365QOD- Day841

"My advice is to abandon the passion mindset which asks 'What does this job offer me? Am I happy with this job? Is it giving me everything I want?' Shift from that mindset to Steve Martin's mindset, which is ' What am I offering the world? How valuable am I? Am I really not that valuable? If I'm not that valuable, then I shouldn't expect things in my working life. How can I get better?" - Cal Newport

I have written about passion many of times in this blog.  I am a firm believer that without passion we can get good results but never great ones.

This quote made me realize that the passion mindset is very self oriented.  Maybe Steve is correct?

In the end we would be more fulfilled if we satisfy the needs of others.  By serving others we increase our value to the world. The greater the number that we serve the greater our value.  I believe that they can be combined into a valuable passion mindset.

Today's question is:
" Do you have a valuable passion mindset?"

365QOD- Day840

" Regardless of the city you're in, you get into your car and your preferences- climate control, radio and seat positioning settings, itinerary destination, even favorite restaurants- are already programmed in"- Luke Schneider

This morning I read a story about a new rental car company called Silvercar.  What caught my attention is that it only uses silver Audi cars and the based on the quote the car becomes customizable.

My first thought was that there isn't enough of a demand but maybe I am wrong.  Maybe we all want things to be customized to us.  It seems that our attitude is "it is all about me".

I can imagine that getting in a car that feels like yours could be wonderful. But sometimes the fun is in playing with the gadgets and the different settings.  It is fun until you get it just prefect for you.  I hate it when I let my wife drive my car and I have to make the adjustments.  This teaches me that once it is perfect for me I do not want it changed.

Today's question is:
" How customizable do things need to be for you to be useful?"

365QOD- Day839

"Pay attention to the little things people do." - my words to myself

Many years ago I learned a valuable lesson.  I shared an office with a co-worker.  He was younger than me and I helped train him.  He did not directly work for me.  We shared an office and a desktop computer.  I also had a laptop that was issued to me. 

I noticed that he would take things that did not belong to him as if it was issued to him. If I left a dollar on my desk, it became his.  Any tool that I had became his.   Since the desktop was company property I could not complain.  However, on the desktop I had some personal files for my part time teaching job.

One week I left to teach a plant course on Spc and when I came back he had moved out of the office and taken the desktop.  I went to his new office and asked to retrieve my personnel files.  He said that he completely wiped the computer clean and destroyed my files.

I was pissed.  I did not care if he moved out or if he took the desktop but the files he destroyed took a lot of effort to create.  When I confronted his boss he just shrugged his shoulders. 

The lesson I learned that day was to look at the little things that people do and extrapolate( predict) potential future problems with that individual.  I should have noted his and hits boss' behavior and lack of boundaries when it came to assigned equipment and predicted that he could do something like what he ended up doing.

Today's question is:
" Do you extrapolate future actions from the small things people do?"

365QOD- Day838

" Gloria Price, professor at UC Irvine, found that technology workers got interrupted on the average every 11 minutes then it took 25 minutes to get back on track." - source unknown

Recently I read an article that talked about two different types of schedules: a creative's and a manager's.  It immediately made me think about my schedule and that of the people around me.

I am on a manager schedule.  If there is an empty spot on it schedule a meeting and I will  be there. This type of schedule trends to work in one hour blocks.

The independent contributors, the creative workers, tend to work in blocks of time bigger than an hour.  So stopping in and asking a question throws them of their flow. As the quote above suggests, they lose their place and have a hard time getting back on track.  The non creative types need to give them freedom from interruption during those blocks.

Even though I follow the manager type of schedule I probably need to block out twenty percent of my time ( two for hour blocks for creative work).  This will allure me to create and respond to requests instead of rushing yo another meeting.

Today's question is:
" What type of schedule do you follow? "

365QOD- Day837

"Fundamental Attribution Error- the tendency to ignore context and attribute an individual's success our failure solely  to inherent qualities" - definition

When I read this line it made me think about fixed vs. flexible mindset.  The fixed mindset believes that all results are due to being smart.  The flexible mindset believes in working hard and figuring things out as you move through the challenge.  To me, inherent qualities brings up fixed, born with ideas. 

After  reading the definition a second time, I noticed the 'ignore context' portion.  A success in one field does not translate into success in another field.  If that was true then Michael Jordan would be also the greatest baseball player and the greatest NBA executive.  He was average in baseball and in being a boss.

Success in one arena could be due to your skill set, your willingness to fight for what you want, your focus, etc.  The place where you fight is also critical.  A great boxer in a rink might not do so good in a bar fight.

Today's question is:
" Do you consider the context along with your skill set?"

365QOD- Day836

"That is easy. "- answer to the first challenge

Jim Rohn's second challenge that he believed life poses is:

How do we wisely use all of our resources?

Resources that we poses are money, time, attention, love, etc. If for a moment we just focus on time we quickly notice that we are very often not the guardians of our time.  Someone walls into your office and you drop everything to accommodate them.

Similarly,  we trend to watch the Pennies while dollars get blown away.  That pop in the machine is a dollar but that dollar adds up over time to a fortune.

Same thing with the other resources.  We tend to waste them until we feel the poison of not having them.

Today's a question is:
" How do you make sure you wisely use your resources?"

365QOD- Day835

" I am up for the challenge" - my response

A couple of days ago I finished listening to a six CD set by Jim Rohn on changing one's life.  There were many great ideas in it.  In this and tomorrow posts I like to discuss a couple of life challenges.

According to Jim, life poses two challenges that we should pursue.  The first challenge is:

How do we develop ourselves to our maximum potential?

I love this question.  Often we are afraid to go after what we want because our best might not be God enough.  So we pull back from giving it our all.  In order to give it our all we must develop our full potential. This takes wisdom to self evaluate where your gaps are and to figure out how to fill them.

Today's question is:
" What do you need to do to develop to your full potential? "

365QOD- Day834

"Why the shape of a cross?"- a question asked by a priest during a sermon

Many years ago I attended a sermon that I would not forget as long as I live. The priest who gave the sermon asked this question.  He proceeded to answer it.

He said that if you really started looking at the term commandments you could summarize then into two:
1. How man should behave towards men ( he motioned side to side)
2. How man should behave towards God( He motioned from bottom up)

The motions made three shape of a cross.  I lived his summary because many years late I remember three message.

Today's question is:
" How are your relationships towards fellow men and God?"

365QOD- Day833

"Let me tell you a story..."-typical beginning

Can you retell the story of the Trojan horse?  Most of us had heard it in school somewhere along the way and can probably retell it just as well many years later.

The last idea from the book Contagious is to tell a Story.  

I'm a believer that a great story can move people to action.  But a many greatly entertaining ads illustrate often they do not tie back to the product.  The story must connect back to you.  The Trojan story links back to the Greeks who built it.  The story has a purpose and in the end it links back.

Today's question is:
" What is the story you tell link back to you? "

365QOD- Day832

" Now that is useful to know"- something I always say

According to the Contagious book, the fifth component of making an idea viral is for it to have Practical Value.

I used to be an academic.  But I never published papers.  I have been credited as author on a few papers but not as a sole author.  Publishing academic papers was never of interest to me.

I love writing books and my blog.  I believe that these contribute practical ideas to the world.  Writing a paper that stretches some theory a little bit is cool but of limited practical value.

So if your idea is of practical value then it has a chance.  People have to judge it a something of value that can be applied immediately.

Today's question is:
" How practical is your idea?"

