365QOD-Day392

"If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, how will you ever have the time to correct it?"- Anonymous

Currently I have placed all of the last year's 365 posts in a Word document and have read through it once.  It is amazing how many mistakes I made during the writing of the posts.  sorry....

The writing process is about passion.  Write what you are passionate about and hopefully the readers sense the energy and are motivated to keep reading.  The editing process is tedious.  You are looking for mistakes and it requires a different skill set.

Ultimately I will produce a book which groups the posts by topic. I will read each chapter and re-order the posts for the best flow.  This will also show me the gaps that need to be filled by future posts.  Another insight will be to see how each group connects to each other. 

The really cool part of this exercise is to take 365 pieces and organize them to create a mosaic.  One in which each piece stands on its own but together they make the picture clearer.  It seems to me that this is something that we often fail to do in life.  We expose ourselves to a lot of inputs but rarely do we take the time to organize that data into information. 

Today's question is:
"Are you connecting the dots or simply splattering paint on your canvas?"

365QOD-Day391

"Wow someone finally did it!"- my surprise

About 15 years ago a friend of mine, Vincent Kostoff, and I discussed starting a business.  The idea for the business was born because I had three people with 30+ years of experience retire in my group without transferring their knowledge to anyone.  This seemed a great waste of human capital.

The business would provide software that would capture knowledge of a person, as the person was creating materials towards a project, so that others could learn from it .  Great idea that was ahead of its time.

In an earlier post I mentioned the idea that God takes insurance against us by giving the same idea to several people at the same time.  God does this because God is interested in the execution of the idea and not who does it.

With this in mind, I read a story in Entrepreneur magazine about a company that has created software called TeamBrain.  The software does pretty much what we had envisioned.  In other words, God got tired of waiting for us.

Today's question is:
"What great idea are you sitting on and not executing?"

365QOD-Day390

"I hope you have to struggle during lent"- my priest

Lent starts on Wednesday.  Those words would seem kind of cruel if they were not followed with an explanation.  The explanation was that lent is intended as a spiritual journey through which we move through.

Extrapolating to real life, we undertake smaller journeys throughout our days.We have a beginning, a small struggle(or a big struggle), and eventually we have an end.  If we examine these small journeys they polish us, take the rough edges away, in different dimensions.  Lent is simply a spiritual polishing.

You can think of a struggle as a learning lesson or as punishment.  You are correct in either belief.

Today's question is:
"What small journey are you struggling with today?"

365QOD-Day389

"I am way over-educated for my job"-Walt Bargeron Ph.D. (while serving as Plant Manager)

In a recent article in Forbes the education of the Forbes 400 was displayed in a table
HS                           27
College dropout       36
College                  160
Graduate school     161
Law degree             35
Ph.D.                      21
M.A.                        6
MBA                     84
MS                        29
M.D.                        5

So what do you notice?  College and graduate school accounted for 321 out of 400.  The table is misleading in that people in MBA group got counted in graduate school group.. but 321 out of 400.

The shocking one was that only 5 M.D. went on to be the richest...

How about 27 HS graduates becoming richest?  In other words if you want it bad enough you can make it happen even if you do not have the great education.

Today's question is:
"How necessary is education for success in your field?"

365QOD-Day388

"The advice I would give to young people? Quit your job.  Don't work for anybody.  You really can't make any money working for someone else."-Phil Ruffin on looking out for No. 1

This is easy to say BUT hard to do.  I think you have to be sure of yourself and to know how to continue working.

The being sure part can only be possible if you believe that you have a service(i.e you are an expert at something) or a product you believe in.  This might be the easier of the two.

How to continue if a challenge.  You are working for client A while schmoozing client B.  Or you have such good references that client B wants you.  You almost need a job agent that can "pimp" you out.

Today's question is:
"Could you work for yourself?"

365QOD-Day387

"I don't plan on leaving any time soon"- my initial thought

While reading the paper the other day I came across an interesting article about predicting your death. 
Would you want to know how much longer you really got before you die?

A website ePrognosis.org uses a 16 questionnaire that can roughly predict the survival odds.  It does this over a period of 6 months to five years for older adults.

Again, would you want to know?

I don't.  I try to improve my habits over time.  This is the dash portion of my life.  The start and the end I have no control over.  Ideally, my zen thought is that, I am ready to begin and depart any day.  In reality, I would like a little more time to fix some of the mistakes I have made and improve as a human being.

Today's question is:
"Will you visit the site to determine your end date?"

365QOD-Day386

"Mission statements are worthless"- my thought

I recently read an article about a powerful mission statement in Inc. magazine.  It talks about Holstee's mission statement. 

I believe that you have to live those values.  If they are simply written on paper they are meaningless.  Companies tend to formulate these dry statements that non one can remember or apply.

For example, employees are our number one priority.  What do you do with that?  Especially when there is the first sign of difficulty and you get rid of people.  Meaningless?

BUT if it is written and you follow it and make it a part of the culture then it is probably worth gold.  I would bet that that would require quite an effort to achieve.

Today's question is:
'Do you have a personal mission statement that you can convey in 30 seconds or less?"

365QOD-Day385

"I am a horse for a single harness, not cut out for tandem or teamwork"-Albert Einstein

About 15 % of the population is made up of introverts, 15% is extroverts, and the rest of us that are both.
Extroverts tend to get their energy from interacting with others while introverts tend to go inside their minds.

Why is this important?

Well most teams that you will be on consist of both types.  You need to recognize the types and help people to accomplish their tasks for the mission to succeed.

So for an extrovert, talk with them, get them to talk to other people and keep moving them toward the task by having them think through an issue.  For introverts, get them to verbalize their thoughts and share their ideas.  You will need to pull them away from thinking too much.

Today's question is:
"Can you recognize these types on your team?

365QOD-Day384

"The Navy vet slept in an ancient Rolls-Royce on Sunset Strip as he slung shampoo door to door before making it bog with Paul Mitchell. 'I've learned sales and marketing from knocking on a hundred doors a day.  You quickly discover taht you'll get 99 slammed in your face before you make a sale.'"-John Paul DeJoria (Forbes 16, 2012)

I guess if you have to sleep in a car it would be nice that it is a Rolls...  LOL

BUT I think the important part of the quote is the 99 doors being slammed in your face.  Colonel Sanders got 1007 no answers before he struck his deal.  Now that is an incredible number.  Maybe the moral of the two is that we must accept a lot of no answers before we can get to a yes.

Why do we shrug from a single no?  Maybe it is lack of persistence that holds us back in life.  Maybe we can learn and modify our strategy after each no?

Today's question is:
"How many no answers can you stand before giving up?"

365QOD-Day383

"If Facebook hadn't worked out after he left college to join Mark Zuckerberg, he said,'I could have gone back to Harvard anytime.  My friends might not be there anymore.  I might have to start over socially.  That was a risk.  But it was a pretty small risk compared to the opportunity at the time"-Dustin Moskovitz

First thought is to dismiss this quote as only applying to a young person.  It surely can not apply to middle age or a seasoned individual.  I believe it does.  Often it is simply fear that holds us into our current situation. 

