Another Road "Less Traveled"

Good Morning!

For many people is the US...this was a short week, with a really long weekend!

An extra few days for people to celebrate their thankfulness with a feast of excess...and then a marathon day of spending...

"Black Friday" is a brilliantly positioned marketing ploy that not only takes advantage of people being away from work...but also of the residual feelings of thankfulness to push sales...

Although I philosophically oppose it...there is a time to plant and a time to harvest...and that day is the perfect day for harvest!  People's attitudes are ripe for sales...and a retail organization that does not jump on the bandwagon is missing a great opportunity!

I wish I knew if the "Black Friday" conception and birth was unintentional and a simple evolution over time, or...if it was an intentional an systematic marketing and sales tactic built upon a brilliant observation and insight of an astute individual.

If it were the latter...I want to meet that person...

Yet I tend to believe the simpler explanation...more people were shopping on the Friday following Thanksgiving and stores took notice and responded accordingly..."forced evolution"

What exists now is that the retail world has leveraged our celebration of Thanksgiving...which we do with unbridled excess...into a day of increased sales...

Do you think that "Black Friday" would be different if we celebrated our thankfulness with a day of fasting?

Would we have a "Black Friday" at all?

This is an interesting aspect to ponder...because it can be telling about us!

This aspect points to the fact that there are actually two paths to success and happiness...

One is brought about by astute observation, insight and execution...(Black Friday was actually someone's idea)...

The other by following the ebbs and flow of life and by adjusting accordingly...(Black Friday just happened)

Many will argue that one takes time and the other takes less...

Others contend that the probability of success is higher with one over the other...

I do not believe that either of these contentions are true...

Success happens despite our efforts...or lack thereof!

The path of (note the preposition change) success and happiness is more like a tailored suit...

It is specific to the individual and not worn well by any other...

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I have been observing people at various levels (for some time) and became aware of an interesting pattern...

Many people believe that with position comes the license to talk more freely...saying what they want...

I am seeing more and more old people saying what is on their minds with total disregard for others' feelings...

I see teens "trash-talking" each other and their parents because they think it is a "right of adulthood!"

I see leaders exercising their authority and hurting others, ruining careers and wasting valuable organizational resources...

These deluded people have confused "right and responsibility!"

I fear that it is no loner a minority that acts like that and actually the behavior of all but a wise few!

Wisdom should lead a person to the correct behaviors more frequently...but is this happening?

Seeing young people misguided in their thinking and behavior is somewhat forgivable...they are stretching their wings...

Seeing adults allowing that behavior...is unforgivable...in that they are allowing this kind of behavior to continue...

Abusive talk is a very subtle and destructive form of "Bullying."

Disguised and many wrongly believe that it is protected by the 1sr Amendment...

What I know is that "Trash-talk is not by definition a right of "free speech."

It is actually a crime!

It is assault and battery...and should be recognized and punished appropriately...

I would love to see some of these abusive old men and ladies...teens and adults...serving 5 to 10 years for their nasty mouth!

For many of them (especially the old ones)...it would be a life (death) sentence...and although it sounds cruel...the world would be much better off for them being out of the picture!

Even the air wasted on their formation of words is wasted...and the oxygen they consume to continue to live...a waste!

Do you get my point?

I am really serious about this!
There is a path that many people wrongly believe..."that position has it privilege"...

In a way...they are right...but where they are wrong is when they believe that they can say and do things, to others, that is potentially hurtful...

Position does have its privileges and responsibility...but only when it does not infringe on others in ANY way!

First...simply being a human being requires us to treat others with respect and dignity...

Second...it requires us to build others up rather than destroy...

Third...it requires us to confront those who are abusive and diligently ensure that it never happens again...

Fourth...it requires us to keep our words brideled if we have nothing to say...

Our Founding Fathers created the standard for "right to freedom" as that which we can do without interfering with the rights of others or hurting others in ANY way...

