Brain Sum I

At this dawning of the 21^st century, we don’t know everything we’d like to know or need to know about the Brain.  But we know enough to set a more profitable course in life than we generally carry out, observe or experience. 

[If you want to know more about what IS known about the anatomy and chemistry of the brain, check here: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=neurotransmitters+and+their+functions&qpvt=neurotransmitters+and+their+functions&qpvt=neurotransmitters+and+their+functions&qpvt=neurotransmitters+and+their+functions&FORM=IGRE ]

The key point here is that, operationally, we know a lot more than we apply. 

We know that CHOICES are brain-based, and that poor choices yield poor outcomes, but we continue to choose poorly. 

We know that “unbridled”, brain-based behavioral driving forces of PLEASURE and IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION far exceed the power of disciplined CAPACITIZATION and the pursuit of DISTANT GOALS.   

We know that the SEVEN CARDINAL VICES are hard-wired brain baggage and have to be over-ridden – with a great deal of higher-self / brain-based intentionality – to attain a reasonable stature and quality of life.

We are at least peripherally aware of ANIMAL INSTINCTS that probably derived from an evolutionary requirement for survival and perpetuation of the species, but that often over-ride “good sense” or “common sense”, and that, given free reign, can absolutely shut down advancement toward self-actualization [Maslow].  

We know that we have an innate, brain-based SELF-WILL, which saddles us with an aversion to any imposition against our “natural tendencies” … with a particular aversion to “authority” ... including “government over-reach”.

We know that GOOD HABITS and BAD HABITS are brain-based and that GOOD HABITS require a lot more effort, intentionality, higher-self engagement and discipline. 

We know that EXECUTIVE FUNCTION (“higher-self” engagement) is extremely important in decision-making, judgment, behavioral choices and outcomes, and personal development/ advancement/achievement … and we know that much of that activity is based in the PRE-FRONTAL CORTEX of the brain … and we know that this part of the brain does not come fully developed; it has to be CONSTITUTED, CULTIVATED and CURATED FROM SCRATCH!

We now know that there is a significant-to-amazing level of “neuroplasticity” in the brain, such that life-long development of brain capacity and functionality can occur, as well as significant repair/rewiring in response to damage or disease. 

There is also reason to suspect that NEGATIVE Neuroplasticity … i.e., atrophy or degenerative change … follows toxic exposure and/or unchallenging engagement. 

We are learning that selectively directed brain engagement not only can create “breakthrough” advancement in individual academic progress, i.e., to close “achievement gaps”, but can significantly enhance IQ.  

[ www.equippingminds.com ]

Evidence is accruing to suggest that EXERCISE facilitates brain development, functionality and remodeling … as if to prepare one for emergency action or higher level functionality in more challenging circumstances.  

We know that brain-based MOTIVATION has a defining role in human development. 

We know that brain-based VISIONING, and the pursuit of elevated and distant GOALS and HORIZONS have defining roles in human development. 

We know that brain-seated ATTITUDE is critical to advanced human development and functioning. 

We know that PERSPECTIVE and CONTEXT are critical to advanced human functionality, and strongly suspect that these are elements directly associated with EXECUTIVE FUNCTION … and do not come pre-wired.

We know that the development of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – also not “pre-wired” – is critical to advanced functionality. 

From general observation, we surmise that brain-based SCRIPTING, very similar to computer systems scripting, operates with a “Garbage in …Garbage out” conformity.  Thus, one can’t expect to engage in quantum mechanics exploration, rocket science or brain surgery with baseline and mainline inputs from trivial pursuits, such as “People Magazine”, “The National Enquirer”, YouTube, video games and social media … or, most recently, “FAKE NEWS”!   

From these rudimentary understandings, it is clear that we come into the world with a brain that is largely a tabula rasa with only primitive pre-wired functionality, and that, while it has incredible capacity for development of incredibly high-order functionality, the quality and quantity of INPUT – or lack thereof – determines how useful or useless it will become. 