Imagine finding a job for which you need to move.  If you feel that you can not move from one region to another it is usually stated as, "well, the market is bad and I would lose a lot" or "I do not want to be far from my family", etc.

Now suppose you got the courage to move and things did not work out.  Can you go back?  Many people would let pride get in the way and state no.  But again that is fear.  Fear of looking foolish.

We can not grow if we fear making changes or simply looking foolish.  Forward, sideways, or backward moves are OK.  As long as we hit our desired target.  Don't take any of them as personal.  Use them all for learning purposes.

Today's question is:
"When is the last sideways move you made?"

365QOD-Day382

"When these incredible tools of knowledge and learning are available to the whole world, formal education becomes less and less important.  We should expect to see the emergence of a new entrepreneur who has acquired most of their knowledge through self-exploration"-Sean Parker (Forbes Feb 2012)

Having been a professor since 1993 I like to believe that this is not possible.  Maybe it is job security? Maybe it is observations of thousands of students.  Maybe this is true for US students?

I believe that we currently live in a world where information is at our fingertips.  We can simply type a word or two and google it.  Then with a little effort find exactly what we are looking.  However, usually what we are looking for is a small nugget of information.  Maybe a few papers at most to read.

Teaching yourself requires discipline and a sustained effort.  These traits are in short supply.  I also believe that for the younger instant gratification generation they are less common. 

Learning anything worthwhile takes a sustained effort.  This is why courses are typically 45 hours long.  This allows one to explore a lot of topics in one subject.  What is magical about 45 hours? Nothing. But it is long enough that it requires discipline to show up and pay attention. 

Today's question is:
"Could you self teach yourself a subject?"

365QOD-Day381

"Be in the now"- guidance

One of the teaching of zen and many religions is to live in the present.  To be in the now by living the moment-the present.

I try to follow this wonderful advise but it is difficult.  Often we worry about the future and replay our past.  Both of these we have little or no control of.

I was flipping through a magazine and came across an ad for Capella University.  In the ad there was a single point from which two lines diverged.  The point was labeled now and the gap between the two lines naturally grew larger.  There were labels above and below each line.

For example
- the top line had more money
- the bottom line had same salary

A little to the right
- the top line had more freedom
- the bottom line had same responsibilities

To the rightmost
- the top line had more meaning
- the bottom line had same old, same old


What I liked about the ad is that it visually displayed how choices over time lead us to different end points. If you do not like the end point, then you have to change the choices you are making in your life.

Today's question is:
"What one choice would you make that will make a big difference in your life?"

365QOD-Day380

"5.3inch vs. 3.5 inch iPhone" does it make a difference?

I sat at an airport today and read about a new phone Samsung Galaxy note.  My phone for the last 5 years has been the Tilt.  A windows based phone with a stylus.  I love my phone and I am finding it hard to switch.

It would seem that the iPhone is pretty popular but is it the right one for me? I use the stylus all the time.  I use the hard keyboard all of the time.  I wish I had access to the net and the iPhone app universe.

So the new Note provides some of these features but not all. Great screen, stylus, and some apps.
It looks like I will have to settle or continue to wait... With a missing back and a few dings it is on it's last leg. ugghhhhh...

I guess I have to figure out what I can live without....not easy.

Today's question is:
"What do you do when you can not find the perfect fit for you?"

365QOD-Day379

"Confidence is not believing that you will not fail but believing that if you are failing you will figure out a way to  succeed"-backpack quote

I was walking in an airport today and in front of me was a quote that said the above.  I loved it! 

Too many of us live in a success or fail world.  Once failure is tasted the guts to continue disappear.  But the message above says that we should allow ourselves the room to figure it out.  In other words, when your sauce does not taste right figure out how to fix it.  It might require several ingredients.

The key is to observe the result, remove any attachment to it, determine your intelligent modification, and make another attempt. 

Today's question is:
"Do you believe that you can figure it out if you need to?" 

365QOD-Day378

"It's a big deal for a professor to dump a university.  But dump Stanform Sebastian did.  He dumped Stanford because he realized that he-as an individual-- holds the power, not Stanford as an institution"- Dale Stephens Fast Company article

A professor that leaves a great job at a great institution to pursue an opportunity to teach directly without the middle men.  Sounds like an entrepreneur to me.

If you have the guts to work for your self, then you will be rewarded more than working for another.  I agree with that statement.  So why do most people fear leaving to work for oneself? (I did work a while and did not like my boss). 

In my opinion, they do not if they can sustain the client flow.  Your employer provides the constant work.  At times it feels like too much but it is fairly constant.  As a self-employed person you not only have to do the work BUT also seek new work.  I found this very hard and suspect that others do also.

I also wonder how many people value the degree more than the source of information for that degree.  A great professor can not teach every course in a program.  So having a few courses from a single person would be great but enough for a degree would be impossible and undesirable.

Today's question is:
"Could you work for yourself?"

365QOD-Day377

"You are not the boss of me?"-a kid's response

I read an interesting article by Jason Fried in which he talks about his company's flat organization.  Many companies claim this but often they just mean that there are not many layers of management. 

What does flat organization mean to 37Signals?  They do not promote great employees to management positions.  So what do they do?

A team self-manages.  Team members take turns being the manager.  This forces everyone to respect the weekly manager because they eventually will be in the role and will need the respect of the team in order to get things done.  Brilliant!

I currently happen to be a member of team of four.  We have a boss but are mostly self-managed.  In different meetings we all take turns being the leader.  Not as structured as 37Signals but it works.

However, there is an opening for a team leader and eventually we will have an immediate supervisor.  It will mostly likely be one of us.  So like 37Signals..show respect and you will get respect.

Today's question is:
"Are you working on a great team?"

365QOD-Day376

"Don't put him on a pedestal"-an admonition

It is not uncommon for us to meet new people and become in awe with that person.  At times the person exceeds our expectations and we are even more amazed.

But what happens when that person falters and falls below our expectation?  It is not only the person who fails but we also fail.  We fail because now our own judgement comes in question.

We are all human.  We will exceed and fail to rise up expectations.  It seems so hard not to pre-judge people but to let them show their true colors over time.

I have had two instances in my life when people who I believed in completely lose my belief in them.  In both instances the person thought that they can raise their level by lowering a group down.  Unfortunately both did not realize that one can never rise up by pushing others down. 

Today's question is:
"How do you react when people fail to meet your high expectations?" 

365QOD-Day375

"Spotlight can light you up or burn you up"-Whitney

I woke up on Sunday morning and turned the TV on.  I happen to overhear Chaka Khan talking about Whitney.  The first reaction I had was that she had died.  Unfortunately I was correct.

What I wondered at that time was how destructive can a person become? 

Her image early in her career was very polished.  Her voice was very smooth and powerful.  However, over time her voice became strained and weak due to the "lifestyle" she lived which involved many unhealthy choices.

But many people make unhealthy life choices for extended amounts of time and still reach old age.  As an example of an artrist who has abused his body, consider Keith Richards.  So it has to be much more than that.

It is combination of the physical and metal abuse that kills people quicker than either one by themselves.
And most people do pretty good at managing both. Periodic bouts of stress reduce the lifespan fairly quickly.  Physical complacency reduces it slowly over time.  But in my opinion it is the combination that does one in the fastest.

