Vision

I have never been good at setting goals. They just seem to "out there" for me. I know that they are important, largely because goals create the roadmap for action, but I have never been able to get my head around doing them.

As I have been pondering my current circumstances, along with the fact that the New Year is upon us I came to a blindingly obvious realization. I don't really like goals...but I DO like telling stories. I am an avocational actor - or at least I was - I understand the idea of creating an environment in which a character can thrive. Many, many moons ago Bill Sauer (yup, there he is again) led the Sr. leadership team at Homecrest in a visioning exercise. The idea was to create a picture of what we wanted the company to be. Now, I will fully admit that in this particular instance it didn't work out quite like any of us had envisioned, but I really think that the practice is still incredibly valid - and for me it is a lot less formal and intimidating that the ever present "goal setting."

It is a pretty interesting and simple process: Find a quiet spot to sit without distractions. If music helps you to relax, that's fine - but it should be very background and very non-intrusive. Adagio is actually proven to be the most relaxing. Set a pen and paper next to you - don't touch it, you don't need it yet.

Ok, now, sit down and close your eyes. Now simply picture what you would like your life or your job to look like. Maybe it is something as simple as picturing what your life would look like if you were happier at work or if you lost 10 or 20 pounds. Play make-believe. Imagine all of the details of what is the same and what is different. How do you act differently? What do you DO differently in your mind's eye?

Now, open your eyes and pick up the pen and paper. All that you do at this point is to describe, in writing, what was in your mind. Just tell the story of what your world looked like. The process of writing it down locks it into your brain. Be sure to capture as much detail as you can. The details are important. Write about what you saw and how you felt in the new imagined place. Nothing is too small or unimportant to make note of - in fact the smaller the better.

Once you have finished, give a good stretch and stand up. Now, with the picture of what is possible firmly in your mind...act as if it were true. You have your "goal" it is the picture in your head. You also have the means to achieve it. Just behave as though you already have it!
How would you act differently if you were 20 pounds lighter? Act that way. How would your home life be different if you loved your job? Consiously BE that way when you are home.

Did your picture include laying on the couch in front of the TV with no energy and cranky? I'm guessing not. So DON'T DO THAT. It really is just about re-imaging yourself.

Keep the picture of where you want to be firmly in your mind, and then just take little steps to get there. That is why I want you to imagine the small details...they are easier to change. Once the change begins, it is easier to continue. Go back to that place in your mind frequently. Remind yourself of what it felt like and looked like. Re-read the description if it helps.

Give it a try - it seems to work better for me than the austere "goal setting."

Have a happy and safe New Year and I'll be back in '09!

Painting the Cow

The title is a reference to Seth Godin's book Purple Cow. The nutshell of the book is that to succeed, you need to be remarkable. Nobody really even notices cows...but if there were a PURPLE cow - now THAT people would notice.

But what if your cow is just a plain brown-and-white cow? Then what? Well, I'm trying to figure out how to get a bucket of purple paint and Paint My Cow.

Right now, I'm working with a pretty successful cow. This cow is regularly making money - has some left over at the end of the year...even THIS year. I'm not sure the cow is of the cash variety, but it certainly has the potential. Thing is, this cow is really just your run-of-the-mill brown-and-white cow.

So how do we go about painting this cow? How do we transform the business from ordinary to remarkable?

You need to open your eyes. Look at what the competition is, and isn't, doing. Talk to your target customers. Find out what they want, and then figure out how to give it to them in a remarkable way. For me right now that means getting into the mind of the interior designer and finding out what really motivates them. Brands? Profit opportunity? Simplicity? Selection? The answer is that it is probably a mix of all of these things.

So I have two things to do:

First, solicit input from a cross section of interior designers. Email inquiries work. Buying them lunch works better. Once I get some momentum, then I try to get 6 or 7 of them in a room together to try and build some energy around what works for them.

The second thing that I have to do is to work on ways to give them what they are asking for in a way that they will think of ME before they think of someone else. But I can't do the second part until I do the first. I might develop a GREAT white-glove delivery service, but if what they care about is profit opportunity, then the white-glove service actually works AGAINST the goal (after all, they know that ultimately they are paying for the added service).