Stated more simply, highest order functionality does not come from sloppy, inattentive, “easy” and undisciplined brain engagement – and certainly not from toxic conditions – but from highly selective, totally intentional and positively directed engagement. 

This is all we really NEED to know in 2017.  But you may want to note that it significantly supersedes Robert Fulgham’s platitude of 1998: “All I need to know I learned in kindergarten”.  Life becomes increasingly complex over time and is a scramble for the duration.  But, well and carefully crafted, life can yield amazing rewards. 

Following a virtuoso performance at the Kennedy Center, universally acclaimed violinist, Fritz Kreisler, was approached by a devoted fan who gushed, “Mr. Kreisler, I would give my life to be able to play as you have played!” 

Mr. Kreisler could only reply, “I did!” 

How will your performance measure up to your full potential and from what life-long pursuit(s)?  Let’s make sure our brain development is on the most positive track possible.  Feed your brain the most challenging and generative “fiber” and “fodder” you can find and see what wonders it can do!   Quartermaster

Reality Gap

Here’s a near-absolute Truth to consider:

Everything you deserve is going to take everything you’ve got!

This sobering observation compels one to ask four indelicate questions:

   1.  If you are not giving life “everything you’ve got, WHY NOT? *

Special Note 1:  Subsidies of early life eventually run out. 

                               (See http://www.ertiaunlimited.com/lifes-toughest-lesson/)   

Special Note 2:  “Entitlements” don’t count and are off the table.

Special Note 3:  Virtual Realities are off the table. 

2.     Is there anything you don’t understand about the word “Everything”?

3.    Is there anything you don’t understand about “everything you’ve got”?

4.    How far short of “everything you deserve” are you willing to settle?

Increasing angst has been raised about “Achievement Gaps” in public schools.  A larger truth and concern is that we have “Achievement Gaps” well beyond the public schools; it’s only documented by standardized testing in the public school system, but not otherwise.  Consider the numbers of homeless nationwide … the numbers of people working well below their potential … the numbers of people simply “putting in time” and collecting a paycheck … the numbers of people being “passed over” for promotions … the numbers of people inextricably stuck in minimum wage jobs … the numbers of people permanently disqualified for employment (averaging 1.7 permanent terminations per day at the University of Kentucky). 

While there are many reasons for achievement gaps that fall well beyond any individual’s personal control (such as being born into poverty, having no positive role models, being surrounded by low-achieving/low-expectation compatriots, lack of access to personal development tools and resources), many of us fail to take anything beyond minimal advantage of things that are within our personal control.  We waste time, we eat poorly, we don’t exercise, we procrastinate, we make excuses, we over-spend, we under-invest, we don’t adequately prepare, we accept poor quality output, we rationalize, we hide behind tribal truths, and we take our virtual entitlements much too literally and liberally.  Truth be told, we’d just simply rather NOT if we don’t HAVE TO!

The concern of this sojourner is that we STOP hiding behind the conjecture that “we’re only human” and that everything negative in our lives is due to “government overreach” and START taking advantage of the fact that we ARE human and we ARE the government where our personal achievement gaps and personal advancement are concerned! 

So what grandiose benchmarks should we be shooting for?  How high is UP?  And how much is ENOUGH?  

“ENOUGH is when you can’t do any more!” 

P. Pastmaster

“You only have to do what you can do,

but you have to do that much.”

Garrison Keillor

The consequences of our Reality Gap stretch across all strata in America:

• ·         High school students are not job-ready or college-ready
• ·         College students are not career-ready
• ·         Few overall are Life-Ready

As a result, foreign nationals, primarily from Asia, are taking top positions in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine – to a point that we soon may have to re-think the “birther” requirement for the U.S. Presidency!  

