Transition, The Status Quo, & An Ever-Present Enemy

It has been a long time since I have posted. A very long time. I almost feel guilty about it. But a lot has transpired since my last post on sacrifice. I have separated from the Air Force, travelled across country to settle back in Portland, OR, gone through one hell of a job search process, accepted a new position, started my new job, started searching for a house, not to mention the living my life part! It has been a roller coaster ride with many highs and lows, it has taught me some lessons, but most of all it has taught me about myself.

Transition is an interesting thing. There are very few moments in our lives where we really cross over into a new chapter. Most transitions are just slight iterations or developments of where we already are. And although those minor forks in the road are very important and defining in the aggregate, they are not nearly as beneficial introspectively as a major life changing transition like the one I am currently navigating.

My transition out of the military has forced me to really evaluate what I value, what I want my life to look like, and how I am going to make it happen. As I have discussed in many a post, happiness is always the ultimate goal for me and for my family. As evident by my last post on sacrifice, that doesn't mean that there aren't things or periods of happiness that you sacrifice in the name of long term fulfillment. But this transition has really been an amazing challenge in the sense that I had to make a lot of tough decisions regarding whether an option is worth it or not. Worth it in the short term, the long term, and in the entirety of the life I want to live.

Which leads to the next insight derived from my transition experience, that of the status quo. People are social beings. Undisputed. I believe that people are inherently good. Often disputed. With those contexts in mind I think that people are naturally inclined to default in some sense to the status quo, to push others to do the same, and at times to inadvertently give others horrible advice. I don't think that people want to offer poor advice they just innately find comfort in giving advice that is shared by others. Below are some real life examples and anecdotes that not only relevant to my situation but also illustrate my theory above.

"It is a tough economy out there."
"Aren't you scared to not get a job?"
"Why don't you stay in Boston and get a government civilian job?"
"You can't be too picky. People nowadays are just lucky to have a job."
"You might have to take a job you hate until you find something else that you really want."

Did some of these comments piss me off? Yeah, a little bit. Especially when I heard them 500 times. But going back to my initial thoughts, none of these comments were made with any ill intent. I was never mad at the person making the comment it was just the questioning in the aggregate that became frustrating. People give advice based on their own frame of reference and set of life values and as a whole many of those values align to a common theme. The challenge, when following your gut, is to keep a tight watch on what is best for YOU and not to let the constant pressure of the status quo influence your decision making. This was an enormous challenge for me especially when things got tough, when I was rejected, when I hit dead ends, or when nothing was happening at all. It was during times like these that I became all too familiar with the ever-present enemy.

My ever present-enemy is an enemy shared by all....self doubt. My parents gave me and my younger brother an incredible upbringing. I look back and feel like they raised us the 'right' way. They instilled within us a sense of humility and taught us to treat everyone with dignity and respect. They kept me grounded while encouraging me to achieve whatever I wanted. I attribute much of my long term success to those maxims being ingrained into who I am. I think being humble has not only helped me to get along with a wide variety of people throughout my life, but it has also kept me hungry and striving for more. But being humble can open you up to self doubt in the short term. Whether it has been in school, sports, the military, business, or life in general I have always battled self doubt as I am sure most people do. I have witnessed kids in hockey who are anything but humble, to the point that it negatively affects their team relationships, consistently reach heights beyond their ability just because they aren't paralyzed by self doubt. There are a lot of successful people out there who are successful because they attack life with a relentless self assurance. Although I wouldn't trade places with those people, I have taken notice at how they have overcome (or bypassed) fear to achieve their goals. In my case, overcoming fear or self doubt must be a much more conscious decision based on who I am. It is a challenge and one that I continually face at every stage of my life.

My transition to corporate life has been no exception and with the numerous ups and downs throughout the process I frequently faced self doubt and wondered if my goals and dreams were actually attainable. As the old cliche goes, hindsight is always 20/20, and looking back over the last few months I can start to see that my focus on my goals, refusal to accept the status quo, and my ability to overcome the ever-present enemy were all critical in my successful transition. It wasn't always easy but I can look back at this chapter as an embodiment of how to be resilient in pursuit of happiness.

Book Review: Start Where You Are

"Start Where You Are" is a book by Chris Gardner of The Pursuit of Happyness fame. I saw the movie and enjoyed it, however I never really sought out to find the book let alone a different book by the author. However during a long layover in Baltimore on my way out the door to my deployment I purchased Chris' book from the airport newsstand.

