I caught one of those damn brutal summer colds. As all of you can attest its hard to just get out of bed let alone be creative. Life's on autopilot for the next few days.
Have fun.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Life Lessons
Having spent some time the last few months trying to look at my life and how to adapt to a new paradigm, I am constantly amazed that what works best, for me, is what I have done in the past that worked. In my instance, it is not so much a reinvention but a separation once again of the wheat from the chaff. Below is a list of things that I think any person can apply to their life and be the better for it.
1. "You are today, the sum total of your best ideas!" The situations you deal with today or have dealt with in the past are because of you acting on what you thought was, "A Good Idea." I think sometimes the opposite of baggage, is savings. Think of all the other things you be doing or thinking of if you weren't juggling three maxed credit cards? Think of the emotional stability you could enjoy if you learned to process or even forgive a past transgression. (It once took me ten years to forgive one person but it can be done). If you got a DUI last week, that was your best idea at the time. If you spent too much money over the weekend, that was your best idea. If you met the person of your dreams in the most unlikely place and pursued that person until you both created a wonderful life and future, that was at the time, your best idea. All of us have a conflict of good ideas dozens of times a day; Subway or BK, apple or ice cream, sleep in or swim. Your action on what you think is best is why you're at where your at. You are on your way to your goals or moving further away from them because you're acting on what you think is your best idea. You can clarify your best idea by relating to your Chief Definite Aim, "Do my actions reflect my goals?" Maybe even add, "minute to minute." to the end of the statement. By doing this you will realize what you want to do and how that will affect you are often two completely different realities.
2. "Why stand when you can sit, why sit when you can lay down?" Sitting on the couch until late at night is not getting anyone closer to a healthy life. Rest is as important to a balanced life as exercise. Even if it is impossible to sleep, get in bed at the same time each night. What you do between getting in bed and falling asleep is up to you.
3. Read. Almost every study shows that challenging the mind or stimulating the imagination, does more for our brains than almost anything. The world seems to have two types of people, those that love to read and those that never do. But the 'never do's' don't usually hate reading, their just not interested in what they see and don't have the habit. While laying in bed, read for thirty minutes; trashy novels, history, fiction, or autobiography's. Want to climb a mountain or run a marathon, there are so many great books and essays that will speak to you. Start off with reading something that you watched and liked. Books on movies can seem pedestrian but often give much more back story to the characters and often times have completely different story lines and more satisfying endings. Movies often start from books, Dracula, Frankenstein, Lord of the Rings. Read a classic. Don't know what a classic is? Its generally a book that you know the title or a character but have never read. In all Barnes and Noble bookstores is a stand alone shelf with their reproduction of classic works from Mark Twain, Kipling, Jane Austen, Jules Verne, HG Wells, Jack London and may more. Have you ever read Hemingway? What did Catch-22 really mean?
Start a home savings account. Not for a home, in your home. There are much smarter people than I when it comes to money, but I know that a lot of people save nothing. I also know that much like a weight loss program, if you don't see results you begin to get discouraged. I suggest two savings programs. First you need a clear plastic gallon jug, water jugs do quite well. Now put all you coins in them when you get home. Oh, you've heard of this one? You may even have one. When was the last time you dropped into it? One tip is when recieving change for a transaction ask for the new gold one dollar coins. I find I am less likely to spend coin than I am bills. Usually business will only have one or two in the till anyways and is a great bump in the bucket. Have a reason for your coin collection like a vegas trip or a vacation or Christmas presents and celebrate cashing in. Also, pay yourself to read. Reading is as much an investment in your time as any positive thing you do and you should be rewarded for it. Use a $5, $10 or $20 book mark for each book you read. You are investing several hours into the book, think of how much you would have spent had you been doing something other than reading. Then take your book mark and put it in a book for safe keeping, something ironic or subtle. When you reach fifty or one hundred dollars, trade the bills up. It can get quite substantial. This is your disaster fund. If you have to bug out fast or bail someone out fast, you have the resourses on hand to handle the situation.