365QOD- Day831

" Build to show, built to grow"- from the book Contagious

The fourth important feature for an idea or product to become viral is for it to make it obvious to the Public.

In the book the example of Apple cover logo being upside down vs. right side up is highlighted.  Apple logo is upside down to the user but when the cover is open the logo shows up properly to the public around the user.  This is pretty strategic.  If it was the other way around then the user is happy for a minute but the public wonders why the logo is upside down.

By placing the logo that way the user's computer provides free advertising to the nearby users that the user prefers the apple brand. 

Today's question is:
" Do you built to show?"

365QOD- Day830

" To keep a fire going, put some kindle in it." - old advice from my grandmother

In my opinion the most important thing to align in order to make sure something gets done is emotions. The how is easy but the why is hard.

In order for the why to be bigger than the how you need to do something to get your emotions moving you in the right direction.  You would do the same to get an idea to become viral.

According to Contagious book Emotions are necessary in order to make am idea viral. What will inspire people to talk about it.  What well kindle the emotions. What emotion will move people to act?

Today's question is:
" What will ignite feelings towards you or your product?"

365QOD- Day829

"Top of mind, tip of tongue"- Contagious book

Second thing to keep in mind when trying to make an idea viral is to consider Triggers.

Think of a trigger as a memory device.  If a cue is presented, would it trigger a memory or a response?

Consider if someone says peanut butter.  What is the first thing that comes to mind?  For most of us it would be jelly.

What about if you need to blow your noise?  What would you ask for?  Most likely, you would ask got a Kleenex.

Today's question is:
" What triggers in your customers mind when you or your product/service are mentioned?"

365QOD- Day828

" Check this out...." - an urging

Recently I started reading an ebook called Laptop Millionaire.  I started reading the book but quickly realized i needed to stop and create a product. I also ordered the book on order to be able to work with it a little easier than an ebook.

So when I got it in my hand I thought ok now nothing will stop me from reading and working with it.  Well, I got a call from my favorite library in town that a new book came in for me. 
The book Contagious by Jonah Berger has been in front of me the last week. Its focus is on determining what makes ideas go viral.  In order took make the ideas memorable it uses the acronym STEPPS.

First idea from the book is that what makes ideas spreadable is that the person who spreads the idea wants to increase their Social Currency.  In other words, by spreading the idea the persons image gets a boost.

In a sense the purpose of this blog is to increase my Social Curgency.  By posting content that folks want to read I am hoping to be recognized as a creative thought leader who can absorb a lot of ideas and make them a approachable. In other words, we share things that make us look good in the minds of others.

Today's question is:
" How do you increase your Social Currency?"

365QOD- Day827

"... you got to become one with the bicycle"- Tommy Hendricks

Last night I was talking with Tommy.  We started talking about the keys to success.

Tommy gave a great example.  In his example he asked the question if anyone ever learned how to ride a bicycle without falling.  The obvious answer is that no one ever learned to ride a bicycle without falling.

The effort to ride the bicycle involves falling a few times until you understand the balance required to not fall.  But once you master the balance, you become one with the bicycle.

This idea holds true for bicycle riding, book writing, cookie making, business building, etc. you become one with" it", whatever it means to you.

Today's question is:
" What are you one with?"

365QOD- Day826

"We do know that fifty percent of the tome people are online they're procrastinating.  But we don't know whether, in fact, they wouldn't just use something else "- Timothy Pychyl

The thought of people waisting 50 percent of their time online is unbelievable.  I mean I believe it but it just seems such a waste.

In the last six months I have been trying to do things more analog.  I tend to sit at a desk that does not have a computer so I can think.  I also trend to go to a lot of meetings in which I just bring a notebook and my cell phone.  If I need to check email I can quickly do it on my phone but most of the time I just take notes in my Moleskine grid notebook.

For me this prevents me from sitting in front of a computer and potentially waisting time.  I do believe that I can do better at answering the mountain of email if I sat at the computer but maybe that is my next procrastination hurdle.

Today's question is:
" How do you spend your surfing time?"

365QOD- Day825

" I am working fill time on my job, and I am working part time on my fortune"- Jim Round

I love this line.  It fits well with my AND thinking belief.

Many people believe that they can only work on something full time.  But then they miss out on working on their fortune part.

It is so easy to just come up with reasons. Reasons such as lack of time, money, to busy, etc. come to mind very quickly.

It all boils down to what is important to you: working for yourself or for someone else.

Today's question is:
" Are you working on your or someone else's fortune?"

365QOD- Day824

"Take a bite...go on" - an urging

In life, we are often presented with many opportunities.  These opportunities offer growth and adventure.
However, just because the opportunity for adventure is in front of us we might not take it.  And when we do, it might be too late.

Not pursuing the adventure leads us to discover less, achieve less, create less, etc.  In the end we live a lesser life.

Today's question is:
" What pulls you towards adventure instead of away from it?"

365QOD- Day823

" There is a business concept called opportunity cost.  When you choose one course of action, you miss out on all the other opportunities you might have chosen to pursue but didn't.  People rarely stop to consider that until its too late."- Steve Tobak Inc. magazine

This morning I spent some time thinking about how wasteful my weekend was in total.  Yes I got a few things done but no major items got ticked of my list.

This quote teaches a wonderful lesson.  I did not consider the opportunity cost of doing the things I chose vs. the big items I could have accomplished.  Maybe the value of the NBA game should have been lower than finishing the editing of my new book?

The realization for me is to periodically stop and ask myself as to what is my opportunity cost for choosing to do what I am doing instead of getting an important task not get done.

Today's question is:
" How do you establish your opportunity cost of an activity?"

365QOD- Day822

" Who are the people shaking up their field most dramatically? To answer that question, we sifted through hundredths of names in scores of categories to come up with a dozen disrupted less content to improve the status quo than to blew it up." Forbes April 15 issue

Usually a hook like this over promises but falls to deliver.  But this story did not.

The first disruptor was a company Snapchat which has managed to do something pretty unique.  They realized that when we send photos it might be desirable if the photo has an expiration date- "self-destruct ".
It made me wonder if other things should have a self-destruct ability. First thought that came to my mind was email.

What would happen to email traffic if people knew that after 24  hours the email would destroy itself.  Maybe people would follow up with a conversation?

Today's question is:
" What else should self-destruct?"

365QOD- Day821

" Wherever you are is the entry point" - Rumi

Most of us expect a magic starting point with trumpets announcing the beginning of something big.  Reality never lives up to this fantasy.

Everything has a beginning and an end.  Both the beginning and the end are often very fuzzy.  You seem never certain that you are just starting or that you are completely done.

So with this in mind, Rumi's advice is a jewel.  It doesn't matter if the start gun had gone off, just begin.  It doesn't matter if the finish tape had been removed, just keep going.

Both the beginning and the end are entry points.  Just continue.

Today's question is:
"What is this adventure an entry point for? "

365QOD- Day820

" How would you live your life if you only had six months to live?" - a big question

It seems at times we lack clarity.  We feel we can always get to it tomorrow.  Whatever the it we are working or thinking about now.

While listening to an audio CD by Joe Polish with Brian Tracy, Brian asked this question.  He said that he felt most of us would be forced to focus if that was the reality for us.

For most of us that life or death situation does not seem real.  So we delay. And delay because we feel that tomorrow will always come.

The most extreme position is to imagine if this is your last day.  This is a zen idea. 

Today's question is:
" If today was your last day, how would you spend it? With who? Doing what? Eating what? Saying good bye to? Finishing? "

365QOD- Day819

"Good conversation is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. "- Anne Murrow Lindbergh

Last night I had a conversation with a new friend.  We talked about ideas.