The book is described as a book that contains life lessons on getting from where you are to where you want to be. Although the book has some valuable lessons, I almost think I would have benefited more from reading the Pursuit of Happyness than Start Where You Are. For me it was one of those books that probably could have been written in about half as many pages. There were six separate sections with 42 lessons. Some of these lessons were pretty cool and told over the backdrop of Chris's unique life story definitely brings them into context. However, I felt like a lot of them were relatively mundane and repetitive. I almost got the vibe that the publisher mandated that the book be a certain length and left Chris to go back and fill in the gaps. The overarching message is clear. You should always pursue happyness, your destiny is in your hands, and start now! I just think that message could have been delivered a bit more succinctly. Overall, it was a fairly good read. Like I said before I think gleaning many of the lessons from Chris' life story would have been more impactful than having those lessons told to me through Chris's writing. But that just may be my learning style. I have included some notes from the book below.

Overture - Come In:
- Why not let the world be our true classroom? It offers everything we need for attaining our greatest good and highest aspirations.
- Whenever I am asked what happyness is to me, my first answer is that it is the ability to look where I am in the moment, wherever I am, to remember where I came from and how far I've travelled, as a father, a friend, a contributing citizen of the world and to be able to say - what a beautiful life this is, I'm so grateful to be here. More than anything happyness is being able to appreciate everything and know - wow, I created this!

One: Start Where You Are:
- "Live your life so that whenever you lose it, you're ahead." - Will Rogers
- The present throws out a welcome mat as an equal opportunity invitation to come into your own
- Every stage of the journey in what has been my life so far was exactly where I needed to be at that time

Lesson 1: Without a Plan a Dream is Just a Dream:
- The Navy gave me an education and taught me the fundamentals of pursuing those possibilities - discipline, character and initiative, all transferable skills that would serve me in every pursuit to come
- What is the single most important ingredient for successful pursuit? A plan!
- C5 complex: Clear, Concise, Compelling, Committed, Consistent

Lesson 2: We All Have The Power of Choice:
- We all have the power of choice in determining who we ultimately become

Lesson 3: The Calvary Ain't Coming:
- Reclaim the self reliant attitude that made him a hero in the first place
- Own up to where you are and how you got there. 9 times out of 10 I have come to the conclusion that wherever I am Ive arrived there by choice. Only then can you move to change your situation

Lesson 4: Start With What You've Got in Your Hand:
- Resourcefulness is next to godliness
- Believe in yourself and the infinite abundance of resources already at your disposal

Lesson 5: Baby Steps Count Too, As Long As You Go Forward:
- "Its always best to make friends before you need friends"
- MLK - "You may not see the entire staircase, but it is important that you that first step."

Lesson 6: Stop Digging Your Potatoes:
- Its often much easier to stay in our comfort zones, even when we've stopped being very comfortable, simply because it takes less effort to stay where we don't want to be than to summon the energy required to create the change to go where wed rather be
- Change is necessary for growth and if we don't instigate the change that we desire for ourselves, the status quo will eventually change on its own - in ways that can make adapting even tougher
- People want others to validate that their breaking the status quo will be successful and that they're ready, but no one can provide that
- "I was convinced the best was still ahead of me." - Ray Kroc

Lesson 7: What Would The Champ Do?:
- Meets Mohammed Ali and asks him if hes ever been scared
- "Yeah. I'm scared now. Ive got a disease and there is no cure. But I am still fighting" - Mohammed Ali

Lesson 8: Say Peace Be Still:
- The only way we can discover our true power is by living through the crisis we fear

Lesson 9: Even Lewis and Clark Had a Map:
- Start with the maps of others and eventually you will create your own path
- Don't be ashamed to copy your heroes

Lesson 10: Find Your Button:
- There is no plan B for passion, do what you love and love what you do
- There is nothing more practical than harnessing the power of passion
- You can and deserve to love something so much you'd do it for free

Two: The Thorny and Golden Past:
-History is a guide to navigation in perilous times

Lesson 11: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Yesterday?:
- He revealed things from his past he never had while speaking to middle school

Lesson 12: In Your Library of Resources Value All Experiences:
- Everything we've experienced is relevant and part of who we are whether we like it or not
- "All true learning is experience. Everything else is just information." - Einstein
- "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandella

