365QOD- Day907

"You can not drive forwards by looking in a rear vie mirror."- wise advice

Eight entrepreneurship dimension according to EDP is being Focused on the Future.

While driving it is natural to look back once in a while.  These times are usually during transitions from one lane to another or to verify that no policemen is following.

Looking back is necessary but it takes away out focus from the direction we are moving on.   Often times looking back is done to review past errors and to make sure we do not repeat the mistake.

I believe that a better strategy is to create smaller steps and milestone targets towards our goal.  Once in a while look back and establish where we had gone without conflict.  But keep moving forward at least 80 percent of the time.

Today's question is:
"How do you stay future focused and minimize the review of past errors ?"

365QOD- Day906

"Do it backwards."-a puzzle solving technique

EDP's seventh entrepreneur dimension is being a High-Achiever.

Dick Fosbury is the inventor of the modern high jump.  Before him all participants choose to do high jumps by trying to go head first facing the bar. Since him no one jumps facing the bar.

Dick realized a simple fact.  The height that he could achieve by turning at the last moment and pushing off was greater than the height that could be achieved when facing the bar and pushing off the toes.

I am sure that the first time he did this technique in competition people scratched their heads in disbelief.  But interestingly by doing it backwards he was able to do better than it had ever been done before.

Long time ago i got addicted to solving metal puzzles.  I noticed that when I used to solve these puzzles in order to master the puzzle I had to learn how to put the puzzle back into original state.  By going backwards I forced myself to slow down and I could solve the puzzle faster in forward direction.  I often gave this advice to new puzzle solvers trying to solve the puzzle.

Today's question is:
"Can you do your most important task backwards?"

365QOD- Day905

"I lost total track of time."- my words

The sixth dimension of being an entrepreneur according to ETD is Passion.

Recently I read an article about how we need to block out our work times in 90 minute blocks.  After we get our mental work done, we need to recharge by doing something physical and snacking on something healthy.

I am beginning to believe that there is magic in these ninety minute blocks.  Maybe one of these blocks could be used to pause and figure out what makes you tick.  What interests you?  What bothers you?  What problem in front of you needs a solution?

Most of us can probably not spend ninety minutes in a pause state.  It is easy to say but difficult to do.  Maybe start with five minutes and build up from there. But you do have to start in order to build your passion muscle.

Today's question is:
"What are you working on that makes you lose track of time?"

365QOD- Day904

"Action !"- a director's call

Fifth dimension of entrepreneurship according to EDP is being Action Oriented.

Many posts ago I write several posts about the GOSPAL goal planning technique. It stands for:
Goal
Objectives
Strategies
Planning
Action
Learning

Notice that everything before action is inside the mind.  The action is of special type.  It is the daily action type.  Every day you must take an action towards your ultimate goal.  Every day!

The every day actions have to be small enough that they can be accomplished within one day without overwhelming us.  While we get these small things accomplished we must be aware enough to learn from these small experiences.  This is the L in GOSPAL.

Today's question is:
"Are you action oriented?"

365QOD- Day903

"No risk, no gain."- my version

Fourth dimension of EDP is being a Risk Taker.

I love my version of no pain, no gain.  Risk is often associated with pain. Because the result is not predictable we often choose the darkest ending.

But often we are wrong.  The  dark ending never comes.  Some unpredictable result occurs that we could never imagine even we spent a long time guessing.

So why is being a risk taker important?  It moves us away from an equilibrium which is our current state of comfort.  That movement has to be big enough to get momentum to get to a better place.  But the risk has to be small enough that it nudges you forward and with it gives you confidence.

If the leap is too big it could lead to a failure.  So make a leap, control the result, learn from it, and then repeat.

An example of a failure to follow this procedure is when someone first learns to trade stocks.  The usually experience success- a beginners luck.  What happens next is very interesting.  They start taking huge risks that they can not afford.  These unreasonable leaps lead to failure.

Today's question is:
"Do you take small controllable risks?"

365QOD- Day902

"I break the mold."- my words

I have never filled the yes man position too well.  Why?  I like to think for myself. 

Third out of fourteen entrepreneurship dimensions is being a Nonconformist.

It is amazing to me how corporate cultures tend to breed conformity.  Many bosses usually want their employees to not talk back and just follow orders just like the military.

Over time the people that get promoted are people that think alike.  One day the CEO realizes that the company is trouble.  When the CEO asks for new ideas all that CEO hears is an echo of his thoughts.

Today's question is:
"Are you a nonconformist?"

365QOD- Day901

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." - Muhammed Ali

Second out of fourteen EDP entrepreneurship dimension is: Preference for little structure

Last night I got a call from a friend.  He was asked to teach a course completely outside of his specialty.  My friend was not sure whether to teach it or not.

In my career I have instructed many courses including the course he was asked to teach.  And guess what, it was also outside of my area of specialty.  But my reaction was very different.

I always figured that not knowing the subject provided a great opportunity to stretch myself.  I would guess that majority of the courses I have instructed in my career I never took while in school.

This lack of background, and structure on which to build on, caused me to focus and work harder to figure out how to best teach and apply the material.  I always believed in myself that I would figure it out.  All I needed was a little head start ahead of the students.

Today's question is:
"Do you seek out situations where you know very little or the structure is not well defined?

365QOD- Day900

"For God's sake, make a decision"-a frustrated urging

I recently read an article by Andrea Huspeni in which she talks about EDP( entrepreneurship dimension profile).  This is a 72 question survey that endless a person along 14 variables to establish the person's level of entrepreneurship.

The first of the fourteen entrepreneurship variables is: Independent. 

Being independent means that a person likes to have control of their time, priorities, work, direction, etc.  The definition of independence is pretty personal.

So how does one become more independent?  Start by making small decisions in an area of importance without anyone's input.  Then increase the importance of the decisions.  Over time your independence and decision making should improve.

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

365QOD- Day899

"I do not have a bucket list but I have a f$ck it list that is a mile long."- Don Amerson

Yesterday I heard another coworker utter these words and give Don credit.  Immediately I formulated a post in my mind.

About a month ago I found an old bucket list from ten years ago.  I did nothing with it except sit it on my desk.  My idea was to sit down and look it how many of my to do items were done.

Dons wisdom is the reverse side.  How many of the bucket list items are on the f$ck it side. In other words not important at all to me as a life goal.  Probably quite a few.

Maybe scheduling a five year review of the bucket list is a great idea.  Give years is a long enough timeframe for me to get some things done and some of the items on the list to need dropping.