In my mind, the most important thing (to get back to the cow analogy) is to research what color your customer likes, and then paint your cow. Then, once you have painted your cow, don't paint it again. If the color of the cow keeps changing, your customer won't know what they are buying.

Take the time. Do the research. Pick out the color and paint that cow. With a little work, you can be remarkable.

I wonder...

It is an introspective day today. It is a day for wonder and contemplation. "what would happen if..." and "how can I...". How does one go about separating ones self from the pack? Purple Cow is a book about the importance of being remarkable - of spreading the word - if you are really good (and a bit lucky) maybe even attaining "idea virus" status. But how do you know? What is a differentiator in one person's mind, is going to be "same old same old" in another's.

So the solution is to focus your attention to the people who respond. Don't try to be everything to everyone right? But when you are starting, how do you know which people are the right people, and how do you get permission to talk to them?

No solutions today - just a lot more questions...

What's stopping you?

Or for that matter, what is stopping me? I think that for a lot of people, it is the same answer, so even though this isn't a "diary blog" I'm going to spend a bit of time examining what is stopping ME, and maybe you'll see something that you recognize. After all, we are all in this together.

Money: An easy place to start is money. "I just can't afford the expense of launching my idea and still eat and pay my mortgage." The experts will tell us that money is just one barrier to entry, and they are correct; but it can be a very real barrier to entry. Is there a way to continue to move forward without breaking the bank? This one, to me, gets back to "the next right thing to do." Can I work on a prototype? One of my ideas is fairly non-technical; so I could probably put the prototype together pretty easily. My problem is I find myself getting sucked into "then what." "So I build the prototype? So what? I still can't afford to launch it." Try to resist the urge to head too far down this path. Focus on the next right thing to do; also known as "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I think that you'll be amazed how far you can get before dollars become the obstacle.

FEAR!: Next for me (and this is probably the biggest one) is just plain fear. Fear of the financial ramifications of jumping; fear of the response that I will (or won't) get; fear of all of the stuff that can - and will - go awry. Isn't it interesting though that the thing that I gives me the greatest degree of anxiety is simply how my ideas and my actions will be viewed by other people. What if "they" think its stupid? This is the silliest darn thing that I've ever seen. That does not make it less real mind you - but how does a dis-interested third party's reaction have ANY bearing on me or my success? It doesn't. It is all about my own insecurities. That's all. Nothing more.


Technical Savvy: I have a lot of ideas...A LOT of them, and some of them might even be marketable. Problem is that I have no idea how to implement most of them -or even if they would work. I am not an engineer, I'm a sales guy. I look at my wife's and I see technical software that could help her differentiate. I don't know how to do it. I don't even know if its possible. That means that I have to find the people that DO know how to do it and if its possible - that leads back to fear. So I need to take a step back and once again focus on THE NEXT thing. Only that. Don't let the anxiety of what someone MIGHT say or do slow me down. Stop playing the scenarios in my head and talk to some people. Worst case is that they won't be interested. Big deal. Talk to someone else. Eventually you will find someone who is willing to help.

Time: Time is tough because it is such an easy trap to fall into. This blog is a great example. I haven't posted for almost a week. Have a been busy at work? Sure I have. But there have also been plenty of times in the last week that I have made an ALTERNATIVE CHOICE. That is what the "time" issue is about. It is about making choices. Sleeping in instead of working out. Watching TV instead of working on your blog. Time is real because it is finite. There really are only 24 hours in a day, and we really do need to sleep - as well as all of the other things that fill up our days. Just acknowledge that how you USE your time is a choice. Get up 1/2 hour earlier, or go to bed 1/2 later - just one half hour. Devote that time to working on "your thing." See what happens.

Ok, I'm getting a bit long-winded now, so I'm going to post, but stay tuned...

Dealing with "no"

Over the short life of this blog, I have been singing the praises of daring to do something amazing. Pursuing your great idea, or just daring to try something a little different. I realized that the implication of the last couple days may be seen as "just try - after that its easy." Not so much the case. Regardless of your dream, a lot of people will say "no."

Change is hard. The status quo will exert tremendous pressure to maintain itself. Some people will be very polite in their "no". Some will be condescending, as if to say "you just don't understand..." others will be just plain mean.

