365QOD-Day481

"Consistent is better than once in a while"- advice given to me

The other day I had a conversation with an electrical designer working with me.  He told me a story how when he was young electrician he was asked to provide a source for a system.  In order to do that he had to run conduit along a wall.

Since he was new to his position he went out of his way to do a great job.  He wanted to make sure that the conduit was level so he used his tools to make sure it was so.

Next day one of his bosses took him out to the job site and told him to pull back and look at his job in respect to the other conduits in the area.  His looked perfect but it did not match existing.  Since all of the other conduits were slightly off his stood out as being wrong.  Even though his was the only one that was perfectly level it looked like a mistake.

The moral of that story is that the new has to match existing otherwise it looks wrong.

Today's question is:
"Do you always match existing or do you want to be different?" 

365QOD-Day480

"The Opposite of Loneliness" - an article title by Marina Keegan

Today I read the article below.  It broke my heart.  A 22 year old woman who wrote it passed away in a car accident shortly after writing it. What a waste.

I believe that we are all given a certain amount of time to fulfill our quest.  We meet people along the way that touch our hearts and move us.  The rest just slide off of us. 

The sad part is that we never know when or if our quest will get completed.  All we can do is to work towards it.  We can however chose how we gently touch the people along the way.  I believe that this article and her story urges us to believe in a future but realize that the future is not guaranteed and it can be cut short rather quickly.

Today's question is:
"Will your quest be complete if it was interrupted today?"

The article can be found at:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/may/27/keegan-opposite-loneliness/

KEEGAN: The Opposite of Loneliness

Marina Keegan '12. Photo by Facebook.

The piece below was written by Marina Keegan '12 for a special edition of the News distributed at the class of 2012's commencement exercises last week. Keegan died in a car accident on Saturday. She was 22.

We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life. What I’m grateful and thankful to have found at Yale, and what I’m scared of losing when we wake up tomorrow and leave this place.

It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team. When the check is paid and you stay at the table. When it’s four a.m. and no one goes to bed. That night with the guitar. That night we can’t remember. That time we did, we went, we saw, we laughed, we felt. The hats.

Yale is full of tiny circles we pull around ourselves. A cappella groups, sports teams, houses, societies, clubs. These tiny groups that make us feel loved and safe and part of something even on our loneliest nights when we stumble home to our computers — partner-less, tired, awake. We won’t have those next year. We won’t live on the same block as all our friends. We won’t have a bunch of group-texts.

This scares me. More than finding the right job or city or spouse – I’m scared of losing this web we’re in. This elusive, indefinable, opposite of loneliness. This feeling I feel right now.

But let us get one thing straight: the best years of our lives are not behind us. They’re part of us and they are set for repetition as we grow up and move to New York and away from New York and wish we did or didn’t live in New York. I plan on having parties when I’m 30. I plan on having fun when I’m old. Any notion of THE BEST years comes from clichéd “should haves...” “if I’d...” “wish I’d...”

Of course, there are things we wished we did: our readings, that boy across the hall. We’re our own hardest critics and it’s easy to let ourselves down. Sleeping too late. Procrastinating. Cutting corners. More than once I’ve looked back on my High School self and thought: how did I do that? How did I work so hard? Our private insecurities follow us and will always follow us.

But the thing is, we’re all like that. Nobody wakes up when they want to. Nobody did all of their reading (except maybe the crazy people who win the prizes…) We have these impossibly high standards and we’ll probably never live up to our perfect fantasies of our future selves. But I feel like that’s okay.
We’re so young. We’re so young. We’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time. There’s this sentiment I sometimes sense, creeping in our collective conscious as we lay alone after a party, or pack up our books when we give in and go out – that it is somehow too late. That others are somehow ahead. More accomplished, more specialized. More on the path to somehow saving the world, somehow creating or inventing or improving. That it’s too late now to BEGIN a beginning and we must settle for continuance, for commencement.

When we came to Yale, there was this sense of possibility. This immense and indefinable potential energy – and it’s easy to feel like that’s slipped away. We never had to choose and suddenly we’ve had to. Some of us have focused ourselves. Some of us know exactly what we want and are on the path to get it; already going to med school, working at the perfect NGO, doing research. To you I say both congratulations and you suck.

For most of us, however, we’re somewhat lost in this sea of liberal arts. Not quite sure what road we’re on and whether we should have taken it. If only I had majored in biology…if only I’d gotten involved in journalism as a freshman…if only I’d thought to apply for this or for that…

What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. Get a post-bac or try writing for the first time. The notion that it’s too late to do anything is comical. It’s hilarious. We’re graduating college. We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.

In the heart of a winter Friday night my freshman year, I was dazed and confused when I got a call from my friends to meet them at EST EST EST. Dazedly and confusedly, I began trudging to SSS, probably the point on campus farthest away. Remarkably, it wasn’t until I arrived at the door that I questioned how and why exactly my friends were partying in Yale’s administrative building. Of course, they weren’t. But it was cold and my ID somehow worked so I went inside SSS to pull out my phone. It was quiet, the old wood creaking and the snow barely visible outside the stained glass. And I sat down. And I looked up. At this giant room I was in. At this place where thousands of people had sat before me. And alone, at night, in the middle of a New Haven storm, I felt so remarkably, unbelievably safe.

We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I’d say that’s how I feel at Yale. How I feel right now. Here. With all of you. In love, impressed, humbled, scared. And we don’t have to lose that.
We’re in this together, 2012. Let’s make something happen to this world.

365QOD-Day479

"A EE to lead McD!" - my reaction

The other day I read a story that Don Thompson will be the new CEO for McDonald.  His predecessor Jim Skinner is about to retire.

Two thoughts flew through my mind.  I have a EE degree and am not surprised that another Electrical Engineer leads an organization.  EE degree is pretty challenging and one has to obtain a pretty good level of problem solving.  BUT being an engineering degree it lacks the people portion to make one a great CEO.

The second thought was about following after a person who was great at his job and made McD very profitable and change embracing periods.  He will need both problems solving and communication skills to raise his leadership level and continue the success of the organization.


Today's question is:
"How do you raise your level of thinking above your training?"

365QOD-Day478

"I am just waiting for an opportunity" - a belief

It is better to be prepared for an opportunity even if an opportunity does not come than to have an opportunity and wasting it by not being prepared.  So how do you prepare?

I love the word hustle.  Not in the sense of hustling others but in the sense of doing something.

It is not uncommon for people to wait for things to come to them.  They know they want something and are hoping for that to fall into their lap without any work.

I believe that you must hustle while waiting for an opportunity.  Keep moving and adjusting.  The opportunity might come or it might not but by moving you will be on your toes ready and not on your heals resting.

You have to fight for what you want.  If you want something then hustle towards it.  Keep confident that your motion will eventually lead to an opening to strike.  A moving target is also harder to hit.  It makes you less attack prone. 

Today's question is:
"Are you hustling or resting?"

365QOD- Day477

"Life sucks" - a post on my daughter's page

Recently I sent a Skype invite to talk to my daughter Stefani.  When she did not respond, I instant messaged her a question, "Why does life suck?"

Her response was "A particular person and math."  I can not help her with the person BUT I offered to help her with math.

Has she taken me up on it? No!

Maybe I suck at math.  I do not think that is true.

How good am I in math?   Well, I have had 5 math courses (Calculus and above) as an undergraduate, 4 for my Masters, and 2 for my doctoral work.  In addition, I have instructed college courses up to advanced Calculus.  I probably know more math than 99.99999% of the people on the planet.  That is not an exaggeration.

So why doesn't my daughter call and get help?  A very good question.  It could be just being prideful.  It could be just "too busy".  You know how busy teenagers get.  LOL

Today's question is:
"What keeps you from seeking qualified help when it is available?"

365QOD-Day476

"I quit." - a co-worker's last words

Recently a very highly qualified co-worker quit.  He was a recently hired for an outage I am working on and he left before it was completed. 

