Look ..it’s a Panda!

September 16, 2015

My daily commute is such an entertaining part of my day.

From 7.15am to 8.30am my feet barely touch the ground except for my walk from the train platform to the 145 bus. If you are a commuter you will probably agree that there are many different types of commuters; those that sleep the whole train journey (I envy these people, once I’m awake that’s it till about 10pm), those that talk the WHOLE train journey or read or like me, those that do their make-up (Yes, I’m one of them judge away please!)

So why is my commute so entertaining and what could I possibly learn from my daily commute?

It is so entertaining because of the fact that I love to people watch. As part of this activity I also like to give people their own back story. These stories are usually about as far fetched as a ‘panda riding a bicycle across O’Connell Bridge on a Tuesday‘!

But nonetheless it keeps the creative juices flowing and in public relations it is very important to have your creative cap on. Clients want to be on trend, involved in the next guerrilla (or panda bear!)movement and in general to be seen. If you can create enough awareness for your clients, and they are aware of this, then you’re doing something right!

Another entertaining part of my commute is the fact that I now realise that our lives are like a TV show.

I sometimes wonder – were we the ones being watched as we watched Jim Carrey in The Truman Show? There are so many different characters and you see the majority of these people every day, some of whom you speak to and some you don’t.

Is there no ‘comms’ in commute?!

We spend the whole commute hardly engaging with one another. But why? Honestly, I have no idea! Especially considering that communication is one of the factors that helps the world work – in business, education, politics etc. Without communication there can be no instruction or direction and this is part of what we crave in our daily lives.

In Public Relations, it is vital to have a relationship with communication and this is what makes the difference when dealing with clients, media and corporates, going the extra mile to building those relationships.

I guess what I’m trying to say is to look up, take notice and realise that in your everyday life there are lessons to be learned, that can be used in your work life. These lessons can benefit you and show that you’re not afraid to go that extra mile for your clients. Let these differences be what separate’s you from the rest!

One last point, I have just realised that in this blog I have given away enough information to run the danger of attracting a daily commuter stalker!

But I will warn you that my father has a very particular set of skills. Skills that he has acquired over a very long career. Skills that make him a nightmare for people like you Mr Stalker. If you take me, that will be the end of it. He will not look for me, he will not pursue you.

But if you don’t, he might just look for you, he will find you and he will pay you to take me.

Thanks dad ..

Arlene