One Word Suggestion: Candy

When it comes to candy, things can go from good to gross real fast.

Halloween is proof of this. And some of us (ahem) have to learn the same lesson every year. Too much of a sweet thing corrupts.

I’ll buy an entire bag of mini Snickers and demolish the entire thing before any of the kids I bought it for come around in costume.

I don’t feel bad for them. They got bag loads of candy. I feel bad for me. Because now I have to do something good and healthy, fast, like yoga or hitting the gym to offset the inevitable belly bulge.

The challenge is to not stop off at the store and get a new bag on the way home.

Because one of the things I love the most about the candy aisle is the diversity of choice. So many flavours, coatings, crunches, nuts, fillings, shapes, sizes, colours. It can be overwhelming to see them all sitting there. Sometimes you know exactly what you’re looking for, other times making a choice can be hard.

One thing is for sure, just as there are endless types of candy, they are also endless types of people who love it. And love it differently. We all have different tastes formed by our unique cultural experiences and differences.

You love Violet Crunch? I think it tastes like Styrofoam. I like Reese’s peanut butter cups. You might think they taste like waxy sludge. But there are enough people who like them both to keep them stocked on shelves around the world.

Because every candy bar has something unique to offer the world. Just like the people who consume them.

The trick is to get good at appreciating and understanding the differences. (Almost Joy’s got nuts, Mounds don’t.) Then you can start to make informed choices. But until you’ve tried all the flavours, you can’t assume you know or understand what each candy is all about.

The same goes for the people you work with every day. Sure some of them might be sweet and easy to enjoy spending time with. And others might be a bit sour and less to your liking, but they all have something unique to offer.

This is never more clear to me than in every single improv class ever. Without fail, every class starts with strangers and ends with best friends. Because improv creates a safe space where people can reveal their authentic selves. And authenticity is the sweetest of all human traits.

So look for the sweetness in yourself and each other. And if you need help, an improv workshop can create a safe space where you and all your staff can discover, appreciate, and enjoy all the different personalities in your office. And just about everywhere else.

Except maybe the dentist.