The final straw that broke the camel's back will never be known.  I knew that he was under a lot of pressure and seemed to manage it well.  On surface at times things can be very misleading.  He only knew the stress he was under. 


Today's question is:
"What will make you quit your job?"

365QOD-Day475

"I create my own reality"- my belief

If you believe that other people shape your destiny, you are right.  If you believe you shape your destiny, you are right.

However, when we believe it is others then we give away any control we have to change the direction.  We might not be able to drastically change our destiny BUT we can instantaneously change our current direction.

For example, I recently have been working very long hours and not been able to exercise like I normally do.  This has resulted in a five pound weight gain. 

So my eventual destiny, if I continue, will be lead to a heavier me.  I can however take small directional changes by eating less and trying to squeeze some exercise in when I can get it done.  These small changes might lead to a better destination. 

For example, I stared packing myself a small zip bad full of nuts and dried fruits.  If I feel hungry I grab a few.  It helps me from getting into the starving mode.  It is a small directional change.

Today's question is:

 "Can you make a small directional change?"
 

365QOD-Day474

"Smart or lucky?" - a choice

Several years ago I read a short book by that tittle.  The successful author concludes this wonderful book by answering the question that many had asked him, "Are you smart or lucky?" by saying that he was smart enough to know when he was getting lucky.

I believe that this is a wonderful response.    Why look at the world as simply black or white.  Why do things have to be this OR that?  Why can't they be both?

Today's question is:
"Do you use the AND word often?"

365QOD-Day473

"Get off your assets!"- an expression I heard on the radio

Last weekend while driving home and listening to talk radio I heard the MBA abbreviation and this phrase.  They were from Laural Lengemier commercial.

She specializes in taking folks from desperate to the millionaire track by simply taking account of what they are enjoying for hobbies and converting that into cash machine generators.

Most people do not think creatively and sell themselves short when it comes to their talents. 

Today's question is:
"What hobby can you convert into a cash machine?"

365QOD-Day472

"FU Diploma and FU Money"- from an earlier post

Early on when I started writing this blog I did a post on the importance of having both FU money and FU diploma.   I showed examples where having only one was not enough.

In yesterday's post I talked about how the importance of an MBA has been reduced.  Many folks do not benefit from getting it because they are not ready for the knowledge.

Last week I was listening to a show and heard the expression
MBA- Massive Bank Account

I love that abbreviation.  It would be nice to have an MBA degree and have an MBA account.

Today's question is:
"Do you have an MBA account?"

365QOD-Day471

"MBA..everyone's got one" - my thought

I have instructed MBA courses since summer of 2004.  Many of the students in my courses did not benefit from the degree. 

Yes, they were presented knowledge.  BUT they did not have business experience to make the information relevant.  I tried to make it relevant by putting them in situations where they had to think and apply.

I believe that for most people it is just a degree and they never reach the learning level.

Today's question is:
"What do you have that certifies your level but you still feel that you lack?"

365QOD-Day470

"It fits" - the relief expressed when the last piece solves the puzzle

The other day I read an April 23rd issue of Forbes.  In the issue there was a story about Golan Leven.
He is a professor at Carnegie Mellon.

Mr. Leven has constructed a 45 piece free universal construction kit that allows people to connect pieces from different games such as Lego and wooden blocks together to create a new bigger final results.

These missing pieces extend the possibilities for each type of game.  They allow one to print them out on a 3D printer and use them.  He has not been sued because he is not replacing any one of the game pieces but providing an extension to the set.

Today's question is:
"What pieces are missing in your toolkit that if they existed could make you a more complete?"

365QOD-Day469

"You do not have to be great but you have to be consistent"- Anonymous

I believe this quote.  In my book the routines we set up can get us through most of life's challenges.  They have to be good routines.  They can's just be routines of bad choices.

There is a reason why people brush their teeth every day.  The routine helps reduce cavities and improves general dental health. 

Most of us don't floss.  Even though that routine has been shown to further improve our health.  One amazing fact about flossing is that people that floss often times look up to 8 years younger than their same age counterparts that don't floss.  WOW!

Even though I know this fact, I only floss when needed( something is stuck and can not get out).  Why?  It is not a part of a routine.  I need to make it.  Not for vanity sake but for health sake.

It is strange why I know better but not to do better.  I need to make a commitment to do it for a while until the routine becomes a habit. Starting today...

Today's question is:
"Do you floss?"

365QOD-Day468

"Man that is too close" - my thought

A while back I wrote a post that talked about how 58% of folks could not come up with $2000 if it was an emergency.  25% of people making 75k-100k also could not come up with the $2000 (2k).  The lesson in those two facts is that most Americans do not have much savings. 

Recently I read a USA Today article that presented the following facts:
                     2009        2011
No savings     18.5%     23.4%
1-1.5k           21.6%     18.2%
1.6-10k         29.4%     25.4%
10k-50k        18.7%     18.4%
>50k             11.8%     14.6%

So more people have no savings today compared to two years ago.  Of the ones that have up to 10k it is even less today than two years ago. Even up to 50k it is less people that have it available.  The only group that is getting larger is the group that has more than 50k.

Additionally 10% of families owe more than 30k in unsecured dept.  This is up from 8.5% in 2009.

2k is a minor emergency.  I believe that even 10k would not cover a major emergency such as a medical problem for which one has to come up with out of pocket funds.  Or if a job is lost and no income is coming in, how long can one live off of 10k?

The realy great news is that nearly  50%  of families have no debt at all from credit cards and other unsecured loans.  So there is a large group that is trying to not get in a hole.

Today's question is:
"How close are you to the no savings edge, and what is your plan to get out of the hole?"

365QOD-Day467

"The joke is, yeah you have prestige, but you can't eat prestige."- Tony Yang Ph.D. 

Tony Yang has a Ph.D. in History from University of California.  He is also unemployment and welfare recipient.

The recession has hurt many folks.  Unemployment is around 8-9 % but for white collar workers it was 4-5%.

So why is Tony Yang without a job?  Timing is everything.  If he would have come out when the economy was booming he would have walked out with multiple offers.  But he did not.

The same thing happened to me in Dec 1988.  I finished by bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Purdue and did not have a single offer.  So I decided to continue with my Masters while looking.  By May the situation changed and by August I landed my first full time job.

I feel bad for him.  He has invested a considerable time and money to achieve his goal.  However, in life there are no guarantees.  You have to play the hand that has been dealt to you.  And unlike a play, there are no rehearsals. 

Today's question is:
"What would you do if you were in Tony Yang's situation?"

The article can be found at
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/even-a-phd-couldn-t-keep-this-man-off-food-stamps.html

365QOD-Day466

"Got to think global" - my conclusion

Third suggestion is: "How can I find these people?"

Last year when I was looking for a job I interviewed in Russia, England, Azerbaijan, Angola, California, and Texas.  I eventually moved to Texas.  But it taught me to look globally because some of the job were very interesting.  From finance to instrumentation to project management to engineering, etc..

Why Texas?  Well, the opportunities were here.  When I look out of my window to the north of me is Texas City.  There are so many refineries and chemical plants that at night it looks like a Christmas show.

God bless the smell of money.  Texas by far has the most stable job situation of any state.

I could have stayed in Indiana.  BUT there were no offers that matched what I was making or what I wanted to make so move I had to.  Believe me it was not easy.  A lot of soul searching.  

Today's question is:
"Where can you make what you want to make?"

365QOD-Day465

"I got skills." - a common belief

Second suggestion is:
"Which of them will people pay me to use?"

If you think you know how to do something, then try to get paid for it.  If no one will pay, you are an amateur.  You need to get better or get an opportunity to get started.

Someone has to believe in you.  That person is you.  If you can not sell yourself on it then you will not be able to sell other people in it.  This is why preparing for interviews is kind of easy for me.  I either can do the job and can sell myself on it or simply tell the interviewer that I am not the right person.

