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?