Today's question is:
"Which one of your lists is longer?"

365QOD- Day898

"What is the level above customer service ?"- my question to my friend

Friday night my friend Naren and I went to get some dinner.  On our way to dinner we discussed customer service.

We made some observations about people around us that provide great customer service.  There were a few that stood out amongst those.

This is why I asked the question above.  The answer is customer recognition.  Customer service occurs after the customer has started the engagement.  It is the quality of that interaction that determines the quality of the customer service.

Customer recognition is a completely different game.  We both have a friend that is exceptional in customer recognition.  He is so good at the game thathe remembers people that he has meet years ago by name.  He greats them warmly by name and makes them feel welcome.

So we were having this conversation as we walked into the restaurant.  Out server April immediately recognized us, noted the missing member of out trio, and asked why we had not been there in three weeks.  Impressive!  In a sentence she made us feel welcome and missed.  We told her or conversation topic.  She said thanks for recognizing it.

Today's question is:
"How good is your customer recognition?"

365QOD- Day897

" Two out of three?" -a request made after a loss

I started reading a new book called Big Dog by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  The book discusses the science of winning and losing.  In the book there are couple of case studies that highlight reactions. 

The first study forced novices to in one day learn how to skydive and to make three jumps.  The study collected saliva stress data before and after each jump.  Interestingly, the stress level after each jump reduced by 25%.  By the third jump the stress level reduced to a level we experience if we at late and stuck in traffic.

In a second study seasoned dancers were monitored using the same type of saliva samples during a ballroom competition.  Some of the dancers had  been practicing and competing for more than a decade.  Their bodies have in a sense memorized the movements.  The interesting find was that their levels did not go down like the skydiving case.

So what was the difference?  The difference was that the ballroom dancers were in a competition against others and the skydivers were simply focused on what they needed to do. 

Competition is great for forcing us to raise our level but as the study shows creates a great amount of stress even in seasoned competitors.The key is to learn how to completely relax during competition.  The authors of The Power of Full Engagement book claimed that how quickly tennis players relaxed between points made the difference between being a winner or a good player.

Today's question is:
"How do you respond to competition?"

365QOD- Day896

"X is our company value"- usually empty words

I have worked for companies that make statements in this form about what they believe they truly value.  Amazingly they value X until it costs them too much and then they change it. Some companies truly follow their value but those are rare.

One of the companies that follows their values is Southwest.  Recently, while listening to an audio book I heard that every potential employee is given a personality test.  They have to score at a certain level to be given employment.

The personality test that Southwest administers measures the strength of these seven values:
1. Cheerfulness
2. Optimism
3. Decision making skills
4. Communication
5. Team spirit
6. Self starter
7. Self confidence

Most interviews that I have conducted try to establish whether the person is intrinsically or externally motivated.  They never go deep into what the person values.

Today's question is:
"What personality traits does your company reward?"

365QOD- Day895

"Was a root cause analysis done?"- Bill Brown

The other day I sat in a meeting during which we discussed how our team has been modifying the process of satisfying our customers requests.  The meeting was an eye opener.

During the meeting a discussed how we have transitioned from equipment replacement in kind to improvement in kind.  We have been questioning our customers as to what their issues are with their current design.  Then our new philosophy evolved into considering alternative solutions.

So we felt pretty good about our evolution.  By we also noticed that our costs typically were going up.  This is not a bad consequence if our customer's problem is eliminated and the replacement cycle extended.

However, while talking about a specific job Bill asked whether a root cause was identified.  We all looked at each other signaling no.   In other words, we purchased an expensive piece of equipment that will hopefully resolve the problem but it also might not.  Maybe all we did was delay the reappearance of the problem?

Immediately we decided that confirming that the root cause has been identified should be our first step.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you are solving the right problem?"

365QOD- Day894

"Where is it that you do not want to be in five years?"- a great question

A few weeks ago I read an article on interviewing in Inc. magazine.  This is one of the suggested questions to ask a prospective hire.  Why? Most people do not have a canned answer for it.

I also feel it is a great question but maybe for a different reason.  I believe it is a great question to ask ourselves at least once a month.  Where do you want to be in five years and equally important where you do not want to be?

I believe that most people will answer quickly by saying not here.  But that is not really a good answer.  It is not specific enough for you to tell where you actually want to be. Usually the opposite of what you do not want is what you really  want.

You have to clearly identify it as something definite that you do not want.  Remember that God has a sense of humor, so if you are not clear you will get something that has elements of what you want with elements of what you do not want.

Today's question is:
"Where is it that you do not want to be in five years?"

365QOD- Day893

"A man once told Buddha, 'I Want Happiness. ' Buddha replied, ' First, remove the 'I'; that is ego. Then remove the 'Want'; that is desire.  And now all you're left with is Happiness'" - wisdom

I read this quote this morning and immediately saw the wisdom.  We often want things without knowing the reason.

By parsing the sentence, the teacher illustrates that the true need is buried deep in the request. Once the ego is removed you see the action 'want happiness.'  Then when one removes the desire  the action is no longer needed.  What we are left with is the true need: Happiness. This is a need that can be fulfilled simply by being.

Rewrite the story with 'I want a new watch' and remove the ego and desire and all that is left is new watch.  But is it the watch or the ability to tell time that is the true need?  If it is the watch then it is most likely not a need but a fashion want.  If it is the ability to tell time then a phone or an inexpensive watch will fulfill the need.

In the end, the two stories teach us to make sure to strip away everything but the true need.

Today's question is:
"How do you determine a true need?  "

365QOD- Day892v2

"Fast and roughly right decision-making will replace deliberations that are precise but slow"- Rita Gunther McGrath

I am not a perfectionist.  Sometimes I do take time to make up my mind but that is unusual.  I can be swayed by a good argument because I believe that I am wrong until proven otherwise.

From my recent readings on decision making, we should always make sure we have at least two good options to choose from and towards which we are not biased.  But once we have those two choices then we need to pull the trigger and make a decision.

The decision that we make will at times need adjusting but we  should believe enough in ourselves that we can make those adjustments.  The key words in this quote us to aim for a fast decision that is "roughly right " and proceed.

Today's question is:
"How do you make your decisions fast and roughly right?"

365QOD- Day892

"The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving"- Oliver Wendel Homes

In older posts I have referred to the idea of where we are at any moment as our current state.  By that I mean the level at which we are along different dimensions such as: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, interpersonal, focus, discipline, urgency, etc.