Today's question is:
"Who(or what company) will pay you to use your skill?"

365QOD-Day464

"Train yourself to think like an entrepreneur." - advice from Laura Vanderkam

First suggestion is:
"What skills do I have or can I learn that I enjoy using?"

In business there are generalists and specialists.  Which one are you?

A specialist has a particular skill.  They either went to school for it or picked it up on the job.   They are very knowledgeable.  They might not be the most knowledgeable person on the topic in the world BUT for a particular group or company they are it.  These folks are paid well.

A generalist is someone who might have started of as a specialist i.e. Henry Ford,  and later on evolved to be the founder, owner, and CEO of the company.  He prided himself on being a generalist.  Once during a trial he was belittled because he was ignorant (not a specialist).  His response was that if he needs a lawyer, he hires a lawyer.  If he needs an engineer, he hires an engineer.  As a generalist he was paid very very well.

So pick up some skill, get good at it, and eventually transition into a generalist.  Simple?  No. Worthwhile? Yes!

Today's question is:
"What skill do you have or can you learn that you would enjoy using?"

365QOD-Day463

"I don't have to know everything, if you can figure out everything" - advice

Laura Vanderkam, All the Money in the World, author's third premise is that
"Every dollar is a choice.  How I earn it and spend it If I want more than I have now to achieve big goals, I can figure a way to get it."

A few years ago I wrote out what I wanted to make next year and within the next two years.  Everyone of my desires was in writing and it came true within the period of time.  Amazing!

Note that I had not just set my mind to a goal BUT followed it with actions to get to the next level.  I had to raise my level in order to reach the next level.

One of the reasons why I did not become a doctor is because they memorize a lot of facts.  As an engineer I have to believe in myself that I can figure it out.  As a cREATOR(with a small c) I can create what I need to get to the goal.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe in yourself enough that you can figure out a way to get what you want?"

365QOD-Day462

"I don't have to know everything, if you can figure out everything" - advice

Laura Vanderkam, All the Money in the World, author's second premise is that
"If I want more than I have now to achieve big goals, I can figure a way to get it."

A few years ago I wrote out what I wanted to make next year and within the next two years.  Everyone of my desires was in writing and it came true within the period of time.  Amazing!

Note that I had not just set my mind to a goal BUT followed it with actions to get to the next level.  I had to raise my level in order to reach the next level.

One of the reasons why I did not become a doctor is because they memorize a lot of facts.  As an engineer I have to believe in myself that I can figure it out.  As a cREATOR(with a small c) I can create what I need to get to the goal.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe in yourself enough that you can figure out a way to get what you want?"

365QOD-Day461

"People are happiest about money operate under three premises of wealth, a word that has less to do with quantity than with outlook"- Laura Vanderkam, All the Money in the World

The first premise is
"I have enough.  There are some people in this world who have more, but also plenty with less"

To me it is easy to believe this statement.  I live in a studio apartment.  I have plenty of space.  When I lived in a two bedroom apartment I had more space BUT I am now content with my studio apartment.

I realize that there are people that have homes that measure several thousand square feet.  God bless them.  I wish them a bigger house and more stuff.  No I am not being funny. 

There are also people who would look at my small studio and consider it large.  Maybe even a large family would be able to occupy the same space.  I also wish them a bigger house and more stuff.

I have enough.

Today's question is:
"Do you have enough?"

365QOD-Day460

"Dr. Shaq!" - my words

Yup.  The other day Shaq.. sorry Dr. O'Neil earned his doctorate.  Impressive.

I knew he had an MBA for University of Phoenix.  BUT I never knew he was pursuing a doctorate.  Impressive!

Why is it impressive?  Here is a person whose success has been in the sports arena.  He has made a ton of money playing basketball.  Yet he still kept on going to school.

My hat is off to him.  To have a goal, to be distracted by many opportunities that he has, and still complete the work needed can only be praised.

Education is important.  In his case even though he has been successful, he still craved the learning enough to continue his pursuit.  He must have a quest for his life.

My definition of quest is the pursuit of an ultimate goal for one's life.

Today's question is:
"What is your quest?"

365QOD-Day459

"I can not stop watching this" - my thought

I have a new addiction.  It is hardcore pawn.  This show is nuts!  Full of crazy characters.

Why is it that I can not get enough?  It shows what people do when they are desperate.

Typically, the person comes in happy go lucky.  Politely tells the store person what they want to sell.  The person asks how much they want for it.  The person quickly tells them.  The store person asks them why they want to sell it(it establishes how desperate they are).  The store person then asks them what is the lowest they would take.

Sometimes the person cuts their price in half.  Eventually the store person offers them a lot lower amount.  The person either accepts or gets belligerent.  They are so upset that they did not get their way.

Today's question is:
"What have you learned from your guilty pleasure?"

365QOD-Day458

"The positive effect of self-help is temporary BUT so is daily bathing" - my version of Jim Rohn's classic

Nothing lasts forever.  You hear that phrase all of the time.

Temporarily we can tell ourselves that we are something or can do something .  We might actually believe it.  In a study by Polivy and Herman found that 87% people believed their declarations of self change BUT in a few weeks their self-image was worse than before declaration.

The declarations have to be believed and have to be followed with action that supports the belief.

Suppose you want to change X and you decide for it to be Y.  Now you must set out the action steps Y1, Y2, Y3, and so on that would lead you to a permanent change. 

Just saying the positive thing you want to be is delusional but with action it can become reality.

Today's question is:
"Are you repeating affirmations or are you taking actions?"

 

365QOD-Day457

"I am not a self help guy, I am a strategist" - Tony Robbins (not exact words but pretty close)

Last night I was watching Piers Morgan's show on which Tony was a guest for a half hour on .  He uttered words that he did not just see himself as a rah rah kind of guy but that he is a strategist.

The interviewer even mentioned that Tony has a client that pays him 1M+ every year to meet with him a few times a year and work on strategy.  Wow!

Being familiar with Tony's work it did not surprise me that he speaks and motivates but he considered his brand to be more of a strategist.  It makes sense but I would have never thought that would be his one word that he uses to describe himself.

In a past post I mentioned that I use cREATOR (with a small c) to describe myself.  This took me about eight hours of thinking to come up withthe word. 

Today's question is:
"What is the one word you would use to brand yourself?"

365QOD-Day456

"Give it to me one more time" - my thought when I feel that I had missed something

Often times we are given pieces of a puzzle.  The last eight days gave the individual pieces of flow.
In case you missed them:
1. working toward a clear goal with a dell defined process
2. cultivating deep concentration
3 lack of sense of self-consciousness
4 altered state of time
5. ongoing, direct feedback
6. task is highly challenging but doable
7. control over means
8. activity is meaningful or intrinsically rewarding

In my opinion the greater the number the deeper the state.  I think it is possible that you could have all eight elements but six would definitely feel great. 

My advice is to sit down and on a piece of paper create a column with the eight pieces and across the top create a row of different activities you are involved.  Once you have created this matrix, ask yourself whether the element is present in the activity.  Again, six or greater, IMHO, would make it easy to enter that state.

Today's question is:
"How many activities had at least 6 for you?"

365QOD-Day455

"I don't care about that" - a belief 

The last element of flow is that the activity is meaningful or intrinsically rewarding.

How would I explain this?  Well, I run because I enjoy running.  It is  fun.

Most artist don't paint for paycheck.  Painting is who they are.  It is their oxygen

Today's question is:
"What is your oxygen?"

365QOD-Day454

"Nope can't do that" - a belief

The seventh element of flow is to have control over means.

If I am asked to manage a group but I have no ability to reward or punish that group then I do not have control.  I would be a puppet.

If I am asked to do a job but I do not have enough funds then I do not have control.