Lesson 13: Draw the Line of Your Life:
- Draw a line and illustrate important events and choices along the way
- Mark an X at critical decision points. You will see its your decisions driving your line not the other way around

Lesson 14: Whose Child Are You?:
- Your identity is important

Lesson 15: Check Out Your Own Version of Genesis:
- "Forgive your enemies but never forget their names." - JFK

Lesson 16: Who's Who in Your Hood?:
- "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." - Henry Ford
- The more you appreciate everyone who has played even a modest role in your past- whether to reinforce, challenge, entertain, or inspire you - the more you can trust you have touched them as well

Lesson 17: The Red or the Yellow Bike:
- Don't go with what is safe. Go with what motivates you

Lesson 18: Sometimes You Gotta Give Up Christmas:
- 1. Know yourself (authority) 2. Be yourself (authenticity) 3. Choose for yourself (autonomy)

Lesson 19: No Test No Testimony:
- Life happens
- If you haven't been tested you have nothing to say and nothing to add value to the conversation
- "....the world is messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around....But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period....in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding --something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up." - MLK

Three: Hitting The Anvil:
- "I learned the value of hard work by working hard." - Margaret Mead
- There is no secret to success or only the elite would be able to attain it and that is not the case
- Success is the result of tactical and strategic applications of learned knowledge toward objectives pursued with passion

Lesson 20: The Law of Hard Work Is No Secret:
- Initiative is available to EVERYONE!
- I went to school with every man I ever talked to

Lesson 21: Core Strengths Forged on your Anvil:
- Confidence is one of those intangibles that can take individuals much farther that the skills or experiences on their resumes indicate they will go
- Confidence is a transferable strength

Lesson 22: Wizards Begin as Blacksmiths:
- Invest in your transferable skills

Lesson 23: Are You Bold Enough to Get Back to Basics?:
- He was going door to door when no one else on Wall St was

Lesson 24: Supply and Demand Ain't Rocket Science:
- Everybody's got their hustle. What they are providing the market
- Everybody is selling something

Lesson 25: Truth is a Hit:
- Effective communication needs a message so low that a goat could get it. Lowest common denominator
- Speak from the heart and only what you are truly passionate about
- Truth is a hit
- Truth, honesty, and integrity always make good business sense

Lesson 26: Learn the Ropes First, Then Conquer Rome:
- Top attribute employers look for is passion
- Its not how fast you get to the top but the wisdom you gain along the way

Lesson 27: Who's Who at the Office and in Your Spheres of Influence?:
- Its always best to make friends before you need friends

Lesson 28: It Takes As Much Energy to Bag an Elephant as it Does a Mouse:
- Don't sweat the small stuff
- Focus on elephants rather than mice

Lesson 29: Share the Wealth:
- Give back with advice and time and shared struggles

Four: Your Empowerment Zone:
- "One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself." - Leonardo Da Vinci

Lesson 30: Seek The Farthest Star:
- To achieve mastery you must see the upsides and downsides and take the risk anyways to go for the gold
- The experience of failure not only teaches how to succeed the next time it is the only way to combat the fear of failure

Lesson 31: Seeing Ghosts Reading Signs:
- Reinvention

Lesson 32: Opportunities, Like Pancakes Are Best Served Hot, But Sometimes You Gotta Set The Table Before You Can Eat:
- I also believe no matter what your endeavor, when you're open to possibilities that can and do show up on your doorstep, all the elements of timing can click for you too

Lesson 33: Stay Open But Don't Wing It:
- Dare to pursue your life's work but do so with a readiness to adapt your plans when needed on the fly

Lesson 34: Mo' Money Mo' Options Mo' Problems:
- Pursue mastery over money
- 1. Does it control you or do you control it? 2. Do you work hard for the money or do you let your money go to work for you? 3. Does money represent the calvary that you've been waiting on or is it only one resource in your pursuit of happyness
- Seek balance

Lesson 35: Money Is The Least Significant Component of Wealth:
- Success is nothing more than doing the little things that unsuccessful people don't do
- Only you can determine your true worth

Lesson 36: Conscious Capitalism: A Personal and Global Primer:
- The caveman with the biggest cave and the best stuff isn't necessarily the happiest
- Contribution makes you happy
- 1. The opportunity to create value for ourselves 2. The opportunity to add value to the world
- Will it have mattered that I was here?