The quote above warns that more than the state, which is never ideal, we should focus on the direction we are moving in. For example, if I have not been working out much then my state might be a 3 out of 10. Now I can settle for that level or figure out how to nudge myself to a 4.

The key is to not be content with your current state and to always have a plan on how to move yourself from your current state= current equilibrium.  just by moving a but you might reach a better equilibrium that is much much better than where you are currently.

Today's question is:
"How do you move yourself from your current state?"

365QOD- Day891

"Don't fill your ego, fill your bank account"-James Malichak

I believe that for most of us money is the great motivator.  Without it, I doubt that many of us would show up for work.  But this quote addresses a different need.

I believe that working for a living fills a survival need.  It is a physical need.  We no longer have to hunt to put food on our table or purchase clothing so work is the way we fill these needs.  

The need to feed the ego is different.  You want to do something because it makes you feel important.  You do something not for a true need but to feed the ego.

To me the ultimate test is whether something puts money in my pocket.  If it does not, then it must feed the ego. As an example,  if I write books and they do not sell then I am feeding the ego.  if I write a blog and no one reads it then I am doing it for my ego.

Today's question is:
"Are you feeding your ego or your bank account?"

365QOD- Day890

"Success = Mindset + Skillset+ Get of your Assets "- James Malichak

This equation is made up of three components. According to James they are all important in order for one to experience success. Lets break them down.

What we think and how we think makes up our mindset.  It is the setting of our mind to do something or not do it.  Without the correct mindset we might do the wrong things.

Skillset is whether we know how to do the things we want to accomplish.  If there is an ability gap then we have to be wise enough to find the training and be willing to take advantage of it to shrink the gap.

The success magic only occurs once the third component is present.  We can sit on our assets and think and think but that does not make things happen.  Thinking for planning pulses is important but you still have yo take action on your plan.

In my opinion, success is based on the following percentages:  the get of your assets is 60%, 20% for mindset, 20% for skillset.

Today's question is:
"How do you make yourself get of your assets?"

365QOD- Day889

"It is my birthday..it is my birthday"- my first words today

Today is my birthday.  I turned 47.  Another 54 years to go.  Not even half way.

Did I do anything special?  I went to work and went out to dinner.  Not bad...

What made the day memorable was the yearly pause I do.  I pause to think about if the gap between where I am and where I want to be is getting smaller or larger.  The answer this year is that it is smaller.  What this means that the direction is correct but the speed might need to be increased.  In physics the combined term that is used for these two concepts is velocity.

Today's question is:
"Are your direction AND speed correct?"

365QOD- Day 888

"Ability is what you are capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it."-Lou Holtz

This was a quote on a wall in my first office.  I recently found it and stopped to think about it. Quickly I realized that all three are important. Why?

Without ability or the plan to develop your capabilities you will not do the things you want to do.  It takes wisdom and willingness to take a look at yourself and understand what you are capable of and what are your gaps that need closing.

Without motivation we tend to not want to move forward.  The biggest secret to motivation is to do something small towards your goal.  Amazingly that little motion will motivate you to take the next small step.

The last piece is the attitude.  If you are unsure of your abilities or feel lack of motivation you will not have the best attitude to strive forward.   You have to believe you can and be willing to take the small step.  The last ingredient is the secret sauce.  Without the best 'I can' attitude you will not succeed even if you have the ability and motivation.

Today's question is:
"How would you rate your ability, motivation, and attitude in your current endeavor?(on a scale of 1 worst to 10 best  ) "

Imho you need at least a score of 27 to succeed.

365QOD- Day 887

"What is the opposite of the mastery curve called?"-my question to a coworker

Carrie walked in and told me a story about a movie called Perfect Senses.  In the movie people deal with the loss of one sense at a time.

While she was telling me the story I kept visualizing the challenges.  Immediately I saw each loss as a step down.  With each step, the person goes through a brief rough patch, even dips below the step, and eventually rests on the plateau.

This is the reverse of what George Leonard wrote about in his book Mastery. As the person rises in levels they experience a rise above the plateau level with eventually resting on the plateau.  On the path to mastery the plateaus get longer and longer with smaller step changes between levels.

For the opposite idea, I can imagine with each loss, the plateau would also get longer.  Maybe the loss of taste is not as critical as loss of hearing.  Maybe the loss of hearing is not as bad as loss of vision, etc.

So what is the opposite of mastery stair steps? The word I came up with is coping steps.  You are adjusting to losses.

Today's question is:
"Are you coping or mastering?"

365QOD- Day886

"If you think training people and having them leave is bad, try not training them and having them stay"-unknown

I have worked for companies that believed in training and others that did not. I believe that most companies fall into the second group. 

I believe that most companies these days want employees that will show up on day one and be ready to run without ever being instructed on how to walk in their system. This only sets the person up for failure.  The company might get some work out of the employee but is it quality work?

In my world, I believe that at least five percent of an employee's time should be spent training.  Initially it should start at 100 percent for week one and by the end of the year it should go down to that 5 percent.  The training has to be structured and planned not just dependent on the people in similar roles.

So why don't companies do that currently? As the quite instructs, they believe that the person will not work there long enough to make it worth their while. This is why you have to fight for the training you need to b4 effective in your job.

Today's question is:
"How much do you value on the job training?"

365QOD- Day885

"The choices we make, not the chances we take, determine our destiny"- Unknown

While visiting a coworker I noticed a new poster with this caption.  I had to write it down before I continued to my meeting.

I believe that the key is the middle portion.  To me,  it instructs to not take chances but to be strategic with the choices we make.  In the end the choices will be our destiny.

However,  at times we do not know the right choice and we have to take a chance.  This is ok for a few decisions but it can not be  the method by which we select the majority of our decision choices.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe that choices or chances are more important to shaping your destiny?"

365QOD- Day884

"Fearcast"- new word\
I was listening to an audio book on happiness when I heard this word.  It is a weird that combines the words fear and forecast into a single word.

The word emphasizes fear.  It made me wonder how often our future forecasts are based on fear.  If they are, then we are setting ourselves us for failure.

Why? In my opinion when you focus on fear then you are wasting energy towards that instead focusing it on the solution.  As Henry Ford said, if you think you can or if you think you can't, you are right.  My version is, if you fear it, our you gear it not, you are right. 

Today's question is:
"Do you focus on the fear or on the solution?"

365QOD- Day883

"Now tear my idea and design apart"- my words of encouragement

The other day I sat in a park with a few friends.  One of my friends is a design expert.

A couple of years ago I shared a design idea with him for a product.  He told me why the idea did not make sense.  Immediately I could tell that what he was telling me would not work in the marketplace.