  … and it’s got the same root underpinnings:

1)    Low and pandering expectations

2)    An innate drive for immediate gratification

3)    Lack of Discipline

4)    Lack of Personal Responsibility

5)    Too much vested trust that the future will simply get better despite our worst effort

6)    Dreams that don’t match reality

7)    Visions of the future are too shortsighted

8)    There is a marked absence of a sense of URGENCY

9)    “Significance” has been dumbed-down to radio talk-show hype

10) Nobody wants to MISS anything (ergo a fixation on streaming social media)

While large numbers of citizenry are languishing in an America that’s struggling to become “Great Again”, over-achievers are over-achieving, immigrants are working their way UP in the world from the very bottom – driven by LARGE Dreams, and, as noted above, foreign nationals are populating increasing numbers of elite jobs, careers and leadership positions. 

The resulting vacuum between where we find ourselves and what “Coulda been” is filled with mountains of regret, Defining Moments, Moments of Truth, Stress, and pandering castigation of political ineptitude. 

We can do better!  The “Best that’s IN us” has yet to be fully realized.  Our understanding of how the world works may need to be upgraded.  Our priorities could be better.  Our choices could be better.  Our discipline could be firmer.  Our use of “unscheduled time” could be more purposeful.  And our sense of URGENCY could be sharpened.  Let’s fill these REALITY GAPS, and our “Achievement Gaps” will begin to disappear.  And America – at least OUR personal stake in it – will much more assuredly become GREAT again!  Quartermaster

*For example:  How much of your life are you investing in television, YouTube, social media, video games, anti-social media, and/or other “off-tracking” activities that do not contribute to either your personal, your family’s or your organization’s wellbeing or future potential?  

Cost of Living

At some point – and earlier is better – we have to “Get Real” about the unalterable “Cost of Living” ... about all the stuff “below the water line” that “floats our boat”.   

Life’s Tough!

The CHALLENGES are formidable,

            the RESPONSIBILITIES are awesome,

            the EXPECTATIONS are out-of-sight, and

            TIME is always too short for what we want and need to do. 

With all of the above hanging over us, the cost of living is not trivial – it’s the COST OF LIVING, PERIOD!  And the cost of living WELL is … , well … , a lot higher than a great many of us are willing to pay at first encounter. 

So we muddle through, ignoring the COL; we moan and we mope about how “put upon” we are and about amorphous things like government over-reach making life so difficult – when government “over-reach” is the only thing keeping many of us from going over the edge!  There wouldn’t be food stamps or interstate highways or police or fire protection or Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security, or libraries or a whole lot else without government and taxes.  It’s part of the cost of living in a civilized nation. 

The cost of living formulation includes doing your homework, getting certified, being accountable, and “paying your dues”.  It means paying the “Entropy Tax” just to stay even (life, like water, tends to run downhill when not damned up or pumped up … iron rusts, dust bunnies accumulate, telomeres shorten, infirmities accrue, and attrition happens.)  There is an “ … OR ELSE … “ clause in the Cost of Living formulation: Exercise, eat right and stay off drugs … OR ELSE … you’re going to pay for it in unmitigated stress, “bad vibes”, poor health and low self-esteem. 

And there’s a “maturation matriculation tax” (You become another day older, and people have a right to expect more – and better; in addition, our wants expand; needs expand; personal expectations expand; and experience, productivity and accountability have to expand, accordingly.)  You want a better job, a promotion, a bigger house, a bigger TV, a better hedge on retirement … ?   Then show me what MORE than you’ve already got or done you’re willing to do to deserve it!   

The Cost of Living only goes one direction – UP. 

UPPING our ability to cover the Cost of Living includes closing GAPS in our combined arsenal of knowledge, skills, achievement, perspective and understanding.  It means finding RELEVANCE and BEING relevant.  It means being OPEN MINDED.  It means being TOLERANT.  Yes, those are integral parts of the cost of living WELL!   