Wake up 3 hours before you need to be at work. It is important to start the day off right, not just for breakfast, but mentally and physically, even spirtually. By getting up early you give yourself plenty of time to get ready, pack a lunch or snacks. It also allows you uninterupted time to get in touch with yourself. Stretch. Read ten minutes of the bible. Create affirmations about how you want your life to be. Write. Run or do some push ups and sit ups. 15 minutes of exercise guarantees clarity and gives you a sense of accomplishment before the battle of the day begins.
Begin a GTD, Getting Things Done, list. Sit down every day either before going to bed or when you wake up and write down in the order they come to your mind all the things you need to do for the day ahead. Then reorder the list in priority of importance, not what you want to do, its not a popularity plan. By getting the most important things done right away you will find that your life for the rest of the day will go more smoothly, especially at work. I have found that by doing the first 20% (or the most important things on your list), that the remaining 80% usually take care of itself. The next time you create your GTD list add the items from the previous list that did not get done. You may find that they never get done, in which case they solved themselves by your new focus or they really were not that important anyway. You may find that there are too many things on your list to do get done in one day. Thats okay. Maybe you assume to much responsibility and need to find a better balance, the list will discover that. Maybe you worry too much and what your focusing on is not really as important as many other things. Maybe you really are as lazy as people tell you. As you complete your task, don't cross it out, write, "Done" next to it or an appropriate response that you attempted to complete it, "LM" next to a phone call, "Cxl" next to a canceled meeting or appointment.
Pull some weeds, really. Again getting up early allows you the ability to connect with yourself on a personal, physical, spiritual level. By spending five minutes pulling weeds you are connecting with the outdoors and sensing accomplishment. Your also doing housework. If you don't have a yard, then water your plants or start a herb garden over your sink. Its not about keeping everything alive, we all know plants don't last forever, its about connection and growth.
Its okay to let the dishes rise in the sink. Life is not dependant on how clean your house is. hour to hour. However take pride in where you live, even if you don't like the crappy, cramped place your in right now. Make adjustments to your life and finances to move up. Start something every day towards improving the situation. Waiting for the timer on the microwave to chime, wash something, put something away, wipe something off. Vaccum or sweep during commercials. It is envitable that situations will arise where you will have less time than needed to clean your place up before someone sees it. Small daily steps may not make the mental conviciton any better at the time but may lessen the effort that needs to be done when it counts.
Make TiVo work for you. TiVo and DVR's have revolutionized television watching. Of course you can work your usual comfort shows but don't hesitate to record shows that teach you something with a bit of humor or excitement. A one hour show can be watched in under 40 minutes when you fast forward commercials and slow spots. Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, the history channel, Trading Spaces, as examples all do an excellent job of teaching you something while making a point.
Working out is obviously a key to living a good life. How you choose to exercise is secondary to consistency and finding just the right exercises each and every time you train. It must be challenging and appropriate to fitness goals and the capacity of your health. It is my empirical belief that aside from a medical condition, no person is more than six months away from being in the best shape of their life and looking they way they want to work. It takes sacrifice and investment but it is in my opinion a fact.
An incomplete list to be sure. Each of us is as different in our needs for success as the next. This is not the list of the lazy or univested, these are not the foundations for a life of excuse or addiction. This is a means of betterment. Creating in simple steps a life of purpose.
1. "You are today, the sum total of your best ideas!" The situations you deal with today or have dealt with in the past are because of you acting on what you thought was, "A Good Idea." I think sometimes the opposite of baggage, is savings. Think of all the other things you be doing or thinking of if you weren't juggling three maxed credit cards? Think of the emotional stability you could enjoy if you learned to process or even forgive a past transgression. (It once took me ten years to forgive one person but it can be done). If you got a DUI last week, that was your best idea at the time. If you spent too much money over the weekend, that was your best idea. If you met the person of your dreams in the most unlikely place and pursued that person until you both created a wonderful life and future, that was at the time, your best idea. All of us have a conflict of good ideas dozens of times a day; Subway or BK, apple or ice cream, sleep in or swim. Your action on what you think is best is why you're at where your at. You are on your way to your goals or moving further away from them because you're acting on what you think is your best idea. You can clarify your best idea by relating to your Chief Definite Aim, "Do my actions reflect my goals?" Maybe even add, "minute to minute." to the end of the statement. By doing this you will realize what you want to do and how that will affect you are often two completely different realities.