So how do you deal with the negativity and doubt that is thrown at you and your great idea? It is really easy to get sucked in, and to start believing that maybe that idea isn't so great after all. When that happens, it is a really good time to take a little reality check. Take some time. Take a step back and look at the feedback and your reaction to it. Are there some real issues that were brought up? If so, start working your way through them. Keep in mind that not all "negative" feedback is actually negative. I guarantee that there will be some rocks hidden just below the surface of even the best idea.

Keep in mind that "no" isn't about YOU. It may be about the idea, it may be about the audience's in-ability to wrap their heads around your idea - but it is NOT about you. You will have to work at keeping distance between "you" and the "no." Attaching the negative response to yourself creates a spiral that is really hard to get out of - all of the sudden it becomes about ME being wrong, or ME not being smart enough, or them not liking ME - and that is not it at all. Just keep firmly in mind that the issue may be either the idea or the audience, but it is never, ever about you personally.

Easier said than done, I know - BELIEVE me I know - but forge ahead. It will be worth the effort.

Defy Gravity!

There is a song in the musical Wicked (sung brilliantly by Tony award-winner Idina Menzel) called Defying Gravity. Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) finds herself unable to live with the constraints of convention in OZ. Elphaba sings:
"Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. Too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep! It's time to trust my instincts. Close my eyes, and leap! It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity, and you can't pull me down"

Of course Glynda the Good (the incomparable Kristin Chenoweth) replies with:
"Can't I make you understand. You're having delusions of grandeur!"

I'm not going to turn this entry into a Wicked-fest, but I think that the lyrics of this song really strike a chord (literally as well as figuratively).

The power of convention can be overwhelming. Well meaning friends and family try to talk us back to earth. Don't reach to far. Don't stretch too much...you might fall.

Don't let them. Dare to dream - and dream big. Change starts with an idea. An idea that, by its very nature, defies convention. Change is, after all, different. It is not easy. It takes guts and conviction, you have to be willing to attempt that which has not been done.

The strength of your convictions and the courage to try. One more line from the song..."everyone deserves a chance to fly."

YOU deserve a chance to fly. You deserve to be happy and fulfilled and living the life that you've dreamed of.

Go for it.

Close your eyes...and leap.

Mark and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Do you remember "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?" by Judith Viorst? Well today I can relate. Among other things, I was late for a meeting this morning because of snow/traffic, and I think its entirely possible that I broke my toe at noon when I dropped a big glass bottle of milk on it...right on the edge of the bottle too. Those are just two of the highlights (or would they be low-lights). Nothing horrible or earth-shattering (toe shattering maybe - but still) just enought to make me crabby.

The topic for today is not my bad day. You can read a million (literally) blogs and posts about why somebody's day sucked. My challenge today is how to get out of it.

We all have crappy days. Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for no reason at all - but here is the big question - how do you get past it? How do you set about turning your day around, not by chance or fate, but by intention?

Sometimes you can just forget about it and move on - other days just seem plagued (today would fit that description). I have mentioned my mentor - the late Bill Sauer - in this blog before, and days like today remind me of him. Bill's advice to me would be to just observe how I am feeling and what it happening, not to label it as "good" or "bad" but just as "is". He used to say "rocks are hard, water is wet" it is not something to dwell upon - it just is.

Perhaps a "bad" day can be viewed through the same lens. What if we were able to view a bad day as a day - neither good nor bad, but rather part of the experience that makes us who we are. I think that it is entirely possible to not "allow" yourself a bad day - to push through it and ignore the fact that you are off or cranky, but I also think that if you simply dismiss how you are feeling that you miss an opportunity.

I'm not suggesting that you wallow in self pity, or partake in wanton crabbiness, biting the heads off of friends, family or co-workers - not at all. Rather, what I am advocating here is an observational self-awareness. The process of watching my moods and thoughts as though I am a disinterested third party. Imagine yourself floating above yourself and just watching, without judgment. Merely being in a state of awareness of thought, feelings and moods. Step back for a moment and say to yourself "boy, that seems to have struck a nerve. Interesting." Notice it, and then let it go. You can gain some great insights on your "triggers" and, at the same time, diffuse the emotion of the event.

