Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone, Powered by NAFCU

It was late on a Friday. I was in seat 17A on a plane. I was hoping to get some sleep. But then it happened again.

The gent in seat 17B kept bouncing his knee.

I'm not a small fellow. And neither was 17B. So when his knee bounced, my knee knew about it. 

And it happened again. And again. 

Normally, I'm a fairly even-tempered guy. But at 10:30 on a Friday night, on a day that started at 4:30 a.m., I was getting frustrated. 

I started envisioning dividers that would separate seats. Not only an arm rest, but a shield that would block bouncy knees as well.

Anthony...they have that. It is called first class. 

OK. I'll grant you that. But I do think frustration can lead to good things. It can get you thinking. Here's a snippet of an article from Inc.

Chris Riley was ticked. Caught in a speed trap near his office in Coral Gables, Florida, the officer flagged Chris down like he was a hardened criminal. Yes, he was speeding...but not by much. Since he forgot his proof of insurance, the total cost for his minor infraction was over 500 bucks. Seething, his only options were to pay up and incur points on his record, or to take time off work, hire a lawyer, and roll the dice to fight it.

In that moment, Chris decided to turn his frustration into opportunity. Reflecting on his mishap, he wondered if there was a way to help ticked off people better handle traffic tickets. After a little research, he learned that 95% of traffic violations in the US are paid in full, uncontested. So Chris did the natural thing....he started a company aptly named TIKD.

 

Now, most of us are not looking to start a new business. But we are looking to improve things. Here are three lessons from the article:

• Frustration is a heat map for an opportunity.
• Any problem can be solved with creativity.
• Simplicity wins. 

My friend Dan Rockwell discusses how leaders can use anger and frustration. It is well worth your time. 

In any event, what frustrates you? Is it a sign pointing to an opportunity? 

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A few tidbits:

• We still need your help with the NAFCU Thunderclap campaign. Do you use Twitter or Facebook? Then we could use your help!
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