Touches

Success in basketball depends on how many “touches” you get.  You can’t shoot the ball or get points or get assists if you can’t get any “touches”.

If you’re a dependable ball handler or shooter, you’ll get lots of “touches”.  Your coach and team mates will seek you out. 

However, “touches” don’t come easy.  You have to position yourself to get “touches”.  You have to become “touch-worthy”!   You have to hustle to get open and strategically position yourself to get rebounds.  And then you have to DO something positive with the ball once you get it! 

And so it is in life and work.  We often have to scramble to get quality “touches” and be an integral part of the “game”. 

Some people are content to sit on the bench as part of the “team”, and may even actively avoid getting “touches” … which would mean they’d actually have to DO something with the ball if it ever got to them.  And when the ball does end up in their hands, it’s like a hot potato – to be handed off to someone ELSE as quickly as possible.  While it’s possible, thus, to presumptively elevate oneself to an esteemed position of “triage gatekeeper”, this is not a luxury assignment most organizations can afford.  And if it’s not consistent with the actual job description, an achievement gap of unresolvable proportions may develop. 

Consider, alternatively, one who actively SEEKS OUT and scrambles to get “touches” … to a point of picking up overflow from OTHER people’s workload.  Your team mate gets stuck in a “corner”, and you go “bail him out”. 

And what about VERTICAL VECTORING – doing part of the boss’s job? 

A staff associate – an actual “triage gatekeeper” for the organization – oversaw a massive workload for the Director.  She “touched” almost everything that crossed the Director’s desk.  At first, she simply organized, categorized and prioritized – “curated” – the workload before moving it to the Director’s desk.  Then she started to take lower level/less significant things out of the pile to do herself … only asking the Director for his review/approval and signature for those things that required it.  Over time, she began to put her personal “touch” on increasingly important workload elements, including major correspondence and staffing ... all the time learning new things about the organization and its affiliates, learning new things about management, establishing vital resource alliances, problem-solving, and strategic planning.  With this expanded role, she became recognized as THE key “Go To” employee within the organization, and was promoted to the level of Assistant Director.    

During her tenure, the organization underwent multiple reorganizations, including the reigns of three different Directors and two major budget cuts.  In a very real sense, her highly valued “touches” made her “untouchable” for downsizing. 

Bottom Line:  Go looking for “trouble” – go for extra “touches” that can make a difference.  And add value to everything you do.  Don’t just pass stuff along and try to fly below the radar.  You’ll catch a lot of “flack” by putting yourself in the line of fire.  But there are no “sidelines” in life.  There is no “bench”.  If you’re not “on the radar”, you’re not in the game … you’re toast!  Get as many “touches” as you can and become “Untouchable” when the “chips are down”.  Quartermaster

Struggle

Ever since Adam and Eve – and perhaps even eons before Adam and Eve – life has been a struggle for most folks much of the time … getting enough food to eat, protecting against life-threatening incursions, dealing with in-laws and outlaws, competing against folks who have nothing better to do than outsmart, undermine and outdo us, working for never-satisfied bosses, living with never-satisfied parents, sharing a bathroom with six other people, etc.    

Here are some additional things with which more than a few people struggle:  Can’t find a job, can’t hold a job, smothered in debt, unhappy at work, poor relationships, poor health, unreliable transportation, unstable home life, too many restrictions, too many dependencies, limited life & work options, uninsured, too few affirmations, always dealing in emergency situations, each perturbation is a catastrophe, can’t afford necessary repairs/upgrades or amenities …

The truth is: Life’s Tough!

The CHALLENGES are formidable

The RESPONSIBILITIES are awesome

The EXPECTATIONS are out-of-sight, and                                       

TIME is always too short

I’m taking the liberty here of suggesting there are two fundamental kinds of struggle: 

Necessary

And

Unnecessary

Very simply, struggling “necessarily” is struggling to do what we’ve gotta do … whether or NOT we understand or accept the fact that we’ve gotta DO what we’ve gotta DO.  

Two special cases of “struggling unnecessarily” require acknowledgement:

The first falls to those who have to navigate unnecessarily difficult circumstances.  If you were born in Syria or Yemen or thousands of other places, including Germany during Hitler’s reign, you would have had imponderably difficult circumstances to navigate.  If you have ever had to endure abuse either from family or persons in authority or from back-street bullying, you would have imponderably difficult circumstances to navigate ... and you would struggle unnecessarily.  Often, the only way to overcome such unnecessary struggle is to become removed from the circumstances.  Easier said than done, of course!  But this is precisely why there is such an overwhelming emigration of massive numbers of people out of Africa and the Middle East seeking less imponderably difficult circumstances in Europe and the US. 

The second special case of struggling unnecessarily falls to those who were born with or who acquire a debilitating chronic disease or condition.  Such condition may not be surmountable and may represent a “new normal” for that individual. 

I personally believe that the more richly Blessed and less encumbered of humankind have a significant responsibility to assist those trapped in such difficult circumstances / unrecoverable conditions navigate the vicissitudes of life. 

Now to brass tacks.  The most insidious case of struggling “unnecessarily” arises, most curiously, from NOT doing what we’ve gotta do.  Such inattention to “necessities” leads to the accumulation not only of the stuff we’ve “gotta do” anyway, but of the associated adverse consequences and delayed ramifications of not doing what we’ve gotta do. 

Errant preconceived notions about how the world works – or should … but doesn’t – constitute the most frequent source of unnecessary struggles.  Who struggles the most “unnecessarily”?