The Inca Indians had a “Cost of Living” tax, called a Mit’a Tax.  This was a societal “service tax” paid by serving time rather than monetary exchange, doing “drudge” and “grunt” work needed to make the Inca empire at large run smoothly.  Rock quarrying to build the great Inca Empire fortresses was probably one of the most onerous and difficult assignments; workers were rotated on and off duty to minimize productivity slumps plus “burn out” and health problems in the workforce.  [Realm of the Incas, Victor W. von Hagen, The New American Library 1957, pp. 75-77]

One of the COL taxes frequently overlooked is our EXECUTIVE FUNCTION TAX – the tax we must pay in time, mental energy and discipline to keep our feet on the ground, our backbone straight, and our heads screwed on; … to become and stay organized; … to keep our priorities straight; … to monitor and manage our financial and physiologic wellbeing; … to review and reaffirm our core values; … to review and realign our core mission and purpose; … to review and reaffirm our alliances and associations; … to monitor and manage our unscheduled time.  It’s the tax we must pay for decision-making, strategic planning and expanding our capacities.  And we need to upgrade our Executive Function wirings and wanderings to accommodate both growth and change. 

If you haven’t recently considered the Cost of Living … indeed, the Cost of Living WELL … maybe it’s time to OWN UP and get with the program!  As imponderable as all of the above may seem, we make life so much harder than it needs to be by trying to opt-out of cost of living assessments.  Here’s some important perspective:

“You only have to do what you can do;

but you have to do that much.” 

Garrison Keillor

The main benefit I’ve noticed in mustering an acute COL awareness is that I have personally quit complaining about menial chores, interruptions, and COL “stuff” that used to be such a burden – because I MADE IT ALL SEEM SO UNNECESSARY!  But who can complain – and who do you complain TO – if all this “stuff” is simply part of the “Cost of Living”!?! 

So here it is, pure and simple: Pay your daily Mit’a and COL taxes, and smile while you’re doing it … because, even though you may not be “putting points on the board”, at least you’re not in as much danger of being penalized or having points taken off.    Just DOIT!  Quartermaster

Like You Mean It

[Reference: “Like You Mean It” Louisville Magazine 12.16, pp. 38-45]

This article took up the challenge of charting a profitable and productive path for personal development in the year 2017.  Outlined suggestions and admonitions follow.  (NOTE: I’ve used the LM categorical listings but re-engineered the summations for more global applications.)

SAVE MONEY

The nature of financial needs changes with time, but the perpetual need to minimize debt and maximize savings never changes.  Setting goals, tracking progress, taking advantage of “deals”, negotiating costs of services, delaying gratification, and living some distance “below your means” across-the-board are strategies to adopt early.  Both small and large sacrifices early in the going can make ENORMIOUS differences over time.  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

BE MINDFUL

Pay attention!  Self-awareness, self-monitoring, and total intentional engagement with the outside world pays dividends.  Knowing your limitations and being able to tap into regenerative resourcefulness will reduce stress, enhance energy and provide better balance.  Meditative cogitation, “enlifening” body movement, and avoidance of toxic insults (such as alcohol, tobacco, both prescription and non-prescription drugs, television, social media, and video games … not to mention abusive situations) will help maintain both an enhanced sense of wellness and a reality of wellbeing.  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

VOLUNTEER

Hundreds of opportunities exist in urban communities to help improve and advance the human condition.  These range from feeding and clothing the poor to visiting and assisting the elderly and disabled to tutoring/mentoring children and assisting in primary and secondary education to assisting with boys and girls clubs, boy scouts, girl scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters to coaching or refereeing sports to volunteering in hospitals, daycare and rehabilitation centers.  A plethora of public service agencies depend very heavily on volunteers, including the American Cancer Society, Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, and various shelters.  Experience shows that volunteer work positively affects the volunteer at least as much as it benefits the person(s) supported.  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