2. "Why stand when you can sit, why sit when you can lay down?" Sitting on the couch until late at night is not getting anyone closer to a healthy life. Rest is as important to a balanced life as exercise. Even if it is impossible to sleep, get in bed at the same time each night. What you do between getting in bed and falling asleep is up to you.
3. Read. Almost every study shows that challenging the mind or stimulating the imagination, does more for our brains than almost anything. The world seems to have two types of people, those that love to read and those that never do. But the 'never do's' don't usually hate reading, their just not interested in what they see and don't have the habit. While laying in bed, read for thirty minutes; trashy novels, history, fiction, or autobiography's. Want to climb a mountain or run a marathon, there are so many great books and essays that will speak to you. Start off with reading something that you watched and liked. Books on movies can seem pedestrian but often give much more back story to the characters and often times have completely different story lines and more satisfying endings. Movies often start from books, Dracula, Frankenstein, Lord of the Rings. Read a classic. Don't know what a classic is? Its generally a book that you know the title or a character but have never read. In all Barnes and Noble bookstores is a stand alone shelf with their reproduction of classic works from Mark Twain, Kipling, Jane Austen, Jules Verne, HG Wells, Jack London and may more. Have you ever read Hemingway? What did Catch-22 really mean?
Start a home savings account. Not for a home, in your home. There are much smarter people than I when it comes to money, but I know that a lot of people save nothing. I also know that much like a weight loss program, if you don't see results you begin to get discouraged. I suggest two savings programs. First you need a clear plastic gallon jug, water jugs do quite well. Now put all you coins in them when you get home. Oh, you've heard of this one? You may even have one. When was the last time you dropped into it? One tip is when recieving change for a transaction ask for the new gold one dollar coins. I find I am less likely to spend coin than I am bills. Usually business will only have one or two in the till anyways and is a great bump in the bucket. Have a reason for your coin collection like a vegas trip or a vacation or Christmas presents and celebrate cashing in. Also, pay yourself to read. Reading is as much an investment in your time as any positive thing you do and you should be rewarded for it. Use a $5, $10 or $20 book mark for each book you read. You are investing several hours into the book, think of how much you would have spent had you been doing something other than reading. Then take your book mark and put it in a book for safe keeping, something ironic or subtle. When you reach fifty or one hundred dollars, trade the bills up. It can get quite substantial. This is your disaster fund. If you have to bug out fast or bail someone out fast, you have the resourses on hand to handle the situation.
Wake up 3 hours before you need to be at work. It is important to start the day off right, not just for breakfast, but mentally and physically, even spirtually. By getting up early you give yourself plenty of time to get ready, pack a lunch or snacks. It also allows you uninterupted time to get in touch with yourself. Stretch. Read ten minutes of the bible. Create affirmations about how you want your life to be. Write. Run or do some push ups and sit ups. 15 minutes of exercise guarantees clarity and gives you a sense of accomplishment before the battle of the day begins.
Begin a GTD, Getting Things Done, list. Sit down every day either before going to bed or when you wake up and write down in the order they come to your mind all the things you need to do for the day ahead. Then reorder the list in priority of importance, not what you want to do, its not a popularity plan. By getting the most important things done right away you will find that your life for the rest of the day will go more smoothly, especially at work. I have found that by doing the first 20% (or the most important things on your list), that the remaining 80% usually take care of itself. The next time you create your GTD list add the items from the previous list that did not get done. You may find that they never get done, in which case they solved themselves by your new focus or they really were not that important anyway. You may find that there are too many things on your list to do get done in one day. Thats okay. Maybe you assume to much responsibility and need to find a better balance, the list will discover that. Maybe you worry too much and what your focusing on is not really as important as many other things. Maybe you really are as lazy as people tell you. As you complete your task, don't cross it out, write, "Done" next to it or an appropriate response that you attempted to complete it, "LM" next to a phone call, "Cxl" next to a canceled meeting or appointment.