Those who don’t know the rules, who don’t accept the rules, who want to make up their own rules … living life on their own terms, relying on unfounded assumptions, having unrealistic expectations, banking on unwarranted entitlements …

Added to the natural inclination that we’d simply rather NOT if we don’t HAVE TO, this leaves us in dire straits, perpetually – and unnecessarily – eternally “clawing our way back” from the precipice of “not making it”. 

NOTE:  It’s not all our fault!  We didn’t get to this point without the enabling of society at large and of our very own parents making life LOOK and BE easier than it really is, while subsidizing our welfare to the tune of roughly $300,000 during our formative years … complete with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, “allowances”, “Trick-or-Treat” gleaning, etc., while we were presumed to be capacitizing ourselves to take on the mantle of autonomy / independence, but chose, rather, to defy all the authority we could get away with!      

A final special case falls to those who not only struggle “necessarily” to meet expectations but struggle “unnecessarily” to EXCEED expectations.  Struggling “unnecessarily” in this case substantially advances the individual and his or her “stock” in life, and is the gold standard for success!   

Bottom Line: Do the necessities.  As the man in the automotive service commercial used to say,

“You can pay me now [to change your oil],

or you can pay me later [to replace your engine].”

And then do as much MORE as you can manage.  Add VALUE.  Add a PERSONAL TOUCH.  Force the issue in creating your own Destiny by struggling “unnecessarily” to make an exceptional difference. 

Treat the “necessities” as an inextricable part of living … even as part of the family:

“He ain’t heavy,

He’s my brother.”

Boy’s Town Nebraska Motto

Necessities are part of the “Cost of Living” which you can’t disown, else you disown your own Destiny.    QM

"Years ago, it had occurred to me that Darwin and Nietzsche agreed on one thing: the defining characteris­tic of the organism is striving. Describing life otherwise was like painting a tiger without stripes. After so many years of living with death [as in Stage IV Lung Cancer], I'd come to understand that the easiest [path] wasn't necessarily the best. …  We would carry on living [… with all of its striving], instead of dying."  Paul Kalanithi

Undeterrable Invincibility

“I can’t function without my second cup of coffee;

but, once I’ve had that second cup, look out world –

I can do ANYTHING!”

Herbie Halfmaster

What gets you going and keeps you going through THICK and through THIN?  What pushes you “over the top” to be able to tackle anything that comes your way … or do you ever get that far?   Do you always have to be “pushed” or “pulled” by something or someone else?   And/or do you need to lean on “crutches” just to make it through?

For me, it’s sometimes ibuprofen, sometimes coffee or a caffeinated soda.  The really undesirables may require a shot of bourbon; but with bourbon on board, one risks breaking one’s neck!  So there are definitely limits to the help we can get from “crutches”.   Perhaps a deferred reward will do it, as in “When I finish this project I can have a donut/ice cream/soda/chocolate bar, buy a new outfit, etc.?”

The challenge to living an unencumbered and fulfilled life is to move from not doing anything at all without a push, to doing something, even if it requires a “crutch”, to doing the necessities without “crutches”, to doing more than the necessities by any and all means – and not becoming so dependent on “crutches” as to end up an “invalid”. 

The really neatest condition is being “undeterrably invincible”! 

How do we move from having to be pushed and pulled along in life to a dependence on “crutches” to being “undeterrably invincible”? 

By taking three calculated steps:

1. First, fortifying our constitution to a point that any challenge can be “taken in stride”.  There is no real substitute for attentive preparation, including education, research, experience, strategic planning, organization and endurance conditioning (including some form of exercise);
2. Second, by accepting the role of “steward” with enough backbone to take on responsibility not only for ourselves but for our adopted “mission” and for others within our frame of reference (as in “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother!”); and
3. Third, by identifying and putting on the best ARMORALL we can find.  

 Armorall is defined here as a tangible or intangible “vestment” which confers upon us an unnatural state of empowerment to do what needs to be done (ala, “Powdermilk Biscuits” from “Lake Wobegone”.)  For mowing the grass, raking leaves, trimming trees, pulling weeds, removing mildew, patching the roof, repairing the driveway, plumbing, etc., I use my “KRYPTONITE, By God Overalls”.  For lifting and moving bricks, furniture, attic boxes, etc., I use my form-fitting “Flack Jacket/Back Support/Gut Garter”.  And for deskwork or keyboarding at the computer, I fortify myself with “O-Zone H₂O” and don my “Sack-‘Em Socks”. 

Cleaning the shower is a slightly different story.  For this onerous task, I have established the “Devil’s Alternative” option, such that cleaning the shower gets me off the hook from doing a 30 minute workout.  Some weeks, I get a lot of workouts! 

Knowing what “makes you tick” and setting up even “hokey” conditions for tackling monstrous to mundane duties can make a world of difference in both attitude and accomplishments.  It can even enhance your sense of “play” by making games out of doing things you would otherwise deplore.  WHY SUFFER SO UNNECESSARILY!?!

Other kinds of armorall one could use, depending on particular circumstances, might include: 

• Cowboy boots / Steel-Toed Work Boots
• A “Power” tie
• A talisman of any kind (rabbit’s foot, etc.)
• Photograph of a revered “Champion”
• Background music – or NOISE of your choice
• Having a “Song in your heart”
• Wearing “Lucky” underwear
• A “Chaw” of bubble gum
• A “Howitzer Hat”
• A “Nothing left to lose” mentality

 Finally, having a mind set of “Eventual Surmountability” is extremely helpful.  You WILL do it, and you WILL get through it – no matter what it takes and no matter how long it takes – and life will be so much better for your having persisted in the effort. 