So for the last two years I have been working on the concept from different angles. I now believe that I am close to the final version of the concept before I manufacture it.  With this in mind, I asked Nikolai for his opinion by asking him to be brutal.

He questioned me as to why I believed in the idea.  We brainstormed some names for the product.  But never did he express his disapproval or doubt of success.  Even after he left the group he send me a text encouraging me to pursue it.

I now believe my idea is ready for the market.  It took two years of simmering for it to cook properly.

Today's question is:
"How do you know when your idea has reached the perfect time for execution? "

365QOD- Day882

" Hapifork, an electronic fork that vibrates and lights up when you're eating too fast connects via USB to your computer our via wireless to your smart phone to track your eating habits"- Entrepreneur magazine 6/13

I have a problem when I eat. The speed with which I consume my meals is too fast.  Often times my stomach has no chance to recognize that I am full until it is too late.

This invention is brilliant.  It brings you into the now so that you can note your eating speed and provides a record of it.  You can then study yourself and learn how to eat better.  What the idea also made me think was how we are starting to use more tools to help us to do better. 

Why is it that I need a vibrating fork?  Because I am not aware at those moments.  That should be my focus.  The tool could over time make me realize that I am eating too fast and too much but it can not make me aware.  In a sense over time I should use the fork reminders less and less.

Today's question is:
"What tool could you use to make you more aware of your habits?  "

365QOD- Day881

"If you ask the wrong question, the answer does not matter.  Dare to risk- because in the new world, risky is the new safe."- Randy Gage author of Risky is the New Safe

This blog is based on the premise of generating great questions to ask oneself.  I usually formulate the question after the post has been written so that it is relevant.  Hopefully, I am not asking the wrong question.

The idea of asking the wrong question is very interesting to me.  I believe that it is possible to reach a wrong conclusion and based on that ask the wrong question.  Maybe it is more than that?

I believe that, as the book title indicates, another way you can ask the wrong question is by playing it safe.  By asking the wrong question you might not want to rock the boat.  You do not want the other affected people to feel threatened by your question. So you settle four the ready question.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you did not ask the wrong question?"

365QOD- Day880

"Competing commitments- this is when one of or conscious goals bumps into one of our unconscious beliefs and it is quietly but brutally clobbered by it."-Robert Kegan

I believe that underneath us all is a very complex machine.  It records evening it hears, sees, tastes, etc. Our minds are perfect recorders.

Once this data comes in, the three layers of the brain process the data.  Some of the information is new and must be either accepted or rejected. This is where the quote above comes into play.

Over time we form our unconscious beliefs.  They are the iceberg underneath the sea.  We can see the top of the iceberg(conscious ) but underneath might rest more than 80 percent of it(unconscious).

The unfortunate part for us that the unconscious will kill off new information that does not fit with current beliefs.  The only way to overcome this is to continuously expose yourself to new data and hope that over time your brain will see the benefit of this new information to start believing it.

Today's question is:
"How do you expose yourself to new data?"

365QOD- Day879

"Most people only half-heartedly decide they want a lot of things. You have to get really clear on what you really want.  The question is how badly do you want it?- Steve Siebold

This quote offers wonderful advice. We tend to want lots of things.  But want is different than need.
I believe the decision has to be full-hearted.  With every fiber you must want it.  Enough to sacrifice something else for it. Then it is a need.

What?  If you believe that you can have it all without giving up something, then you are doing things half -hearted.  You only have so many minutes in a day to squeeze it all in.

Always figure that one for one you must give up an equal time user to get a new want.  Otherwise you are playing mind games with yourself.

Today's question is:
"How do you know that you have made a want truly full hearted? "

365QOD- Day878

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear- not absence of fear"- Mark Twain

I think that delaying is misunderstood.  Most people believe that delay is most often because a person is considering many options.  I do not.

To me, delaying is fear.  If you make a decision you have to trust yourself to be able to adapt your strategy if your choice is not working out the way you think it should.  You believe more in yourself than the fear.  To me that is the definition of courage.

However, as the quote advises, you might still have fear but you are mastering it by believing in your ability to overcome the obstacles.  You believe that you are bigger than your obstacles.

Today's question is:
"How do you make yourself believe in yourself?"

365QOD- Day877

"We should never do one on one training"-Mike

The other day we had 40 team members in a meeting.  During the meeting we discussed many topics and training came up.  My ears perked up.

The topic is of interest to me.  I love one on one training but I also realize that it creates an interesting problem.  I explained it to them.

Suppose I want to train someone to the best of my ability.  The trainee will only know at most 80% of what I know about the topic. 

Suppose the same employee decides to train a new team member.  That person gets 80% of what my trainee learned.  By second generation of one on one training that person only knows 64% ( .8 *.8=.64)of what I know.

Unless my trainee goes out of their way to get from 80 to 100% then they will pass on the gap to their trainee.  So we have to be aware enough to realize after training we must do some self training.  In my opinion, a good rule is that you should spend equal amount to what it takes to do the original training to self train yourself.

When the group gets the training together then the combined effect is only 80 of what the trainer is capable of and the self training takes less time.

Today's question is:
"What training gaps have you not filled?"

365QOD- Day876

"Be confident and take risks, because if you're not going to, someone else is."- Zach Schau Pure fix cycles

One of the labels that I use in my blog is the I am label.  In it I discuss the words for each letter that I say out loud to myself.  The B word that I want to be more of is Bold.

The quote above is another way to define bold.  To me it says, either you do it or someone else will be bold to take action.  Although, in the quote action is called risk.

I believe that we all take risks.  For most of us we tend to want to reduce risk and just survive.  It is within our prehistoric nature to want to reduce risk and that we minimize it to the point that we guarantee our survival.

But this risk avoidance is risky. It does not improve us or stretches us to new territory.  This risk avoidance limits our success potential. Another way to say it is, "No risk= No reward"

Today's question is:
"Are you bold enough to increase your risk level?  "

365QOD- Day875

"I would have more money, if I would have a plan" - Jim Rohn's response

When his mentor questioned the lack of plan, Jim responded with this little comeback.  But then his mentor said, "If you have a plan, then you would have the money."

Why am I bringing this up?  It seems to me that often we want A then B to happen But in reality it is B then A.  It makes me wonder how often this is true.

A great example is whether action precedes motivation or does being motivated lead to action.  I believe that we must act and that then motivation will come.  It never works the other way around.

Today's question is:
"what is one if A then B scenario that could be completely wrong?"