He started telling me what he is working on.  I told him what challenges are stretching me.

In the end I felt refreshed.  My mind stretched.  But like the quote, it was hard to sleep and not think about the ideas we discussed.

Today's question is:
" Do you feel energized after a great conversation?"

365QOD- Day 818

" Another number story" - my observation

I can not help but notice that there are many stories that start with a number.  5 ways to become your best, 10 ways to be more productive, etc.

In my opinion, someone had figured out that a leading number catches the attention of readers.  So now they use it and use it and use it.

It makes me wonder when an effective technique gets old?  If you are getting results then you probably do not care but over time less and less people will read your stories.

Today's question is:
" How do you decide when you need to get a new method for getting a result?"

365QOD-Day817

" Can I have a minute of your time?" -common expression

I constantly work on several side projects.  And often I hit a wall.

The wall is usually a lack of knowledge or expertise in a subject.  Many times I even know who knows the answer.

While looking through Inc. magazine online stories it mentioned a site that offers access to experts such as Mark Cuban for a fee.  His fee is 160 dollars per hour. Some experts offer their time free. Gary V. offers 15 minutes for free.

It makes me wonder how valuable the short time can be and how to best use the short time.

Today's question is:
" What questions would you ask during a 15 minutes access to an expert"

365QOD- Day816

" But how?" - my former belief

Many years ago I sat at the end of the year on a beach in Florida writing out my goals for next year.  One of the goals was how much I was going to make next year.  This happened every year for three years I a row.

Looking back on those the years I made exactly what I wrote down.  Did I do anything special?
I am ashamed to say that I can not remember specifically what I did to earn the extra but I did earn it.

Today I was listening to an audio book in which Brian Tracy described the same technique.  He also said that he did not directly attribute it to anything the person does directly.

He recommended that each day we should write out our ten goals on a new page and ask ourselves what one action we could take towards the most important goal.

Today's question is:
" What ten goals would change your life completely if they came true this year?"

365QOD-Day815

" Be curious" - Ernest Chan

This morning our class discussed a technique for establishing relationships between several inputs and a single output. It was interesting.

Besides bring interesting, it was also somewhat trial and error.  You had to follow the
P-consider practical
G-graph relationships
A-analyze the data
technique.

But more than a single technique, you had to remain open and curious to the underlying relationships.  Without being open you could not find the relationship between variables.

Today's question is:
" How do you stay curious?"

365QOD- Day814

" I am the old dog" - my thought
Today begins the second week of lean six sigma green belt training course.  I am loving every minute of it.

Around year 2000 I was a mid level Engineering Manager in a steel mill.  Six sigma was being introduced in the steel industry and I was asked if I wanted to become a black belt.  I turned it down because I did not expect to be there very long.

Turning down the training was a mistake.  I have regretted that choice twice in my life.  Recently my company offered the training and my team and I decided to take advantage of it.  It is another problem solving tool in our toolbox.

Today's question is:
"Have you ever turned down training and lived to regret it? "

365QOD- Day813

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks " - outdated wisdom

This morning I read the April issue of Men's Health.  In it I found a sorry article about Mark Peterson.

Mark Peterson is a professor at University of Michigan.  His areas of focus are physical medicine and rehabilitation.

What made the story interesting is that even though he had a PhD he is working on a masters in clinical research.

To me this is impressive. Here is a guy who can easily rest in his education but instead he has decided to close a gap.

I believe that in the future Mark's reality will be everyone reality.  We will spend most of our lives learning new tricks. Without these new tricks we will limit ourselves and future opportunities.

Today's question is:
" How do you learn new tricks?"

365QOD- Day812

"Build it, they will remain" - bad networking advice

I have been thinking about network building lately.  There are people that constantly meet new people as a part of their job.

As an example, consider real estate agents.  They tend to specialize in an area of a city and get to meet people looking for a place in that area.  The looking process might expose them to the same people several times.  Enough to potentially bulls a friendship.

So what?

Just because you build a network of good people it does not mean that it is very strong.  If you sell these folks a house you have a temporarily gain but might never turn that into a future gain. 

I believe that the network has to be nurtured once it had been created.  To do this a person would have to periodically maintain contact with the network by carrying enough to call and inquire about people's lives outside of the work relationship.  In my opinion 10 percent of one's time needs to be spent on nurturing.

Today's question is:
"How do you nurture your network? "

365QOD- Day811

" Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with, bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with" - Brian Tracy

I was listening to a marketing CD when this little gem was stayed by Brian.  I immediately saw the wisdom in the statement.

I am a firm believer of having or developing great routines.  These routines eventually become so ingrained that they reach the habit level. 

So I asked myself how does one create a habit?  Well, in my opinion start with a low expectation and design a routine.  Since your expectation is low you give yourself the room to fail. 

Every day presents the opportunity to follow your new routine.  Make sure you monitor whether you follow it or you run the other way.  By placing your focus on the routine and recording the success or failure of it you will be more likely to succeed.  Keep track of how often you fail and work on reducing the failure rate until you have a habit.

Today's question is:
" How do you create a good habit?"

365QOD- Day810

"Accountability buddy" - new idea to me

I recently ran across this label in a couple of places.  This morning while getting rid of some old articles and looking for a source of inspiration for a post I ran into it again.

The Psychology article offered a suggestion by Stephanie Sarkis titled To Do 2.0
" Every morning, a friend and I text each other a list of tasks we need to get done that day.  As e accomplish each task, we text to check in"

I immediately started thinking through my friend Rolodex in my mind as to who can be my accountability text buddy.  Maybe try different people got a week?  Maybe text each other the 1-3-5 daily list I wrote about in an earlier post?

Today's question is:
"Who is your accountability buddy? "

365QOD- Day809

"Most businesses fail because owners work in their business instead of on their business"- Michael Gerber

I was listening to an audio book today and the author if Emyth stated a version of this quote.  I immediately agreed with him.

I have been around many CEOs and many do not have business that they can sell.  They have no systems.  They just show up for work and without them the business lows down or stops/

If you do not have training manuals for each position and training for new people in each role then you are not running a true business.  You are running lean and if any one decides to quit then you will feel immense pain.  The more systems you have the easier it is for you to convince an outsider that you are not needed for day to day operations and the business could be bought if profitable.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe in systems or are you just n business?"

365QOD- Day 808

" Inspiration is useless without perspiration" - Anonymous

I recently spent some time getting rid of old papers  While re-reading some articles I came across an old HBR article  by John Baldoni with this quote. 

I believe that I get inspired by many things that I read.  At times I might even get a piece of paper and start sketching my new derived idea down.

But, as the quote advises, it is useless without the perspiration.  I must be willing to work with and on the idea in order to make something of it.  Spending a little bit of time thinking and sketching is not enough.  The gods require sweat.

Today's question is:
" Are you sweating or are you simply thinking?"

365QOD- Day807

"Put the action step you want taken in the subject line of your email" - Jason Womack

I watched a video today in which Jason purposes this idea.  In my world this advice is worth gold.

I send and get a ton of emails each day and can not effectively answer most of them.  If I get 200 emails and choose to just open and read the emails might take anywhere from one to five minutes.  With 100 you are looking at 100 to 500 minutes.  When you have 200 then you have 200- 1000 minutes per day.  There are only 480 minutes in a working day.

The idea of what action need taking would save a lot of time.  This will be more and more important as more and more people read their email on mobile devices.  It might result in taking more actions in a day.