Today's question is:
"How do you reduce the combination effect?"

My favorite Whitney song lyrics My Love is Your Love are shown below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxZD0VQvfqU

If tomorrow is judgment day (Sing Mommy)
And I'm standing on the front line
And the Lord asks me what I did with my life
I will say I spent it with you

If I wake up in World War III
I see destruction and poverty
And I feel like I want to go home
It's okay if you're coming with me

'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us
'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us

If I lose my fame and fortune
And I'm homeless on the street
And I'm sleeping in Grand Central Station
It's okay if you're sleeping with me

As the years they pass us by
We stay young through each other's eyes
And no matter how old we get
It's okay as long as I got you baby

'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us
'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us

If I should die this very day
Don't cry, 'cause on Earth we weren't meant to stay
And no matter what the people say
I'll be waiting for you after the judgment day

'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us
'Cause your love is my love
And my love is your love
It would take an eternity to break us
And the chains of Amistad couln't hold us.

365QOD-Day374

"I can not do that because I do not have the XYZ"- typical excuse format

You have heard this line.  You have probably used this line also.

This line provides us with a hint at the perception of lack of resources.  Typical resources would be:
1. Time
2. Money
3. Technology/Tools
4. People/Contacts
5. Experience

To overcome the lack one needs to be resourceful.  Resourcefulness could be in terms of:
1. Creativity
2. Determination
3. Passion
4. Resolve
5. Curiosity

If you feel that there is lack of time in your life to get something done you could use creativity to find time.  For example, if you need 2 hours per day you might get creative and shorten your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours for a while by getting up at 4 instead of 6.  I promise you that no one will demand your time at 4.

Today's question is:
"Which resource lack will you replace with resourcefulness?"

365QOD-Day373

"The lesson here is less about real estate than it is about business itself. Whenever you make something, you make something else. Your byproducts may not be as obvious as sawdust, but they're there. Maybe it's the knowledge you've acquired by running a business. Maybe it's a piece of software you wound up making when you made another piece of software. It's there; you just have to look for it. You may even find a business you never knew you had."-Jason Fried

There are a few folks whose writing I enjoy a lot. Jason's Inc. column is a pleasure to read and think about.  I read this article on his company's use of their real estate to make additional income instead of just costing them money for rent.

I started thinking about this word "byproduct" and could not get it out of my mind.  How can someone use their byproduct?

As a teacher I generated notes.  the notes could be put together in a book and sold.  The book would be a byproduct.

As a martial arts instructor, one can video tape the workout and sell access to the videos on the web for a fee.  The videos would be a byproduct of teaching a class.

As a project manager, one can write a book about their company's project flow or make it generic enough to get their name out as a project guru.

As a blogger, one can take a year's worth of posts and put them into a book. Hum!!

Today's question is:
"What is your product and byproduct?

365QOD-Day372

"Keep looking for new trouble"-George Clooney

You are probably sick of me quoting George.  BUT if the material is good then use it...it is just a tool to start discussions.

I love this line.  New trouble?

I am constantly getting in trouble in my life.  I push myself and I push others.
Currently I am authorized to install a single system at work and I am already staging the second and planning the third before the funding is approved.

It is my current "new trouble".  The worst thing that could happen is that I fail.  But if I fail fast and learn quickly then the next job I do will be a bigger success than expected.

I agree with George..... keep looking for new trouble.  It is the only way to stretch and grow.

Today's question is:
"What new trouble will you get in today?"

365QOD-Day371

"My life isn't focused on results.  My life is really focused on the process of doing all the things I'm doing, from work to relationships to friendships to charitable work.  If I focused on results, it's only about the ultimate results, I'd be a failure in Sudan, I'd be a failure in film, I'd be a failure with my friendships, I'd be a failure in relationships.  I look at it as an ongoing process"-George Clooney Esquire magazine

I believe that one of the mistakes that we often make is that our focus is often only on the results.  I agree with George that the process of how we do things is often the key. 

The process will lead to better results.  Focus solely on the results and you will become frustrated when you slightly miss the mark. But by focusing on the process you will know how to modify it to get closer to the desired result.

This is the theme of my first book... The result.

Today's question is:
"Are you focused on results or on the process?"

365QOD-Day370

"At what point do you give away a portion of your soul, and to what extent does it actually cost you"- George Clooney on negative political ads

The same thing could be said about many things in life.  We trade time at work for money and take time away from what might be our true passion.

Often times this is a necessary evil.  We have to do it in order to get something else which often is money and some life.  But if you are working ungodly hours (whatever that means to you) then you are giving away your soul.

Today's question is:
"What are you trading your soul for?"

365QOD-Day369

"I glow"- anonymous

Can you glow?  As Wayne Dyer has said many of times, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience BUT spiritual beings having a human experience".

So if we are spirits how do we use this?  I believe that one way is to imagine a warm glow inside you and try to project this outwards.  I believe you will see an immediate change in your interactions with people.

Today's question is:
"Are you glowing?"

365QOD-Day368

"Another one bites the dust"- song lyric

Today is the day of the second half marathon I will run in a three of months.  Last one proved to be a challenge.  I even suffered a setback and after the race passed out.

I however did not give up running.  I spent some time examining why I passed out.  It was a combination of low sugar and low blood pressure. 

As you read this I will run  in the Galveston Marti Gras half marathon.  I have prepared differently for this one.  I started eating an orange/apple before my long runs.  In addition, I also drink V8 before the run and water with baking soda and just water during the run.

These changes are the choices I am making in order not to pass out like I did last time.  Small changes that hopefully will lead to better results.

Today's question is:

"What small changes are you making to get better results?"

P.S. I finished in 2:28...My goal was 2:20 but got a few cramps during the last 2 miles...

365QOD-Day367

"No one likes change."- a statement made to me during  conversation

The old saying is that the only constant in life is change.  If it is then why do we spend large portions of our lives fighting it?

I believe because of the discomfort.  Change takes us of our current balance and forces us to find another equilibrium point.  So is we accept this then the change would not be a big deal.  BUT for most of us it is.

In my work life I touch many projects during a typical day.  My role and duties change constantly.  If I did not accept the change I would go nuts.  For me it is a must.  Maybe that is why it is easy for me.

Today's question is:
"Do you accept change or do you fight it?"

365QOD-Day366

"He sucks..."-my outburst

I recently find myself at home in the evening watching American Idol.  Watching TV is something I do very little of so this is a new guilty pleasure.

What amazes me is the quality and the lack of quality on the show.  Some people can really sing.  Others have a good story so they get passed through.

The ones that boggle my mind are the truly bad ones who get upset.  These, often 20+ year old, contestants believe that they can sing.  In their mind they can hear themselves singing well.  However, the output that I hear is so poor that I can not help but watch the train wreck.

I keep asking myself, "why didn't anyone tell them along the way the truth?"  The only thing I can think of is that most people are too nice to tell us the truth when we lie to ourselves.  I believe we have to ask folks for honest feedback and tell them to hurt your feelings instead of hiding the truth from you.  We have to know in order to make better choices.

Today's question is:
"What are the people around you not telling you?"