365QOD- Day874

"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today.  As of this second, quit doing less than excellent work " - Thomas J. Watson

Long time ago I listened to a book by Jim Rohn in which he makes a statement that change only takes a second but that moment often takes a lifetime to get to. This statement by Watson immediately reminded me of it.

Even though one of the quotes talks about change and the other about quality they are both talking about a decision.  A decision to choose. To choose a better way over an easy path.

What drives that decision?  I believe that events can force us or we can evolve beyond our current state.  My definition of a state is the level you have reached in physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc. dimensions.

In my world we are always better off choosing and thus evolving rather to be forced by circumstances.

Today's question is:
"How do you evolve beyond your state?"

365QOD- Day873

" To achievers are improvisers  not perfectionists.  If you want to create more success in your life you have to move forward not knowing all the answers "- Douglas Vermeeren

We all love certainty.  When we come up with an idea then our baby must be perfect.  This in the end leads to frustration and eventual stopping of any forward momentum.

The wisdom in this quote is to realize that success is most often a road with many places where you will have to improvise.  Knowing this means that you hasn't to be comfortable being uncomfortable.  It is like moving into the dark without any light in front of you.

So forget about certainty and keep moving forward into the uncomfortable. Stop seeking perfection and enjoy the forward motion.

Today's question is:
"Can you move forward into uncertainty?"

365QOD- Day872

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life"- poet Mary Oliver

How many of us would classify our lives as wild?  Probably even less of us are aware how precious life is truly.

For me the second part is easy.  I believe it deeply.  I realize that each day a gift that I was given that at the end of the day gets thrown away.  I have 20000 presents left to enjoy.

The first part of the quote caused me to pause.  My life is anything but wild.  I live a pretty simple life.  Most people would even classify it as somewhat boring.

Maybe I am missing many things by the way I live?  Maybe I need to introduce a bit of the wild in my day to day to feel the effect of it.

Today's question is:
"Do you see your life as wild and precious?"

365QOD- Day871

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone"- Pablo Picasso

I read this quote the other day in a group of 50 success quotes.  Ever since I read it, I could not get it out of my mind. Here are some of my thoughts about it.

I believe that we tend to spend most of or lives in two time modes: yesterday-now and now-tomorrow.  The only thing that those two modes have in common is the now.  Unfortunately, we tend to forget this.

Our lives are either spent reliving the past or planning for the future.  But the magic only occurs in the now. This why it is a'present'.

As the quote instructs we should not waste our time putting off our dreams till tomorrow because it might never come.  If it is that important to you then continue working on it today until you are spent. For if you are to die tonight, you would have done all you could towards completing it.

Today's question is:
"What dream are you willing to left undone forever?"

365QOD- Day 870

"Innovation is driven by questions that are original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive...  Coming up with the right question, the one that casts a familiar challenge in a new light, is an art and science in itself.  It demands that the questioner be able to look at existing reality from multiple viewpoints, including, perhaps most importantly, that of the' naive outsider'"-Warren Burger author of Glimmer

As you know, this blog is all about reading, pausing to think, and asking questions.  This quote is very informative on how to ask the right question.

To break it apart:  it has to
1 to be original, bold, counterintuitive, and perceptive
2 to cast a new light on a familiar challenge
3 to question existing reality
4 consider multiple viewpoints
5 bring the freshness of an naive outsider

Do you need all of these?  Probably not all but most would make it great.  I can see at least three out of five criteria.

Today's question is:
"How do you know you are asking the innovative questions?"

365QOD- Day869

"Bad strategy"- my observation

I love to watch NBA playoffs.  This years finals were especially interesting.

The two teams went back and forth winning games.  In each game you can see the strategic changes they made to overcome the other team's strengths from previous games.

The last game came down to the last minute with each team having a chance at winning the championship. It was a nail biter.  My choice, the Spurs, lost.

Why did they lose?  Bad strategy.  Even in a close game strategy is the difference maker. 

One of the Spurs players, Green, was hot for most of the playoffs.  He even set a record for most three point shots.  So the team wanted him to be hot in game seven.  It never happened.  He had an off night. In first half of the game he missed ten shots.

So why am I writing about this? In my opinion a team needs to have a game strategy BUT be adaptive enough to recognize what is different this time vs. the past.  The Spurs believed that Green would be hot but he wasn't.  They believed that James could not hit the point shots when he is not contested. He did 4 in a row.  They believed that Wade could not hit jumpers.  He did.

The Spurs needed a trigger for their strategy.  If Green misses 5 on a row, take him out.  If James his three in a row, put a hand in his face. And so on.

Darwin never said that the strongest survive. Spurs were the stronger and deeper team.  He did say that the most adaptive survive. Miami Heat were more adaptive.  They won.

Today's question is:
" Do you use triggers to force you to be more adaptive?"

365QOD- Day868

"Too much consistency inevitably leads to a plateau where weaknesses ossify and improvement becomes harder."- Scott Young

In past posts I have written about the power of a routine.  The power of routines is that they become automatic and do not require much conscious thinking to get things done.

But to grow we must stretch.  We have to constantly put ourselves in situations where we disrupt our routines, push the limits to a new limit, and get out of our comfort zone. So what is the sweet spot between routine and stretching?

Scott Young in his 99U presentation offers a way of striking a balance between routine and true growth. His suggestions are:"
1. Purposely taking on projects to learn new skills.
2. Setting "deep focus" hours to consciously push your skill set forward.
3. Instead of changing your habits, changing your environment in order to force habit change and learning
"
In my world, I believe that 20 percent of or time must be spent stretching and 80 should be spent developing routines.

Today's question is:
"What is the right balance between routine and stretching for you? "

365QOD- Day 867

"Fortes fortuna adiuvat " - Latin version of fortune favors the bold

In 2008 many people felt the economy collapsing around them.  Some people choose to start businesses.   Was it fear?  Was it having a great idea?  An Inc. magazine study reveals the reasons why people started their businesses.

In a story titled No Time Like the Present they report that 4 percent of founders cited job loss as reason for starting a business.  This seems low but maybe being forced to do something is not big enough of a reason to start a business.

Second group, 50 percent, believed that their idea will succeed even in economic downturn.  In other words the idea moved them forward toward executing it even if timing was not perfect.

Last group, 46 percent, recognized the gamble and could not resist seizing the opportunity.  I would say they were afraid but did it anyway because they believed it to be worth it in the end.

After reading this story I believe that the recipe is to be bold, 96 percent, brings favors from fortune.  Bold execution is everything. 