Pull some weeds, really. Again getting up early allows you the ability to connect with yourself on a personal, physical, spiritual level. By spending five minutes pulling weeds you are connecting with the outdoors and sensing accomplishment. Your also doing housework. If you don't have a yard, then water your plants or start a herb garden over your sink. Its not about keeping everything alive, we all know plants don't last forever, its about connection and growth.
Its okay to let the dishes rise in the sink. Life is not dependant on how clean your house is. hour to hour. However take pride in where you live, even if you don't like the crappy, cramped place your in right now. Make adjustments to your life and finances to move up. Start something every day towards improving the situation. Waiting for the timer on the microwave to chime, wash something, put something away, wipe something off. Vaccum or sweep during commercials. It is envitable that situations will arise where you will have less time than needed to clean your place up before someone sees it. Small daily steps may not make the mental conviciton any better at the time but may lessen the effort that needs to be done when it counts.
Make TiVo work for you. TiVo and DVR's have revolutionized television watching. Of course you can work your usual comfort shows but don't hesitate to record shows that teach you something with a bit of humor or excitement. A one hour show can be watched in under 40 minutes when you fast forward commercials and slow spots. Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, the history channel, Trading Spaces, as examples all do an excellent job of teaching you something while making a point.
Working out is obviously a key to living a good life. How you choose to exercise is secondary to consistency and finding just the right exercises each and every time you train. It must be challenging and appropriate to fitness goals and the capacity of your health. It is my empirical belief that aside from a medical condition, no person is more than six months away from being in the best shape of their life and looking they way they want to work. It takes sacrifice and investment but it is in my opinion a fact.
An incomplete list to be sure. Each of us is as different in our needs for success as the next. This is not the list of the lazy or univested, these are not the foundations for a life of excuse or addiction. This is a means of betterment. Creating in simple steps a life of purpose.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Failure of Greek proportions
I am not a fan of the Olympics. I enjoy and appreciate sports coverage leading up to the games and the spotlight our country puts on current and raising stars, however the Olympics themselves have for years has been a global bashfest on America, giving international reporters a veiled opportunity through sports to bring this great country down in global public opinion, which already suffers a great deal.
America celebrates success and even through it aspires to be great in all things, Americans appreciate a sports loss in which the victor wins fairly and with honor. America aches for victory in all its own endeavors, perhaps because as a free country we are naked and transparent in our desires for champion behavior. Champion like behavior invokes strength, it invites the awakening of untapped potential and the concept of betterment. However in countries led by dictators, usurpers and socialism, champions are at least ignored or conscripted and at worst imprisoned, enslaved or beaten.
America celebrates success and even through it aspires to be great in all things, Americans appreciate a sports loss in which the victor wins fairly and with honor. America aches for victory in all its own endeavors, perhaps because as a free country we are naked and transparent in our desires for champion behavior. Champion like behavior invokes strength, it invites the awakening of untapped potential and the concept of betterment. However in countries led by dictators, usurpers and socialism, champions are at least ignored or conscripted and at worst imprisoned, enslaved or beaten.
The quick reasons for slacking of anti-American sentiment in the games this year is that its easier to describe the negativity of our economy, the global oil issue and China is a fertile punching bag with its own disasters such as uprisings in Tibet, earthquakes, algae blooms, pollution and lack of dissension.
The Olympic games of the past were meant to be days of equal contest, festivals and celebration amidst contestants. Athletes are to supposed to be impartial ambassadors, for the sport however their speed, strength and ability are now considered extensions of their own countries power. In the current global politic, there is no doubt that anti-American bias exists and an American medal is another chance to bemoan success of our ideals or personal bias against government policy of the USA.
We have seen in recent World Cups, Pan-American games, Goodwill games and the like that anti-American sentiment is more important than competition. For example a 2004 USA v. Mexico soccer game in Mexico when the spectators cheered "Osama". The chant occurred again when Miss USA went farther than Miss Mexico in a beauty pageant.
I suppose at this point I should cover my ass and make clear that I am not anti-athlete and wish all Olympians the best race they are capable of with no recrimination by their country for their finishes. Thousands of athletes have devoted their entire lives for these games, sacrificing more than any sane person thinks reasonable. I do not believe the karma of a country is witnessed through athletic pursuit in the games. Conversely and contrary to upcoming media hype, the humanitarianism and goodwill of a country is not dependent on where it sits on who has the most gold, silver or bronze medals for the day. China's deplorable human rights positions and energy plans are not going to be different if they win the most medals, nor will America receive any better press if they do so.
