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)