The best “armorall” against “vincibility” is three-fold.  The first two are preparation and starting early.  There is no real substitute for comprehensive preparation, including: education, research, experience, strategic planning and organization – beginning NOW!  The third element is the cultivation of strategic associations/affiliations/alliances.  No person or civilization has ever achieved greatness without them.  Having someone run along side you and being there to “get your back” multiplies your potential impact many-fold.  The fallback position, of course, is JUST DOIT – simply roll out the armorall and become as “undeterrably invincible” as you are already prepared to be!!  Quartermaster

Potpourri 1710B

Over the course of days, weeks, months and years, snipets of inspiration have slipped through the fog that seemed to warrant representation at least as footnotes.  Here are a few footnote snipets from 2010 … which seemed to be a particularly “footnotable” year (the year before I retired): 

CATCHING A DREAM

Problems in maximizing human potential are not trivial.  Just getting started and laying down the tracks is probably one of the biggest hurdles.  Sometimes folks simply take up the absolutely biggest challenge confronting them and wear it down until they are on top.  This seems to be a common theme for those labeled “Unlikely Champions”.  Wilma Rudolph couldn’t walk, so she forced the issue AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY, and with every ounce of fortitude, to become an Olympic champion. 

Those of us not so sorely afflicted or divinely inspired have trouble figuring out how to spend large blocks of unscheduled time. 

“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves

on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”    

Susan Ertz

So they end up standing on street corners smoking cigarettes, hunkered in corners playing video games, or sitting on bar stools nursing stiff drinks lamenting the incompetence of the “Powers that Be” in making life easier for them. 

As “Unlikely Champions” have demonstrated over and over, the opportunities to make worthy and enriched lives for ourselves are far greater than anything the “Powers that Be” can do for us, yet we let so many of those opportunities go wasting.  How do we “lock-in” a life Dream that we can follow – indeed, one that will CARRY us if we simply submit – “bridle” – ourselves to it?  This hallowed state happens when we find something sufficiently larger than ourselves that we can become purposefully and passionately engaged with total intentionality. 

UNSTOPPABLE

A person who is strong enough, dedicated enough, desirous enough, crazy enough, prepared enough, and sacrificial enough cannot be stopped.  

THINK LIKE A CRIMINAL

Connive to make good things happen – despite the “odds” … despite “not feeling like it” … despite having to carry most of the water yourself.  “Beat the System” by doing exquisite due diligence in preparation and execution.  And don’t get caught red-handed (except in doing the exceptionally commendable): ferret out all the things that could possibly go wrong that might cause your foibles to be found out. Eliminate the foibles up front.   

ANCHORING ENGAGEMENT

What is your most effective/frequent/defaulted anchoring engagement … that activity to which you invariably retreat for consolation/regeneration/centering down when fully spent?

… or when you don’t have anything “Else” to do?

… or when you don’t know what “Else” to do?

Is it …

            Tobacco?

            Caffeine?

            Meditation?

            Exercise?

            Social Media – connecting with co-miserable others?

            Video Games?

            TV?

            Food?

            Shopping?

            Shower/Hot Bath?

Is there something more appropriate/fulfilling/profitable you could be doing?

What’s the best thing you could do in the next five minutes?

MAKING LIFE BETTER

Life will get worse all by itself – with or without our help.

Weeds grow.  Debt accumulates.  Iron rusts.  Prices increase.  Dust bunnies pile up.  Dishes and clothes eventually need to be washed.  Shoes and socks and underwear get dirty and wear out.  Rent/mortgage needs to be paid.  Etc.

Less visible and rarely understood or accepted is the fact that subsidies, entitlements and conditional love that make life better than we actually deserve eventually run out.  Even “unconditional love” can wear thin. 

Making life better requires a substantial investment – including blood, sweat and tears – either ours or someone else’s on our behalf.

Deserve more.  You can make it so or you can let it go. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Life of any consequence is replete with unfinished business.  There are jobs to do, money to earn, bills to pay, loved ones to look after, goals to achieve, broken things to mend, messes to clean up, etc.  It’s the “Cost of Living”.  And just “becoming” is a never-ending process – except, unfortunately, for those who decided to stop the train and get off … who then spend the rest of their lives making excuses, blaming the “system”, elaborating explanations and fending off regrets – a never-ending process in itself.  Unfinished business gives one an agenda – a reason for being – and should be as closely tied to goals as possible. 

Unfinished business left untended can quickly get out of hand.  Unpaid bills become ballooning debt.  Slow drains become clogged.  Leftovers in the refrigerator gather mold.  Deadlines get missed.  Credibility gets damaged.  Sanity suffers.  Accountability tanks.  And anxiety increases.  Managing unfinished business is as much art as science and requires due diligence.  The “art” is in deciding which unfinished business to tackle first next.  The “science” is how to do it.  The “art” is how creative we can be.  And the “science” is diligence is in doing it NOW. 

INDEPENDENCE

[… thinking of both the elderly, who have long since become dependent on others but can’t give up the idea of living independently, and the young who don’t realize how ill-equipped they are to make it on their own without the considerable subsidies of family and social support systems…] Independence is great when you have the capacity to navigate independently.  But it becomes an imponderable burden when you can’t.  Fighting for independence against all reasonability can play out to one’s detriment.  Above all, be “helpable” … and enjoy the support.  It’s unlikely that you’ll “make it” otherwise.     

