Q-TIP IT!
Back in the 1920’s when Polish-American entrepreneur Leo Gerstenzang invented cotton swabs as a safer way to clean his baby’s ears, he called his product “Q-Tip.” Actually, his first name-choice was “Baby Gay” – but that didn’t sell, so the by-now familiar name emerged. Mr. Gerstenzang chose “Q” for Quality . . . and he must have been on to something, because Q-Tip has become a household word (and we’ve developed a whole ‘another set of connotations for ‘Baby Gay.’)
Which made Q-Tip a good choice for an acronym that’s going ’round in motivational workshops these days: Quit Taking It Personally! I have a jar of those little white-tipped tools on my vanity, and every morning they remind me to use this quick-and-easy stress reduction technique: Q-Tip It!
You get the picture . . . and the image, too. Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose.
So – Q-Tip It! Let Mr. Gerstenzang’s little white-tipped tool be a memory-hook, a way to ease your personal stress reactions, the way YOU choose to respond to the happenings of your days.