Today's question is:
"Do you move boldly toward things you want?"

365QOD- Day866

"How we hold our bodies affects our minds ,confidence, and our performance.  For instance, if you stand up straight and walk with purposeful long strides, it will make you feel more assured and powerful"- A.J. Jacobs

Amen! I believe this to be very true.  No doubt  whatsoever. But there is a problem.

I do not always follow this advice.  I slouch. My back is getting strained unnecessarily.  In the past I have had neck pain so bad that I had to take pain killers and do physical therapy.

So if I know this, why is it that I do not just do what I know.  The gap is somewhere in my mind. My brain knows that poor posture leads to problems.  The back and neck know how it feels when I do not walk purposely.  The only thing left is the mind. 

The mind must be controlling the brain and body for whatever reason.  I have to retrain my mind by walking purposely.  In my opinion I have to catch myself and correct myself continuously until I close the t gap.

Today's question is:
"How would you retrain your mind to eliminate a gap?"

365QOD- Day865

"Is it?" -my question to myself

On my wall is a sign that states,"The Year of The App".  Besides publishing an app a few months ago I have not been working on any new ones lately.

Because I often like to tackle many things I periodically have to ask myself, "Is it still important?" Or even better, "Why am I creating this product?"

Amazingly enough when I read article on 99u.com the founder of Jawbone Hosain Rahman he asks himself these same two questions.  It is his way of cutting though the noise and a way to revisit his core principles.

My answer about the apps is yes and that once I am done with my next two projects I will spend the last three months creating new apps.  I do need to change my sign to The Year of Some Apps.
Today's question is:
"How do you decide what is still important? "

365QOD-Day864

"What happens after the 'I did it' moment? "- Joshua Davis

After experiencing great success Joshua became uninspired.  The way he described it at 99u conference speech is, "That moment of being amazed by the unknown had left me."

Joshua felt the "sluggishness of the comfortable". In my opinion this is a very dangerous place to be.

During a meeting once I uttered the words, "when you feel comfortable, it is time to get uncomfortable." My then boss loved it and stated quoting it in larger meetings.

I happen to work in a chemical plant. Getting comfortable in a chemical plant is just plain stupid.  It is like working on to of a time bomb.  It is not whether it well go off, it is a Mayer of when it will go off.  We have a lot of procedures that force us to ask tough questions of ourselves when making changes.  Amazingly, even with all those procedures things always get missed.

Today's question is:
" How do you overcome the sluggishness of bring comfortable?"

365QOD- Day863

"1000 days out of 21000 "- my countdown

6/7/13 is the 1000th day since I awoke.  My countdown started on 9/12/10 in a bar while
on a solo vacation in Florida.  I decided that I wanted to live 21000 days- till 101.

Recently, I spent a day reflecting on the changes since that day.  As a matter of fact most are probably chronicled in previous posts.

In the last 1000 days I have:
Ran in several 5I, 10k, 20k(13.1mi) races
Changed jobs
Got promoted
Moved from Indiana to Texas
Continued writing my blog
Published a second book
(Finishing my third book)
Taught myself how to create apps
Published an app
Vacationed for a month overseas
Etc.

They have been busy 1000 days.  Maybe I could and should have done more?

I spent some time thinking about my next checkup.  Should I review my life every 1000, 500,250,200, or 100 days? Should it be at the end of a month or end of year only.

I concluded that yearly is too long. 500 or 1000 are also too long. Similarly, I also believe that for me it needs to be in terms of days and not months.

So, I have decided that every 200 days(a but longer than six months) to stop for a day and do a review of my life. During the review not only review the successes but also the failures. I will also review if I am on the path to achieving the big goals in my life.  The day will be spent reflecting.

Today's question is:
"How often do you reflect on your life? "

365QOD- Day862

"Sometimes we are forced into actions we ought to have found ourselves"- Bob Hopkins in Maid in Manhattan

While resting last Saturday I heard this line on TV as I was flipping channels.  What a great line!

We experience life.  Often we settle for what we get from others.  Sometimes we even have the strength to demand what we want.

However, this line indicates that at times we are forced to do something that we should be grown enough to do but have refused.  We might have thought about doing something but it did not translate into action.  In other words we gave ourselves an out.  The actions of others forced us into action.

" Can you make yourself to do something without others forcing you to do it? "

365QOD- Day861

"Overnight sensation" - an oxymoron

When I read a story about an overnight sensation I am doubtful that it is true.  This was the case the other day.

I noticed a story about a mathematician who published a solution to a difficult problem dealing with prime numbers that many great mathematicians failed to solve.

Dr. Zhang graduated with a doctorate but failed to get an academic position.  He worked as an accountant and in a Subway.  His life does not follow in a traditional path of a great mathematician.

The article also said something else that made me think.  It claimed that when one examines his work it is not that he was inspired and that it had a spark of greatness.  The article claimed that his work showed great persistence in applying existing methods and that other mathematicians failed to apply.  In other words he outworked them while they waited to be inspired.

It is a great story that illustrates that sometimes we might just need to persevere through our work instead of looking for a spark of genius.

Today's question is:
"Can you outwork most of your coworkers?"

365QOD- Day860

" I am leaving. "- Greg

Today I had a meeting with Greg.  He is a young chemical engineer that works in our chemical plant.

Before the meeting he told me that he is leaving.  The energy market is very hot so I would not be surprised if he left for a better deal.  So I asked him where he is going.  His response was surprising, "California, to join a startup".

Those words would imply he had landed a job but not in Greg's world.  He wants to go out to California and look around for a startup to join.  He figures he can always go back to a chemical plant.

Being a young and single gives Greg the flexibility to be aggressive about his future.  It is wise that he wants to see what else the world has to offer.  If he would have stayed he would have become a better process engineer but by leaving he will learn how to be an entrepreneur.

I wish his future to be brighter than he believes it will be.

Today's question is:
" How far on a limb could you go out on?"

365QOD- Day859

" Be quiet, I am catching up on my ultradian rhythm" a joke

What are ultradian rhythms?  Ultradian rhythms are mini mind and body breaks that one strategically takes during the day.

Our bodies need nourishment and rest to perform properly.  Without proper nutriment every 90-120 minutes they start getting hungry and the longer we go without feeding it we are more likely to overeat.  So when we override the 90-120 minute natural cycle we tend to do things that we should not.

Same thing goes for or minds.  If your mind does not take a mental break every 90-120 minutes it does not stay sharp.  It will start making mistakes more frequently.

Putting this together would mean that every hour and a half or two hours we should grab something light to eat and rest by closing our eyes and stilling our mind.