Today's question is:
" Would having an action listed in the subject line save you time reading?"

365QOD- Day806

" So the Muse( daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne) whispered in Beethoven's ear. Maybe she hummed a few dah-dah-dah-DUM bars into a million other ears.  But no one else heard her.  Only Beethoven got it." - my paraphrase of War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Many of times I have said that when God gives us an idea he takes out an insurance against us by giving it to many others.  God does not care who executes the idea but that the idea gets executed.

The quote above is another way of saying the same. I love his version.

I spent the day reading this book and thinking about the concept of Resistance.  Maybe we do not hear the sounds because we are resisting.  We have to be open to hearing God's voice and see his fingerprints in our lives.

The resistance leads us to live two lives. As Steven says, " The life that we live, and the unlived life within us.  Between the two stands Resistance"

Todays question is:
" Are you hearing the dah-dah-dah-DUM bars or are you Resisting?"

365QOD- Day 805

" Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, really simple, that is creativity" - Charles Mingus

While looking through a book called Red Thread Thinking I spotted this little gem. It immediately resonated with me.

For the last year I have been working on a product.  The product could potentially result in a mass appeal product.

Well having a billion dollar idea means nothing until you execute it elegantly.  Most of my solutions have been good but not simple.

The quote educated me that maybe I was stuck in a box.  I needed to jump out of the box and stretch my creativity. This creativity stretch resulted in making the product simpler.

Today's question is:
"Do you always choose simplicity? "

365QOD- Day 804

"Could have been me"  my thought

I watched the TV got the last couple of days and could not believe what was happening. It pulled me in.

When I moved to Texas I started running local races.  I ran in a couple of 10k and half marathons.  My goal was to run the Chicago and New York marathons in 2012.  Those were my training wheels before I attempted the most difficult Boston race.

If these events would have played out I would have been on Boston last Monday.  Wow!  What prevented me was the injuries along the way.  Maybe they were blessings in disguise.

Today's question is:
"Do you understand how fortunate you are?"

365QOD- Day 803

"Talent is like a sundial in the shade"- Ben Franklin

The other day while driving when I heard this quote.  How useful is a sundial in a shade? Not useful at all.

We all possess talents that make doing certain things easier.  We look magical to others when we are doing those things, because they might not have the same talent.  Their talent might impress us just like our impress them.

The message to me is that the talents have to be displayed in the right setting for them to be useful.  If they are, then they make us look like we are doing something magical.

Today's question is:
"How do you align your talents in your life?"

365QOD- Day802

"How do I explain it to you?" - my question

Recently a gentlemen walked in my office and asked me to explain the capital project flow.  So I started explaining it from start to end.

He said that he wanted to learn it from end to start.  The process consists of over 25 steps.
This exchange made me think.  I was presenting the ideal process to him.  He was interested in understanding the real process flow with all of the problems along the steps.

I believe that in order to understand a process I tend to want to understand the ideal flow.  This takes away the noise of reality.  But once the ideal has been learned then the real flew can be studied and optimized.

Today's question is:
"Would you prefer to learn the ideal or real flow of a system?"

365QOD- Day 801

"I would rather have a life full of 'oh wells' rather than a life full of 'what ifs'" unknown

I was looking through a few hundred photos that I recently downloaded and came across this quote.  It immediately got me to think.

I believe that most of us tend to live lives full of what ifs with some oh wells.  I do not think that it is all or nothing. 

The secret is to switch the two.  Live a life with mostly oh wells and almost no what ifs. How?
By confronting every fear that we have until the fog of fear is eliminated. In the end, by facing them we become more fulfilled.

Todays question is:
"What oh well will you face today?"

365QOD- Day 800

"The mundane is to be cherished" - sign on The School of Life

While reading the February issue of Psychology I saw this sign on a building window.  The article talked about how the school teaches life philosophy. It is idea of Alain Dr Button.

I do believe that or lives are full of mundane tasks.  These chores suck our energy dry.
That is only true if we let them. 

If we take on the mundane by cherishing it then I believe we would see the beauty of the quote.  If we can cherish it then it changes it into pleasurable.

Today's question is:
"Can you cherish the mundane?"

365QOD- Day799

"If you see different things, you will see differently" - Robert Trajkovski

Every day you brush your teeth with your dominant hand. Have you ever tried to brush them with the other hand? Probably it did not feel natural and you switched back.

When I write the posts for this blog I typically write them on a computer.  But lately I have been writing them on my phone.  It had been a change that I now welcome.  It forces me to read the posts more closely.

No it did not feel as natural as sitting in front of a computer.  I could not figure out how to do certain things but with time and effort I believe that it will become a true alternative.

Todays question is:
"What feels totally unnatural to you but might be a great alternative if mastered?"

365QOD- Day798

"A true measure of your life is how much you would be worth if you lost everything"- Robert Trajkovski

I read a quite today which stated that a true measure of your wealth is what you would be worth if you lost everything.  It seemed to me that it was missing something.

Wealth is but one dimension on which to measure life.  Recently I worked on a workbook of 26 power virtues that one would evaluate along physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, interpersonal, and financial dimensions.

Wealth is simply the financial dimension.  I thought of a complete loss of everything: wealth, family, career , friends, etc. would be more drastic.

Where would you begin to rebuild? Would you have the courage to even start?  Kind of a dark chain of thoughts.  In the end I concluded that any loss in a singular dimension should not stop you for too long, unless you let it.

Todays question is:
"Where would you begin the rebuilding process after a devastating loss in any one of the six dimensions?"

365QOD - Day797

"Big ideas are just that- ideas- until you execute"- Kristina "Z" Holly

It is amazing how many ideas I can get by just reading a magazine.  Let just say I can get 2-3 ideas from each magazine I read.  If I want more ideas then I simply just need to read more magazines or books.

The ideas that I get are how to apply an existing idea to another field, modification of an existing idea, or something new that was inspired from the story.  In the end the idea is like a dot on a paper.  If it is not connected to anything else, it looses any meaning and with time it fades.

It all boils to the execution of a subset of meaningful ideas to the best of your abilities.  Some are quick hits and others take a long time to nurture.  Until they bear fruit they are just ideas.

Today's question is:
"What subset of ideas are you going to execute?"

365QOD - Day796

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"- an old saying

IN March 2013 issue of Entrepreneur I read the story Shine on about Josh Opperman.  In the story Josh had given a $10,000 ring to his fiancee.  One day when he returned home he found out that she had left him and left the ring behind.

I am sure this was a hard experience to go through but Josh did something unusual about it.  He took the ring and tried to get his money back.  He was offered 35% of its true value.  This was not acceptable to Josh so he started a business online to re-sell engagement rings.

Why did I think this was interesting?  Well, it made me wonder how many businesses can be created off the idea of re-selling something of value for which the original seller will not offer close to true value for.  I always thought that driving a car off the lot and it being worth $2000 less is pretty sick.

A business could be very successful if they would just split the difference with the seller.  If an item is bought for 10000 and they can only get 4000 for it then if you split the difference (10000-4000=6000 then 6000/2=3000) and can offer that person 7000 they would purchase from you.  Even if you offered them 6000 and you pocketed the 1000 they would sell to you instead of the original seller. You can then re-sell it for 7000.

I think the idea is powerful.  Now the trick is to figure out a business to use it.

Today's question is:
"What can you re-sell for others?"

365QOD - Day795

"Now I got something to test it with"- my words

Recently I started reading a book called Laptop Millionaire.  While I was reading it I had an idea.  Instead of just reading the book and saying what a great book full of ideas it is, I decided to stop reading it until I can just apply it.