Interestingly, I am having a better day already - even if my toe still hurts.

Happiness

According to the cast of the original "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown", happiness is many things including: pizza with sausage, telling the time, having a sister and walking hand in hand - just to name a few. Happiness is a lot of things to a lot of people, and now researchers at Harvard have proven one more thing...it's contagious.

Now I'm really not sure how groundbreaking an idea this is - personal experience tells us that when we are around happy people, we are happier. Now Naomi Krasge of Bloomberg News has reported on a Harvard study that proves it. Happy Despite it All? brings up some interesting points.

According to the research, happiness can actually ripple through social networks, up to three degrees of separation - that means you know somebody who knows somebody, who knows somebody.

Other items of note:
"A person is 25% more likely to be happy after a shift toward happiness in a friend who lives within 1 mile" and "Happy next-door neighbors made it 34% more probable that a person would feel good"

The study assessed 4700 people over 20 years.

Kinda cool stuff.

There are 2 morals to the story for me:
1. Focus on being happy. It is not only a benefit to YOU but to your friends, neighbors and loved-ones -and THEIR family, friends and loved ones.
2. Find happy people. Hang out with them. A lot. It will help your attitude and disposition and lead you toward happiness - which leads us back to point #1.

Check out the article, have a great weekend, and in the words of Bobby McFerrin "don't worry, be happy"

Playing the Bell

The Bell Curve. We all know it. For many of us, the last time we heard about the bell curve was when we got that "c" on the test and had to explain it to our parents..."well, he graded it on a curve so it wasn't really that bad." But the simple fact is that the curve reigns. The "standard distribution of the population" simply states that most people are in the middle. Its true of IQ, its true of technological savvy, it is true of political leanings. In every case, you have the outliers - those people who make up the small percentage at either end, and then a majority of people in what we call "normal."
Here is the interesting thing about the standard bell curve: You can move it. Seriously. You can shift the entire world of "normal." Malcom Gladwell called it "The Tipping Point." Here is how I see it working, and how it can be influenced.

Basically, any new idea or product - I mean REALLY new idea - starts at the far right side of the curve. In high-tech, they are typically called "early adapters" but they are the innovators. The first ones to pick up an idea and run with it. If you are out on the edges - people look at you a bit differently. They may even call you (god forbid) weird. But here's the thing...if you hang on tight and work to build the base of "believers" in your idea or product, well something happens. Weird becomes less weird. Think back about 10 years ago. Think about how you looked at someone with body art or piercing...pretty out-there wasn't it? Now? Not so much. So what happened? Quite simply, the bell curve moved. The outliers ceased to become outliers. They became the norm - or at least MORE normal. The entire curve shifted toward body art. Now I'm not saying that everyone is running out to get pierced, but the attitude toward the practice has shifted. Even if you don't LIKE it, it isn't deviant (in the good sense of the word) anymore.

So what does that mean for you? Essentially it means that you can change the world. Start small. Build a band of followers (that which Seth Godin calls a Tribe - you really need to read that book) if you can hang on tightly enough and build enough excitement, eventually the entire curve will spring to the right. "Normal" will shift. It takes an idea and the courage to talk about it, but that is where it starts. Toyota shifted the curve with the Prius. Al Gore shifted the curve with "An Inconvenient Truth" Granted they had some horse-power behind them, but it doesn't have to happen that way.

YOU can create a movement. You can make a difference. If it is global climate, clean air, body art, jazz, whatever you are nuts about - it can happen. It DOES happen. Every day.

Believe it. Believe in youself.

What have you got to loose?

In Defense of Weird

First of all let me say absolutely and unequivocally that I am weird. I always have been - just ask my wife, or my dad, or my sister - they'll all say the same thing. So I fully admit my bias toward weird. But here's the thing, most of the people who accomplish anything truly remarkable are, in fact, a little weird. Maybe we call it "eccentric" or "outlandish" but it all boils down to the same thing. Richard Branson? Weird. Bill Gates? Weird. Seth Godin? VERY weird. These are people that dared to challenge convention. I would guess that none of them really care too much about what other people say about them - and by a lot of standards, that is just plain weird.