Today's question is:
" Could you take a 10-15 minute break mentally and physically every 90 -120 minutes"

365QOD- Day858

"I stand on the shoulders of giants"- giving credit

My first book, The Result, is a true story.  The idea that you always get a result and not to call it failure or success comes from Tony Robbins.  So my book is an application of the idea.

This morning I was reading an article on 99u.com site that discusses the idea of plateaus on the path to mastery.  The author does a good job of describing the types of personalities and their behavior when confronted by a plateau.

Unfortunately the author does not give credit for the idea originator.  If you get a hold of the book Mastery by George Leonard you will discover the the identical types.  The only difference is that George applied them generally while the author applied it to tennis.

The reason I bring this up is not to put down the author.  It is for us to realize and credit a source.  Maybe I did not communicate the giant as well as I should for my book?  I have to go back and re-read a part of my book.

Today's question is:
" Whose shoulder does your idea stand on?"

365QOD- Day857

"How may I help my customer?"-a great question

While looking through Success magazine in a bookstore I read through the adds for new books.  One of the books was called Youtility by Jay Baer.

In order to stand out and to create brand loyalty, the book suggests asking yourself questions in order to determine if you are:
"1. Giving your customers useful information through your website
2. Respond quickly to questions and concerns posted  on social media
3. Offer suggestions that are helpful to your existing and potential audiences"

For me  I believe that this blog gives useful information.  So I would give myself a high mark.  Maybe an 8 out of 10.

I usually do not give timely responce to comments.  I intend the posts to make you think for yourself and not open the door for arguing the validity of my opinion.  So maybe a 3. ( I answer text messages)

The questions are my suggestions for stirring additional thinking to take place. I believe that I do a good job. Maybe an 8.

Overall, I give myself 19 out of possible 30.  This is not an impressive score.  I immediately know what I can do better at to improve my brands helpfulness score.

Today's question is:
" How do you help your customers?"

365QOD- Day856

"pearls.com" - cool site name

While looking through a magazine I speed a story about pearls.com. It is a site that provides access to experts to answer your question.

The suite does a review of the person's qualifications so that the answer is valid.  It provides that access for a fee.

Many years ago I was teaching a business class on ebusiness.  During the class I offered an idea that people and businesses would be willing to pay to get an answer to a difficult problem.

Sometimes businesses do not know how to solve a problem.  If a site could assure quality, like pearls.com, then people can bid on solving the problem.  This would open it up worldwide, reduce the cost, and increase the quality.

I still think that there is validity to making the process open to bids from several people.

Today's question is:
" Would you pay someone to solve a business problem you are struggling with?"

365QOD- Day855

" We are sitting here - one is reading your book, the other is reading your blog" - text response

Yesterday I texted my kids, Stefani and Milan, to see what they were doing.  What came back was the above response.

It made my century.  As a parent the only thing I wish for is for them to become great people.  To be the kind of people others want to be like.  In the end to be the best Stefani and the best Milan they can become.

For my children to read my book and my blog tells me that they are still willing to learn.  Even greater is that they are willing to learn from me.  It inspires me to do better myself. 

THANKS Stefani and Milan. Stay teachable.

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

365QOD- Day854

"That scares me to death." -often heard

When I was young I was afraid of heights.  Anything above ground was too high.  If I had to stand on a balcony I felt my legs full of fear.  I could not lean over.

Over time I have managed to overcome this fear.  Now I can comfortably sit and lean over the edge on a balcony and never fear it.

At work I can climb large structures and never feel scared.  How did I overcome the fear?  I believe that just getting older and realizing that it is an unfounded fear.  Maybe exposing myself to heights?  I have never jumped from a plane or bungee jumped but I believe I could do it.

My last fear is snakes.  I have never held a snake without fear.  Maybe I need to overcome it?

Today's question is:
" What is a current fear that you have? "

365QOD- Day853

" Always look for at least one more option "- lesson I learned

I am currently working on a hot project.  The operations folks want to buy a replacement in kind for a piece of equipment. 

Normally that is pretty easy to do.  I challenged my team by asking for an improvement in kind.  In other words, what issues can be eliminated by buying a better piece of equipment from the same manufacturer?

I was happy with myself.  I changed the whether decision into a better whether decision.  However,  my balloon was busted by a person when they asked me if the team had considered another technology. 

Because of the needs of the plant and making the transition quickly, we looked for a replacement from the current equipment manufacturer.  But the point is very valid.  We should have given ourselves a legitimate second option.  We did not.   This makes our decision quality poor.

Today's question is:
" How do you force yourself to add a valid second option to your decision?"

365QOD - Day852

" Great entrepreneurship is in the execution.  Rare does the initial idea dictate the outcome- perhaps never.  Success is about the thousands of ideas and decisions that are made along the way and the speed at which those insights are implemented according to customer needs and feedback." - Eric Paley

While reading an Inc. article by Eric I immediately saw the wisdom being offered.  It is about executing and getting feedback from your customers.

Unfortunately, we trend to live yo generate solutions for needs that are at best wants or non existent.  Eric urges entrepreneurs to:
"focus more on falling in love with the problems that want to solve rather than their initial ideas.  As founders dig deeply into that original hypothesis, they well learn, adapt, hit walls, adapt again, and build critical expertise that they never considered when starting out."

This is the main idea of my first book, The Result. It is not about the single idea.  It is not about the single moment that you generated it.  The process is very iterative and adaptive.  Eric advises to see the process as:  " Great entrepreneurs build their success over time, not in a single moment.  Ideas are static. Entrepreneurship is dynamic. "

Today's question is:
" Can you dynamically iterate and adapt your idea ?"

365QOD- Day851

"The opinion of one is so easy"- Carrie Mathews

I happen to be a leader who is not afraid to be wrong.  As a matter of fact I assume that I am wrong until proven right.

Unfortunately,  some other leaders choose to believe that their input is the only valid input.  As a matter of fact, they seek no input.

When leaders do not seek input they do not open themselves up to the wisdom of crowds.  Often those top down decisions fail.  Failure might not be immediate but it is eminent.  As the old saying goes, "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. " 

A manager who does not get input from his people is simply doomed to repeat the mistakes from the past.

Today's question is:
" How open are you to differing input from others?"

365QOD- Day850

" There are still many opportunities."- my conclusion

Recently I read about a company that found an innovative way to do email on mobile devices.  They replaced many of the email functions with Swypes.

They were recently bought for 110 millions.  Wow!