Well most of the products that I am working on did not fit so I decided to create a new product.  What!

I wrote a workbook in two days that is about 175 pages long. Yup! In two days. If you want
something bad enough then just do it instead of looking for excuses.  Now I can simply test the concept instead of just reading and wondering if the ideas actually work.

Today's question is:
"What price are you willing to pay to test an idea?"

365QOD- Day794

"If you play a good team then momentum will swing 3-5 times, with a great team it might only happen once"- paraphrase of Rick Patino

This weekend I found myself glued to the NCAA final four.  It had two very good games: Louisville vs. Wichita State and Michigan vs. Syracuse. 

I usually do not care who wins but I wanted Wichita to beat Louisville.  They got ahead by up to 10 points but in the end they lost.  Similarly, Michigan got ahead by 10 points but held on to win.

Observing this made me wonder why one team won and the other lost.  Was it talent?  Based on play I would say Wichita was the best of the four and should have won it all.  Athletically, all four teams had gifted players.

I believe that it all boiled down to belief.  Somewhere in the back of the minds of the WS player's was a belief that they did not belong in the championship game. 

Interestingly, the same thing happened Monday in the final between Michigan and Louisville.  Michigan came out and was smoking Louisville.  There was player on Michigan's team that scored six out of six three points in the first half but scored nothing in the second half.  Louisville believed and won the game.

Today's question is:
"What beliefs that you hold prevent you from reaching your next level?"

365QOD- Day793

"...Assume that on any given day you can accomplish one big mission, the medium tasks, and five small things.  Get those done a best as you can. Then, as your workday concludes make the next day's 1-3-5" Alex Cavaulacos, Muse

This advice is perfect four a crazy busy culture that we live in.  Place the big mission in front of you, THEN tackle the tasks AND lastly the things.

I remember seeing this done a an experiment with a big vase with big, medium, and small balls.  The same idea as the quote but then we were asked if anything else would fit.  We added sand. Lastly we added water.

It is amazing what you can squeeze in a day when the big pieces go in first, followed by medium, etc.

Todays question is:
"How do you squeeze in your 1-3-5?"

365QOD- Day792

"My gut feeling tells me to do X" - often heard expression

Recently I read an article that talked about the difference between analytical and intuitive decision making.  One is based on facts and other is based on feelings.

A lot of people make decisions intuitively. They can sense what they believe is the right thing to do it and just want to get to the doing stage quickly. The problem with this approach is that often opinions are based on a single past experience.

Other people need a lot of facts and figures. They live to analyze these until they feel 100 percent that they know what the right answer is to the problem. The problem is that you can never get to complete certainty.

In my opinion a blend is the best way to make decisions.  It is the 80/20 rule again.  I think that once you have 80% knowledge of the facts and figures you have spent enough time analyzing and should stop.  Now take a look at the numbers and ask yourself do you feel(20%) that what the numbers are telling you is the right thing to do. 

If the answer is yes then pull the trigger and go for it.  If you still feel discomfort then search for more data or another approach to solving the problem.

Todays question is:
"Do you know or feel your decisions are correct?"

365QOD- Day791

"How can they stay in business?"- my thought

I am reading a book called laptop Millionaire.  It is in an ebook format.  Easy to read but I decided that I want to purchase it on order to work with it.

I looked on Amazon and it was 13 plus shipping. Abebooks had it for 8 plus shipping.  When I called BN in Houston they told me that they have it in stock and that it is 22 but 13 online.
I immediately thought that there is no way Barnes and Noble can continue operating that way. 

I love bookstores.  I can easily spend hours looking through books and generate new ideas.  In a post before I even cried about Boarders on Michigan avenue in Chicago closing.  It broke my heart.

The bookstore business must be a very tough business. But when the discrepancy between online and brick and mortar store is so great then people will choose online.  Unfortunately online does not fill my other need of browsing the same way.

Bookstores, like coffee places, are places, like home and office, where one can spend time talking with people about ideas.  They feel like a nurturing space.  However, I am not convinced that their future is very bright.

Today's question is:
"What will be the next third place where people can just hang out?"

365QOD- Day790

"Fasting...I hate that"- my belief

As an Eastern Orthodox we tend to fast during lent.  I have never been given a great reason to fast.  I do not think God cares whether we do or do not fast.

But maybe I am wrong.

The other day I watched a PBS show in which a reporter showed the effects that fasting had on a person's health.  The  hour long show discussed the benefits of four different types of fasts.

The four types were:
1. reduced intake,
2.three day fast of only water, black tea, and fifty calorie soup each day,
3. One day 25 percent of normal intake followed by a eat anything day
4. Five day normal intake followed by two day fast.

The reporter choose the five and two and lost fourteen pounds and all his health screens were incredibly great.

I personally liked the one day on, one day off.  You would think that a person would stuff themselves the second day.  Reality was that typically people ate only 110 percent the second day.  In other words 110+25=135 or 62.5 percent of normal. This is a reduction of a little more than a third of normal intake.

This show completely changed my opinion because it clearly showed me the benefits of farting on health.

Today's question is:
"Could you be wrong about a practice?"

365QOD- Day789

"We asked everyday people to share with us the age of the oldest person they've known by placing a sticker on or chart" - Prudential ad

Of you see this ad you will quickly be pulled in.  The as displays a large canvas on which people place dots.  It quickly demonstrate that we all know someone who has lived in the 80-100 age group. 

The ad asks two questions as to why we are living longer but yet the retirement age has not changed and whether we will have enough.

Retirement requires long term planning.  Our society trends to reward short term thinking.  I believe that we must do both well in order to be successful. Some of my earlier posts offer formulas for you to check your level of readiness.

Today's question is:
"Will you have enough resources to retire well"

365QOD- Day788

"Two guys quit"-a surprise announcement

Recently a company I work with lost two key employees.  It was a shock to the leadership.

My question was to what their strategy is for keeping them or replacing them.  Both strategies seemed reasonable.

This event made me think how replaceable any of us are to an employer everyone is important to a team.  Some might even argue that some are more important than others.

I tend to think in terms of all of us being links in a chain.  So yes some are more important and missed longer but in the end the hole is filled by someone else.

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

365QOD- Day787

"Fear is a liar" - words on a wall

A couple of weeks ago I offered this quote to Maria, my co-worker.  This morning she came back at me with her own version, "Fear is expensive".

Wow!  I love her version.  It made me think how it is so true.  Fearing can reduce the number of opportunities that we pursue and ultimately it costs.

Today's question is:
"What else is fear?"

365QOD- Day786

"why did I stop" -my question to myself

While reading the book The Tools I learned that people that were helped with the tools will eventually go back to not using them.  This immediately resonated with me.

I am always learning something new.  But maybe it its too much.  I do not take the time to integrate it into my own system.

The only thing I can do is pause and capture my thoughts.  It might jar me into using the tool.
 
Todays question is:
"how do you make yourself use helpful tools?"

365QOD- Day785

"You are going to teach what?" - a co-worker's surprise

The other day I was asked to teach a yoga class. Yup!  Did I care if I made a fool of myself? Could I fail?

When confronted with choices in life, I believe that we always ask ourselves one very important question.  It is "Why me?" or  "Why not me?" 

I tend to look at my world from the why not me perspective.  Steve Jobs' words to the Stanford class to stay young and stay foolish resonate with me.  If there is no room for failure then there is no room for growth.  By stretching one grows.

Today's question is:
"What have you done lately that scares you?"