Lesson 37: Make Your Dream Bigger Than Yourself:
- Be the change you want to see
- Don't always seek a mentor be one!

Five: Spiritual Genetics:
- You don't have to subscribe to a religion to be spiritual

Lesson 38: Embrace The Best of Your Spiritual Genetics:
- We all have our lightness and our darkness. Our human challenge is to continuously claim the light of the best that is within us - the best of our spiritual genetics
- "I am a human being; nothing human can be alien to me."
- Alliance for a New Humanity website has instructions to meditate

Lesson 39: Breaking Generational Cycles:
- When confronting tough choices or circumstances we a. emerge and rise b. be beaten into darkness c. maintain the status quo

Lesson 40: Your Divine Inheritance:

Lesson 41: God's In The Details:

Lesson 42: Passing The Torch, Raising The Bar:
- Go make yourself Proud!

Six: The Good Old Everyday:
- "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Would the child that you were respect the man that you have become?

Lesson 43: Don't Postpone Joy:
- Do one thing for yourself that makes you happy
- Do one thing that makes you happy every day. Top of your daily to do
- Don't spend too much time pursuing whats next and not appreciating whats now

Lesson 44: Claim Ownership of Your Dreams:
- Happyness is a responsibility
- "Paid the price to control the dice, paid the cost to be the boss." - BB King
- Always pursue happyness!

A Taste Of Home

So I have been toying around with a Flip Video ever since I left on my deployment. The thing is great for shooting simple short videos which is exactly what I have been using it for. I think it will be a great way to let all my family and friends know what I am doing while I am away. I have been having a hard time describing what it is like to my wife, family and friends because it is so difficult to describe something so different from what any of them have experienced. It is like trying to describe a color. How do you tell someone what red looks like? Maybe I am just not as descriptive in speaking as I am while writing but regardless I need to get better at ensuring that my important human connections feel connected to my daily life while I am away, if for nothing other than for my wife's sanity.

I must say it is a pretty awkward feeling when you are by yourself talking to a camera so my hat goes off to all the video bloggers out there. I plan on setting up a YouTube page and getting it organized so that people who care can get a little taste of what my experiences are like over here in Iraq. The one thing that I have noticed in the few videos I have shot is how different things can come across in video versus just writing about them. You only get one shot to say how you feel on camera so it is a bit different than editing a blog post and it definitely feels a bit more invasive and personal. I guess it is something I will just have to get comfortable with. Well here is a short clip and my inaugural video blog post. Stay tuned for more and for an organized YouTube page with more clips.

Manliness And The Decline Of The Blue Collar Male

I found this little post on Andrew Sullivan's blog a few days back and I think he (and the other blogger he references) explore an interesting topic that will become more relevant as we move into the future. Apologies in advance for the awkward citing of a blogger citing a blogger.

Decline of Blue-Collar Man, Ctd
by Richard Florida

A blogger says the issue is more class than gender:

Men have worked as essentially shop keepers and store clerks for a lot longer than they have worked on assembly lines. There have been waiters forever. Lawyers are the world's second oldest profession. Teaching was a male-only profession for centuries. The idea that men are and ought to be unreflective, grunting, two-fisted louts is a class thing not a gender thing and it is imposed upon working class men by a system that needs them to be beasts of burden.

Men who reject certain values and behaviors as "sissy" or "girlie" are rejecting success, and don't think their bosses aren't grateful.

His point hit home with me.

When I was a young boy, my father would often take me with him to Newark on Saturday's to buy "Italian Bread." We would inevitably pass by a neighborhood "beauty parlor" where my father would stop for just a minute. "Richard," he would say, "I was dumb. When your aunt (his older sister) moved to California, she wanted to give me this place. I could have made it work. I enjoy cutting your hair and coloring your mother's. But when I was young, beauticians were considered 'sissies.' So I let my pride take over. Instead of having my own place, being my own boss and doing something enjoy, I stayed in the damned factory."

I have always thought that self confidence and assurance are the real traits that define it means to be a man (or a woman for that matter). We are all influenced by others and their view of us but your worth as a human, and ultimately your happiness as well, are both tied to how comfortable you are with who you are and what you are willing to do to become who you ultimately want to be.