Things That Work and Don't

Some things in life are guaranteed to work and some are guaranteed NOT to work.  However, due to inexperience, ineptitude, “natural tendencies” and a whole host of other factors, we tend to gravitate toward things that don’t work.  Things that don’t work generally offer some level of immediate gratification and/or perceived delayed ramification with minimal effort required.  However, a thief may spend more time and effort planning and executing a heist than he/she would have had to spend in doing their homework to avoid having to become a thief! 

The lists on both sides of this ledger on WHAT WORKS and WHAT DOESN’T WORK are enormous.  It was felt that at least a few should be enumerated for thoughtful reflection, if for no other reason than to help level the playing field for those who otherwise would not know any better.  This compilation attempts to take “Nobody ever told me that!” off the table.  So here it is – in no particular priority order:

THINGS THAT WORK

Finding your Mission / Purpose / Passion … Filling a void in world products or human services … Creating a void to be filled by offering unique services/desirable products … Networking … Creating professional capital … Continuing Education :: Deep-Mining the universe … Forecasting possible/probable consequences … Going “Out of your way” to be helpful/useful … Continuous Quality Improvement … Reality Check Auditing/Assessing/Adjusting … Authenticity … … Proactivity … Goal Setting and Tending … Prioritization … Collaboration/Cooperation … Empathy … Understanding … Solid Grounding … Cultivating Personal Strengths … Self-Renewal / Regenerative Activity (“Sharpening the Saw”[Stephen Covey]) … Blue-Sky Visioning … Accepting Culpability … Humility … Underdog Mentality … Volunteering … Generosity … Enthusiasm … WANTING to do what NEEDS to be done … Acknowledging and Seeking Out legitimate Greatness … Civility … Productively channeling limited resources (Time, Energy, Focus, Dreams) … Regenerative Renewal … Never being totally satisfied … Timeliness … Delivering Top Quality Goods & Services … Dependability … Communication … Momentum … Expanding Core Capacities … Carefully Cultivated Character … Embracing CHANGE … Affirmation …  Inclusiveness … Presumptive PLANNING & DOING … Applying the ABSOLUTE IMPERATIVE … Animation/Initiative … Sacrificing Junk Bond investments … Healthy Skepticism … Discipline … Saying “NO!” to distractions, diversions and delimiting opportunities .. Responsibility … Dialog … Consistency … Integrity … Unassailable Principles … Unflappable disposition… An ATTITUDE of Eventual Surmountability … Persistence … Curiosity … Creativity/Innovation … Pushing the limits of possibility … Impulse Control … Exercise … (See also elements of CHARACTER)

THINGS THAT DON’T WORK

[See also: Life’s Little Deconstruction Book by Andrew Boyd, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, #365]

Self-Serving Self-Interest … VICES (Lust, Avarice, Sloth, Gluttony, Pride, Envy, Anger) … Squandering Unscheduled Time … Martyrdom … Excuses/Explanations/Cop-outs … Inefficiency … Ineffectiveness … Lack of Focus … Distraction/Diversion … Over-commitment … Insincerity … Bullying/Belittling … “What’s in it for me?” … Small dreams … Rationalizations … Bingeing … Pettiness … Short-Sightedness … Boorishness … Blatant Disregard … Plagiarism … Pig-Headedness … Resisting CHANGE .. “Chilling Out” … Over-Promising …Under-Delivering … Resting on Laurels … Isolation/Hermitage … Blame-Mongering … Defiance of Authority … Tatoos … Idol Worship … Idle Worship … Tribalism … Cultism … Racism … Prejudice … Fantasy … Fixations … Over-Indulgence … Inattention to Detail … Sacrificing Blue Chip Investments … Cynicism … Conjuring Conspiracy Theories … Procrastination … Obstination/Adversarial Posturing …  Being a square peg in a round hole … Avoidance of responsibility / Ostrich behavior … Entitlements … Unrealistic Expectations … Unfounded Assumptions … Mediocrity … Delusion … Bravado / Ego … Fuzzy Principles … Sacred Cows … Deus ex Machina rescues … Tobacco … Alcohol … Drugs … Unhealthy Diet … Consortment with “Losers” … Wearing pants at “’half-mast” … Trash Talk … Defamation … Exceptionalism … Imperialism … Elitism … Nihilism

Character Elements

(From multiple sources) 

Respect          Responsibility             Caring for Others        Integrity           Sacrifice

Self-Motivation            Justice                        Diligence         Compassion                Fairness

Critical Thinking          Truth-Seeking             Intellectual Curiosity   Open-Mindedness

Perspective     Good Habits                Civility/Citizenship       Courage          Honor

Focus              Moral Reasoning         Commitment                Honesty          Grit

Ownership of Best Self & Best Practices      Shared Leadership (Shared Ownership)

Positive Attitude          Sportsmanship            Ever-Advancing Competence                       

Self-Regulation/Self-Management/Self-Mastery        Perseverance             Temperance

Tolerance (except for the intolerable)             Hope/Optimism           Knowledge

Wisdom           Authenticity                 Social Intelligence       Emotional Intelligence Transcendence/Sublimation               Zest/Enthusiasm         Anger Management   

Delayed Gratification              Initiative           Trustworthiness          Loyalty                        Reverence Thrift                     Preparedness             Helpful/Resourceful                Friendly/Courteous

Alert/Engaged             Autonomy                    Goal Setting/Goal Tending     Exemplary Execution Habits of Excellence                  Exceeds Expectations           Gallant             Intrepid

Patience (except where righteous impatience is required/justified)         Humility     Altruism Creativity      Sustainable stewardship of earth