If I need any resource and do not have it BUT I need it to accomplish a job, I have no control.

Today's question is:
"How do you identify when you have control over means?"

365QOD-Day453

"Man, I can do it" - self-talk

Sixth element of flow is that the task is highly challenging but doable.

Human beings are complex.  Just as we like some things to be easy, we also like for some things to be challaneging.

We need the challenge to stretch.  Without stretching we die.  But we also need to stretch without breaking.
If we are given an impossible task then we just give up.

So the task must be doable and challenging BUT not impossible that we would give up.

Today's question is:
"What are you working on that is highly challenging but doable?"

365QOD-Day452

"That doesn't seem right." - self-talk

The fifth element of flow is  ongoing, direct feedback

I used to teach programming to new engineering students.  Many of them had never done programming so trying to get them to understand the programming process was a challenge.

When writing programs, these days, one begins by opening an IDE- integrated developmental environment such as Microsoft Visual Studio.  The student then enters a small snippet of a program.  The program is the compiled.  After the student cleans up any errors, the student compiles it again.

Once the compiling comes back without any errors, the program is linked with needed libraries.  If there are any issues with the libraries the IDE lets the student know.  Lastly, an execution file is created.  Once that execution file is executed the student gets a result.  If the result is not what the student intended, the student begins the process again by changing the code.

It is a wonderful process.  It provides for ongoing, direct feedback.  The computer does not care who you are but it will evaluate your logic and give you the result you deserve.

Today's question is:
"How do you get ongoing, direct feedback?"

365QOD-Day451

"Where did the time go?" - my thinking out loud

The fourth element of flow is an altered state of time

Many times I have worked on class notes while listening to music.  The music provided the rhythm.  The flow provided a momentum. 

The combination of flow and rhythm allowed me to enter an altered state of time.  I would look up and the day was over.  Time felt like it stood still but yet flew by as if in the blink of an eye.  Both still and fast in teh same time.

Today's question is:
"Have you ever lost time while being in the flow?"

365QOD-Day450

"Archimedes was contemplating a mathematical diagram when the city was captured. A Roman soldier commanded him to come and meet General Marcellus but he declined, saying that he had to finish working on the problem. The soldier was enraged by this, and killed Archimedes with his sword."- Wikipedia

Third element of flow is  the lack of sense of self-consciousness.

The quote above is the ultimate example of  losing yourself in the flow.  Archimedes was rumored to have been working on an idea when soldiers entered his place.  They tried to get his attention but he ignored them  He was most likely not even aware of them  It lead to his death. 

Typical everyday example would be when you were working on a task and people walk into the room, you simply do not notice them, and are startled by being touched on the shoulder.  At that moment you have lost the sense of self-consciousness.

Today's question is:
"Have you ever been startled while doing something?(What were you working on?)"

365QOD-Day449

"If I could only concentrate, I could get this done"- my frustrated thought

The second element of flow is cultivating deep concentration.

Most of our lives are spent on walking through life.  We are seldom in the present.  We think about the past
or the future and believe that we multitask through the present.

So what does cultivating deep concentration look like?  In the book Career Renegade the author gives the example of playing ping pong. 

Ping pong action comes so fast towards you that you must focus on the ball.  You could not let your thoughts wonder away even for a a micro micro second.  You must be in the flow to return the ball across the net.

Is this only sports related?  Nope.  I have experienced the same feeling deriving a proof in my graduate courses.  I was so involved and moving through the steps that I felt like smoke was going to come out of my ears.

Today's question is:
"What were you doing when you entered flow through deep concentration?"

365QOD-Day448

"Flow with it...." - 70s advice

In many previous posts I discussed the idea of flow.  Flow is a concept that was introduced by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi( pronounced cheeks-sent-me high). 

Even though I know what it is, I could not accurately describe the elements that are critical in importance to be able to enter flow.  The book Career Renegade discusses some of these.  Over next several posts I will discuss each one.

First element of flow is Working toward a clear goal with a well defined process.

When working on large projects it is very easy to become discouraged.  It can be overwhelming.  But the task, whether it is bog or small, must be defined very clearly.  In other words you must know all of the major objectives that need to be hit in order to reach the goal. (refer to an earlier post on GOSPAL technique for more detailed discussion)

You need to be able to clearly state the objectives and visualizing them would be very helpful.  If you can not state them and visualize your objectives, then you are not going to get there efficiently.

Today's question is:
"Can you clearly state and visualize your Objectives?"

365QOD-DAy447

"Imagine you woke up this morning to a phone call saying you had won the state lottery.  It was all yours, but there was a condition:
1. You had to continue to work for the rest of your life
and
2. you could use the money to live on,
but
3. NOT to fund any professional endeavor. 

Now, what would you do?" - Jonathan Fields, Career Renegade book
(I added the numbers and the spacing for emphasis)

Often times you hear people saying  "I don't have passion. I just got work to do."  Most people have a job and do not work on their passion.

This is why I found this quote in a book, Career Renegade, that I am reading useful.  If this scenario could be true then wouldn't you want it to happen after you started your dream job.  I suspect that dream job is where your passion would be.  Maybe you would fund the "professional endeavor" before you got the money.

Why wait?

Today's question is:
"If money was no issue, what work would you do?"

365QOD-Day446

"Shazam!"- app name

I can't stop saying that out loud.  I downloaded this app a couple of weeks ago and have just fallen in love with it.

Man it used to bug me that when a song was playing and I had no clue what it was that I could not figure it out.  No more!  Now I just tag it.

It allows me to immediately know what the song is.  In a second or two.

I can not help but think that anytime we are bugged by something that there is a business idea behind it.  What other information do I crave instantly?  Name of a person in front of me that I have met but can not remember.  I can see the meeting time and place but their name escapes me.   Is there an app for that?  Hummm...

Today's question is:
"What is bugging you that an app could fix?"

365QOD-Day445

"Can't be everything to everyone"- advice I often hear

It is hard not to want to please people.  I have a hard time saying no.  Even though I know I should say more no more often than yes, it is usually the other way around.

The other day I had approved overtime for  a group that was working for me.  This was after I had turned it down.  I was swayed my their second request and I changed my mind.

However, by my supervisors in the field I was told that the work did not get done.  I went to inspect and it sure did not.

Not only was I paying for OT but the work did not get completed.  So I went back and pulled back my approval.

I had to do that.  Just because I approved after being presented with a plea did not mean that I approved no work to be done and for me to pay for it.  This was not acceptable.

Today's question is:
"Have you ever cancelled your approval?"

365QOD-Day444

"You do not know anything until you have actually done it"- a comment made to me

A few years ago I wrote a book on ETF trading.  I never published it but simply used portions of it to teach MBA courses on how to invest.  It was fun to see the students apply the knowledge I was passing on to trade ETFs.

I wrote about it, taught it, so I must know it? Well, there is a difference between theory and practice.  In theory I know everything that is to ETFs.  Well maybe most things I I needed to know.

However, when I actively started to trade I quickly learned that I knew what to do but my execution sucked.  Of course I thought it was the brokerage company.  Maybe it was lack of real time data.

Nope it was me.  Until I started to actually do it a lot, I did not know the many little steps that I failed to absorb and apply. 

Today's question is:
"What do you know in theory BUT would have a difficult time applying?"

365QOD-Day443

"If we just close a few clients and just buy some search campaign, then we'll be generating revenue in no time!  Of course, we didn't understand until six months in, when each of our 'just' took twice as we expected and were four times more challenging.  Today, it's a mantra we live by internally: There is no such thing as 'just' "- Jesse Pujji, founder of Ampush Social

When trying to execute an idea we often become very hopeful.  Our plans become grandiose and as the article said 'just' is one of the most dangerous 4-letter words in the dictionary.  The quote is from Best Advice I ever Got column in Inc. magazine

It is good to be positive.  The other extreme, total negativity, does not serve to move us forward at all. 