365QOD- Day784

The last distinction is:

Distinction#10 Entrepreneurs take risks because of faith.
                        Employees play it safe because of fear.

If you do not believe in yourself then it will be difficult to get anyone else to believe in you.  Why would they?

Other people will like you and love you BUT your lack will not inspire them to have faith when you do not have it. 

I always visualize a circle with a line splitting it in half vertically.  On the left side is fear.  On the right there is faith.  We have to nudge ourselves to be on the right side.  Start with small decisions and ideas and get some success behind you then your faith will grow. 

Today's question is:
"How do you stay in the rights side of the circle?"

365QOD- Day783

"Have you ever driven a car while looking at the rear view mirror?" - a question

Distinction#9 Entrepreneurs look into the future.
                       Employees look into the past.

Your past decisions and experiences have made you in the person who you are today.  Stop and spend time understanding your current state.  The pause is important.

BUT after you understand what got you to here then focus on the present and future only.  Work on your business in the now and once in a while look up to see where you are heading.

The 80/20 rule comes in handy.  Spend 20% understanding the past an the other 80%- 60% doing the present, and 20% looking forward to the future.


Today's question is:
"What percent of your thinking time do you spend in the past, present, and future?"

365QOD- Day782

Distinction#8: Entrepreneurs fly with eagles
                        Employees peck around with chickens.

Not the prettiest of distinctions but it will do.  The idea here is that when trouble hits you do you rise above it or do you wallow in it. 

An eagle raises above the trouble.  If there is a gust of wind the eagle uses to rise above it.  In other words adversity is converted into an advantage.

An employee sees trouble and wallows in it.  It could last a day, week, months, and sometimes the rest of their career.  They can not let go of problems and move on. 

Today's question is:
"Do you know how to rise above it?"

365QOD- Day781

Distinction #7 Entrepreneurs build wealth.
                        Employees get paid.

One of the secrets to building a nest egg is getting rid of your debt.  Most debt pulls you down into a cycle of working for someone else forever.  Good debt is an investment into your future.

An example of good debt could be the decision to get a college degree.  If you choose a good major then you are rewarded with a future in which you can repay your loans quickly and start to grow your nest egg.

Another example of good debt would be purchasing a tool.  The tool is then used to increase your earning potential.

Example of bad debt is buying a fancy car to impress others.  So instead of buying a reasonably prised vehicle which can be paid of in a matter ofthe to give years, you choose a vehicle that you pay of on threw bit you are car rich and life poor.  you have a car but no money to do anything else.

Today's question is:
"Are you building wealth or earning a paycheck?"

365QOD- Day780

"I am responsible"- my admission

Distinction#6: Entrepreneurs say, "The buck stops here."
                       Employee says, "It is not my fault."

I allow the construction supervisors that work for me a lot of freedom.  They are allowed to make decisions as if I made them.  The main reason I allows this is that a good decision right now is better than a perfect decision much later.

I delegate BUT I also accept the fault when the decision turns out to be a poor one.  I have to in order to retain the trust and not to introduce doubt in their decision making.

It is hard to admit fault when someone else makes the decision BUT I believe that as the boss you have to accept the blame if you are to share the successes.

Today's question is:
"Can you take the fall for someone else's decision?"

365QOD- Day779

"The sandwich method"  - technique for offering a correction

Distinction#5 Entrepreneurs give and receive praise and correction.
                     Employees don't praise and try to avoid correction.

I enjoy praising my co-workers.  If praised, I try to re-direct the praise towards my team.  If need be, I often use the sandwich method to offer correction.

The sandwich method consists of giving praise, followed by the correction, and lastly ending it with praise.  This takes away the defensiveness and allows the person to hear the correction without being defensive.

I find that a most employees are insecure and seldom give praise as if praising takes away from them.  And God knows they hate any corrections.  Correction for me is simply feedback on what I need to improve on. It is information that I can use to get better.  I do not take it personal unless it is offered by someone I do not trust.

Today's question is:
"Do you avoid correction?"

365QOD- Day778

"I am a generalist.  If I need a specialist I hire one" - paraphrase of Henry Ford's words during a trial

Distinction#4 Entrepreneurs know a little about a lot.
                     Employees know a lot about a little.

I remember reading a version of the above quote many years ago.  It made me realize that if I wanted to be someone who runs companies to be more of generalist than a specialist.  To me understanding the big picture  while being able to execute it is deep enough.  If I am completely focused on the execution then I am becoming a specialist.

Over the years I have stayed away from ladder climbing.  I want to get paid what I believe is in line with the specialist position I hold but be given the time outside of work to pursue creating my own ladder.

I believe that I know a lot.  Sometimes I feel like I will never know enough.  Would I claim mastery of many work processes?  Absolutely no!  I know enough about a lot.

Today's question is:
"Do you know a little about a lot OR a lot about a little?"

365QOD- Day777

"777 lucky number!" - a common belief

Distinction#3: Entrepreneurs are solution finders.
                        Employees are problem solvers.

I watched a series while back about the men that changed America.  This series took a look at some of the giants titans at the end of last century.

The series educated me that often these guys were not looking to solve a small problem BUT looking to create industries.  It was not by luck that they created these industries.

Maybe I am wrong about that?  Maybe they started by trying to solve a single problem and then generalized it to create an industry.  They were looking for a solution to a need that society had.

Vanderbilt was looking for a way to cheaply transfer goods across the nation so he started the railroad industry. Rockefeller started oil and gas.  Carnegie created the steel industry.  Morgan the finance industry.

Today's question is:
"Are you focused on the solution or the problem?"

365QOD- Day776

"Knowing the difference is half the battle"- Anonymous

Continuing with our differences series:

Distinction#2: Entrepreneurs have an empowering perspective of failure. 
                        Employees see failure as bad.

This distinction fits well with my beliefs.  My first book, The Result, defines that there is no such thing as failure but a result that we need to nudge towards our definition of success.  By believing this, one allows oneself to be empowered instead of being focused on failure.  This results in continuous improvement and increase in confidence. 

The second portion of this quote is the belief that many people and employees have is that failure is bad.  By placing it in a good vs. bad frame of mind the idea of improving the result is non-existent.

Today's question is:
"Are you empowered by failure?"

 

365QOD- Day775

"What are the differences?" - an obvious question

Recently I looked through a book called the Top 10 Distinctions Between Entrepreneur and Employees.  The tittle made me pose the question. I am going to start a new label: entrepreneur for the blog.  Why start a label? Under business I will focus more on business actions and in in this new label I will focus on applying new business thinking.

Distinction#1: Entrepreneurs educate themselves more than they entertain themselves.  Employees entertain themselves more than they educate themselves.

I believe that this distinction is right on the money.  In my opinion we always have to be aware of our gaps.  If something is important to your success then determine the gap between where you are and where you want to be when you become successful.  Now that you have identified the gap then determine what education will fill that gap.  It could be a course, it could be a book, it could be anything that helps reduce the gap.

The second portion in the distinction is that employees entertain themselves.  If you spend your time at work and at home watching TV or just surfing the web then you are not educating yourself.  It is a choice.

Today's question is:
"What are you educating yourself to do?"

365QOD- Day774

"You wrote an app?" - an innocent inquiry

I recently published my first app.  So what?

Marketing it is everything.  I recently read these four questions that an app developer needs to answer:
1.  Who are your competitors?
Looking through the academy app section I did not see anything close to it.

2. What are the key features of your app?
In one app it teaches the theory, provides complete examples, and a tool for further learning.

