Have you ever gone to a presentation when the audience gave a standing ovation when the speaker walked out onto the stage? Have you ever seen a speaker appear wearing a suit that is a golden pumpkin color on his right side and a muted blue on his left side, shoes the color of calendula flowers?
On February 6 I attended Jordan Peterson’s lecture, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. A friend invited me to go with her to the lecture.
I had seen Dr. Peterson on YouTube and had read his tweets on twitter. It was intriguing to see him in person, and to my surprise, also see his son and his wife.
His son opened the event by playing his guitar and singing. Then Peterson’s wife came on stage and gave a short talk on one of the life lessons.
Don’t do things you hate.
She explained that has she began touring with her husband, they shared a hotel room even though they were functioning on different schedules. She found herself praying in the corridor outside their room while her husband slept. She took time off the tour to figure out why she was distressed. She realized that it would go better if they each had a hotel room.
The message throughout the evening focused on problem solving.
Tammy introduced her husband and Peterson received a standing ovation before he had said a word. He spoke about discovering oneself and becoming productive. What should you do if you reach a wall or a roadblock?
Don’t give up.
From his own life experience, he encouraged the audience to learn from difficult situations. It is important to pause and problem solve.
After he had spoken at length, Tammy came back out on stage and posed questions about family, men and women’s roles and children. This was my favorite part of the evening. I could summarize this part of the evening as a message about the importance of healthy family relationships—working through conflict and problems.
We will encounter problems and difficulties in life, but we can problem solve. The message was positive and encouraging.
Sharing this post with Anita’s Inspire Me Monday .