Point to Ponder

“Let me repeat, things that go downward will run themselves [downward].  Things that go upward have to be pushed.  Going upward is overcoming.  Notice that churches, schools, businesses – things that go upward – never run themselves.  They must be pushed all the time.  And so it is with our lives.  Real living is the conscious effort to go upward to larger life.  If you are making no effort in your life, if you are moving in the line of least resistance, depend upon it … you are going downward.  Look out for the bumps!”  Ralph Parlette in “The University of Hard Knocks” (Brownlow, Inc., p. 17)

“You pick up bits and pieces of treasure and trash, pain and pleasure, passions and disappointments, and you start throwing them in your bag: your bag of experience. You do some dumb things that don't work out at all. You stumble excitedly on little gems that you never saw coming. And you stuff them all in your bag. You pursue the things you love and believe in. You cast off the images of yourself that don't fit. And suddenly you look behind you and a pattern emerges.  [And there you are, smack in the middle of all of it].”    Jodie Foster (2006 Commencement Address)

Fundamentals

“Making it” in America – or almost anywhere in the universe – is both deceptively easy and deceptively hard.  As I’ve sought to break the code on why some people “make it” but many don’t, several recurring themes have surfaced as fundamental to successful passage.  A beginning list follows … in no particular order of importance: 

1.    We need to have an ever-expanding wellspring of ideas, possibilities and reference points to feed an evolving course of ever-advancing personal development.  This requires ardent “mining” of the universe for all the raw material we can get our heads and hands around to support the effort and to build a solid reserve of justifiable HOPE.  This is where our “unscheduled time” becomes so valuable … in mining. 

2.    We need to have onboard a workable set of values and principles to help “curate” raw material and to help guide processing and actions beneficial to the enterprise of “Becoming all that we can be.”

3.    We need VISION … an ability to “see” beyond the horizon … to Dream large Dreams … to imagine and flesh-out a blueprint for a brighter, better, more brilliantly encompassing future.   

4.    We need a resolute trouble-shooting and problem-solving ability. 

5.    We need balanced, right-reckoning judgment to tie the application of values and principles to specific actions in specific circumstances, particularly to new and different circumstances, and particularly where risk is involved.  Curiosity, exploration and risk are essential components of a creative and expressive life, but choices can make us or break us.   

6.    We need boundaries to eliminate judgment-lapse over-rides – such as from emotional triggers, “Pleasure Center” usurpations, rationalizations and/or conscriptable entitlements.  (How about donuts & Ding Dongs, drinking and driving, texting and driving … and a whole bunch else?)  Not all of us (ANY?) can be trusted to do the “right thing” in all circumstances.  [“But, if it’s beyond temptation, how can it be considered ‘Sinful’?”]  So we need boundaries. 

7.    At some point, we need to “morph” into mature adults and complete the transformation from self-serving, self-centered, “Neanderthal”-indulgent, small-pond, tribal malcontents to fully fledged, fully engaged, duly contributing citizens of the universe.   

8.    We need discipline to focus our efforts most productively and avoid distractions fueled by impulse.  Discipline requires the sacrifice of junk bond indulgences for blue chip investments.  It generally means leaving some very attractive stuff behind!

“You have to give up good to get great.”

Glen Campbell

“The only barriers to success

were [lack of] discipline and the extent of one’s talent.” 

Doris Kearns Goodwin

“Team of Rivals” p. 28

9.    We are well-served to have purpose, a mission and the passion to carry it forward locked-in for sustainable pursuit of the highest caliber endeavors.

10.  We need perseverance to get us through the toughest, roughest patches … “through “thick and through thin”. 

11.  While talent helps immensely, we need carefully honed marketable skills and tools with which to contribute OUR portion to the fabric of the universe.  Underdeveloped talent is a mendicant’s curse.  

12.  We need openness and open-mindedness – even to a point of vulnerability, with a receptivity to new and different ideas … to constantly emerging “new realities” … and to the most encompassing outlook and understanding of the universe possible.  A willingness to give up unworkable hypotheses, unfounded assumptions, unrealistic expectations and unwarranted entitlements is the mark of true champions. 

13.  We need legitimacy … a well-established legacy of trust, dependability and accountability.  This has to be solidly built and consistently expanded for the duration.

14.  We need authenticity … with transparent, “what-you-see-is-what-you-get”, no excuses consistency.   [e.g., it’s OK to say “I don’t know … but I aim to find out” and “I was wrong … but I’ll make it right.”] 

15.  We need engagement within a community where there is mutual respect, a diversity of resources, challenges to rise to excellence, a diversity of talent, encouragement, accountability, and affirmation.  All other things being equal – and equanimity clearly in play, diversity of opinion doesn’t hurt.

16.  Initiative.  Without a generative “Drive-to-Do”, very little of the big and tough stuff will ever get done.

17.  A sense of urgency.  Doing stuff “later” is like not doing it at all.

18.  An attitude of helpfulness, positive, participative engagement, and inclination to work toward a common good or goal ... a greater good.   

19.  Resilience.  The world is changing at an ever-increasing pace.  We have to be flexible and adjust quickly or be left behind.  Plans get dashed, jobs get lost, disasters happen, etc.  So we have to find ways to pick ourselves up, get back in the race and keep going.  Our ability to function off-balance and our ability to regain balance quickly – keeping our focus firmly on brighter horizons ahead – is critical.  (See 21 below)

20.  Experience.  Everything we do adds to our knowledge base as well as to our track record.  Those things we do well, we try to replicate and do even more and better in the future.  Those things we do not-so-well, we learn from and either do differently or do better or hand-off to someone who can.  Experience informs our forward passage and legitimizes the currency we carry.