You do not have a right to say what you want to say...if it infringes upon or hurts anyone else...

That my friend is against the law...

It is against the constitution...

Making it a felony!

By definition it is treason and a cause for revocation of the rights of US membership (citizenship)...

The problem is that we have grown complacent and allowed these people to get away with it!

My advice...If you have an aggressive nature...don't waste it...seek out these nasty people...young or old and take a stand in the defense of the abused...have fun!  Show them what damage they are doing!

Then go quiet!

If you are non-aggressive and more passive...step out of character and do the same...you have license to do what is right...stand up for the abused!

Enough said...

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The Disney movie "Bambi" has one good line in it...

Credit for it actually is given to a character who is never seen in the movie...

Thumper's dad...(a rabbit)

Thumper's mother references his dad and reminds him through an admonition...

"...Thumper?  What did your father tell you?"

...Thumper replies, "If you can't saying something nice...don't say anything at all!"

Think of how quiet and wonderful this world would be...if we followed that admonition!

It does however need to get a bit louder before it gets quieter...

We need to take that road less traveled and make noise and confront EVERY instance of verbal "bullying!"

Disrespect and "Trash-talk" has no value...it is total waste!

In terms of trash...there is nothing that can be recycled in it!

Creating those words...is totally destructive...

Apologizing does not take abusive and hurtful words said back!

Our stand, as a true leader, is to make this world...OUR WORLD...better for our having been here!

We need to do this with absolute consistency...and dedication...

We can no longer allow anyone to get away with abusive "Trash Talk"...and more important...we can not be guilty of it!

To be truly successful in this world...we have to make the world a better place...

Not only just physically...but psychologically...and intellectually...

There are few sojourners following this path...it is one of the roads...less traveled...

Courtesy...respect...or quiet!

The world would be so much more peaceful if we eliminated this environmental waste!

Stop "waste"-ing your speech...

Stop others when you see them wasting your air!  They are suffocating you very subtly!
If you can't say nothing nice...

PURA VIDA!

SPECIAL EDITION - What is there to be thankful for?

I know that it is not the weekend...but it feels like it!

It's Thanksgiving!

The Internet and all of the social networks are buzzing with HAPPY THANKSGIVING wishes...

It is heart-warming...but the superficiality of it also causes me to step back and think...

I don't believe that there is any other holiday that we celebrate that possesses the philosophical depth of Thanksgiving!

As I ponder the great wisdom writings...an interesting commonality arises...the futility of effort...and ultimately life itself...

As we look out at the world around us...good people suffer and bad people prosper...

It appears random...

Whether you pursue a life of purity and selflessness or one of pure selfishness and hoarding...it all ends in death...and both leave with exactly the same...

Life...is like chasing the wind...simply enjoy it!

If he were pressed, Maslow, would have to admit that whether a person is simply surviving or self-actualizing, they leave the world absolutely equal...

An interesting scorecard!

What then do we have to be thankful for?

I do not think that the answer lies in complexity...but in simplicity...

Life at its lowest level...

Thankfulness should spring from the basics and grow...recognizing the temporality of everything after the very basics of life...

Are you eating?

Do you have something to drink?

Can you go to sleep and do so peacefully and securely?

Do you have someone to carry on your name (and your legacy) after you have died?

Any Thanksgiving after that is simply recognizing the superficial gifts that we have fallen upon by chance...

We need to be thankful for the immediate fruits of our work...and the hope that what we stand for will continue into future generations...

EAT...DRINK...SLEEP...CHILDREN

These are things that we need to be truly thankful for...

All of the rest is no more meaningful than make-up on a Manichean!

Do not get me wrong...it is not bad to show appreciation and share our bounty...

It is wrong to think that we had anything to do with it!

These things are gifts...to an undeserving hoard...

In the end...the scorecard is erased and the game is tied!