365QOD-Day365

"The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step"- Lao Tzu

WOW!  365 days ago we began a journey.  The funny thing is it seems like yesterday. 

I look at the labels I have assigned to the posts

acceptance action balance branding business change communication connections creativity decision making demanding Direction doing exceeding fear feelings financial focus giving happiness I am influence integrity leadership learning learning about others life mission making mistakes mastery momentum motivation passion procrastination receiving sources strategy stretching success intelligence teamwork transitions zen

 

and to me they boil down to two words: self help.  The best advice I ever read about self help comes from Jim Rohn who said that self help is like bathing... best done everyday.

 

I have learn many things along the way.  There are about 500+ devoted folks who regularly read the posts.  Amazingly, only a few have made comments.  I try to pose the questions in such a way as to hopefully make you stop and ask yourself a question that could change your day.  

 

In the age that we live, it is so easy to change channels.   All of you could have started to read something else or just stopped reading the posts. 

 

But you did not.  For this I can only say THANKS...

 

Today's question is:

"Can this crazy guy write for another year?"

 

P.S. I am and soon will be starting a second blog.... 

 

365QOD-Day364

"Most people will succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions"- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I have always heard that they way we do small things is how we do big things.  Unfortunately, we often start with great ambitions.  This puts undue pressure and eventually leads to quiting early.

It is in the development of daily routines that lead to that end that we need to focus on.  By having good routines, which we can eventually do automaticaly,  we can achieve anything.

So determine your great Ambition, Break it down in the smallest of tasks, Create rotines that support those tasks, Design your routines wisely so that you can, Effortlessly follow they by having a daily, Focus on your small things by , Greatly.....

Today's question is:
"What are your ABCs?

365QOD-Day363

"Make sure you visualize what you really want, not what someone else wants for you"-Jerry Gillies

Almost year a ago I started to write this blog.  My personality type is that I get excited by new projects.  This works well for my job since I work as a Project Manager. 

But in my personal life attacking multiple targets has led to many great starts and many unfinished ones.  After a few years I eventually decide that an unfinished project is no longer worth it and I erase it from my mind.

This is why tackling this project was important to me.  To be focused for a year on a goal is something I have never done.  It involved creativity and maybe that is what made it easier to focus and to reach the goal line.

The big secret I think was that I kept at it a little bit at a time.  At times I wrote the posts daily.  Sometimes I wrote them several at a time and delay posted them.  The output was fairly consistent.  It looked as if it was achieved daily. 

The big question now is, will I stop?  Absolutely not!  This is like a drug.  My daily drug of creativity.

The biggest challenge to me is to keep reading and experiencing life in order to share what I learn and experience with you.

Today's question is:
"What can you achieve in a constant effort over a year?"

365QOD-Day362

"A career is wonderful, but you can not curl up with it on a cold night"-Marilyn Monroe

I often observe the people that work around me.  They have developed their work habits over their career and I enjoy observing them. 

What do I see?

The younger ones are often working harder than others as if trying to let everyone know that they belong.  The more mature ones see the end and are now coasting.  They feel as if they are fire proof. 

The ones in the middle, like me, work a little more than needed but enough to go home and have a life.

It all boils down to a single word: balance.  In my opinion, what we see as balance varies with our age.  Hopefully, at the end of our lives we can say that we achieved that balance. 

Today's question is:
"In which group do you belong?"

365QOD-Day361

"The secret of all those who make discoveries is that they regard nothing as impossible"- Justus Liebig (I love his last name!!!!)

We limit ourselves.  Big time!

Yesterday I did something unusual.  I ran next to a bicycle.  My wife got a new bike and she went out for a ride next to me as I ran my 10 mile practice run.

She did not know the rules.  In my mind I expected her to ride her bike next to me.  She sometimes got excited and paddled up ahead.  Sometimes she followed me from behind. 

This change of pace forced me to run my practice run 10 minute faster than I have ever run it.  I made the discovery that I can run faster.  I now believe that I can run even faster than I did Saturday.

It was a discovery.  I knew it was not impossible.  I, however, never pushed myself to that level.  I hope she goes again.

Today's question is:
"What is currently impossible in your world?" 

365QOD-Day360

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives"-Euripides

I sometimes think that God gives us the friends that we have to make up for some of our family members. 
Some of those "tough" family members are like rough sand paper. They are abrasive and only make us better people for tolerating them.

Then there are our true friends.  The true friends make our lives smooth.  They provide the polish.

Today's question is:
"Are you the sand paper or the polish to the people in your life?"

365QOD-Day359

"Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful"- Joshua J. Marine

I am training for a half marathon.  I try to run once during the week.  It is usually a short run of 7 miles or less. But on the weekends I try to push myself to do more than 10 miles. 

The other day I was in Virginia, I woke up at 6 a.m. and put my running shorts and shoes on.  It would have been so easy to stay in bed since I did not have my first meeting till 9.

I left the hotel and started down an unknown street.  There was a guy up ahead with a hood over his head.  He was walking.  I asked him if he was going to run.  He said that he was done.  I asked him to run with me and to my surprise he did.  We ran a few miles while talking. 

During the time we ran we talked about our lives and the run seemed so short.  He is at the same place I was two years ago, just starting to run.  It was up to me to nurture his pursuit.  I did and I hope he keeps up with it. 

The easy thing would have been to just keep quiet and continue to run without speaking. 

Today's question is:
"Did you nurture a stranger today?"

365QOD-Day358

"There are only two ways to live your life.  One is though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is"- Albert Einstein

The other day I got in a conversation with a friend of mine who is a non-believer.   I do not judge people if they believe or they do not. 

It is not my business BUT this friend asked me how I as a scientist could believe.  At that point I have to respond.  I fall into the second way that Einstein mentions in the quote.  I see perfection where there is imperfection.  I marvel at why we have five fingers instead of 10.  When I wake up and I am running as the sun is coming up I marvel how we can be so close to the sun and yet not be as dry as Mars. 

Yes, I marvel at the miracle of life. 

Today's question is:
"Which way do you live your life?" 

365QOD-Day357

"It is so annoying that I can not take my eyes of it"- reason people give when asked why they watch a bad show

I just read a story in USA Today about a YouTube sensation Dane Boedigheimer hit Annoying Orange.
Amazing!

I have never watched the show. I have not interest in the topic BUT I can appreciate the brilliance behind creating a simple video show and parlaying that into a popular show.

The story did not indicate how profitable the show is but with millions of viewers I am sure it does well.  I guess it is a simple ideas that translate well to shows.

Today's question is:
"What idea that you have that can be translated into an Internet video show?"

The story can be found at:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/talkingtech/story/2012-01-24/annoying-orange-youtube-tv/52776276/1

365QOD-Day356

"The only time teammates seem to approach him at this point is when they begin to the see the end of their own careers. He recognizes the look in their eyes, the panic that comes from facing a truth that they won’t be able to do the only thing they have known. They have heard the same stories all football players hear, that the first two years after football are the worst, and they wonder how Williams has peace. They wonder if they can handle what is about to happen.