Cool Quotes Happiness Edition

It has been a rough few weeks for me and Heidi with the pending move, so I thought Cool Quotes around the topic of happiness would be appropriate. Great advice for anyone who is facing a little adversity.

“Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Unknown

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” - Aristotle (Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scientist and Physician, 384 BC-322 BC)

“Be happy. It's one way of being wise.” - Sidonie Gabrielle

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” - Robert Heinlein (American science-fiction writer,1907-1988)

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” - Frederick Keonig

“People love others not for who they are but for how they make them feel” - Irwin Federman

You CAN Buy Happiness?!?

I have to give credit to Ben Casnocha's Blog for leading me to The Happiness Project a blog based around, well no surprise here... happiness! I have provided this link because the author addresses the myth that money can't buy happiness. That's right I said the myth. Before you start accusing me of being a shallow, money obsessed loser check out her reasoning. She uses some reasoning that is very similar to my Money Tips post on my definition of rich.

Movie Review - Vicky Christina Barcelona

I saw Vicky Christina Barcelona last night and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I never really had any desire to see the film, but when my wife and a few of our friends came over for beers and a movie I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about the movie.

Without spoiling too much of the plot I am going to try and describe why I really liked this movie. I thought visually the movie was awesome. I was supposed to go on an exchange to Spain in college but funding ran out and I never got the opportunity to go. I was pretty bitter for a while and this movie reminded me why. Spain looks incredible and the lifestyle depicted in the film, and what I know from my Spanish minor in college, seems like an awesome experience in itself. I think the film did an awesome job of analyzing the differences in culture through the interactions of the characters. Yeah these are generalizations of two different cultures but like many generalizations you can relate to them in some way. I found myself relating to both cultures and the different parts of life they value. I think the film elicited the torn feeling we often have between the different things we value.

In a pure entertainment value sense I was involved and intrigued by the plot and undertones. In line with most of Woody Allen's movies (from what I've heard) he uses a lot of sexual situations throughout the film. I think that rubs a lot of people the wrong way but I really thought it was tasteful and served a definite purpose. I feel like he used those sexual situations to push boundaries and challenge social norms and cultural limits we all experience. If you remain open minded and step back from your life for a minute I think you can appreciate the attempt to bring a curious examination of those norms to light. Whenever I think of weird social norms, trends, and the like I try and put myself in an alien's shoes. I know that sounds really stupid, but imagine if you came down to earth and saw these weird human creatures performing surgery on each other to stuff their breasts with bags of fluid (one example). It really puts a slightly different angle on things we just accept as normal. Back to my original point, if you try to step back for a second this film makes you question whether the things you are engrossed with during daily life are truly important in the grand scheme of things. I thought it was very interesting that Vicky and Christina were used almost as the two outer extremes on both ends of the spectrum with regard to what they value and love. Vicky valued stability, rationality and the realization of her plans for life. Christina on the other hand was a free spirit that was spontaneous. A girl who only knew what she didn't want (basically what Vicky did want), and everything else that took place was all in search of love. I think that the way the film ended was incredibly symbolic in the sense that no way of living life is the right way. Both characters ended the film seemingly unfulfilled and borderline unhappy, yet they both lived life and sought love in complete opposite ways. To me it was extremely insightful, in that you must discover what truly makes you happy and that abiding by, or completely disregarding for that matter, social pressures and the appeasement of others is not a truth in and of its self. We the viewers are left with a visual of the black and white, or in this case the blond and the brunette, who arrive at discontent from two very different paths and views of life. The movie ends having not quite completed the story, yet what it lacks in closure it makes up for having illustrated a valuable life lesson.

Great actors, great story, great message, great movie.

Random Musings

Here are some random things I have been thinking about lately. I have been fairly busy and haven't had the opportunity to post as much as I would like so I am trying to get a few posts in one. I have started to carry a small notepad and pen in my pocket to help me stay organized and to record any random thoughts that I have. Hopefully this will help me be more efficient but I am worried it may lead to more discombobulated blog posts. Only time will tell.