But how much is enough?  Just enough to nudge us forward while questioning the validity of the move.  Do something that you believe is the best move that will nudge you forward but expect to have to sidestep and recover from an unforeseen.

Most of all believe in the move.  Without the belief the move forward will only be a half a step and not a full step.  Landing a full step provides stability when landing.  You can still be going in the wrong direction.  But once landed, you can quickly change.  In my experience changing in the middle of a half step causes an imbalance and a fall.  Your brain is processing the 'wrongness' of the step and trying to correct.  I believe that we need to finish the step, pause to evaluate, and then take another step forward.

Today's question is:
'Have you ever recovered your footing when interrupted while stepping forward a half a step?"

365QOD-Day442

"It is a thin line between being committed and getting committed"- Runner's world 

Each day presents us with choices.  Do we do what we say we are going to do or do we slip?

In my opinion the quote above teaches us that we need to be committed to our goals without obsessing.
How do you decide?

I believe a goal has to provide a pull forward.  You see the goal as naturally fitting you.  However, if that goal is pushing you forward then you are going to get committed. Being pushed to do anything involves pressure from others or work.

Today's question is:
"Are you being pushed or pulled?"

365QOD-Day441

"Do place you your fate in people"- advice given to me

By nature I have fate in people.  I hope for the best.  Often people will ride high and will have my fate.

However, eventually people let me down. Maybe this is simply human nature.

I need to be clear.  I am not looking for perfection.  People are people.  If they were perfect they would be god like.  Since we are not god, I am looking for consistancy.  If you say you are going to do X then simply do X.  Don't overpromise and underdeliver.

This is something I have recently been dealing with on vendor side and on people side.  Many companies while dating will promise you the world that they can do X but sometimes even before they start will pull back from X.  So do you continue the dance?  Sometimes you do not have a choice.  Unfortunately, with vendors you might not have the flexibility to stop dating because the job needs to be done and contracts have been signed.
 
But what do you do when people disappoint you?  Do you just simply give them another chance or do you drop them out of your life?  I have done both.  In my opinion the smartest thing to do is to over time limit the access to inconsistant people.

Today's question is:
"How do you deal with people that can not keep their word?"

365QOD-Day440

"So did you waste your first 16060 days?"- Ron Wheeler

Today I had a conversation with Ron.  During the conversation I told him my vacation story from 2010 when I heard Joel Osteen tell his audience to number their days. For me the number of my remaining days rounded up to 21000.

His question, 44 years times 365 days, made me pause during the conversation.  Were the first 44 years of my life a waste?  The obvious answer is no.  Maybe not as productive as they could have been. 

Consider the math. If you live to be a 100 years old, you wil live 36500 days.  I am not even at the half-way point.  Since I am not where I want to be, I need to come up with a plan.

Today's question is:
"What is your plan for your second act?"

365QOD-Day439

"Don't underestimate what you know" - advice to a fellow passenger

Lately, I usually download a movie on my phone/tablet before traveling.  Before takeoff I fall asleep and later on I watch the movie.

That is the plan BUT yesterday that plan changed.  I sat next to a very nice flight attendant, Carrie, with whom I had a two hour conversation.  We talked about travel, life, and taking action.

During our conversation I spoke about my book, blog, and the second book I was working on.  Then I made a suggestion to her to start a blog that would focus on the issues in her line of work.  I recommended that she later on take the blogs and put them in a book.  Sounds familiar?

I even challenged her to do something because as the words from yesterday's post "Never start your sentences with I should have" advise we regret not doing something more than doing it.

Will she?  I hope so.  I think she has a very large audience- all flight attendants.  It is specific to what she does every day and she loved what she does.  I belive that her passion would translate and make the blog successful.

Today's question is:
"Can you convert what you do into a daily blog?"

365QOD-Day438

"Never start your sentences with I should have.."- an ad caption

As I was walking through an airport I spotted this ad.  It made me stop and take the time to write it down even though I was late to get to my plane.

Why did I feel it was important to stop and capture it?  Because I knew that I would have forgotten it by the time I would have gotten on the plane and tried to remember it.  We have to know our limitations and mine is short term memory.

The words spoke to me because I do believe that in the end we will regret the things we did not do more than the things we did and whose result we did not like.    We must live a life of action.  Your world will not change by wishful inaction. 

Today's question is:
"What will you regret not doing today?"

365QOD-Day437

"I can do it myself"- sometimes a costly mistake

I have always done my own taxes.  Having an engineering background enables me to work on complicated tasks without panicking or being overwhelmed.

The math for taxes is actually very easy so I do not understand what the freaking out it.  BUT even I had to draw the line this year and get some help.

Last year was a transition year in many ways.  Having lived in Indiana, worked several places, and then moved to Texas, created challenges.  Getting professional help was worth gold.  Someone that is an expert in a subject that can provide guidance can be very helpful.  It is not shameful to ask for help.  As a matter of fact, we should welcome and at times seek help.

As a professor, I always look forward to training sessions.  Most things I can teach myself BUT going somewhere and making that committment saves me a lot of time trying to "figure" it out.  I easily cut my learning time to one forth of what it would take me to learn it on my own.

Today's question is:
"How do you know when you need help?"

365QOD-Day436

"Much better..." - my reaction at the end of my run

In a post I wrote last week I talked about how my mind got the best of me.  When confronted with a challenge that asked me to stretch a little bit in the running arena, it let me down.

This Sunday morning I had a choice to make: believe my mind that my knee was hurt or simply go our and run a shorter more manageable distance.

My choice was the second one.  So on a very windy, sand blasting your face, humid day I went out and ran 3-4 miles.  I did not measure it since all I wanted was to go to my first turn.

Next weekend the plan is to extend it to 7 miles.  Following week get it back to 10 miles. 

Moral of this story is that at times we have to take a big step back and rebuild our abilities over time. 

Today's question is:
"Have you ever gotten ahead by taking a step back?"

365QOD-Day435

"Turn up the silence"- Tommy Henderson

I was having a conversation with Tommy when he used this line.  I thought... Wow!It is rare that we are ever alone.  With people comes noise.  With people comes a need to address their needs.  Often times these take away from our needs.

How rare is to sit in silence without noise and people?  Think about the last time you were truly alone.  No people, no TV, no radio, no Internet, no games, ... just you.

Today's question is:
"Can you handle the silence?"

365QOD-Day434

"So what. A case of the envy?" - my initial reaction

A friend of mine sent me an article about a former University of Chicago dean making 700k per year.  I thought that the article would be negative.  This is why I thought envy.

It actually was surprisingly positive.  It highlighted the achievements that the dean had lead and the school accomplished during his tenure.  Impressive results- 800M in funding over his time.

So if we are to reward performance, why shouldn't a dean make the money he deserves.  I never fault anyone for what they earn.  It is their business to get the most for their labor. 

In my opinion we should focus on what we earn, how to maximize that, and think of additional sources of income.  Thinking about someone else's deal is just a waste of time.  It shouldn't matter to us what they are getting paid and whether they are worth it.  It is rare that the two are equal.

Today's question is:
"What are you getting paid vs. what are you worth?"

The article is shown below:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120412/NEWS07/120419934/was-booth-schools-snyder-worth-700k-a-year

365QOD-Day433

"Dr. Doodle"- a name I got called during a meeting

Fourth creativity characteristic is to Sketch Out the Idea

Sometimes it is very to stay awake during meetings.  It seems that people are talking but they are not really saying anything worthwhile to listen to.

It is at times like these that I start sketching.  It could be something I am thinking about or I might just sketch a person in the meeting.  You know it is a long meeting when you have time to sketch all of the participants.

You do not have to be an artist BUT all of us can sketch an idea.  As a matter of fact, a few years ago I read a book called The Back of the Napkin that teaches how to sketch your ideas.

Today's question is:
"Can you sketch basic shapes in 3D?"