I will watch the games to some extent, the events that appeal to me the most. In the end I only wish that they are not marred by terrorist attacks like in Munich and Atlanta. And personally I hope the Chinese government loses billions in revenue further eroding their ability to project a false sense of global unity. But that's a political bias and not an athletic one.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy Birthday America
Amidst the merriment of today do not forget that in 1776 some of the greatest men this world has produced created a document that declared for the first time in history that the people of under their government could pursue happiness, liberty, justice and capitalism without usurpation and with guaranteed freedom.
I love this country, our United States. Happy Birthday to the most generous country in the world. It and we have provided more food, more money and more aid to more countries than any other on this planet. We have sacrificed the lives of more of its citizens in the defense of freedom and protection of democratic values than any other nation that has ever existed.
We have provided shelter for the bereaved, the weak, the oppressed and the poor from all over the globe. We stood up to tyranny on our own soil and our foundation of democracy has been duplicated by free thinking people ever sense, seeking to uplift themselves from colonialism and despotism.
We have provided shelter for the bereaved, the weak, the oppressed and the poor from all over the globe. We stood up to tyranny on our own soil and our foundation of democracy has been duplicated by free thinking people ever sense, seeking to uplift themselves from colonialism and despotism.
A toast to the greatest nation on God's green earth. Let freedom ring!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
A long lost trait
I know that my behavior is strange. I hold doors open for men and women. I pick up things people drop and retrieve them. I put my shopping carts in their proper place and never leave them in a parking stall or kicked up on a curb. I say 'bless you' when people sneeze in stores. I pick up litter.
I am not stating this for my edifice. I don't need or want pats on the back for what I consider good manners.
Today is a managers meeting. Its held in a conference room directly off my office. The other days of the month the staff here uses it to hold meetings and it can be fairly disorganized. I take it upon myself to rearrange the room before our meetings and set up the twenty tables and forty chairs. I clean everything off, wipe everything down. I am an owner of this company.
Usually when managers show up for meetings, they start grabbing the 'nice' chairs for themselves. The ones with padding or arm rests. Other than making sure the ones holding the meeting have nice chairs I can care less. I certainly don't care about my own comfort, though I do save a place for myself next to an outlet to power my laptop. While a senior manager may make sure he and the two production owners running the meeting have nice chairs, he doesn't care about the other four owners in the room, or his own people.
If a meeting is planned to run long, I will order lunch. Today is grilled steak or chicken with an oven baked potato from a friendly take out place. Its clean, quality food, with very little seasonings and extras. I'll get a wag on the people showing up and order a couple extra just in case. If there is extra at the end I give it to employees who have helped me with things around the facility during the month.
I usually serve the food. I try to wait till everyone else has been fed before getting in line myself, my people should eat before me.
I don't see these examples in anyone else in my company. No one rushes to the food line to make sure my partners are fed first. I say this because honor goes both ways. When a leader makes an effort to be solicitous and care for his/her people, at some point the people should recognize this and the leaders will find the people taking care of them.
I am not stating this for my edifice. I don't need or want pats on the back for what I consider good manners.
Today is a managers meeting. Its held in a conference room directly off my office. The other days of the month the staff here uses it to hold meetings and it can be fairly disorganized. I take it upon myself to rearrange the room before our meetings and set up the twenty tables and forty chairs. I clean everything off, wipe everything down. I am an owner of this company.
Usually when managers show up for meetings, they start grabbing the 'nice' chairs for themselves. The ones with padding or arm rests. Other than making sure the ones holding the meeting have nice chairs I can care less. I certainly don't care about my own comfort, though I do save a place for myself next to an outlet to power my laptop. While a senior manager may make sure he and the two production owners running the meeting have nice chairs, he doesn't care about the other four owners in the room, or his own people.