Don't play by the accepted rules. Don't do things just because it has always been done. Challenge it. Fly in the face of it. Dance in the streets if you feel like it. Sing out loud in a crowded shopping mall - If you let other people define you, it is self-limiting and self destructive. Allow yourself to express yourself. Whether it be in writing, drawing, painting or, god forbid, launching a new product, starting a new company or just looking at your job in a different way and finding ways to bring the fun back. People who are having fun are a lot more productive - and THEY ARE HAVING FUN.

Weird is creative. Weird is off the beaten path. Ultimately the people who think you are a little bit weird are probably so afraid of defying convention that they don't even know how to react. Let me let you in on a little secret. The conventional rules don't apply anymore. "Good enough" isn't. The ways that society has defined us ARE NOT going to get us to where we need to go. Not econimically, not environmentally. We are going to have to start looking through a different lense - and that, my friend, will be seen as weird.

I can't define "it" for you. I don't know what your boundaries are. Or what your dreams are. I can tell you this: Whatever "it" is...go for it. You owe it to yourself.

For heaven's sake, don't let a little thing like being weird slow you down.

Seriously? A sports gene?

I friend of mine sent me this article from the New York Times called "Born to Run? Little Ones Get Tested for Sports Gene" (the "skip the ad" button is on the upper right corner). The subject of the article is a new test that was developed here in Boulder (who says we're weird?) that can indicate whether a child is genetically predisposed to athletics - even the sort of sports at which the child would be most likely to excel.

I am strongly tempted to stop writing right now and let you form your own opinions about the relevance of such testing, and I am not going to write anything about the testing itself, or the people who opt to have their children tested.

I do, however, feel like there is something to be gleaned from the attititudes that such testing exemplify. "Johnny is not going to be good at this, so why try?" The question is this: what have YOU learned from trying new and different things. Things at which you DIDN'T excel.

I am not particularly athletic. I enjoy some quazi-athletic endeavors like recreational downhill skiing, and golf - but I certainly don't excel at either. You know something? That's OK. I don't have to be the best at something in order to enjoy it. Certainly I want to do some things at which I excel. For me, it is music and theater - but I have gotten a lot from trying things at which I don't excel.

I guess to me it smacks of the out-dated and sexist assumptions that "boys are better at math" it is just so limiting. I know that I will never be Lance Armstrong on the bike (I'm guessing HE has the gene) but that does not mean that I should not enjoy the pursuit - and the challenge of improving.

The world at large strives to limit us. Why opt to do it to ourselves?

I Can't...

Attitude is contagious. You've been there right? You are having a pretty good day. You are up and enthusiastic - and then someone comes into your space and sucks all of the life, energy and joy out of you. We've all had it happen to us, and we have probably all done it someone else. We have been both thief and victim.

Pay attention to the energy that you are putting out.

I am amazed at how fast the attitude of "I can't" can pervade an organization. A lot of people are accustomed to justifying why they can't do something - indeed why it cannot be done at all. Be careful. You'll be surprised at how fast you will be pulled in if you aren't careful.

Watch your own language and attitudes. Pause before leaping to the default "I can't". Give yourself just 5 or 6 seconds to process how you COULD do what is being asked rather than immediately leaping to why you can't.

This isn't just about work life. I find that the level of transference of attitude is pretty high. You may be "good" at compartmentalizing; at leaving work at work, but if you are, I think that you are the exception, not the rule. That 5 or 6 second pause can be a real benefit - regardless of the circumstances.

Give it a shot - just 5 seconds to focus on "I can".

Conversations for Possibility

Conversation. Dialog. Exchange of ideas.

I believe that this is where everything starts. Every movement. Every innovation. Every step forward - no matter how small. An idea, not shared, does not inspire action. Things start to HAPPEN when more people become aware of the idea. They get involved, they may even get jazzed up about it - THAT'S when the ball starts to roll.

An issue for me historically is opening myself up enough to share. I don't want to look like a fool. Don't want to hear "that's dumb." I have had some pretty good ideas that I have been afraid to share, only to see them on the market some time later. I have a feeling that it has happened to you too. Try to get over it. The risks of not doing it are too great. The risk of not trying, of not working toward something that you would truly love or have fun with. Dare to talk about it.