365QOD-Day432

"An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.  Scientists made a great invention by calling their activities hypotheses and experiments.  They made it permissible to fail repeatedly until in the end they got results they wanted"- Edwin Land Polaroid co-founder

Fourth rogue trait is to Embrace Failure.

Pretty wise those scientists.  Allow your guess to be called a hypothesis.  Pretty fancy.  To prove you are wrong then you create a hypotheses, an alternate hypotheses, run an experiment, collect data, analyze the data,  and test your conclusion.

If you hypotheses fails then you accept the alternate hypotheses or start again with a new hypotheses.  Eventually you get a hypotheses that fits your data perfectly.  You have failed until you get the results that you want.

Cool!

Today's question is:
"What hypotheses did you test today?"

365QOD-Day431

"When I was doing my vacuum cl"We're taught to do things the right way.  But if you want to discover something that other people haven't, you need to do things the wrong way... When I was doing my vacuum cleaner, I started out trying a conventionally shaped cyclone, the kind you see in textbooks.  But we couldn't separate the carpet fluff and dog hairs and strands of cotton in those cyclones.  It formed a ball inside the cleaner or shot out the exit and got into the motor.  I tried all sorts of shapes.  Nothing worked.  So then I thought I'd try the wrong shape, the opposite of conical.  And it worked"- Sir James Dyson

Second rogue characteristic from the article is Wrong-Thinking

I love the line.. you need to do things the wrong way.  It is permission to turn your thinking upside down and produce an unconventional result.  If everyone is doing A, followed by B, followed by C, maybe that is the way they have been instructed to do.  Maybe they are doing it without thinking? 

As Dyson illustrates, he understood the right way to think through his problem BUT it was not producing a satisfying result.  Only when he turned to something that intuitively seemed wrong that he found the answer.  He has to disagree with his own belief(s).

As the old saying goes, "When no one disagrees, then no one is thinking"

Today's question is:
"Do you allow yourself to do things the wrong way to discover the new way"

365QOD-Day430

"That is stinking thinking"- anonymous

While reading an article on What It Takes To Innovate: Wrong-Thinking, Tinkering, and Intuiting I learned the characteristics of  some past creators.

The first one was to Produce and Test More Ideas.

In a recent post I talked about a boss demanding new ideas that had been implemented in three different fields.  Unreasonable?  I think it is more eye opening.

According to the article, the researcher Michael Michalko discovered that"
"Edison guaranteed productivity by giving himself and his assistants idea quotas.  His own personal invention quota was one minor invention every 10 days and a major invention every six months"

Wow!

If you set the bar high enough you will have to work harder to reach it BUT if you do you will be rewarded greatly.

Today's question is:
"What quotas do you set for yourself?"

365QOD-Day429

"Cute"- my evaluation

The other night I watched the movie Midnight In Paris.  It is a movie in which the main character, on a trip to Paris, leaves his fiance every night and at midnight get transported back in time to the 1920s.

While there he falls in love with a lady who is also being charmed by Hemingway, Picasso, and others.  Very interesting concept.

He eventually decides that there is no perfect time in the past and decides to live in the present.  The present creates many challenges.  Often we remember the "good old past" and think that there were no difficulties like the present.  Maybe we are fooling ourselves?

Today's question is:
"Would you chose a different time to live if you had a choice?"

365QOD-Day428

"I know Dad...I read about it in your blog"- Stefani's answer

I was catching up with my daughter yesterday.  Since she is away at school it seems that catching her to have a conversation is often a task.

Our conversation was about a hand injury that she thought she might have.  I started telling her about my own when she stopped me.  I know Dad... I read about it in your blog.

This was the highest compliment that my daughter could pay me.  For her to read my posts and remember them is the ultimate high.

In the past, when my kids and I were in my car I used to tell them stories.  Now since the three of us are in three different places it is hard to do.  BUT Stefani's statement opened my eyes.  If my kids were willing to read my posts it is as good as telling them stories face to face.  It might even be better.  They can always read them and share them with their friends.  Wow!

Today's question is:
"Have you ever underestimated your influence?(I did)"

365QOD-Day427

"My mind got the best of me today"- my thought this morning

Today is Saturday and I decided to go for a 10 mile run.  I decided to keep things fresh so I chose a slightly different path.  I ran about 4 miles and instead of my normal turn I kept straight. 

In my mind the path forward was about equal to the my normal turn.  But as the time kept ticking I realized that it was most likely closer to 13+ miles. 

With a couple of stops I made it back to my normal turn spot and stopped.  All of a sudden my back started being stiff.  My right knee kept feeling funny.  After a couple of attempts to resume I just gave up.

What was suppose to be a fun distance run turned into a grueling 4 mile walk back to home.  It was frustrating to know that I should resume but my mind decided otherwise.  I don't know if my mind just simply decided I was not ready for 13 or it just didn't feel like it.

As the old saying goes, " A mind is a terrible master".  Today it got the best of me.

Today's question is:
"How do you do something else then what your mind tells you to do?"

365QOD-Day426

"While walking along a each, a young gentlemen saw someone in the distance leaning down and picking up something and throwing it back into the ocean.  As he got closer he noticed that the figure was that of an elderly man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.  The young man smiled and asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"  To this the elderly man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out.  If I don't throw them in, they'll die.

Upon hearing this the young observer commented, 'But Sir do you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish along each mile?  You can not possibly make a difference!'

The elderly man listened politely.  Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, 'It made a difference for that one.'"

This story was on the back of a RE/MAX index card.  I changed the young man and elderly gentlemen positions in the story.  It made more sense to me that an elderly person would be wise enough to be concerned with the affect on one starfish.

In our youth we are almost most often concerned with ourselves.  It takes time to realize that the effect we have on others helps to create or destroy relationships.  Like the story above, we have to realize that every interaction is like a starfish with at least five legs:
1. how we see that person (now)
2. how that person sees us (now)
3. how we want that person to see us (future)
4. how we want to influence that person in this situation (near future)
5. how we want the relationship to unfold in the far future (future)
(I am sure you can come up with your own version)

It seems that majority of the interaction should be future focused.  Maybe with a long term view the interactions would be more nurturing.

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

365QOD-Day425

"Mistakes are simply data" - Josh Linkner blog

I read this post  The Dirty Little Secret of Overnight success today.  In it Josh makes the statement above. 

As I have said before when talking about my book The Result you always get a result.  This quote game me another way to phrase it.  The result is simply data.  Don't read too much into it and try to get a better result.

Never be afraid of a result- good or bad.  It is simply data...

Another quote I got from his post is:
"the ubiquitous WD-40 lubricant got its name because the first 39 experiments failed.  WD-40 literally stands for 'Water Displacement- 40th attempt" 

Maybe we should number our results in order to keep track of how many times we have made an attempt?  Maybe this will clue us in not believing that we have tried something a million times.

Today's question is:
"Do you number your results?"

365QOD-Day424

"My boss likes to say , 'I want a totally new idea - and three examples of where that idea has worked before"- boss' request in the article Are you Learning as Fast as the World is Changing

From yesterday's post(habit 2) and the article this quote was memorable.  The author initially dismissed it as silly but later on saw the wisdom.  Just because your field does not have the solution it does not mean that it does not exist in another field. 

Why three examples?  The more I thought about it the only reason I came up with is that by finding three you definatively convince yourself that the solution will work for you in your field.   I also believe that finding only one might not provide enough insight into the solution.

Today's question is:
"Which one of your problems has a solution in another field?"

365QOD-Day423

"The real act of discovery consists of not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes."-Marcel Proust

I read an article today in Harvard Business Review titled, "Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?"  The title caught my eye and it made me pause to ponder the answer. 

In past posts I have talked about reading many different magazines and books. But is that enough?

Maybe exposing oneself to different types of people is the answer?