3. What are the benefits of your app?
User can learn the theory, application, and experiment with a topic by playing with the app.

4. What is unique about your app?

The unique mix of theory, application, and tool to learn a subject

Today's question is:

"How would you answer these questions for your product or service?"

365QOD- Day773

"Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking  capable of adapting to any circumstance.  It suggests resistance, meaning that we have the ability to bounce back even from the most difficult time...Your ability to thrive depends, in the end, on your attitude to your life circumstances.   Take everything in stride with grace, putting forth energy when it is needed, yet always staying calm inwardly"- Ping Fu Bend, Not Break 

Recently I have been getting up at five and doing yoga for a half hour.  Initially, it was somewhat of a chore to get up and stretch but now if I do not do it I feel the difference.

Most animals stretch when they wake up.  There is a reason why many of the stretches are named after animals: downward dog, cat, cow, frog, cobra, etc.  Maybe there is wisdom to stretching first thing in the morning?

I have also noticed that I not only feel good that I have stretched but also my mind is calmer due to the breathing portion of yoga.  The calm typically lasts for a few hours.  By noon I note no difference.  Maybe I need to do a lunch session to get it back?

Today's question is:
"How do you begin your day?"

365QOD- Day772

"Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one's definition of your life. Define yourself"- Anonymous

I recently saw this quote.  Often we are bullied into silence.  We give away our power and play the victim card.  Fear?  I believe that is one part BUT that we also allow others to define our life.

So in the end the only way to succeed is to define yourself.  Define your limits.  Define your dreams.  Find your voice and be the victor.  Others will push you but you have to allow them to move you.

Today's question is:
"How do you define yourself?"

365QOD- Day771

"Here's what's in our DNA at Apple. We stand at the intersection of art and science; at the intersection of creativity and technology"- Steve Jobs

Imagine four intersecting circles.  Top left is Art(A).  Top right is Creativity(C). Bottom left is Technology(T).  Bottom right is Science(S).  Apple owns the ACTS intersection.

I believe that this idea should be the playbook for any company that wants to succeed.  If a company can create products that fit that intersection then it will survive and thrive.

Unfortunately many well known companies will survive by being in three out of four circles.  Microsoft is a great example.  They do not make anything that fits the Art circle.  Their products are functional but not fun. 

In my opinion, recently Samsung has been developing into a company that is joining Apple in the ACTS area.  In other words it is possible to push one's company into the intersection.

Today's question is:
"Could you develop something that fits in the ACTS intersection?"

365QOD- Day770

"You Only Got Video Game"- t-shirt slogan

I am a believer in not claiming expertise in anything unless you have truly done it.  I am surrounded by people who think otherwise.

I have had people claim that they are something that they have never directly done.  They might have been around people who were the doers and they simply observed.

The t-shirt slogan above brings forth a new version.  Is simulation the same as actually doing it.  Some might claim that it is as good.  I disagree.  Simulation is good training but it can never replace the real thing. 

Don't believe me?  Imagine getting on a plane and when everyone is seated the captain comes on and says, "Welcome everybody.  I am your captain.  I have 10000 hours of simulation behind me and this is my first flight" How comfortable do you feel as you buckle up?

Today's question is:
"What kind of game do you have?" 

365QOD- Day769

"Copyright infringement for free ebooks?" - an idea

I recently read an article in MIT press. It described a company that someone started to 

make free ebooks that mimic the topics and presentation in most popular books. 

It has gotten sued by major publishers.

 

So the idea is you take the table of contents from a popular book and the company 

does a search on Wikipedia to extract the topics and create a book that mimics the flow 

and information.

 

It made me wonder if a flow of a book is patentable? For example, if I am teaching a course 

I would follow the table of contents pretty closely because the order makes intuitive sense. Yes you can vary the flow a little by moving topics but for overall coverage in most classes the flow will not change that much.

 

Today's question is:

"Could you create a book, on a subject of interest, for yourself based on a Wikipedia contents?"

365QOD- Day768

"Wow.. cool picture"- my typical observation

As an engineer I am not suppose to appreciate art like I do.  But man when I see a picture that moves me it is no different than words or music that move me.

Maybe I allow myself?  I am always taking pictures of pictures.  I probably have over 1000 such pictures that I have taken in the last few years. 

My newest addictions is Facebook pictures with slogans.  I can't seem to get enough.  I read them and appreciate the picture.  If they truly move me I download it. 

Sometimes I even create a slide show to reemphasize them.

Today's question is:
"What moves you enough to stop and notice?"

365QOD- Day767

"Do not be an email queen."- Squire Elliot

I worked with Squire for about a year.  When I first joined my current company he gave me this advice.  This advice was due to a former member of our team just staying in his office and sending emails out to people.  

He told me that once I sent an email to follow up with a visit to the person.  In his observations he noted that people quickly forgot about an email but tended to remember the visit and the request.

I have followed Mr. Squire Elliot's advice and it has made a great deal of difference in my experience at work.  Connecting in person makes a big deal to most people who are overwhelmed with the flood of email requests.

Today's question is:
"Do connect in person? 

365QOD- Day766

"They were connectors" - my answer

I wrote a post about Paul Revere yesterday.  I provided my hypothesis that the effect of making communication easier also makes it more difficult to connect to people.

You probably have your doubts about this idea.  Well a couple of examples.

Paul Revere was not the only rider that night.  DO you know the second one?  I do not know the name but I know that I have read that there were two.  So why do we know Paul and not the other one? 

He was a connector.  Paul was a member of many clubs and groups and had a public reputation.  The other person did not have the same level of influence.

Another example.  Rosa Parks.  She was not the first person to protest moving to the back of the bus BUT she is the one that we all remember.  Why?  Like Paul Rosa was a community connector.  She not only was a part of the black organizations in her town but interacted with many white people.  She served as a personal tailor to many your white women getting ready for their cotillions. 

Her influence was great because she belonged to many groups of different types of people. This is the same reason why Paul Revere is known today.  They connected to lots of people.  They not only connected BUT connected strongly to lots of people.

Today's question is:
"How good of a connector are you?"

365QOD- Day765

"The British are coming" - Paul Revere's warning

I recently saw an ad.  It is Paul Revere, a legendary figure, as a person making a cell phone call to warm the other towns that the British are coming. 

I stopped to think about this.  What if phones had existed back then?  What if Paul Revere had called instead of riding through the night?  Would people have prepared to meet the British head on.

I believe the answer is no.  If something is easy to do then it is easy not to do.  The call would not have moved people as a face to face interaction between Paul and the other villagers.

Today's question is:
"Does technology make connecting on a personal level harder?
 

365QOD- Day764

"I got an app for that!" - something that I always wanted to say

I am no longer a "want to be" app creator.  I have created an app.  It is available though the Google Play store.  Do a search under Business Academy.  Select the apps folder.  Scroll down until you find it with my name next to it.

Cool! 

It feels great when the world opens up.  A couple of years ago I stared writing my blog.  It fills me up every day.  It lead to me finishing my first book.  After I finished my first book I could not believe it why I had not done that before.  This lead to me writing my second book. 

Now I have started creating apps.  I plan to create a new app every month.  This might seem optimistic BUT it is not.  Recently, I created a "shell" which will allow me to just insert screen shots into in order to get my ideas to be implemented quickly.  It is in a sense a jig that will provide consistence and ease to create the apps.

I am going to focus on creating apps this year.  I have even placed a slogan on my wall "The Year of the Apps...".  NEXT year will be the year of the video.  My creative universe is growing.