What this story teaches me is that there are some new opportunities that have been created by mobile devices.  We just have to keep or eyes open to how people work and how to make it easier for them.

Today's question is:
" How have things changed on mobile platforms for you and how can you turn that into an opportunity? "

365QOD- Day849

"My priorities are...."- not so easy to determine

I believe as individuals we often do not know what we want.  You would think that priorities would be easy and we can just say them.  Unfortunately they are not.

How about in the business world?  Should a company know its priorities?  The answer is of course.  This is often driven from the top executives.

While reading the book on decision making by the Heath brothers I learned of a study conducted by MIT.  In the study they asked executives what are their top 5-8 problems.  Easy enough.

A week later they came back and asked the executives to review their calendars.  Amazingly enough there were no activities on their schedule that connected to the problems they had identified a week before.  In other words, we can tell what we should be doing but it does not necessarily mean that we will do it.

Today's question is:
"Does your calendar reflect your priorities?"

365QOD- Day848

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

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who worked as a business consultant.   Our conversation eventually let to a story of a small company he had worked with through a change and quality improvement efforts.

The company was run by a father who wanted it done his way.  The owner had a son who was interested in the effort but his passion was sales.  He could sell anything.

The company had some quality issues with which my friend could give them a strategy to solve.  It was straight out of a textbook.

However, the effort to change never succeeded.  The owner could only see his way as the way to run the company.  In other words his approach was purely intellectual. The son was emotional about the sales but not about running the business. There was no clear path on which to place various success milestones along to guide them.

This story confirmed for me the wisdom of the Heath brothers book Switch.  In the book the rider ( intellectual ), the elephant ( emotion), and the path (mission) have to align. You must provide incentives on three path that aligns with your thinking and emotions.

My friend tried to connect those pieces for this business.  It is my belief that, without knowing the company, ultimately the company will fail. It was not flexible to adapt to new ways.

Today's question is:
" In your change efforts do you align the path, the rider, and elephant?"

365QOD- Day847

" Good for what horizon?"- my thought

Often times we just want to make a decision.  We just want to get over it.  In my opinion this is short term thinking

There exists a decision making technique called 10/10/10.  I believe it was originated by Suzy Welch.

In this technique you consider the effect of the decision
1. 10 minutes from now
2. 10 months from now
3. 10 years from now

Suppose you need to have an uncomfortable conversation with your boss.  10 minutes after the conversation you will still feel uncomfortable but you will be glad that it is over.  10 months from now you will most likely not worry about the effects of that decision.  10 years from now you will most likely now for for your boss and could care even less about this decision and conversation.  It seems
that decision making gets easier when you consider the different timeframes.

Today's question is:
"Do you consider the 10/10/10 effects of your decisions " 

365QOD- Day846

"Need at least two valid choices" - my conclusion

I am currently reading a book on decision making by Heath bothers.  In the book they mention a study of decision making. The study found that only five percent of the decisions involved three or more choices.  The other 95 percent were made up of two types: whether to do something or not(40), two choices(55).

Now it gets interesting. After some time has passed, the decisions got evaluated. Only six percent of the whether to do something or not were correct. 40 percent of the two choice decisions were correct.  Overall 46 out of the 95 percent were correct.

So about fifty percent of the decisions were correct.  What I learned from that story is that in order to improve we need to have at least two good valid options.

Today's question is:
"Do you have at least two valid options to choose from? "

365QOD- Day845

" A do not need your restlessness or your excitement.  A have enough Peter Pans, thank you very much.  What we need is a little more conviction in our difference makers. A need your focus, tort pluck, your courage. We need you to commit " - Jeff Goins

Many people are afraid of making a commitment.  They are interested but do not want to commit.

Without the commitment, a team suffers.  When the team members are not focused their efforts seem disjointed and not as effective. 

As the quote points out too many of us have excitement but no conviction.

Today's question is:
"Are you committed to your work? "

365QOD- Day844

"To 'know thyself' is hard work. Harder still is to believe that you, with all of your flaws, are enough- without checking in, tweeting an update, our sharing a photo a proof of your existence for the approval of your 791 followers. A healthy relationship with your devices is all about taking ownership of you're time and making an investment in your life. I'm not calling for any radical, Neo-Luddite movement here. Carving out time for yourself is as easy as doing one thing. Walk your dog. Stroll your baby. Go on a date- without your handheld holding your hand."  - James Victore

I love the line know thyself.  I have laid out a detailed outline of an autobiography.  It is intended for my kids to read and one day understand why I have made most of the choices in my life.

The second reason for writing a book like that is to spend some tome and truthfully examine myself and the choices I have made.  Maybe by knowing myself, I could make better choices in the future.

Today's question is:
"Do you know thyself?"

365QOD- Day843

" While this is obvious in retrospect, a  great easy to free up your time to work on something new is to give something up. Instead of optimizing every second of your day ( which is doable but very difficult to maintain), I believe the better option is to make a sacrifice"- Randall Degges

I have 168 hours each week.  You have three same amount.  We can try to squeeze as much as a can but eventually it will become unsustainable.

Since we can not make more hours then we have to figure out how to maker better hours.  By giving up some things that maybe have lost importance, we might gain enough time to pursue what is truly important to us.

Delaying a project is not the same a sacrificing. To me, sacrificing means to completely eliminate it from your future plans. that is the price for getting better hours.

Today's question is:
"What is on your schedule that could be sacrificed?"

365QOD- Day 842

" Building a moat: it takes time to digg the moat, but once established, it is nearly impossible to destroy." Steve Pavlina

The easiest way to think of a moat is the word advantage.  Steve continue in a blog post:
" If you stick to your chosen field long enough, it gets harder to fail with each passing year:
1. More people will be aware of your existence than when you first started. 
2. You'll have a bigger toolbox of strategies.
3. You'll have more clients and customers.
4. Your skills will increase.
5. You'll have more chances for fortunate opportunities to land on your plate. 
6. And you'll be committing against people with increasingly less experience than you have, relatively speaking."

I added the numbers for emphasis.  This quote wonderfully illustrates the benefits of sticking with something for a long time.  The advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages. 

Having worked in several industries I can tell you that the only disadvantage I can site is that you will be pigeonholed as that industry guy. When I left steel to go to academia I was asked why I wanted to do this. 

When I left academia to go into consulting and running a business I was asked why I wanted to leave academia.  When I left consulting and teaching to go back to industry I was asked why?

My moat is creative solution to problems.

To me industry is not important. Academia is not important.  What is important is the application of creativity to solving problems.

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

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?"