21.  Associations.  We’re not going to get where we need to go or be by our own reckoning and by “pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps”.  Significant others are essential in vision building, mission and purpose building, navigation, bridge-building, mentoring, applying “refining fire”, complementing our strengths, invigoration and resilience.  (NOTE: “Who knows YOU” – and what you can do – is even more important than “Who you know”!)

22.   Patience.  The good stuff takes time, it takes incubation and simmering, and – often – it takes trial-and-error modeling and maceration.   Starting EARLY helps validate / justify, develop and deliver a methodical approach and a masterful outcome. 

23.  Generative Regeneration.  Stephen Covey calls it “Sharpening the Saw”.  It’s refilling the reservoir and renewing the spirit.  It means reconnecting with our greater mission and purpose and expanding the scope of our horizons.  It’s sharpening our skills and adding to our knowledge base.  It includes any spark of inspiration we can find along the way … one of the reasons we have to keep “mining” (see #1).  

Numerous additional fundamentals may help.  But these will get us started. 

[For a summation of fundamental SOFT SKILLS needed, including many of the above,

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills ]

You want the shorthand version … the Cliff Notes?  [This is the “deceptively hard” part!] 

Lock in a PURPOSE, a MISSION, a PASSION, put your UNSCHEDULED TIME to use in “mining” toward those ends, and then simply …

“Do what you’re supposed to do,

and life will turn out the way it’s supposed to be.”

Inscription on an Old Farmhouse Calendar

Quartermaster

Winning Characteristics

[Reference:  TIME Magazine, May 2/May 9, 2016 “100 Most Influential People of 2016”]

This issue made me wonder: What makes winners “Winners”?

It was a compelling challenge to compile a list of characteristics that best described the subjects chosen by TIME for this “Most Influential” honor – all of them clearly “Winners” in their own arenas.

The following compilation is made without curatorial categorization.  Importantly, characteristics noted are not universally expressed in every individual, and some characteristics may be considered mutually exclusive.  But they are, both singularly and in multitudinous arrays, formative and generative driving forces that make BIG waves and get BIG things done.  Many characteristics are familiar to most people and are “owned” in various concatenations.  They just happen to be abundantly present in winners.    

In no particular order [and with some justifiable duplication], these characteristics include:

Hope … Accomplishment … Breaking the Rules … Breaking Records … Breaking Silence … Breaking Boundaries … Ambition … Altruism … Taking Lessons of the Past to heart … Lure of the Future … VISION of Better … Seekers … Risk-Takers … Explorers … Openness to Adventure /\ to Surprise … Asking: What’s MISSING in the World? … What SHOULD be? … What CHALLENGES Need to be Overcome? … Fear of Failure … Dreamers … Personally Invested … Doers … Focused … Exuberant Optimism … Engaged … Fighter … Persistence … Commitment … Attitude … Relentless … Unconventional … Tireless … “They know their TRUE NORTH” … Talented … Creative/Innovative … Unhappy with the STATUS QUO … Hard-Working … Sacrifice … Assertive … Courage … Interruptive … Compassion … Unaccepting of the UNACCEPTABLE … Filling VACUUMS: in Knowledge, in Compassion, in Decency, in Manageability and Navigability within the Universe … Extending Applications of Knowledge … Asking “If …, Then … “ … Asking: HOW?  WHY?  And WHY NOT? … Fleeing Destitution … Seeking Justice/Truth/Right Reckoning … Pioneers … Activist … Resolve Inequities … Kaleidoscopic Vision … Channeling (Ideas, Energy, Knowledge, Time) … Generous … Thoughtful … Big-Hearted … Anxious to Learn and Grow … Impatient to see Positive Results … Deep Training & Concentration … Discipline … Emotionally Strong … Humility … “Present in the Moment” … Uncompromising WILL … Pushing Personal Limitations … Passion … Purpose … Integrity … Imagination … Sensitivity … Belief in Self … Belief in “Ultimate Surmountability” … Unstoppable … Unconventional … Positively Crazy … Connected to other Elite … High Aptitude … Egalitarian … Intuition … Empathy … Started out in poverty … Open and Engaged Personality … Amazing Work Ethic … Singular Focus … Always Raising the Bar … Unflappable … Visionary … Calculated Risk-Taker … Bold … Nimble … Hard-Headed Realist … Demand Excellence .. High Ethical Standards … Personal Conviction/Commitment … Respected … Intensity … Self-Respect … Drive … Relatability … Unapologetic Dedication … Inspiring … Revolutionary … Results-Oriented … Soul is Pure … Loves His Work … Intricate Skill … Incredible Craftsmanship … Imagination .. Provocatively Authentic … Real Deal … Navigates Complexities with Ease … Voracious Ambition … Cool Discipline … Ravenous Intelligence … Pushes Boundaries … Nurturing … Agitator … Strength/Fortitude … Rebel … Amalgamator … Fearless … Disquieting … Inventiveness … Never sacrifices Authenticity … Honest Intensity … Understands the Human Condition … Seeking … Refreshingly DIRECT … Stamina … Dogged on DETAIL … Tough-Minded … No Nonsense … Action-Oriented … Values Partnerships … High Standards … Determination … Grace … Compassion … Steadfast … Trustworthy … Absolutely Reliable … Inner Core of Steel … “Tapped In” … Bravely Vulnerable … Principled … Energy … Unwavering Integrity … Bold … “Clear as a bell” Articulate … Progressive … Talent … Discipline … Luck … Dignity … Inclusion … Compassion … Cajole … Thoughtful … Insightful … Takes NOTHING for Granted .. Creative … Unrelenting … Idealistic … Inclusive Vision … Talented … Smart … Authentic … Does his HOMEWORK … Brute-Force Preparation … Knows his stuff … Personally Invested … Dedication … Willpower … Reinvented … Supreme Confidence … Relevant … Resilience … Indomitable Commitment to Justice … Wisdom … Intelligence … Tough Skin … Indomitable Spirit … In Control/In Command … No Surrender … Resourceful … Voraciously engaged in Life … Animated … Stand and Deliver Attitude … “Continues to study and improve herself” … Passionate … Fearless … Inspiring … Rigorous Thinking … SACRIFICE is evident … A UNIFYING Force … Joy … Soulful … Confidently Serene … Unflappable … Curious … Broadly Adventurous … Work Ethic … “Reached well beyond what was previously possible.” 