EXERCISE

No studies exist to show that exercise worsens the human condition – except when engaged in excess.  Exercise not only helps tone, trim and “temper” the body, but tones, “tunes” and “tempers” the mind, and may even enhance brain integrity.  The main problem with exercise is actually making it happen!  Gimmicks, including Fit Bits, abound, as do fitness clubs offering everything from Jazzercise to Adventure and Survival Training to Pilates to Ninja martial arts.  However, neither willpower, nor shame nor guilt – alone or combined – are a match for hard-core reticence, procrastination and delayed ramification.  [See START below.]  So we have to get help, set boundaries, and engage full, no-excuses EXECUTIVE FUNCTION to make it happen.  Then DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

WRITE

You don’t have to write the next great American novel or a bundle of essays for posterity or an earth-shaking blog.  But even informal “journaling” can help crystallize what you believe to be important, and can document the hurdles you have overcome when it’s time to do a “Victory Lap”.  Writing is a means of expression that comes in very handy both on-the-job and in the marketplace.  Being able to express yourself clearly, concisely and compellingly can open doors that are closed to those who can’t.  Writing helps shape and sharpen our thoughts and positions on both personal and world affairs.  Written notes greatly aid preparation and delivery of keynote addresses and any and all negotiations.  Editing written notes should include reflection on how solid or limpid our arguments are.  If nothing else, write down what elements of YOUR life are negotiable and non-negotiable.  Toward this end, I challenge you to put together a Personal Manifesto about what you believe and what your highest aspirations might be.  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

START

Simply getting off the launch pad is one of the biggest inertial challenges.  However, once we actually START something – by whatever means – the “activation energy” required has already been overcome and spontaneous things can start to happen.  “The brain can be very lazy … [its] evolutionary feature is to conserve energy … Procrastination is probably a mixture of effort and fear – or some negative connotation … Humans try to maximize rewards and minimize punishment … [but] the more you procrastinate, the more it gets reinforced that the thing is negative … A lot of times it’s just thought getting in the way of action [we’re “busy”, don’t you know!] … The farther away the gratification, the harder it is to do an activity [like exercise] … if you really dislike doing something [like exercise], try doing something pleasurable at the same time [like listen to music or watch videos of cats] … And when you’re done with the laundry, drink a beer.”  [Brendan Depue]  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

SLEEP

“Power naps” are gaining popularity.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/10/health/best-times-nap-work/  University of Louisville professor Brian Monsma is a strong advocate, and goes even further to describe the virtues and mechanics of 10 minute “Flash Naps”.  Sleep recommendations and coaching abound https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=sleep  Without question, rejuvenating sleep is one of the core essentials of personal wellbeing.  Get YOURS.  And DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

LEARN

Yes, you can develop your own curriculum at ANY age (how cool is THAT!?!), but it’s gotta be both challenging and meaningful, and you can’t short the value of more formal / structured / guided / mentored / tutored learning experiences.  ASK TO BE MENTORED in areas of your greatest interest or areas where you may have an “achievement gap”.  And TAKE NOTES!  Actual writing (even better than typing into a computer file) helps anchor information and reinforces the learning by forcing you to conceptualize and summarize material in your own words.  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

GET SKILLED

Visit your local library and find out what tremendous skills-exploring and skills-building resources they have.  Do an apprenticeship or internship in an organization you find both challenging and exciting.  And GET CERTIFIED … in SOMETHING!  Visit your local vocational/technical school and see what opportunities they may have available.  If you like growing stuff, visit the local Extension Service Office or horticulture group.  Vocational associations abound.  Visit and/or join one!  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

GET CULTURED

Beauty, truth and inspirational works elevate the human spirit, undergird the nobility of mankind, and engender hope in a sustainable future.  Video games and social media, not so much.  Get a well-rounded exposure to theater, drama, musical theater, art, musical performance; learn to play a musical instrument; join a singing group; read and write some poetry; paint a picture … Study some antiquities – and their historical context – along the way.  [“Antiquities are valuable not because they are old; they are old because they are GOOD!”  Louis Palmer]  Let the “unbridled spirit” within you “free” itself.  And grasp as much of the human spirit and human experience as your time and energy will allow. DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

