Lessons I Learned from Wheel of Fortune

A few weeks ago, I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. I won just over $17,000 in cash and prizes, but what I took away from the experience was worth so much more.

Here is what I learned:

1. You can’t make dreams come true unless you try.

I heard from so many people who asked me how I got on the show. If you want something, go for it. Sitting on the couch saying “good things never happen to me” won’t get you any further than the couch. Apply, put in effort, and go for it! Do the work!

2. Take Chances

I had to decide pretty quickly if I could rearrange my schedule, fly to LA and make this happen. For a second, I thought, can I really do this? YES. YES YOU CAN. Sometimes ambition is difficult and logistics are stressful, but only you are in charge of your own happiness. Make it happen.

3. You will make mistakes. Learn from them.

I had the million dollar puzzle piece in my hand. I had the wild card in my hand. I had a trip to Aruba in my hand and I had total control of the wheel. I completely blew it when my brain couldn’t see the answer to the puzzle : Grand Slam Dunk. Ironic right? I had everything at my fingertips (a slam dunk some would say) and my brain just couldn’t see it. When I walked off that stage for the commercial break, I was so angry at myself. But I had a choice in the moment. I could let it hold me back or I could shake it off and start again. I chose the latter. And boy am I glad I did. Positivity took me to the final round!

4. Reserve judgment

I can’t tell you how many people harassed me for not getting that first puzzle correct. Until you are walking in someone’s shoes, you don’t know what’s happening in that moment. The stage is intense, lots of moving pieces and it can be overwhelming to be under pressure.  Give others a little grace when they make mistakes. That could be you in the next episode of life. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

5. How you play the game counts!

I went in with a positive attitude. No matter what happened, I considered myself to be lucky just to be there. When Pat Sajak called me “delightful and exhausting” I played along and laughed about it. Sometimes you have to have a sense of humor and go with the flow under pressure. Let’s face it: it was a true privilege to be “Sajaked” by a game show legend!

6. Nothing beats true human connection!

When we taped Wheel, we all were instructed to keep our phones off all day. We were at the studio for almost 12 hours. At first, I was panicked that I couldn’t look at my phone. What was I missing? What if someone needed something? Guess what? They didn’t. Instead, I formed genuine connections with the people around me. We laughed, we told stories and we learned from each other IN THE MOMENT. We need more of THIS.

Life is one giant puzzle. Maybe the answers are right in front of you and you just don’t see them. But if you just open your eyes, you’ll find your purpose.

The wheel of possibility awaits. Take it for a spin!

Goodnight Moon. Hello Storytelling.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved a good story. If you think back to some of your earliest memories from your childhood, they probably involve you hanging on your parents’ every word as they read your favorite bedtime tale. In fact, you probably remember those stories, and maybe you have even read them to your own children. Why do stories hold the power to resonate and stay with us?

Storytelling sparks a function in the brain called 'neural coupling' which allows the audience to relate the ideas presented in the story into his/her own ideas and experiences. This practice makes each communication more personal and relatable, and taps into the emotions of the listener. When you use your emotional intelligence to communicate effectively using storytelling, your important message to staff, leadership and key stakeholders becomes memorable, instead of forgettable.

I remember a time when I was asked to speak to new employees during a company orientation. At that point in my career, I was the director of business development for a hospital. Ultimately my job was to market the hospital, but I was mainly responsible for revenue being brought in by maintaining hospital census. The day before this particular orientation, I had a bad day. Or at least I thought it was bad. Then I met 14 year old Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had been in a horrible car crash a few weeks before I met her. She had a brain injury and was having a trouble communicating and showing emotion. None of the therapists were quite certain of the extent of her injuries and her family had been devastated by the incident, not sure that she would ever regain full cognitive function.

We found out that Elizabeth was a huge fan of Cody Simpson, who was basically the Australian Justin Beiber. He just so happened to be in town for a concert and the staff had reached out to his people to see if he would visit her at the hospital. Turns out, Cody’s dad was a former physical therapist and understood the importance of what a visit like this might do for someone like Elizabeth. Cody came to visit her and sat on her bed. He told her that heard she couldn’t make it to his concert, so he wanted to bring the concert to her room. He had his guitar in his hand, and began serenading her within minutes of arriving. Tears started streaming down her face when she heard the music and that was first emotion she was able to communicate since the accident. I remember telling her parents that I thought I was having a bad day, but they really showed me that every single day is a gift, and I should never take that gift for granted.

I walked into my presentation the next day and abandoned everything I had planned to say to those new employees. Instead, I told them Elizabeth’s story. I told them that caring for our patients and our families and treating them like our own family is really our first and most important job. The only census I cared about that day was how many people we helped get back to their lives because of the inspiring work that happened in that hospital every single day.

I will never forget Elizabeth, that day, and how there wasn’t a dry eye in that new employee orientation class. Stories in the workplace can affect change, evoke emotions and drive people to want to DO better and BE better.

What story will you tell at work tomorrow?