That's not to say that you might not have to work a bit to find your audience. There have been times when I have finally garnered the courage to mention an idea to a friend who I thought would be enthusiastic - only to hear "why do you thing YOU can do it? Don't you think other people have tried to do that?" It is discouraging; even a little painful. That does not mean that I shouldn't try again. Those friends just couldn't quite bridge the gap between where we are and the vision of the possible. That's ok. It just means that I need to expand the conversation. The list of things that we have accomplished that were "impossible" is staggering. I'm not saying not to take constructive critism - I'm just saying take it with a grain of salt.

The five most exciting words that anyone can approach me with are "Hey, I have an idea." That is where possiblity starts. "Wouldn't it be cool if..." are pretty good too. They indicate someone is excited about a new possibility. It is the people who embrace the possiblities in life that make the world go 'round.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours a truly Happy Thanksgiving.

In these times of economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to stop and acknowledge what we DO have. Whether you be thanking a Creator, or your spouse, or your parents, we all owe parts of who we are to others.

So much of this day now gets lost in the shuffle of Black Friday, but I think that it is more important than ever for each and every one of us to stop and show appreciation for where we are and what we have. For one day, forget that it isn't perfect and acknowledge what we have.

It is important to stop for a moment. Pause. Say "thank you" and REALLY mean it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cradle to Cradle

Did you know that Shaw carpet mills have developed a carpeting that is totally recyclable? Here's the kicker...do you know what they make out of the old carpeting? New Carpeting. How cool is THAT. This is a true cradle-to-cradle cycle. It is actually making waste obsolete. What if, as we look to the future of innovation, we see cradle to cradle. Companies that take full responsibility for not only the creation of their products, but of the product at the end of its useful life. One of the arguments that I have heard (yes, even here in Boulder) against hybrid vehicle technology is "what do we do with the batteries when they cease to function." Reduce, reuse, recycle on the consumer level is great - but as current and future entrepreneurs, we need to consider the impact of that which we create.

Take a lesson from Shaw.

The next right thing

Yesterday, I wrote a bit about why we stay in jobs that don't fill us up. One critical element is the identification of what it is that you would enjoy doing. That is the tough part for a lot of people - it has been for me. But now let's jump ahead a second and make the assumption that you have figured out the "what". Now all you have to do is figure out the "how".

The how is different for different people, indeed in some cases it may be as simple as re-defining a job search. For many people though, the how is the truly daunting part.

A very good friend and mentor of mine - the late Bill Sauer - used to talk about change. Personal change, organizational change - it doesn't matter. Step one is to identify the direction of the change. Have some picture in your mind of where you want to go. The excercise in yesterday's blog can help you out with that part, or there are about a million books written every year about finding your bliss - use whatever tools work best for you. Step two: Identify the next right thing to do. That's it. you don't have to have the entire trip plotted out - just figure out what to do NEXT. Take stock of where you are. Have a picture of where you want to be, and then take a step to fill in the gap.

When I used to ask Bill about the 3rd 4th or 12th step to get from where I was to where I wanted to be, he would often say "I don't know. My headlights don't shine that far ahead. Just focus on the next right thing, and the path will clear." The path may only clear one step at a time, but it will clear.

Acknowledge where you are - without judgement. Without blame. Without identifying it as "good" or "bad" but just as "is". "This is where I am right now. What is my next step."

My wife, my uncle, my dad and I climbed Mount Princeton last summer. Mount Princeton is one of Colorado's 14ers (a peak over 14,000 feet in elevation). The interesting thing about Princeton, is that most of the climb is rock-hopping. There is no clear trail, only small piles of rock called cairns to mark the trail. You know where you are...standing on this rock at this point on the Mountain. You can see the top...you KNOW where you want to get to eventually. The ONLY way to get there is to worry about your NEXT step. Is that rock safe? Will it shift under my wieght? Is there an easier route? You examine where you are, take stock - without seeing it as bad - and then take a step. Then you do the whole thing again.

What are you waiting for? Time to take a step.

Why do we stay?