Winners are change agents … BUILDERS … always looking for something to build with … to build ON … to build BETTER … the next challenge … the next big question to answer … the next puzzle to solve … … the next piece of Truth … differences to exploit … similarities to build upon.  They love irony and paradoxes and are able to give diametrically opposite possibilities full and fair consideration.  They are not “bridled” by tribal truths or unfounded assumptions.  They test, they explore, they experiment, they don’t accept “givens”. 

Winners seek purpose and meaning.  They seek coherence with the universe and how it works … but they are not beneath changing how it works to make it MORE workable! 

Choose and cultivate the “winning” characteristics most applicable to YOUR circumstances, and become a WINNER – at SOMETHING!  The alternative isn’t worth a hill of beans!! Quartermaster

  

Points to Ponder

Winning isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  Certainly, “Winning it all” and “Winning at all cost” have more downsides than up.  But America is a relatively “open”, free enterprise, capitalistic society, 7 billion people on earth can potentially compete for every “equal opportunity” America has to offer, and losing EVERY game sucks – just ask any fan of the University of Kentucky football program!

Notable Note:  If you think winning is not important to an overall sense of personal wellbeing, consider this …  

·         In 2012, the entertainment software industry added over $6.2 billion to U.S. Gross Domestic Product. http://www.theesa.com/article/u-s-video-game-industrys-economic-impact/

Being a legitimate “Player” (in almost anything other than video games!) with reasonable prospects for winning keeps HOPE alive.  “Doing your best and letting go the rest” is a workable formula for many.  You win some and you lose some.  But the workability of “Doing your best” requires doing a lot more than your EFFORTLESS best!   Investment in YOU, Inc., and in the enterprise you represent, is what moves the world forward.  The more investment you make … the more “skin” you have in the game … the more dividends you are likely to accrue. 

So, choose your “game” wisely, and do your VERY BEST!   You will VERY LIKELY win your fair share, and you will very likely NOT regret all the “trouble” you have been at to arrive where you are!  QM

Future Schmoocher

One of the toughest elements in dealing with life is coming to terms with the very real and ever present “Cost of Living” … more particularly, with the investment required to prepare adequately… never mind MORE than adequately … for the future.  

It’s also one of the toughest concepts to convey to unsuspecting neophytes. 

Here’s the problem: The “future” is so far from the “present”, and the present so very “present”.  And as long as the future stays in the future, the present should simply be given its due as the “present” … as it always has.

Ain’t life grand!  

And, besides, there’s so much MORE of the future available to deal with the future [Procrastinators Anonymous, take note!] than there is of the present to deal with the present.

DUH!

Moreover, we get this admonition from Biblical teaching:

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”  Matthew 6:34 (KJV)

Wow!   So this makes life appear to be very much akin to “Just-In-Time” manufacturing:  Whatever you need in the future, you will simply deal with in the future … so one need not stockpile stuff ahead of time, particularly stuff (like algebra?) that you may or may not ever need. 

Toyota uses just-in-time inventory controls as part of its business model. Toyota sends off orders for parts only when it receives new orders from customers. The company started this method in the 1970s, and it took more than 15 years to perfect. Several elements of just-in-time manufacturing need to occur for Toyota to succeed. The company must have steady production, high-quality workmanship, no machine breakdowns at the plant, reliable suppliers and quick ways to assemble machines that put together vehicles. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp#ixzz4JIH1Oep2 

But one doesn’t have to read very far between the lines on Just-In-Time manufacturing to understand that, for JIT to happen “just in time”, a whole lot of ground work, preparation and infrastructure has-to-already-have-been-DONE.  [One might ask: Who’s stockpiling the tools, skills and raw materials for filling all those “Just-In-Time” orders?]

And so it is in life!  There’s got to be an awful lot happening behind the curtain to make the show go on!!

Consider, further, the fact that the Biblical teaching contains a very ominous and foreboding afterthought: 

“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Whoa!

Contrary to first impressions and our own inclinations, it seems that anything one could do to minimize “the evil thereof” might be prudent!

But, for those who finally and firmly understand the concept of preparing for the future, the “understanding” doesn’t make it any easier. 

First, there’s the required core time and effort trade-off: 

How much of today do I give up

in order to prepare for a more prosperous future? 

It’s really a question of indulgence and immediate versus delayed gratification:

How much do I invest in MAKING life easy

instead of simply TAKING life easy?

One is tempted – or DRIVEN – also to ask: “When is it MY TURN?” 

[One answer may be that

“It’s YOUR turn NOW to hunker down

and get with the program!”]