“I don’t feel [the fear],” Williams says. “I was talking to my doctor about this the other day. And because I have found something that I love and that I want to do when I’m done I’m sure I’m going to miss it, but because I’ve been able to look that monster in the face I’ll be better prepared. Some people are afraid of it so they try to delay it as long as they can.”- Yahoo story

I read a story about Terrell Owens today and was reminded of this quote.  In the story, he is described as someone who earned close to 80 million dollars and now has financial troubles.  His monthly child support alone is around 50k.  He did not spend money crazily but made many bad investments.  So now out of football he is struggling.  He can not move on to the next phase of his life.

Ricky Williams was also very destructive in his life but it seems like he has turned it around.  He even returned to football after being kicked out for drug abuse.  It seems as if he is in peace with himself.  Without that peace he would not be able to come back.

Today's question is:
"What are you transitioning to?"

Ricky's story can be found at
 http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=lc-carpenter_ricky_williams_ravens_010912

365QOD-Day355

"You are a genius"-my English 9th grade teacher's (Mr. Howard Schmidt)words

Those are hard words to forget.  What did I do to deserve them?  I do not remember exactly but never the less they still make me glow.  (He is the main editor of my first book)

But as the old saying goes....So what? 

Being something and actually doing something are different.  One is about having potential and the other is about achieving that potential.

Imagine a marble on the edge of a building roof.  It has a lot of potential energy just sitting there.  Unless it is given a push, a nudge, it never takes the leap.  Once the leap occurs the potential energy gets converted into kinetic energy, the energy of motion. 

Today's question is:
"Are you Mr./Ms. Potential or Mr./Ms.Kinetic energy?"

365QOD-Day354

"So sad"- my reaction

Unless you have not heard the news Joe Paterno passed away Sunday.  I never attended Penn State.  But I can feel for the students and alumni of the school.  He was a legend.

Why write a post about Joe?  Well, I was wondering if we could learn lessons from news stories.

What lesson would we learn from Joe?  He was passionate about football. He coached the team for 46 years.  Wow!  He won national championships. 

Unfortunately, some people will judge him by his response to his assistant molesting children.  Maybe his focus was too much on football and not enough on the world around him.

I do not know all of the facts but I believe that he probably did not do enough.  He had a lot of power at Penn State.  He could have pushed the issue.  But for reasons we will never know...he did not.

I believe that the weakest link determines the strength of a chain.  If the location is such, the link can be removed.  But if it is in the middle then you can not easily do it.  The chain becomes a couple of smaller, less impressive, chains.

Today's question is:
"What is your weakest link and how can it get you in trouble?"

365QOD-Day353

"It is only bad news"- my friend's opinion of the news

I often look through two newspapers.  Out of two papers(one local and one national) I rarely read more than one or two stories total.  It usually takes a few minutes each day.

When I get magazines from the library I go though them and mark the corner of the stories that appeal to me.  Then I start reading only those stories.

Similarly, I scan the stories of the most popular stories on yahoo without reading them.  I just get the jest of the story.  Sometimes I do read a story or two per day.

This focus allows me to read stories that nurture me instead of wasting my time.  It is my choice to do it this way.

Today's question is:
"How do you reduce your information input?"

365QOD-Day352

"She looks great"- my impression of Jennifier Hudson's weight loss
I can not help but notice the many ads Jennifer appears in these days.  The journey she undertook was challenging.

The other day I read a story about a guy named Ben Davis who has posted a video on youtube called "My 120 pound journey".  Pretty inspirational.

Both stories made me conclude that when a human being sets their mind to achieve a goal then the only person that can prevent them from achieving the goal is the person who set he goal.  I believe it.

These two individuals are inspiring and made me wonder if my goals are big enough. 

Today's question is:
"Who inspires you?"

365QOD-Day351

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yesterday I used Mark Twain's quote that advised to live fully.  My advise was to allow give your all and except that at times your best might not be good enough.

Emerson adds another bit of advise- conquer some fear everyday.  Start by first identifying what scares the shit out of you.  Create categories and identified several things that you fear happening.  Make it a point to tackle one per day.   I need to create my This Stuff Scares the Shit Out of Me list. 

Today's question is:
"Which fear will you tconquer today?"

365QOD-Day350

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."- Mark Twain

I love this quote.  In my opinion it advises that we live life fully.  By doing so, we can truly live and we will not fear death. 

What can anyone ask of you?  In my opinion it is to do your best.  By doing our own best at each moment we would be living fully.  You would not have time for dark thoughts or fears.

So if it is that easy...just simply live fully..why don't we live fully?  Because sub-consciously we believe that our best might not be good enough. Therefore we fear.  We have to understand that at times our best just won't be good enough. At other times it would be better than good enough.  You will only know by being fully engaged and allowing yourself to fail if it isn't good enough.  Hint:  the world will not end if you are not good enough at one thing or several things.

Today's question is:
"How prepared to die are you today?"

365QOD-Day349

"... I came across it in the book Breakthrough Entrepreneurship (which I highly recommend) by entrepreneur and teacher Jon Burgstone and writer Bill Murphy, Jr. Of Stevenson’s definition, Burgstone says, “people often need to say it out loud 50 or 100 times before they really understand what it means.” Here it is:

Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.

"-Howard Stevenson.


So how does one pursue the opportunity without regard?


"Burgstone puts it:

Every time you want to make any important decision, there are two possible courses of action. You can look at the array of choices that present themselves, pick the best available option and try to make it fit. Or, you can do what the true entrepreneur does: Figure out the best conceivable option and then make it available."

As human beings we always want to make the best choice.  Notice that Burgstone advises to conceive and then make available NOT pick the best option and make it fit.   In other words see the end(the best conceivable option) and the steps in between the start and the end in order to make it available.

Making the "best" available option fit does not make it the optimal solution.  

Today's question is:
"Are you working towards the best available or are you conceiving the optimal solution?"

The article can be found at:
 http://www.inc.com/eric-schurenberg/the-best-definition-of-entepreneurship.html

365QOD-Day348

"An estimated 60 percent of former NBA players are penniless within five years after hanging up their sneakers."-Yahoo story

I read this fact in a story about a former NBA player who has prospered after his career.  What made the story more impressive than the success was the fact that the majority of the other players failed so miserably.

Isn't this true for most Americans?  Imagine averaging 50k a year for 30 years of your career.  Some years you are below and some you are above but you only average 50k a year.  Over a 30 year 35 year career you would have totaled over 50*35=1.75 million dollars.  Lets give you a boost and round it up to 1.8 million.  Uncle Sam will take a third or 600k.

Roughly you would have kept 1.2M.  Let us assume 50% of your net income goes towards bills.  This might be low or it might be high.  Now we are left with 600k.  If you can get 5% returns on the average it means you have a 30k per year pension or $2500 per month before taxes being taken out.

If we just save you would be OK.  If the 50% is closer to 90% or more you will not have the safety net.  Moral of the story is that with planning one can retire even if one has a median salary.  With  smart investments one can even retire more "comfortably".

Today's question is:
"How comfortable are you?"

365QOD-Day347

"Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time."- conversation with Patrick Mallot

I published a book in August.  It is available in both paperback and as an ebook from Amazon.  The price is the same 9.99.  Why?

After many MBA courses in which students argued about the price they most often concluded that by selling it at a lower price leads people to believe that it is not worth the purchase.