READ

Go “Deep-Mining the Universe”.  Great thinkers and explorers do not publish their greatest works on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  They carefully and thoughtfully and creatively unravel secrets of the universe to share in as permanent a form as they have available.  It expands your horizons.  And it challenges errant hypotheses, mistaken assumptions, unrealistic expectations and unwarranted entitlements.  It helps grow our understanding of those who are “different”.  Do not shy from challenging works (start with the Cliff Notes if necessary), but grow yourself into understanding how the Greats think, and learn vicariously the lessons they have already learned from hardship.  Thus, negative history won’t have to repeat itself in YOUR life but positive history CAN.  Be BULLISH on reading Great Stuff!  DOIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

“Immerse yourself in Greatness and you will never be bereft in Spirit.”

Quartermaster

Winning II

FLASH NEWS!

Your success is guaranteed! 

In fact, you may already have WON!

Wherever you spend the most time and energy is where you will realize the most success. 

You may become an EXPERT:

–        Eating junk food

–        Playing video games

–        Watching sports

–        Manipulating the SMART PHONE

–        Surfing the WEB / Doing Social Media

–        Or …

»        Doing absolutely nothing

These guys finally figured it out:

Of course, “winning the battle but losing the war” and “winning at all cost” are two of the most sobering roads to infamy. 

The terms by which “Winning” is defined demand fair consideration.   

• ·         Tweens and teens – and more than a few otherwise – frequently define “Winning” as whatever they can “get away with”. 
• ·         One of my former bosses matriculated through an elite academic institution which encouraged predatory “bullying” behavior, with senior staff routinely asking, “Who have you licked lately?” 
• ·         In my non-academic, self-help study of the art of management, I happened across a book entitled, “Black Belt Negotiation”, which armed one for withering take-no-prisoners destruction of a competitor’s or a client’s position.  
• ·         At monthly Executive Committee meetings, one particularly acerbic senior leader would challenge every proposed action, assuming “intellectual high ground privilege”, with arguments extended indefinitely until he “won” … sometimes even changing his position multiple times until “winning” was assured!   

The political races of 2016 were graphic illustrations of the art of “winning at all cost” / “winner take all” / “take no prisoners” strategies, accompanied by fear-mongering, trumped-up moral outrage, character assassinations and standard-issue political promises as bait tactics to seduce voters on the campaign trail, while hiding behind stupefying special interest personal agendas that only became obvious once officials took office.   

In his first five days as a Kentucky state representative, C. Wesley Morgan, a longtime Richmond liquor dealer, filed six bills that he thinks would make life better for the liquor industry.

Morgan … lists himself as a vice president of the Kentucky Association of Beverage Retailers, an industry group that represents the interests of package liquor stores before state government.

When Morgan ran for election last November, seeking to oust Democratic Rep. Rita Smart, he campaigned on a platform of tax reform, fixing the state pension system and fighting crime and addiction.

http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article125692964.html#storylink=cpy

To an apparently diminishing cadre of observers, the “ends” don’t always justify the “means”.  

Finally, winning is not the same as not losing.  You can’t win by choosing not to compete.  In fact, losing can become a significant “slingshot accelerator” toward winning.  You engage, you lose, you learn, you work to improve, you prepare, you over-prepare, you WIN.  You have to risk the possibility of losing if you want to win BIG, but you pick your battleground according to your skills and ambitions, and play it out to the best of your ability … preferably like there was no tomorrow … and you will win something.  (Most of the “competition” is watching cat videos on social media!)