I am simply thankful for today and the fact that I awoke from a peaceful rest...as I retire each night, my heart and mind has no anxiety for what tomorrow could hold for my actions of the past...

I am blessed with a bounty of food...and drink...especially fresh water!

and finally...

My children have the seeds of my thoughts, hopes and aspirations...deeply embedded in their soul...and I trust that they will use them in the ways that they see best fit!

I am truly blessed not because of my past or present...but one one gift and one gift alone...

HOPE!

We are directed by the "wise who came before us" to seek knowledge, understanding and wisdom...

Let me add to that another great gift...hope!

I am thankful for those things that I have that keep me in this life...food, drink and children...

I am thankful for the opportunity to seek wisdom, knowledge and understanding and it is this greatest gift...hope that carries me into tomorrow!

Have a happy thanksgiving!

Share this with everyone you know...

Focus our world on those things we need to be thankful for!

If it is Important Enough for You to have to Say Something About it...

Good Morning...

You have crossed this week's finish line...and found yourself a winner!

What a glorious feeling!

You may not have taken "the Gold," but you know that you have done everything possible to achieve what you achieved!!!

NO?

There are lingering thoughts?

Regrets?

Excuses?

You wish "someone would step up and fix"...?

I watch the vast majority of people complaining...or worse yet...

...Thinking that they are consultants....Thinking that their opinion is of significant value and that people should jump and do their bidding!

Not realizing that it is every one's place in life to do something about those things that bother them!

"Words" have lost their value...Everyone is talking...very few people do anything about it!

A while back there was a popular book entitled "The Purpose Driven Life"

And another that followed it (not by the same author) "The Secret"

And a more secular book called "The Dream Manager"

It is interesting that these books really appealed to the same market segment...

...And that by looking at that segment of society...we can learn a weakness in our thought processes!

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People seek an understanding of their purpose in life...

I have heard many times "What is my REAL purpose in life?

How do I find it?

They know intuitively that if they find their purpose...they will find meaning in their activity and ultimately be successful! 

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY...

HAPPY!

In actuality...finding your purpose is the path to success!

Yet finding that purpose seems to be illusive!

People throughout the ages have searched their entire life and have not found it!

The fact of the matter is...is it staring you in the face!

In pursuit of purpose...people miss the simplicity of it.

It is often hiding in plain sight!

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How do I find my purpose?

What will put meaning into my activity?

...and...

What will drive me to being successful?

What will get rid of that hollow feeling and make me happy?

I know what you are thinking and I will cut to the chase!

Purpose is not found in some deep soul searching activity!

It is found in your everyday activity!

It takes the shape in what stands out to you...

It is what is programmed into your DNA!

It is in your nature...

Believe it or not...

IT IS WHAT BOTHERS YOU!

What?!!!? 

Please allow me to "say" it again...Your purpose can be found in what bothers you!

Better said...your purpose should be found in what bothers you!

I know that you are now asking...

EVERYTHING bothers me at one time or another...How do I find purpose in what bothers me?

Your purpose can easily be found in those things which you see that many other people do not!

It is those things that elicit a reaction!

You are programmed to see these things...

Those things that most people do not do is...

Do something about the things that bother them!

They are most often happy to simply sit back and complain and hope that some other person will stand up and do something about it...A CONSULTANT!  Ultimately it shows how lazy that person really is!

I once was standing in a hallway and listening to someone complaining about a few scraps of paper on the floor...and how unprofessional it was for people to leave trash laying around...

In frustration...I responded with..."if it bothers you to the point that you need to complain about it...why don't go one step further...stop talking about it and go and pick it up?"

She looked at me as if I had accurately predicted the next winning lottery numbers...and walked over and picked up the paper and threw it away!

Her response made me think about my own life...

If something bothers me enough that I have to talk about it...

Why shouldn't I be doing something about it?

If I do not want to do anything about it...

Why am I talking about it?

Talk is cheap!

Activity is costly! 