The other day I read a USA Today article about Amanda Hocking, an author who has written 22 published and unpublished ebooks and sold more than 1.5 million copies of her books and earned an estimated $2 million by pricing her books from 99 cents to $2.99.  She just signed a contract with St. Martin press for $2 million.  Amazing!  Great for her!

So what is the right price to sell a book?  I do not know.  Maybe mine is overpriced?  Maybe hers would have sold the same amount even if they were 9.99?  Maybe she would do better selling her books instead of going through the publisher?

Amazon's Kindle allow you to earn 70%  of the book price.  Create space, Amazon's paperback partner,  is a lot less.  Maybe $2-3 per book.

My first royalty check was for $27 dollars. It was not a lot money BUT the idea that it was residual income.  Money earned without having to show up and trade time for money.... nice..very nice..

Her first royalty check was $15.72. I think I will take a picture of mine and frame it...It will inspire me to write my next book.

Today's question is:
"What can you do to bring in residual income?"

P.S The article can be read at 
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-01-03/amanda-hocking-self-published-author/52345642/1

365QOD-Day346

"..headaches come in many forms"-Tommy Henderson

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend when he uttered this phrase.  I complimented him and registered it for later use.

Our conversation was about another friend who suffers from constant migraines.  This was a physical form of a headache.

Tommy was talking about mental headaches.  This is when we are struggling with major decisions for a while without knowing the best way to play out our destiny.

In my humble opinion the only way to get rid of a headache is to decide.  Often times the decision is painful but so is pulling off a band-aid.  It has to be done and done quickly.

Today's question is:
"What is your biggest headache?" 

365QOD-Day345

"Embrace change"- a wrist band

I sat in a hotel lobby the other day. A young gentlemen was there to interview.  He was smiling and we struck up a conversation.

While talking I noticed his wrist band.  It said, "embrace change".  I asked him what it meant to him and he said that it was an extra wrist band that his cousin had given him.  In other words it had no special meaning.  Maybe it looked cool.

I thought the slogan was cool and spent some time thinking about what it meant to embrace change.  To me it means that when my deck gets shuffled I respond by thinking first and then executing my plan.  Accepting the event that has changed is the key.  Often times wed want to fight that reality instead of modifying our strategy.

If we know where we need to go then a change just slightly modifies our journey.  It should not completely change it.  I think by embracing it we relieve a lot of stress from believing that we can stop it. 

The best way to explain it is to look at the difference of Aikido vs. other traditional martial art styles.  Other styles confront an attack by reacting to it.  Aikido welcomes the attack and uses it against the attacker.  It "embraces" the attack. 

Today's question is:
"Are you reacting or embracing change?"

365QOD-Day344

"Make a conscious decision to look for what is right and pleasing in others. Create a new habit of complimenting those around you. Turn judgments into blessings."-Wayne Dyer

I am a bad social networker.  Besides posting to my Facebook page and twitter accounts, I don't spend enough time to read and write comments.  However, I did this morning and read this quote on Wayne Dyer's account.

It is amazing how it is easy to lift people up instead of tearing them apart.  I got in an elevator yesterday and when a couple came in I smiled and started a conversation.

The gentlemen had a nice bag.  It looked rugged and worn.  I complemented his bag.  The construction, the material, etc.  I can tell that he loved the bag.  He smiled.  I can tell that he felt proud of his bag choice.

I could have just as easily smiled and said nothing.

Today's question is:
"How will you lift people up today?(...chose your victims without much thought..)"

365QOD-Day343

 "The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird sleeps in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities..." - James Allen

Even the smallest starts from an even smaller part.  Even the big bang started from an "unknown" source of energy.  It is the seed.

Currently I am nurturing two seeds.
I want to run a marathon this year.  This is my physical goal. 
I also want to publish a book on lessons we learned from Steve Jobs. This is my mental goal.

Many years ago I used to watch people that worked with me retire and die within two years.  They had no seeds that they were nurturing.  They no longer had to do physical work and they stopped mentally challenging themselves.  They had no dreams left in them.

Today's question is:
"What are your dreams?"

365QOD-Day342

"The ultimate fusion of music and fitness"- Motoactv.com ad

Several years ago I read an article that argued that people with not want a singular device.  They wanted a cell phone that served as a cell phone only.  The article said that most people did not want a camera on a cell phone.

How foolish this article appears today.  Most of us can not imagine a dumb phone.  A phone without a camera.  Forget about it! A phone that does not keep your busy schedule.  No way!

The ad I mention above is a new type of fitness tracker and music player with a brain.  It appears that new trend is starting to develop in the fitness arena.  The device you took along for entertainment is now tracking your performance as well.    

Today's question is:

"What changed our views so fast?"

365QOD-Day341

"Surfing is not about your ability to maneuver a board, but rather it is about how completely you experience the moment" Ryan Levinson Outside magazine's Chief Inspirational Officer

How many things do we do on automatic?  We wake up and drink our coffee.  We drive to work.

Do you remember the taste of the coffee you had this morning?  Do you remember the details of your drive.

The answers are most likely no.  We maneuvered a few thousand pound weapon without conscientiously experiencing the moments.

Why? Maybe our brains are not designed to handle that level of processing.

Today's question is:
"What do you think would happen to our brains if we experience more moments?"

365QOD-Day340

"We can waste our lives dreaming big but letting insecurities blind us, or we can look up and see life as a series of moments to be experienced rather than conquered"- Ryan Levinson Outside magazine's Chief Inspirational Officer

I recently read an article in a running magazine in which the author talked about how he had done many races in his life. He raced and raced but never really appreciated the scenery. 

Imagine that.  He ran at some fantastic races but never enjoyed the scenery and only worried about the win.  He was trying to conquer the race but did not appreciate the moments.

The only person I race against is me.  I can care less if I do great or not.  I only care that I finish the race.  While I am running I am constantly noting my surroundings and the people within them.  Their expressions, their form in the scene give meaning to the moment.

Yesterday was December 31, 2011.  I ran 7 miles in about 100% humidity(fog).  It was very memorable.  People looked like they came out of clouds.  I will remember that run for a long time because I lived in the moment.

Today's question is:
"Are you conquering life without experiencing it?"

365QOD-Day339

"Do not disturb my circles"-Archimedes last works before being killed by a soldier

On Christmas day my right hand wrist started hurting really bad.  I opened my hand very wide and put a bandage to help it not move and strengthen a bit.  No problem.

On Monday after Christmas my hand felt a little better and I put the bandage on early in the morning.  Again I opened my hand wide.  The whole day my hand felt a little better.

Monday night I decided to write a few posts.  I sat down to write with the laptop on my lap with a cooling fan underneath it.  I wrote and wrote.  Man I was in the flow.

The number of readers for December was up and I wanted to improve my posts so I wrote my heart out.  A couple of hours later I stopped writing and put my laptop down and walked over to my wife.  She looked at me and asked me the question, "What happened to you?"

I looked at my hand and my right hand was twice the size of my left hand.  It was huge.  I did not notice it at all while writing it.  It took almost a day before my hand regained its original size. 

If I ever had any doubts about the idea of flow, they were removed.  When I am doing something creative I lose myself to it.  I flow with the moment and the world around me stops.

