Visual Cues

Today, I was reminded of a time when my son decided to cut his own hair in the car on the way to grandma’s house. He was maybe 5 years old and he had packed his “go bag” with art supplies and toys, which happened to include a pair of scissors. I did not think at the time that he would attempt to use his scissors for ill-advised purposes in my presence, let alone while I was driving at high rates of speed across the Ohio turnpike. Fortunately, scissors are far more safe than what they were back in my young days – no loss of eyes or serious injuries in this story but he was left with a sizable gap in his bangs for many months. The gap in his hairline became a constant reminder for all of us. For my son, it was not to use scissors for cutting hair. For me, it was to set clear expectations for my children (and others) prior to activities to head off (no pun intended) any ineffective performance. Everyday, I was more cognizant to coach my children on what I might mistake as obvious aspects of daily life. This pre-emptive coaching and clarification of expectations helped to manage behavior and avoided “gaps” in the future. Visual cues are powerful. They influence our day-to-day decision-making and buying preferences. They can stir emotional responses to media campaigns. I employ them freely around my home with messages to “Be Kind,” “Dream Big”, and “Love.” I can be pragmatic with them as well with notes about “library books” and we have posters my sons have drawn depicting the house rules. Working from my home, I take advantage of having my own space and post vision boards and position tranquil momentos around my office that keep me centered. I also have post it notes that remind me to “breathe” and to “seek first.” What about you? What visual cues do you reference? Do you find them helpful at home and work?