Invest something of value in making a difference!

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The vast majority of "consultants" in this world want to identify issues and then wash their hands of responsibility! 

Tell someone about it...get paid...and walk away!

It is a rare few that can find issues (things that bother them) and then takes the steps to rectify them...

Great leaders find issues and then (if they can not do it themselves) find people who can make a difference...and while the talented are working...the great leaders make rectification possible...

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Perhaps your body, mind and spirit are telling you something and you are missing the message...

You have been created uniquely...and with a purpose...

You are unique among everything that has ever lived, is living or ever will live...just check your DNA against all other living things...it is yours and yours alone!

Add to that your experience and your uniqueness is unfathomable! 

In that uniqueness you will find your purpose...in the "programming" is what you are meant to do!

Let me say it another way...

You have purpose...and the interesting thing is that your role (purpose) is in that uniqueness!

No one sees the world like you do...from your perspective...your physical and experiential programming...

Use that perspective and listen to what it is telling you!

If it bothers you enough...that you have to complain about it...do something about it...or find and lead people who can!

This is your purpose...Plain and simple!

You will make a difference in this world if you do that and it will be a better place for you having been here!

AND guess what...you will ultimately find meaning and fulfillment in that endeavor!

Most important...It is where your happiness is hiding...IN PLAIN SIGHT!

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Have a great and wonderful weekend!

Listen to yourself!

Identify your purpose and doing something about it!

If it is important enough for you to say something about it...go that extra step and do something about it!

Pura Vida!

It's all about the Landing!

Good Morning!

What do you have planned for your weekend?

If your answer is "REST!"  you may want to step back and think about the energy and effort that you expended last week!

A while back I wrote about my sail plane experience. 

As I wrote...it brought back feelings that I have not been able to ignore!

This morning those feelings were again brought to the forefront and strengthened as I watched a "flock" of migrating raptors soaring from North to South...

They were circling and ever so slightly dropping in altitude...

...Then suddenly and without any warning...one would rise!

The others would veer to that area and follow the first up...

It was a magnificent display...

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I have a good friend that runs marathons...

REAL marathons...the almost 25 mile ones...

This person is not one of those people who run quarter or half marathons and lay claim to the real title...

She has no desire to impress anyone but herself...by overcoming her own personal challenge!

No facade...just results!

She is one of the few people that I have met that has grasped the real meaning of a race...

She recognizes that no matter how many people are competing against you...the race remains within yourself...

Jogging to victory over the others is hollow...

Crossing the finish line in second place is a victory...if you have given everything...

Combine the two...and you have fulfillment and real victory...

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What does sail planing and Marathons have to do with each other?

A lot...

The most awesome plane ride is of little value...unless you are keenly aware of where you are at any moment and know with absolute certainty that you can make it back to the airport and land safely...

No matter how much fun you are having along the flight...the important part is the landing!

In running a Marathon...at any given moment you have to balance energy and effort expended and amount remaining...

You need that "kick" at the finish line...but even before that...you need to get within sight of the finish line!

As with sail planing...it is about being keenly aware of your relationship to your real goal...and maximizing the enjoyment along the way...

Think of how you would feel if you crossed the finish line after a race and realize that you ran way too conservatively and could run another 15 miles!  You wasted your race!

Think about heading towards the runway and realizing that you miscalculated and are at too low an altitude to make it...and you are going to crash into a subdivision!

Think about being so burnt out at the end of a week that all you can do is rest!

They are all the same...

It is all about the finish line...

It is all about the landing!

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Success does not happen...it is made...

I admit that there are a few (VERY FEW) instances where success is handed to undeserving people...

This is a rare situation...

but for the vast majority...success is the end result of proper planning and adjustment...

It is about constantly optimizing one's effort expended and reserved...

It is the balance that ensure a safe landing...or the ability to cross the finish line...

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There are 3 important aspects related to this observation...