Today's question is:
"When is the last time you were in the flow?"

365QOD-Day338

"New Year, a new me"- a common belief

At this time of year we often think in terms of what we want to start doing.  Some people want to eat better.  Others want to start exercising.  Everyone is looking for a change that leads to a better self.

I am instead thinking about what I can stop doing.  I read an article in Harvard Business Review about the 5 things you should stop doing.  It is a good article.

Most of my October month was spent asking myself "What next do I want to accomplish?".  I had a project that I had planned and after some long thinking sessions I concluded that I want to write a book about Steve Jobs.  So I started and after a month I stalled.

Maybe I need to stop?  Maybe I am doing too many other things I need to stop in order to focus on the book?  I know I need to stop something.  What? Maybe I am saying yes to too many things? Which things?

I currently do not know the answers to my questions.  Maybe by the time this post appears I will?

Today's question is:
"What 5 things should you stop doing in 2012?"

P.S. The article can be found at
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/five_things_you_should_stop_do.html

365QOD-Day337

"I thought about doing that 5 years ago!"- my thought

Five years ago I was taking and teaching martial arts classes.  I noticed that students were progressing through the ranks too fast.  It seems that most systems and instructors are in the game of constantly rewarding a student in order to keep them coming.  The next belt is a carrot.  The student knows that if they come to class and do what they are suppose to do they will progress in rank and achieve the black belt level within 4 years.

I recently read an article about a ballerina who spent 40,000 in order to be able to teach her classes on line to at most 12 students at a time.  I thought that this was pretty high until I saw that her client base increased more than 400 percent to about 10000 users in 50 countries and she now offers DVDs available for purchase.

Back to my story...
I thought to myself that it would be best for the student to learn a particular form and in the same time learn how to do the form by using weapons.  That way the student would be required to master a form, same form with sword, same form with nun-chucks, same form with Bo-staff, etc. The constant would be the foot work.  The hands would be busy using the weapons while doing the same footwork.  So I developed sets of forms from white belt to black belt with each of these weapons.

Then I thought to myself... one can offer this online.  A student can sign up for a class and they can watch a course during which the student is taught all of these forms.  They can then be asked to come in and test for rank or submit a tape of themselves performing the forms.  So someone would progress more slow but by the time they reach black belt they would be an expert with open hands or weapons.

Today's question is:
"Could you offer your product online to a real audience?"

P.S. The article can be found at:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220713

365QOD-Day336

"Everything could be made adaptable"- my belief

I was reading the December 2011 issue of the Entrepreneur and came across an article by Michelle Juergen on a company Day2Night. Why would an article about women heel height excite me?

Being a guy I could care less about women's shoes.  They look painful just to watch them try to walk.  I especially can't get the new styles where the heels are so high and the front is also raised.  Makes absolutely no sense to me.

So why did I get excited about Day2Night's idea?  Their shoes come with five heels of different heights that can be switched out with a push of a button.  A women can go from a 1 inch heel to a 5 inch heel.  Brilliant!
They did not change the concept of a shoe.  They simply changed a part of a shoe to make it great.

Could the same concept be made for guys?  Probably not in the same way but imagine a company making a running shoe with 5 different heal structures for training on different surfaces.  Wow!  I looked at the bottom of my almost 2 year old Pegasus 25 and noted after all of the miles I have put on these shoes they look white as snow and almost brand new.  The only part that was worn out was my heel.

Today's question is:
"What sub-part of your system could stand a little adaptability?"

P.S. the original article can be found at
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220729

365QOD-Day335

"The top 1% owns 36% of all wealth"- Fortune Nov 7th 2011

This country has become very polarized.  The gap between poor and wealthy is getting bigger.  The media is constantly reporting this fact. What good does it do me to know that someone is getting richer or poorer?  I do not earn their income.  I do not know what they had to do to earn their income. 

What worries me is that people are focusing on the wealthy and not slamming the real crooks- the politicians.  How many of them were millionaires before they entered public service?  Probably only a few.  So how does a guy become a millionaire by being a public servant earning 175k a year and having to maintain two homes?  Very good question. 

Our founding fathers were statesmen.  We now have career politicians.  Founders expected people to give of themselves for a few years and go home.  They never envisioned an animal that loves to eat from the public troft for decades. 

By focusing on the rich or taxing them more it does not do the common man any good. Are there inequalities in the system?  Many!  US CEOs make 475 time the salary of the average worker.  
In Germany the ratio is 12 times. 
In Japan 11 times. 
In Britain 22 times. 
In Canada 20 times. 
So what is reasonable?  Venezuela 50 times or Mexico 47 times. No!

I think that every CEOs salary should be tied to the average pay.  Whatever the magic number is(I like 20) let the company decide.  So if the average salary is 50k then the CEO can make the most 1M.  No options, no extra perks. Keep it simple sweetheart!  If the CEO wants to raise their salary then they have to increase the salary of the average worker.  How do you do that?  Produce better and cheaper products. And do not allow a CEO of one company to serve on another board.  By being in bed with one another they have increased their salaries to 475 times the average salary of a worker($23.16 in US). 

Today's question is:
"In your world, what ratio is the right ratio?"

365QOD-Day334

"What makes a good business book stand out from all the others?
The best books always give us an opportunity to organize our experiences--to take what we know and give it shape and meaning and context. I've always said that we are all experience-rich and theory-poor. And to me the point of business books is to remedy that problem."- Malcolm Gladwell interview by Kevin Ohannessian(link is below)

A few post ago I wrote about So what? moments and stopping to think about what the meaning of those 5 posts is to you.  When I read the interview that Malcolm did, the line that we are all experience-rich and theory-poor stood out. 

This is another way of saying we read, do, and experience things BUT we do not always understand them(theory-poor).

Today's question is:
"When you are confronted by different sources telling you the same, how do you make yourself believe the information?"


P.S.  The link to the interview is
http://www.fastcompany.com/1800273/malcolm-gladwell-tipping-point

365QOD-Day333

"I can't live off of free"-my sentiment

While reading December 12th issue of Fortune I came across an article by Verne Harnish about how to think a little bit different.  It made me think about how to apply these ideas.

First idea was about finding a new way to do "free".  It mentions a software company called Atlassian.  Instead of giving the product away that it normally sells for $10, it promised to donate that money to a global literacy charity.  This lead to many folks on Facebook mentioning it.

Since the company made the offer back in 2009 it has raised $1.5 million for charity.  WOW!  (in other words 150,000 customers bought at least the basic product)

It has sold $8 million in products to customers that traded up from the basic $10 product to a higher end product.  WOW! (in other words $8M/150k~$53 upgrade)

The moral of the story is to do good and the money will follow.  Do not follow money it will not lead you to good.

Today's question is:
"What product that you create/produce that can not be given away for a donation?" 

365QOD-Day332

"Why pay?"- a movie character living on $5 per day

I recently saw an OK movie called $5 per day in which Christopher Walken looked for ways to exist without paying.  He even went to the extreme of having 365 drivers licenses so he can get free birthday meals at participating restaurants.  Since he had 365 cards, everyday was his birthday.