Today's question is:
"Do you know your NEXT?"

365QOD-Day763

"A floating mug" - an idea by Tigere Chriiga

I recently saw a picture of this mug.  It was unusual.

What made it unusual is that the handle did not just simply protrude on its side.  The handle was larger than normal and it ended in a little circular base with a gap of half an inch between the mug and the base.

The mug simply floats above the base.  It is a piece of art that I can not stop looking at. It was artsy but yet very functional because now your hand can hold the cup without squeezing.  In addition, hot cup will not leave a stain on your desk because of the small base.

Today's question is:
"What is the last piece of functional art that you have used?"

365QOD-Day762

"A One-Acre Farm in a 320 Square Foot Box"- title of an article

I recently read two articles about how companies have figured out how to use a 320 square foot shipping container with LEDs, climate controls, and hydroponics in order to be able to produce 900 heads of leafy greens per container each week.  The cost of the one company's containers are $60,000.

Wow!

I am not impressed with the price but the idea of re-using the containers. The cost of old used containers can not be much.  Lets go with $1000.  To outfit it with the electronics and necessary tools to make it functional , probably another 9k.  All together maybe $10,000 would do the trick.

So if you can create a way for someone to buy up a bunch of containers, update them and place them in inner cities on old lots that have a power and water connection, you could turn a profit pretty quickly.

Today's question is:
"What other uses besides gardening could old containers be put to use?"

365QOD-Day761

"Wow.. here it is"- my surprise

On Saturday I walked into a Whole Foods grocery store.  This is my second time to walk into this brand store.

What I noticed surprised me.  As I walked down the isle I saw price tags that were adaptive.  The price could be changed electronically instead of replacing a paper tag with another paper tag.  The electronic change could be done adaptively from an office by an algorithm.

You are probably wondering, "So what!".  Well, this was an idea that I considered implementing almost 10 years ago.  I could see the writing on the wall that all stores would need to go to this system.  I do not know why I lost interest in the idea. The idea was brilliant but my execution was non-existent.

How many of my ideas do I see like this?  Unfortunately many...

Recently I was in a Forever21 department store.  They have a million articles that are marked down.  Women are fighting through a million dresses without any order.  The items are not sorted at all but thrown in different rooms.  It has to be a nightmare for the store when they want to change the price of an item.

The adaptive price tag is the answer to all of their troubles.  I wonder if they know it even exists.

Today's question is:
"How do you force yourself to execute a brilliant idea?"

365QOD-Day760

"Productivity per hour" - a measure

I watched an old 60 minute piece about how people are working extremely long hours.  It seems people are connected through laptops, email, voice mail, and cell phones to their job 24/7.  Some people are working 15 hours per day connected to their job.

The French people tend to take 5 weeks of vacation per year and tend to work 300 hours less than us Americans.  This statement made me wonder if we are busy or just crazy busy.  Just because someone is trying to earn the 80 hours per week badge, it does not mean they are more productive than someone working 40 hours per week.  It is quantity vs. quality of the time that matters.

The way one french writer explained it is that we Americans believe that the future will be better than the present and the French believe that the present will be better than the future.  This is a striking difference in mindset.

I know that when I come back from vacation I feel recharged and ready to make a difference.  Maybe I am unusual but I take my vacation and often combine it with my schedule to give myself time to read and introduce new ideas into my mind.  Ideas I would be too busy to work on while working a full week.

Today's question is:
"What is your productivity per hour?"

365QOD-Day759

"I did it!" - my relief

I went for a run on January 1, 2013 and felt a pain in my right Achilles tendon.  I ran through it and thought that was the end of it.

Well, after coming back home I realized that the pain only temporarily went away.  So I decided to give my body a break and take a month off.

February 1st I tried to run.  My run lasted 1 minute and 30 seconds.  I stopped and decided to give myself another month.  During this month I started doing yoga and working out on an elliptical machine.

On Sunday March 2nd I went out for a 3 mile run.  I ran it and it felt good.  My leg muscles were letting me know that I have not pushed them that hard in a while BUT that was a good pain.  To tell the truth, I probably ran a little faster than I wanted because on the way back I struck a conversation with another runner.  I ran it in 30 minutes.

Today's question is:
"Can you stop hurting yourself in order to heal?"

365QOD-Day758

"So what should I charge?"- Tommy's question

Tommy is a connector.  He knows a lot of people and is in a position were he can offer a connection to someone looking to grow their business. Tommy knows people who know people.

The other day we had a conversation and he wondered out loud what his services were worth.  It was an excellent question.  Compensation for an introduction would be different than compensation for future business.

After some thought I came up with:
fees= IntroductionFee + Percent*(FutureBusiness)

The introduction fee should be enough to not fee like a demand but a reward.  The way I see it that the one person you are connecting is looking to expand their business and should be willing to reward you for the introduction.  A good number?  $500 is an acceptable fee in my mind.

The future business is the potential business that could result from the introduction.  This number as well as the Percent that are acceptable create the biggest challenge   If the business will earn 1M new business then 2% is not unreasonable.

Putting it together for a situation where an introduction would lead to 1M on new business is:
fee=500+.02*1000000
fee=500+20000
fee=20500

If they meet but do not end up doing business then $500 is the fee.  If they do more than 1M then the Percent*FutureBusiness portion grows.

Today's question is:
"How valuable are your connections?"

365QOD-Day757

"I got it!"- Maria Gonzalez

Maria and I had a conversation about perfumes a couple of weeks ago.  I mentioned to her that I tend to notice a nice perfume smell on people and often will compliment the person.  I also told her that even though I put on a different scent each day, I never get complimented.  Out loud I wondered why.

The other day, she walked in my office and said, "I got it".  It bothered her enough to keep thinking about our conversation and come up with an opinion.  In her opinion it has to do with sexual harassment   Maria believes that because of it people just keep those compliments to themselves.  It is no longer PC to compliment.

This bothers me.  I wondered how complimenting a woman or a man that the scent they are using smells good can be misconstrued as harassment.  In my world it is a genuine compliment.  BUT I guess the rest of the world considers it differently.  Which makes me wonder...

Today's question is:
"How do you compliment someone without them feeling harassed?

365QOD-Day756

"..secret creative life of others.."- Mel Resnof

The line above was another line I heard in the I Believe CD series.  It immediately caught my ear and made me wonder.

Many of us have talents that if displayed would make the people around us marvel at why we are not pursuing that talent instead of working.  Some even take their secret talent to the grave.

I believe that many graveyards are full of dreams unfulfilled or delayed.  We always believe that we will find the time to do it tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and we never seem to get to it. 

We say that we did not have the time.  BUT time never runs out.  We run out. 

Today's question is:
"What secret creative life you live that the world would benefit from?"

 

365QOD-Day755

"..awakening from an inauthentic life..." - Gloria Steinem

I listened to a CD set called I Believe that is based on a PBS program.  It was great because it allowed people of all walks of life to tell us what they genuinely believed.  They were restrained from telling the audience what they did not believe.

The line above was a part of a segment that Gloria recorded.  I just loved the combination of words. 

Recently I have been working on creating a table of contents for an autobiography called Un-Examined Life.  Each day I go though my outline and add a few lines that will fill a page or a chapter.  In a sense I am awakening in order to write this book. 

The audience? Me and my children.  If no one else reads it then it would be OK with me.  It is a gift to give them the answers to why I made the choices throughout my life.  To examine my choices and determine if they were consistent with who I am.  In my opinion this is a difficult level to reach.

Today's question is:
"Are you living an authentic life?"