I was reading Seth Godin's blog today "Just Doing My Job" and it got me to thinking. Why DO people stay at jobs or companies that they do not enjoy? I mean think about it. On average, we are awake about 5,824 hours a year (because we all know that 8 hours a night is the optimal amount of sleep, right?). Of that, we spend (again on average) of 2,000 hours at work - assuming 40 hours per week and 2 weeks vacation. So that means that over 1/3 of our waking hours are spent actually AT work. If you include commuting to work and thinking about work, it goes up by probably another 400 or 500 hours.

The sad thing is that a LOT of us, don't really enjoy what we do or who we are doing it for. We are just going through the motions. Why? Safety. Security. Fear. Comfort. I suppose all of those things combined exert enough force on us to keep us securely mired.

The old saying "if it were supposed to be fun, it wouldn't be called work" is really pretty bogus. In fact I know of a stonger word that starts with the same letter. There are a lot of people out there who work tirelessly doing meaningful work that they LOVE. So what is different about them? They aren't more driven. They aren't smarter. They aren't even luckier. The only difference is that they had the courage to identify what it is that they love to do, and then figure out a way to do it.

A lot of the people that I know who don't like their jobs all that much, don't really have a good idea of what they DO want to do. They are stuck because they really don't have a better idea - or else they just can't see how to get there from here. I'll talk about that tomorrow - but for today, let's focus on identification.

If you aren't happy doing what you are doing, take a few minutes. Grab a piece of paper and a pen - (do yourself a favor and do this by hand - it does make a difference). Write out a list down the left edge of the things that you don't like about what you are doing. Make it complete. If your boss is a jerk, write it down. If you are bored, write it down. Whatever it is put it on the list. That's step one. Step Two is to create a corrected list. If you don't like your boss, list the traits you don't like, and then right across from it on the right side of the page, make a list of the traits that you WOULD like in a boss. If you are bored, what might be more fun. If there is a specific industry you'd love to work in, write it down. If not, just list the traits of the perfect job.

Get a good picture in your mind about what you would like to do, and then just start talking to people about it. You'll be amazed at how many people really want to help. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight, because it might take a while, but keep refining the list and keep talking to people. Surf. Apply for jobs. Go for it. If you can't find it, give some thought to how you might be able to create it.

Your possibilities are limitless.

Let's have a drink

I don't know about you, but I would love to work somewhere that is committed to helping people enjoy and protect the wild places on the planet. So I’ve got an idea. Let’s build the team that will solve one minor little problem. 30 or so years ago, you could drink the water straight from the streams in America’s wild places. You can’t do that today – you’ll get bugs living in your guts that you don’t want living in your guts. So what say we fix it?


How do we do it? No idea. But isn’t that part of what would make it fun?

Branch out

Challenge: Do one thing every week that you would not normally do. That's it. Just branch out with one thing - you'll be amazed at how your view of what is and isn't possible will change. Get just a little bit uncomfortable on purpose and see how it goes.

If that seems a bit much, try this. If you are a liberal, watch Fox News. If you are a conservative, listen to NPR. Now here's the challenge: Don't just get irritated at the stupidity of the other side. Listen to them. Try to understand their point of view. Read something that you KNOW you disagree with and really read it. Get into the author's perspective. Really try to find ONE thing that you have in common. One thing that you can legitimately agree with. If you can't find it, well you tried; and that is a heck of a lot more than what normally happens.

We are normally so quick to dismiss anything that we don't agree with - especially if it is something about which we are emotional - that it can be very broadening to find commonality with opposing points of view. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "jump ship" and convert, all I'm saying is that there is value in opposition. You may think of something that you hadn't before and THAT is cool.

Change

Change. Interesting topic. Interesting enough to get a black man elected to the Presidency of the United States. Regardless of how - or if - you voted it is to be marveled at.

Now here is the kicker...how do we go incite the changes that President Obama will invite? He and his administration will likely shake up Washington a bit - our imperative is to shake up the country - perhaps the world. We cannot sit idly by and watch "them" do the work. The changes that must be made in our collective psyche need to be broad and sweeping. It is time that we work as a nation to move beyond the place where we have been mired. Preachy? A little maybe - and I am really going to try to not be preachy in this - but I think that we are in a position that we have never been in before and we are poised to make real and significant changes - and I'm not talking about a new tax break or a slight tweak to the partisanship that has ripped through Washington and the country.

