Kamikaze Seagull

Have you ever been hit by the Kamikaze Seagull?

When I began speaking in seminars and conferences over 20 years ago there was an unspoken formula that many professional speakers ascribed to. They would open their talk with a story about something funny or interesting that happened to them on the way to their speaking engagement. The problem is nothing particularly funny or interesting had ever happened to me on the way to a speaking engagement. Until…

I was booked as the opening keynote speaker for the Habitude Warrior conference in San Diego. Other speakers included Greg Reid, Dave Corbin, Scott Duffy, Jim Cathcart, and Cheri Tree. One of the all-time greats, Dr. Denis Waitley, would be inducted into the Personal Growth Hall of Fame later on that evening. I was excited, energized, and ready. I showed up over 2 1/2 hours early only to be informed the doors wouldn’t be open for at least 90 minutes.

Fantastic! I’m in San Diego, one of my favorite cities in the world. So I took a 15 minute drive to a coffee shop on the beach and sat outside to sipping on a fabulous cup of joe while enjoying the sound, sight and smell of the ocean. Perfect.

The Attack

And then in happened. The Kamikaze Seagull out of nowhere dropped a bomb. I was hit left of center on the back of my stage ready white shirt. It left a quite a mark.

After the initial shock and frustration, I went into the coffee shop restroom, washed off the bomb as well as possible, and began formulating how I would work this experience into the opening of my keynote.

You Dropped a Bomb on Me

Have you ever been hit by the Kamikaze Seagull? It:

• Comes out of nowhere
• Drops a bomb
• Leaves a mark

It tends to attack at the worst possible time, hit way harder than a pat on the back, and take much more than warm water and a funny story to get over it. It may come in the form of illness, injury or conflict. Car trouble, job loss or a death in the family. An unexpected break up, a suddenly rebellious teenager. Or the unlisted bomb you’re thinking of right…

What do you do when you get hit by the kamikaze seagull? Do you:

• Panic?
• Get angry?
• Think of the worst possible scenario?

Here are some distinctions you may find helpful when bombed by the kamikaze seagull.

• The seagull is just doing what it does. It may feel like an attack, but on some level it is simply nature taking its course.
• The bomb was going to land somewhere, instead of saying “why here?” try saying “why not here?”
• No matter how ugly, uncomfortable or devastating the bomb is, YOU STILL HAVE A CHOICE. You can choose how you relate to the experience and you can choose your next action.

Questions for Reflection

1. Identify a kamikaze seagull. What was the bomb it dropped on you?
2. How did you choose to respond?
3. What have you learned (or what are you learning) from the experience?