I was listening to Where Have All The Leaders Gone, by Lee Iaccoca, in my car the other day and it spurred a few thoughts. The first thing that struck me was how different the tone of the audio book was from the first time I heard it. A lot of the beginning was Bush bashing. Don't get me wrong, I don't wave a proud Bush flag by any means but I see a common trend among many people to attribute all our nation's problems to him. Especially with the youth of our country. I think that approach is just convenient and easy, and it shuts down your mind from truly thinking about many of the issues we face. Plus in this audio book it made Lee sound like a crotchety old man for much of the first half of the book, even though many of the issues and concerns he shared are valid and valuable. Those observations aside, Lee made a few comments around happiness that really struck me, and I wrote them down (while driving) so I would remember them. Lee talks about how he makes it a practice to ask people what makes them happy? He goes on to tell how most people can't give him an answer. I think this question is very insightful. When I ask myself that question I realize it is not as simple as it first seems. You have to think and decide what you truly value on this planet to answer it. It kind of goes with what I wrote about in the last Money Tips post on my definition of rich. Lee quotes one of his friends (cant remember who it was) and he says something along the lines of "why would I want happiness, you can't buy money with it?!" I think that quote is hilarious and very indicative of the way many Americans view money and in turn happiness. I also connect this question to Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's view of objectivism. Ayn Rand describes in her works that the endless pursuit of happiness is man's ultimate virtue. I think it is ironic that most people are striving to become happier and better their lives, yet they have a hard time defining what makes them truly happy. We all struggle with this to a degree and that is why I love the concept of asking the question. I plan on following Lee's advice and asking other people this question. I will be interested to see what conversation it spurs (or doesn't). What makes you happy?

In my new job I am implementing lean and continuous process improvement tools and techniques within the Air Force. It is an awesome experience and something that I will utilize my whole life. The new job has me interacting with a lot of mid and high level leadership on the base. I think this is one of the most valuable parts of the job. I don't want it to sound like I am making a political ploy for advancement with that comment because I am not. Those of you who have experience working inside the government machine know that how good you are and who you know matters significantly less than in corporate America. As a lower level officer your advancement is time in service anyways. I think it is valuable because I get to see a lot of different leaders interact in difficult situations. I get to learn from good leaders and from bad and I think it is helping to shape my leadership style and interactions with others. One thing that I have been hearing from leaders across the board is around the struggle for resources whether they be bodies, dollars, or time. The Air Force is in a very unique situation right now in our country's history. We are fighting multiple wars that are expeditionary in nature and have been at a surged operations tempo for multiple years in a row. Yet we are cutting people and budgets within the Air Force. The budget cuts are to revitalize the fleet of aging aircraft, however the manning cuts were directed by congress a few years back. In short we are doing more with less and less. Our defense budget is still the largest in the world, however the appropriate amount of resources for our soldiers is an argument for another day. Lean methodology is described as lean because the goal is to do less with less in the sense that you are working smarter and more efficiently with less resources, not doing more with less. This is not a concept that is ingrained in the military or government culture, so my challenges in shaping this culture are plentiful. I am constantly hearing people (most who outrank me) talk about how they just don't have enough bodies, time, or money. The funny part is most of the leaders resist AFSO 21 (Air Force continuous process improvement program) because they say they don't have enough time or resources to get involved. If you use a Covey example, they are not sharpening the saw. This describes scenarios in leadership and management that are very important but not urgent. Typically leaders get bogged down by urgent and important or more often urgent and not so important tasks. The story goes that a man comes across another man in the forest sawing wood. He asks how long he has been doing it. The guy replies that he has been sawing for hours now. The man asks why he didn't sharpen the saw. The other man replies that he didn't have time to sharpen the saw, because he had to saw all this wood. That story illustrates the way many leaders and managers view their daily activities. Since I like to keep things simple I made a little quote for myself that will help me remember to sharpen the saw, a Badskiism if you will. "As a leader there is one thing you will always have....not enough time, people, and resources." You will always be busy. If you do nothing you will still be busy. So why not invest some time in lean and continuous process improvement and develop a culture that solves problems and improves its processes. This is not just about the work environment, this is about how you go about your life.

New Feature

Hey everyone I have added a new feature on my blog. I have added Bookjetty which allows you all to see what I am reading or what I have read. Its a very cool site that helps you organize what you have read, what you want to read, and what you are reading. It even links to amazon and local libraries, although I haven't used those options yet. The main reason I wanted to add this is to promote reading! If you aren't reading then you aren't learning. We just don't live long enough to experience and learn what we are capable of. A learning life is a happy life so get started. Also please post any suggestions as I am always looking for a new good book to read. Enjoy and start reading!