If a meeting is planned to run long, I will order lunch. Today is grilled steak or chicken with an oven baked potato from a friendly take out place. Its clean, quality food, with very little seasonings and extras. I'll get a wag on the people showing up and order a couple extra just in case. If there is extra at the end I give it to employees who have helped me with things around the facility during the month.
I usually serve the food. I try to wait till everyone else has been fed before getting in line myself, my people should eat before me.
I don't see these examples in anyone else in my company. No one rushes to the food line to make sure my partners are fed first. I say this because honor goes both ways. When a leader makes an effort to be solicitous and care for his/her people, at some point the people should recognize this and the leaders will find the people taking care of them.
I certainly am not a paragon. I spend to much. I think I am pretty selfish with my time. But I have Honor. I understand Duty. I have purity of thought. I think the word used to be Chivalrous.
Maybe someday I will explain the why and how I feel honor bound to imbue this virtue, but its a longer story of struggle, triumph and in the end getting the girl.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Ants at work
Geesh. I get out of my office and off the net to actually work last week and I come back to over 500 posts on bloglines? Holy Crap. Thank goodness half of them were news feeds.
Truth be told its a bit like Christmas. I sometimes prefer reading a whole week of posts from a single person than one at a time. Its like opening a whole bunch of presents instead of just one.
Truth be told its a bit like Christmas. I sometimes prefer reading a whole week of posts from a single person than one at a time. Its like opening a whole bunch of presents instead of just one.
A ton of bricks
I did a quick little workout yesterday. 15 minutes in the gym. I also did handyman work around the house. I woke up this morning feeling like I got my ass kicked in bar fight. Crap this is hard to cope with. Over the weekend, my ten minute jog and 20 minute OW swim and some work around the house, caused me to sleep for 11 hours Saturday night, completely sleeping through the bike ride I was going to do with the team on Sunday. Oh well, I needed the rest. Have I mentioned that I am going on 80 days since IMAZ and I still haven't pee'd clear. That is getting frustrating. I drink over a gallon of water a day right now.
I did a blood test yesterday and sending in a hair test tomorrow to the labs. I got an email from the clinic in Seattle asking me to schedule a trip there this month for 2-3 days. I have a feeling I am going to get what I wished for and I am going to have to make a LOT of changes to my training and nutrition.
I mentioned handyman work. I am the absolute worst handyman in the world. All I wanted to do was fix a sink pop up and rewire three light switches that all work the same light (4-way switch). In all things creation, be it food or fixing, multiply the standard time to do things by four and that's my speed. After spending time under the sink and at Home Depot, I got the wrong size pop up (but it was 'universal') and then the next day at Lowes, I got the right length but the wrong width (again a 'universal' unit). Arggh.
When Mistress came to see how I was doing on the light switches, two up stairs and one downstairs, maybe the fifty times I ran up and down added to my body being hammered today, I was proud to say that after two hours I got everything working they way they were before I started but had not solved the problem of closing the circuit so all the light switches worked and not just two of the three. Oh, and I didn't shock myself this time. I am here to tell you that the fear of being shocked by an outlet is worse than the hard tingle you get when actually zapped.
I did a blood test yesterday and sending in a hair test tomorrow to the labs. I got an email from the clinic in Seattle asking me to schedule a trip there this month for 2-3 days. I have a feeling I am going to get what I wished for and I am going to have to make a LOT of changes to my training and nutrition.
I mentioned handyman work. I am the absolute worst handyman in the world. All I wanted to do was fix a sink pop up and rewire three light switches that all work the same light (4-way switch). In all things creation, be it food or fixing, multiply the standard time to do things by four and that's my speed. After spending time under the sink and at Home Depot, I got the wrong size pop up (but it was 'universal') and then the next day at Lowes, I got the right length but the wrong width (again a 'universal' unit). Arggh.
When Mistress came to see how I was doing on the light switches, two up stairs and one downstairs, maybe the fifty times I ran up and down added to my body being hammered today, I was proud to say that after two hours I got everything working they way they were before I started but had not solved the problem of closing the circuit so all the light switches worked and not just two of the three. Oh, and I didn't shock myself this time. I am here to tell you that the fear of being shocked by an outlet is worse than the hard tingle you get when actually zapped.
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