Each aspect must be balanced relative to the overall effort...

Focusing too much on any one or two will destroy the overall experience...

Let's systematically look at each...

The first one is about energy expended...

The value is answered by...Have I made the right decisions up to now?

"Have I circled too much over this area looking for the next thermal?"

...or...

"I have taken 12,381 steps...have I run too fast knowing I have about 17,000 left to take?"

In any case...the next question is...

Knowing what you know..."What are you going to do next?"

This leads us to the next important aspect...

How will I adjust?

I am too low and immediately need to plot a route back to the airport over an area with the highest probability of thermals...I need to gain 500 feet of altitude to make a safe landing...

...or...

I need to slow my pace by 3 per minute and lengthen my stride by 5 inches to finish at my target time...

Then finally...

The final aspect...is answered by the question, "What do I need to do to make this happen?"

"Turn West and fly a zig-zag course and watch for vultures!"

"Reset my pace timer and count until the rhythm is habitual!"

What is important at this point is committing to the next check...

Successful people recognize that all of those decisions are closer to the right ones...yet...probably wrong too!

So...reevaluating the progress at another point is important...

Constant assessment and adjustment...

Then...

THE FINISH LINE...

THE "WHEW!"  "Safe landing!"

and then...

How much did I have left over...

Did I actually have altitude that I wasted?  Was it a sufficient buffer?

Could I have sprinted faster at the end?  Would it have mattered?

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If you weekend leaves you no room for anything but rest...you may want to look back at your week...

If all that I focused on during that extraordinary flight...was getting back to the airport...I would have missed the experience of the flight...

If all you focus on is the finish line...you miss the race!

Learn to PACE yourself...

Practice And Concerted Effort...P.A.C.E.

That is my acronym for success...and my advice for this week...

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Have a great weekend...

Rest...

Assess...

Adjust...

Succeed...

Pura Vida!

Life is not measured in the number of heartbeats...

Good Morning!

How did your week go?

Do you feel invigorated by last week's successes and achievements or are you simply relieved that it is over?

Here is an interesting trivia question...What do you think is the most frequent phrase on the Internet on Fridays?

If you answered TGIF or one of the many variants...you were correct!

My thought today is...

If the majority of the population (and you are among them) is relieved that the week is over...

...How can you set yourself apart from the masses?

If you felt relief...then why do you think that you are not part of the masses?

Why are you allowing yourself to be like the rest?

Why are you expecting to be differentiated and yet acting like all of the rest?

What comes first?  The attitude or the success?  The chicken or egg?

Many people say they need the success, in order to catalyze the attitude...

Other proponents say that you need the attitude to attract the success...

I say it doesn't matter!

You need both!

If you have the success...then you need to have the attitude...

If you lack the success...then you need the attitude!

Success is both!

It is much like life itself!

Life is about heartbeats!

You can't have life without a heartbeat!

Heartbeats happen without a conscious effort...

If your heart races...you do not have more life!

It is simply dependent upon the beat!

Not the count...or the rate...it is the presence!

Success is the same!

It is not about how much...

Attitude is a conscious (perhaps sub-conscious) effort...

It is truly there...whether or not you think about it!

You simply need to recognize that it is there...

Feel the heartbeat...

Feel the Attitude!

You are successful!

Recognize that you are alive...and make the most of it!

Stop looking for relief...stop saying and writing TGIF...

Set yourself apart from the masses...

Differentiate yourself with attitude...

The TGIF people are the same people that ultimately welcome death!

I am glad this is over!

That's right!

Are you a person who will be glad to die?

or are you ready to meet life head on!

Are you happy that you woke up today?

You can not lay claim to success until you differentiate yourself from the masses!

In the BIG things and the LITTLE things...

Take stock of your life...

Not in the successes...or your heart rate...

Its entirety!

No more TGIF!

It may sound like a LITTLE thing...but it is what really matters!

PURA VIDA!