We need to take a look at the world around us and examine what we are doing, and what we can do differently.

So here's the real deal. What are YOU passionate about? Who do you know that shares your ideals and your dreams. One person. Then two. Then four. It builds - and it builds fast. So in the words of Nike: Just do it. I am - this blog is the beginning of it. I have no idea where this is going to end up, but I know that I need to move. The best way that I know to make a difference is by convincing people that they can make a difference.

So there it is. DO SOMETHING. I have to quit now, or this is going to become 30 pages long...and maybe someday, but not yet.

See you tomorrow.

Start of some not so random musings...

So how do we go about eliciting the changes within our society and our world to move toward clean, dependable and independent power, and reverse the trend of increasing apathy and isolationism – not in terms of our politics – but in terms of our lives? How do we accomplish true success globally?

We cannot wait for the politicians – the political system makes real change almost impossible at the rate that change is currently necessary. We cannot wait for society as a whole – society is made up of individuals, many of whom feel powerless against the status quo. We must learn and lead by example. It is our responsibility – each and every one of us - to DO it, not wait for it. In the doing we will illicit the change in society. Individuals change society – not the other way around. If left to its own devices, “society” will strive only to maintain the current state of being. It is more comfortable. It is easier. It is less scary.

Collaboration is the key to success – how do you create a template for success that best utilizes all of the resources that the world has to offer. Just building a successful company is not enough. Thomas Freidman has many examples of companies, both in the US and abroad that have successfully integrated culturally and professionally. We have to do more than that. We have to do it in such a way, with such a vehicle so as to inspire. To show what is necessary to keep America at the top of the game…not because we deserve it, but because we earned it.

The complexity is enormous and the challenge is beyond the level of anything I’ve ever even contemplated, but it could be argued that it is our imperative, our patriotic duty to determine the direction. I know that I am neither smart enough nor experienced enough to do it on my own. So where does one begin? It must be a convergence of forces – of minds and skills that far outstrip any individual. But again, where does one start – is it with the idea or is it with the team? I would put forth that you begin with a group of people and a goal…not a product or a service, but with an idea of what you wish to attain and use the minds and wills of the right team to build it. It begins with the dream of proving that it is possible, not only to succeed, but foremost to inspire. It looks too big. It looks like it would never be possible for one person – or even a small group of people – to reverse the trend – to get America thinking, learning and working again. We need to help people understand the necessity of creative thought. The necessity of turning off the TV and the X-Box and expanding ourselves beyond ourselves. It is science, it is math, but it is also the arts, and humanities because without art and humanities, we loose our ability to relate to one another, and that is every bit as critical – if not more so.

It (whatever “it” is) must be a combination of education and commerce. We have to explain the dots before we can start to connect them. The biggest single challenge that I believe we face is the sense of entitlement that we have as a society. We don’t want to have to work for success, because we have come to simply expect it. That expectation will be the death of us because someone forgot to tell the rest of the world that we just “get” to stay on top. Military might and fear-mongering are antithetical to the goal of global success. I have to learn how to adapt quickly. I say “I” only because it is the only thing over which I have any real control. I have no say in what “we” do or what “they” do, but I can, with my actions, influence the “we” and the “they” and so it is my moral responsibility to do so.

Thomas Friedman talks about energy as being one of the prime possibilities for inspiring the nation to take a step forward. I agree that if we could generate excitement in and among society to reach a technological goal it would have huge long range ramifications. JFK had one, rather large, advantage when he announced that we were going to the moon…he was the President of the United States. So how does one person (because that is where it starts) build enough momentum and make enough noise to be heard by a nation when he or she does not have the resources of the Presidency at their disposal? Perhaps they don’t have to. Perhaps it is enough to start working toward a goal with the outcomes in mind – and with that sweep more people into the flow. Perhaps it starts with one, then it becomes two, then 10 then 100 then you gain enough momentum to pull more people along. Build excitement, build success, and then you will start getting people’s attention.