While the “Cost of Living” is considerable – and the cost of “Living WELL can seem, at times, imponderable or insufferable – due-diligence investments generally pay off with significant dividends.  Where possible or necessary, become a Ninja Warrior on stuff that needs to be done!  And find PURPOSE and MEANING in even the most mundane, even if it’s simply to keep you from tripping over things on your way to more purposeful and more meaningful pursuits.  The most satisfied and fulfilled are those who can find joy in the simplest things.

“Before I was a boxer, I was a dishwasher.  I was great!  I was the best dishwasher ever.  I’d get through doing my job; my dishes were so nice and clean … so I’d mop the floors.  I out-mopped the floor mopper.  Then I would help the cooks peel the potatoes.  I was the best there was.”  Future Schmoocher George Foreman

And don’t miss the thrill of ultimately overcoming the odds!   Quartermaster

Competitive Advantage

In a capitalistic system of civilization, competition is the currency of passage.  You’ve gotta be BETTER than the competitors in your chosen field of endeavor!

Unfortunately, some can’t compete, and many do not have a chosen field of endeavor.

                        Some have no way to access opportunity to become competitive.

                                    Some simply won’t compete. 

And more than “reasonable” numbers don’t seem to understand either WHY or HOW. 

This combination of factors has contributed to huge problems in the US, including an under-skilled/under-developed workforce, substantial under-employment, significant unemployment, and an under-performing economy. 

Bowing to liberal pressure, as well as to a sense of fairness and justice, prodigious “lip service” is given to the ideal of EQUAL OPPORTUNITY.  Toward this end, we throw everybody in the same bucket and say “There!  We’re all in this EQUALLY together!!”

But equal opportunity and a “competitive advantage” are hard to come by in many quarters. 

Madeleine Pape, discussing the Olympics on NPR, expanded the concept of “Competitive Advantage”, saying that she, herself, might have been considered to have a “competitive advantage” due to the advanced level of sports training and development available in her native Australia, compared to that in many other countries.  [Compare her situation with that of the Refugee Olympians who have no infrastructure … ]   http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-monday-august-15-2016-1.3721048/caster-semenya-endured-gender-witch-hunt-says-former-critic-1.3721076

It turns out that legions of other factors can bestow competitive advantages and disadvantages, no matter how “Equal” the opportunities may appear to be in the ideal scheme of things. 

If you are Caucasian and middle-class or better in the US, you have an inborn, culturally biased “competitive advantage”. 

If you are male, you have a competitive advantage in highly lucrative finance and heavy industry jobs … despite the fact that women are more disciplined, are more articulate, are less impulsive, have better judgment, are often better educated, are better at multitasking, and are more practiced in overcoming hurdles.  (They also have a more functional gender-defining X chromosome!) 

Ingrained boundaries are important.  A person who believes or has been told he/she doesn’t “belong” is going to be at a considerable competitive DISadvantage. 

A person who is primarily exposed to a foreign language in the home is going to be at a competitive disadvantage – at least early in the going.  [All other things being more than equal, of course, it could be a competitive advantage in due course.]

When your culture and community is insecure and not geared to skills-building but simply to staying alive, you are at a competitive disadvantage; Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math will be irrelevant.

Self-Positioning/Self-Imaging is important.  “I’m not worthy” or “This doesn’t apply to me” or “I’ll never use this” can negate a plethora of efforts to level the playing field. 

So cultural setting and Visioning more distant horizons with grander possibilities is critical for many at the bottom, requiring both mentoring and internships/apprenticeships to see much more clearly what they CAN do and become.  

Many already know what they DO NOT want to do or become, and all they want or justifiably need is a genuine, real life, honest-to-God opportunity that applies to their personal circumstances. 

From Pencils of Promise, helping educate kids in underdeveloped countries, we get the following:

As students get ready for school this fall, we're setting out to change the fact that 250 million children around the world lack basic reading and writing skills [& tools].

https://pencilsofpromise.org/backtoschool/ 

From Fayette County, Kentucky:

“ … the gap in reading between students who receive free or reduced-price lunch and others is 37.5 percent. In last year's report, the gap was 38.7 percent.

In math, the gap between white and black students is 34.3 percent in the 2015 report, down slightly from 35.5 percent in 2014.” http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article44612457.html#storylink=cpy

So we give them breakfast and lunch and throw them into the same classrooms with peers who have culturally higher expectations, momentum and life visioning …  plus substantially more support and effective monitoring systems … and declare that they have “equal opportunity”. 

From Heifer International we get the following:

“In the communities where we work, the solution isn’t that people need to work harder – they need [access to better opportunity, including] resources and training to increase the productivity of their efforts ... We continue to give farmers livestock, training and access to markets.  But we are now doing so in a way that will help them close the gap between the [woefully inadequate] income they currently earn and the income they need to thrive.” 

From Pakistan:

Malala Yousafzai is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai

Having a SECURE UNDERPINNING, developing a clear VISION of a better world, having a compelling DESIRE or NEED to make the world better, having the INITIATIVE to be a “PLAYER”, attaining ACCESS to education and skills-building tools, and finding ways of CONNECTING with opportunities are the key elements necessary for fostering a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.  Where security is lacking, where vision is not clear and where there is no perceived desire or need, some degree of “nudging” -- with boundaries and more tangible / proximal consequences -- may be required to facilitate successful passage.  It’s all easier SAID than DONE, unless or until we start SAYING and DOING differently.   It’s now pretty well documented that a laissez faire / hands-off / catch-as-catch-can / sink-or-swim approach (“ … and, by the way, have you seen the latest social media and game diversions designed to keep you off the grid?”) aren’t driving a full, participatory, “equal opportunity” advancement of civilization.   Quartermaster