seats are usually reserved for regular gamblers at the casino.
What a difference it made when we changed seats. Should I have sat in my original seat and kept my mouth shut? What did I have to lose if I asked Frankie to help us out? Nothing. What did I have to gain? A great deal. Chaulk up another life lesson learned:
Ask for what you want. Ask nicely. Ask politely. Just ask.
After a full day on the Strip we ended up getting tickets for "The Blue Man Group". These three performers were definitely what one would call avant-garde. Their heads looked as if they were dipped in bright blue paint and they did not speak a word. The majority of the show involved the three members playing percussion on homemade instruments crafted from plastic tubing. The overall audio and visual experience is hard to describe. Needless to say, we had never seen such a different and exciting performance in our lives!
The show left us speechless and, you guessed it, it got me thinking again. Just how many times do I really go out on the edge and do different things? Probably not as often as I should. I decided that in the future I will abide more by life lesson number four:
Experience different things in your life. Take a chance now and then.
After we came from The Blue Man Group it was just getting dark. We took a leisurely stroll down the strip towards the famous Belagio Resort. The Belagio is most famous for its water fountain show. Every hour it sprays water upwards through the man-made pool in front of its hotel. This is not just a single spray of water that you might see at a mall. We are talking about hundreds of sprays going at different heights and angles, complete with lights and timed to music via a computer system.
As my wife and I snuggled under one of the trees in front of the huge pool, we started to hear music. The song, "This Kiss", by Faith Hill began to play and the water began to spray in all directions, at varying heights, perfectly timed to the music. A breeze was blowing lightly, and all was right in the world. For those few minutes I wasn't in the bustling town of Vegas, I was quietly enjoying a wonderful spectacle with my wife and I never noticed the hundreds of people around me who were also in awe of the show.
What a memory and what a life lesson:
Take time each day to look for and enjoy the beauty around you.
The last day of my Vegas experience was not going to go by without doing some gambling. I am not much of a gambler so I wasn't quite sure where I should spend my money. As we walked through the casinos each day we saw many people playing the slot machines. They were never very happy, so I figured that the slots were the big winners. Poker seemed interesting but the betting often got complicated. I decided on Blackjack. It was quick and easy (to play that is, not necessarily easy to win).
I sidled up to the Blackjack table with forty dollars burning a hole in my pocket and dreams of big money. Bill, the dealer, took my money and promptly handed me all of eight chips. As I started to play, Bill helped me out with the nuances of the game and gave me hints on how to bet. He was a slender guy in his mid forties with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. I knew whether I won or lost that no matter what, Bill and I were going to have fun playing Blackjack.
I started winning a few chips here and there fairly consistently (no doubt a run of beginners luck). After awhile my luck appeared to move around to the other players at the table. When my chip count had gone down far enough I asked Bill whether I should stop. I was curious to understand when is the right time to quit gambling. Bill just smiled and said, "Steve, it's no fluke that Kenny Rogers' Gambler Song went Platinum". Sage advice? Maybe. But I will never forget the time I had when I won $225 playing poker with Bill the dealer.
Life Lesson learned:
Know yourself—you are the expert in you.
What a trip! What an adventure! I will never look at Las Vegas in the same light again. Stereotype soundly busted? You bet (excuse the pun)! Life lessons learned, and a Las Vegas adventure thoroughly enjoyed.
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