The author of the post, Bill Taylor, offers three habits of the mind that would help:
1. First, the best leaders (and learners) have the widest field of vision.
2. The best source of new ideas can be old ideas from unrelated fields
3. Successful learners work hard not to be loners

I believe that the last two habits lead to the first.  If one goes out of their way to meet new people, from different fields, and connect ideas from their field into their own they will learning as fast as the world is changing.

For me this was very easy to do in Chicago.  It has been a lot harder in Texas.

Today's question is:
"How do you expose yourself to new people in different fields?" 

365QOD-Day422

"No way!"- my initial thought

I watched a Yahoo story video of a 86 year old woman on parallel bars
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/86-old-performs-parallel-bars-routine-164528695.html

Impressive to say the least. For a 86 year old to have that level of flexibility is admirable.  It made me feel good for her and inspired me to do better.  I do a little bit of running and weights BUT I have not done yoga in years.  Maybe I need to start again?

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

365QOD-Day421

"I took a shortcut"- a line from a video

While at the factory the team's role was to accept three devices we had purchased.  The company through which we had purchased the devices wanted to test one of the breakers before us an for us to simply review the test documentation for the other two.

As the leader of the team I said NO!  I will not accept the products without seeing every one of them tested. Why?

It is my belief that what we often take short cuts.  The short cuts might not get us in trouble every single time but eventually they can bite us.  The last thing I wanted was to accept the equipment and for the equipment to fail during installation.  This is high voltage 138,000 volts equipment.  Failure at that level does not leave a lot of room and could hurt many people.

A long time ago I watched a video of a guy.  In it you see just his face.  He pulls you into his story about what happened to him on a particular day.   The story starts with his preparing to leave from home.  It moves through his drive to work and his interaction with his boss and co-workers.  He then talks about the job he was getting ready to do. Last thing you see is the camera pulling back from him to reveal his damaged body as he says the words, "and then... I took a shortcut."

Today's question is:
"Can and do you say no to short cuts?"

365QOD-Day420

"It went well"- my thought

This morning I had a series of two interviews.  It was for a newly created position in my company. 

I walked in the corporate headquarters and met with two teams of two interviewers.  They drilled me on behavior type of questions and some role fit questions.

Maybe I am strange because I never specifically prepare for interviews.  I go in and tell the interviewers what i believe I can and can not do.  While doing that I use examples to support my case.  As the old saying goes," Keep It Simple Sweetheart."  I often have to remind myself to just KISS it.

Today's question is:
"Do you use the KISS principle?"

365QOD-Day419

"What is on your reading list?"- my question

While on a factory visit I asked many of the mangers that question.  Every single one of them was reading a book and many had been to other plants to see their best practices.

Wow! 

During one conversation I offered to one of the managers that I had written a book.  Within an hour or so he had printed out the information for my book and asked me to do an hour presentation on it. 

I said OK. Since I did not have a topic to prepare on I decided to tailor my presentation on my book and relate it to quality issues.  Pulling some slides from top of my head and previous presentations I created a skeleton on which I can build a talk.

It has been six months since I stool before an audience.  I was a bit nervous.  Something that has not happened in years.  It was good nervous energy.

I believe that the presentation went well. I heard some good comments.  Amazingly they had purchased the book, the book arrived, and had me sign a few copies.  Print on demand is very fast!

Without trying to make it happen, this day was the start of the The Result book tour.  THANKS for the push ABB.

Today's question is:
"Did you do something unexpected today?"

365QOD-Day418

"Get lost and you will find your way" - Anonymous

I went out for a run this morning.  Since Sunday I have been in Pittsburgh.  My run was from the hotel room towards University of Pittsburgh campus. 

I had a general idea how far it was but did not measure it before I ran it.  The team I am on drove in that direction a few times.

This morning at 6:30 I simply put on my running equipment on and headed in the direction.  Amazingly as I was running, I started seeing the houses on the street.  Many of the buildings that were a blur while driving now had a meaning and I can examine them,  Some really cool buildings, a Jewish temple, a Catholic cathedral, etc.

I got to the central building on campus which was the tallest and most artistic in a Gothic style.   At this point I had no knowledge of what I was to see and simply I just ran around the campus.  It was still slightly dark but I can see the buildings and few of the students.

Next I went over a bridge and found myself in another campus.  It appears that Carnegie Mellon campus is attached to the University of Pittsburgh.  I was fun to run through it.

Eventually I made my way back to the central building and headed back to the hotel.  It was an hour and a half of pure bliss.  I never felt the run.  All I did was soak up the surroundings.  The run, like my runs at other places, helped me see things that I would not have seen if I had simply stayed in bed.  That would have been a waste.

Today's question is:
"How do you approach the unknown?"

365QOD-Day417

"If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, did it really fall?"- an old saying

I read a Wall Street article on digital hoarding.  It talks about how people never get rid of email, photos, files, etc.

I found the article interesting.  In my life I have been around folks who collected "stuff".  I worked with people who had lockers full of junk.  One former colleague of mine had piles and piles of paper in his office that looked like they would fall down with the smallest breeze. Or my favorite is when I see a person in a car with all of the other seats full of literal junk driving down the street.

Those instances are examples of physical hoarding.  To me digital hoarding does not hurt anyone except the person that hoards the stuff.  They are not the same.

So what if they have files from 20 years ago?  Digital storage is almost free.  Can you imagine the cost of 1Terabyte of storage 20 years ago?  Now probably for less than $100 you can store so much data.  Again, there is a big difference between data and information.  They have data that they might never turn into information.  The challenge is to find something you are looking for that was received but "misplaced".

Today's question is:
"If an unread email arrives, and it just sits in your storage, was it ever received?" 

365QOD-Day416

"...He(Alex Michalos) argues that people establish a perceived satisfaction based upon comparing three gaps:
1. What you have vs. what you want
    (I want a beautiful green grass)
2. What you have vs. what you think other people have
    (The neighbor's grass is greener)
3. What you have vs. the best experience of what you've had in the past
    (I don't like AtroTurf. I miss my old grass)
Chip adds...
4. What you have vs. what you feel you deserve
    (I have been working my tail off for this grass)"- Chip Conely

Note that I modified the paragraph above slightly to put it in the form I need.

You can almost see this as an equation:
PerceivedSatisfaction= a*(What you have/what you want)
                                     +b*(What you have/What you think other people have)
                                     +c*(What you have/The best experience of what you've had in the past)
                                     +d*(What you have/What you feel you deserve)

I believe that the four gaps do not carry an equal weight.  Some multipliers(a,b,c, and d could add up to 100 with the terms being at most a ratio of 1) could be used but that is of slight importance to you.  I do think that having a laminated index card that you carry around to remind yourself when in the midst of a situation would be helpful.

Today's question is:
"What is your perceived satisfaction score at this moment?"

365QOD-Day415

"Share, share, share"- a parent's admonition to a child
Awhile back, I read an article about a company which allowed people to make a micro loan to a needy third world business person.  The interest was agreed on and exchange occurred.  The repayment was in the high 90+ percent.  This is the giving side.  A small loan to a person that needs it.

What about the receiving side?  I recently read an Entrepreneur article which talked about making a short video presentation and hoping to raise funding for an idea.  Micro-investments that give you access to the product and you receive recognition for your loan.

I guess what makes both of these examples work is the smallness of the investments made.  If you ask many folks for a very small investment they are less likely to turn you down. Micro angel investing.

Today's question is:
"What else could be cut up into small manageable chunks that people would be willing to fund?"

365QOD-Day414

"Ahhhh thirteen... I remember that"- my thought

My son Milan turned thirteen today.  Amazing!  It seems like yesterday when I held him in my arms.  Now he is 6' 1" (as tall as me) and wears a size 13 shoe. My baby boy is becoming a man. 

This got me thinking.  Some moments are time based.  I could have marked the day on a calendar when he would have turned 13. 