This is not reality for the rest of us.  We must pay for things we use.  I marvel that some things like Youtube are free.  I can type in any music act and find music that I have enjoyed in the past.  Imagine doing that 10 years ago.  You couldn't do it without having a physical copy of the music.

However, the artists get screwed.  They created the work and now are not being compensated for it.  It is not fair but in this case free has won over fair.

Even with patents, copyrights, and trademarks they are not protected against free.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe you can protect the things you create?"

P.S. Happy New Year!

365QOD-Day331

"...after 20 years, the knees of distance runners were actually healthier than those of control group."-Stanford Medical School researcher finding

In another study, by the American College of Sports Medicine, it was found that "physical activity [including running] is beneficial, rather than detrimental, to joint health."

It is my conclusion that the human body is amazing.  We can abuse it BUT as long as we abuse moderately it will spring back and become stronger. I guess the key is moderation and not extreme abuse.

I find that as long as I run a few times a week I can abuse my body by eating a little more than I need and still not gain any weight.  If I control what I eat and still run, then my body responds with a modest weight loss.

If I drink more than one beer, I note that next day I do not feel as well as I usually do.  So for me the key is to stop at one beer.

Today's question is:
"How do you stop yourself from abusing yourself?"

365QOD-Day330

"Why would you want to be like someone else?  It's exhausting just trying to be yourself."- Cigna ad

I find inspiration in many things.  I saw this ad printed on a T-shirt in a magazine I was reading.  The words resonated with me.

Often we see someone do things we admire, dress the way we wish to, and we try to imitate.  However, we are never as good as the original. A clumsy imitation.

I guess it is simply human nature to try to improve ourselves by adapting portions of others.  Hell, that might be the secret to the survival of the human race.  If we were very different and broke away from the herd easily we would have gotten eaten.

However, we should understand what makes us cool.  What makes us original?  This should be our lifetime effort.  Copying portions of others gives us a glimpse of what we like but drilling inside is the key to being yourself most often.

Today's question is:
"What is the true you inside of you?"

365QOD-Day329

“Some people live X years, but most people live 1 year X  times.”-Anonymous

Practice does not make perfect.  

How do I know?  I used to watch little kids practice very hard before a rank test.  They would flare their arms vigorously BUT not with any precision or form.

So what makes perfect? Perfect practice makes perfect.

In order to understand why something works or does not work we must take it apart and examine why we succeeded or failed.  We must take ourselves apart and understand our thinking and beliefs that contributed to the result.

Doing something over and over and expecting better results without examining the reasons is not productive.  We can not improve by doing it more often.  We must do it after we have obtained some wisdom by examining our success and failures.


Today's question is:
"Do you question your successes as well as your failures?"

365QOD-Day328

"So what?"- words on a picture I have on my cell phone

Once in a while I put this picture on my phone that has a guy with his hands raised to the side with a puzzled look.  Next to him are the words so what. 

I have just shared 5 posts which I labeled successful intelligence.  So what?

The ideas behind the 5 posts were based on a study that found that company founders, disruptive innovators, typically have five discovery skills:
Questioning
Observing
Networking
Experimenting
Associating

Again, so what?  Well, unless you and I take a pause and really think about how to apply and improve these skills we will stay at the same level.  The pause is the key.

Maybe listing a couple of actions you can immediately adopt and track your success with them is the way to do it. I suspect that it is unique to each of us.  What might work for me will fail you.

Today's question is:
"So what will you do with this nugget of information?"

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"And your name is?"- a question we often pose after forgetting a person's name

Fifth discovery skill of disruptive innovators is Associating.

Rarely do we come up with a solution that solves a problem by itself.  In my opinion it often requires the combination of two or more techniques to come up with something unique.

In a past post I wrote about how I spent a few hours with a world class designer to come up with a solution on how to graph data uniquely.  His approach was one of beauty.  My approach was one of logic.  The ultimate solution married the two into a unique format.

I find it very interesting to speak with people of very different backgrounds than mine.  I learn the most from these people.  Their approaches intrigue me.  They are foreign to me.  It is like learning how to handle a new weapon.

So associating techniques and people can lead to unique approaches.  I often try to associate a person's name with another person by that name to remember the name.  Most of the times it works.

Today's question is:
"How do you freshen up your approaches?"

365QOD-Day326

"I did not fail 10,000 times.. Designing a light bulb is a 10,000 step process" - paraphrase of Tomas Edison's words

Fourth discovery skill of disruptive innovators is Experimenting.

I can not remember ever succeeding at anything on my first attempt.  Now I have done very well at a few things during my initial attempt but I would not call them success.

In order to allow oneself to fail it takes a belief that eventually the experiments will succeed.  But what if they do not? What if after many experiments the result is a failure?

You must completely re-think your strategy, your approach, your execution, etc.  Then be willing to start from scratch with a beginner's mind and try again.  How many times?  It depends on how important success is to you.

Today's question is:
"Do you give yourself  permission to fail?"

365QOD-Day325

"More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject."- Peter Drucker

The third discovery skill of disruptive innovators is Networking.  

I often design new systems. It is rare that I know enough to solve the many problems that come up by myself.  This is where networking comes to play for me.

I have to identify the right person(s) who have the knowledge to nudge my progress forward.  One problem though.  If you only knock on people's doors when you need help then they will initially help but eventually resist your request.

So even though it seems pointless to chat about nothing it is necessary for the maintenance of a relationship.  People want to know that you genuinely care before they will care to help you.

Today's question is:
"How do you show that you genuinely care about someone?"

365QOD-Day324

“You can observe a lot by watching.”-Yogi Berra

The second discovery skill of disruptive innovators is Observing.

By taking the time to carefully observe phenomenons one can learn a lot.  The trouble with observing is not to jump to conclusions too quickly.  To let the event play out and not interfere.

For example, suppose you notice that event B always occur after A.  You are convinced.  You have observed it.  That must be it.  But it could be premature.

What you might not notice is that B is made up of sub-events C and D.  Of which C plays a major part and D a very very minor part. 

You say so what B always occurs after A.  But a better observation is that C always occurs after A.  It is more specific of an observation. D plays a minor role and it can be ignored.

So don't fall for the easy conclusion based on an observation.  Dig a little deeper.  Maybe go back to asking the 5 Whys?

Today's question is:
"How do you slow yourself down to eliminate premature observations?

365QOD-Day323

"When all think alike, then no one is thinking."- Walter Lippman

While reading the November 7 issue  of Forbes I noticed an article about Innovating From Small to Big by Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen.  In the article they discuss a study they published in their new book The Innovator's DNA(have not read it yet).

The study found that company founders, disruptive innovators, typically have five discovery skills.  I will like to explore these five in detail over the next 5 days.

The first of these skills is Questioning.  One of the best techniques that I have learned for questioning is the 5 Why.  In this technique a person doing an investigation continues to ask why to establish the cause, effect, and evidence for each why. 

As parents, we often hate when kids continuously ask why.  Well, the 5 why(or more if needed) is the adult version of this game.  It tries not to assume that an event has a single cause but tries to drill into it more deeply.  It gets pretty close to the true cause fairly quickly.

Today's question is:
"Did you ask at least 5 Whys when presented with new information?"