Other moments are meaning based.  I can remember being at certain places and doing certain things but would have a hard time recalling the date on which they occurred. 

I prefer the meaning based moments.  They have a meaning that makes it memorable

Today's question is:
"What could make today memorable for you?"

365QOD-Day413

"From time to time, it helps to ask yourself if what you're doing is 'hard' or if you're something now that you wouldn't or couldn't do last month, or last year.  If the answer is no, you probably nee to turn it up a notch (or two)."- Men's Health March 2012 issue

I went to the library today and picked up five magazines.  My new library has a limit of five magazines.  When I got home I went through the five magazines and picked out the stories that I wanted to read and bent the corner of the page.

One of the articles I immediately started reading was on re-programing your metabolism.  Being a middle age guy I am aware that my body does not burn food like it did in my twenties.

To compensate for this lower metabolism I run.  Well, to be honest, even with running I am starting to put on a little weight. 

This paragraph hit me over the head like a brick.  Maybe I am fulling myself.  So what that I ran 10 miles two weeks ago.  I have been out of town and have not run since.  Once a week distance running is OK but not enough to get my metabolism to compensate for the sugar abuse I put it through during the week- jelly beans anyone?

I have concluded that I have stopped stretching.  So I either need to increase my running by adding a second or third run during the week OR by increasing the distance.  I think increasing the number of runs is the answer.  Need to do something to get out of the plateau.

Today's question is:
"How do you know you are at a plateau?"

365QOD-Dayy412

"I do not know what I want"- a common belief

I am reading Emotional Equations by Chip Conley.  Good book but I do not know if I will finish it.  I am short on time.

One of the equations that he presents is:
Life Mission=Pleasure/Pain

To maximize the likelihood that it is your life mission it must give you a lot of Pleasure BUT also minimize the Pain. Suppose you use 100 for pleasure and 1 for pain then the likelihood that it is your mission is 100/1=100. 

Note that if something causes you lots of pleasure but also causes a lot of Pain then the two cancel each other.  In this case the pleasure would be 100 but the pain might be a 50 then the Life mission score is only 2.

It seems simple enough.  Find something that you enjoy BUT also is not causing you any pain will be closer in line to your life mission.

Today's question is:
"What gives you maximum Pleasure and minimum Pain?"

365QOD-Day411

"Technical Hording"- phrase used in SuperFreakonomics audio book

While driving this morning I was listening to the follow-up book to Freakonomics.  The book is OK so far.

The phrase above caught my ear.  They told a story of a doctor who had developed a way of extracting babies out of the womb by using a tool.  He and his family horded the tool and this lead to loss of millions of lives.

As I pulled in the parking lot, I thought about the people in my career that were technical hoarders.  They had a niche at which they excelled and did not want anyone else to learn how to do it.

One great example was a guy who used to do the billing for the power utilized during the month by different steel mills.  He used to spend  two days massaging numbers until they made sense.  He did it so quickly that no one could learn how to use he tool he developed or the methodology he used to manipulate the numbers.
Since Iwas assigned to watch him I  did but eventually told my boss that it was a waste of time.

His hording was silly.  He thought that this was his job security.  It might have been.  It was also his terminal job since no one could replace him.  Eventually he had to train someone when he was to retire.  The sad part was that he was a very smart man and could have moved up to a better paying job.  His loss was also the company's loss.

Today's question is:
"What are you hording?"

365QOD-Day 411

"Can you believe the weather we are having?"- a persistent question

I was in Chicago last weekend.  A beautiful city that was experiencing 80 degree weather during March instead of the freezing cold snowy days that often occur.

Unknowingly, I must have used it at least ten times.  It was also used by everyone else around me.  No one could ignore the beauty of the weather.

Today's question is:
"Can you stop talking about a great thing?"

365QOD-Day410

"Love is all that it is"- song lyric

It is hard to not respond to attacks.  I always think that responding is a lot better than reacting.

People have their reasons for attacking.  They even believe to be right. 

Create a flame inside before reacting. Come from the angle of love.  Maybe it will not flame up.

Today's question is:
"How do you warm yourself up before responding?"

365QOD-Day409

"That is stupid"- my response

I saw a TV segment on the cinnamon challenge.  Kids and adults eating a spoonful of cinnamon without water.

People are desperate to get noticed.  Some of these folks want the videos to lead to fame and possibly a reality show.

Crazy? Crazy like a fox?
Even if it leads to something it will be short lived. It is not something that could improve your brand.

Today's question is:
"Would you do something stupid to get your brand noticed?"

365QOD-Day408

"It is easier to get forgiveness then permission"- advice

In my mail came an article from Inc. On 8 traits of great employees.

Trait 1 was that they ignore job descriptions. I often do so.

Sometimes doing this can put you in peril but you get better results and faster. This is easier in smaller companies that are not so formal.

Today's question is:
"Do you ignore your title?"

365QOD-Day 407

"Cut your resume to two pages"- advice that was given to me many jobs ago

My resume is currently about 5 pages.  It needs to be updated and most likely will go to 6 pages.  Yes you read that right.

Why?  Think about it... who reads you resume first?  The answer is computer which scans for key words.  Once the key words are caught then you make the first pass and you land on someone's desk.

The person looks at your resume and can see a lot of experience doing many things.  In 30 seconds or less,  they note that you have done many things and usually bring you in to see.

The conventional wisdom is completely upside down.  People want to get down to as few resumes as possible as quickly as possible.  Then allow the person to sell themselves.

Today's question is:
"Do you have an example where conventional wisdom is completely wrong?"

365QOD-Day406

"LIFE AS ART"- ad slogan for Ritz Carlton Residences

This slogan caught my eyes. It immediately raised questions:Can you live life as art?, What would that look like?, etc.

I have always believed that we tend to live life as we are rushing through it.  We rarely pause to hear the response to our question, " How are you doing?"

What "To live live as art" means to me is to allow yourself to be proud of everything you do.  To be able to say that no matter what you are doing it is done to the best of your ability with your mind present during the experience.

To me it is the essence of zen.  It is to live a simple life that is full of experiences and not excessively focused on "things". 

Today's question is:
"How would you live life as art?"

365QOD-Day 405

"Obesity is a disease.  It is not a decision"- bulletin board caption

I passed by this bulletin board the other day and it caught my eye.  I asked myself the question and the first thought that came to me is hat this is not true.

I could not think of a single person who was overweight that I have been around and somewhat familiar with their lifestyle, that this statement held true.  In all cases it was usually poor dietary choices that eventually lead to being obese.  All the bad choices coupled with decision not to get exercise and it leads to quickly getting obese.

I realize that there exist people who make great choices and  exercise but their systems do not respond.  But those folks would be an aberration to the norm that most of us would find. 

The bigger issue for me was whether something that is "politically" correct could be misleading and false.  No one want a large segment of the population pissed off at them because you are telling them that they are making poor decisions and not disease.

Today's question:
"Do you believe that some politically correct and accepted statements could be false?"

365QOD-Day404

"It does not matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.  We needed to to stop asking the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life- daily and hourly.  Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and right conduct."- Viktor Frankl

Chip Conley mention that in a classic play the Death of Ivan Ilyich Tolstoy writes of a man who learn that he will shortly die and is confronted with the fact that he's wasted life.  That last minute insight provides him with a sense of inspiration to become a new person in the short time that he is allotted.

I wonder how many people reach the end and wonder the same.  How many are truly happy at the end?

Since we do not know our end date, we can always begin today.  We can examine our life up to this point and answer the simple question whether we are pleased with our life up to this point.  The honest answer will allow us to decide the path ahead. 

For me if the end came today, I would say that I am happy with many things I have accomplished BUT unhappy with my current state.  I can be more and accomplish more.  Some of my relationships are terrible.  Others are healthy.  My relationship with me is OK.

Today's question is:
"Are you happy with your life up to this point?"