What “prize” is worth investing everything you’ve got – even if you risk not winning the “Brass Ring” or the championship trophy?  Two prizes even more valuable:

Legitimacy

&

Respect

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again,

who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,

and spends himself in a worthy cause;

who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement;

and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls

who know neither victory or defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

So here we are at the auspicious beginning of 2017.  Let’s gird ourselves to enter the arena, and not be deterred by the dust, sweat, blood and tears of temporary disappointments we may encounter in the pursuit of worthy causes; let us dare greatly, struggle valiantly and find sufficiency in the legitimacy and respect we find in the company of worthy soldiers.  Winners will come to KNOW and accept us into their ranks by the ownership we take in our mission and by the courage and passion we demonstrate in the arena.  Quartermaster   

Resignation

“Our society has resigned itself to suffering.”

Jamie Studts, Behavioral Scientist

[Describing the fatalistic acceptance of a cancer diagnosis as a death sentence]

**************

I’ve had a growing suspicion that, as with a cancer diagnosis, much of our outlook on life and living and career and citizenship – and all the rest – is colored unduly by our “resignations”. 

Sometimes we can get hopelessly and helplessly mired in “things just being as they are”. 

Our church participates in a city-wide “Room In The Inn” program that houses and feeds the homeless on weekends.  I was asked to spend Christmas Eve night with a group of men sheltered by this program.  “Resignation” to the condition of their circumstances is a pervading theme for many of these men … though not for all.  While some view it as permanent, some view it as only temporary and continue to fight their way up and out.

In the larger scheme of things, resignation can be a valuable protective mechanism or one that allows us to move on to more productive things.  For example, I’ve “resigned myself” to the fact that I’ll never compete in the Olympics … never own a muscle car or a motorcycle … travel in space … be 20 again … win an international BHS quartet competition, etc.

[But there’s a whole lot else that is fair game!]

There’s something comforting about “things being as they are”.  We know the territory.  And the expectations are much more manageable when there emerges a certain “pattern” in life. 

Sometimes we don’t feel “worthy” of anything “above our station” … we don’t feel like we “fit in” ... don’t “belong” anywhere else. 

Finally, there’s the inbred cultural/tribal associations and admonitions, tying us to a particular “bent” in life, lest we should deign to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, or attempt to reach too far beyond our groundings ... or beyond others’ grasp or expectations of us.     

In the worst case, resignation is merely an excuse:  “It’s just the way I am, WHO I am, and how I do what I do!” 

RUBBISH!  

BE SOMEBODY!

At this beginning of the New Year, 2017, we might take stock of our “New Year’s Resignations”. 

Resignations you might consider dropping, in addition to any or all of the above, are those that unduly limit your possibilities.  

Don’t just “resolve” to exercise (as so many of us will!), become adamantly “RESIGNED” to the fact that exercise is an indelible part of the COST OF LIVING. 

Your 2017 “resignation list” might include becoming resigned to CHANGE (it’s another integral part of life and the “cost of living”) … to SELF-AWARENESS (giving up prejudices, errant assumptions, unrealistic expectations, and unwarranted entitlements) … to LEGITIMACY (“Fake News” be damned!) … to PERSONAL GROWTH (if you’re not yet dead, you’re not yet “finished”!) … to the pursuit of SELF-MASTERY and SIGNIFICANCE (trivialities be damned!) …

Such resignations can be transformative, but may, themselves, require a “transformation in thinking” and the engagement of “transformational” Executive Function.

At some point, we have to become “resigned” to the fact that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Super Heroes, and deus ex machina rescues don’t exist, that one doesn’t indefinitely get trophies just for showing up, that getting another year older doesn’t qualify one for promotion, that our chances of winning the lottery are one in 175 million, and that “our ship” is not going to come in – we have to swim out to it … through water that is frequently shark infested. 

The good news is that giving up things that don’t count or don’t even exist or can’t possibly be attained is giving up NOTHING OF CONSEQUENCE … except BAGGAGE that otherwise only weighs us down, misdirects our attention and holds us back.  It’s the ultimate SELF-LIBERATION! 

The better news is that we only HAVE to do what we CAN do … and be both patiently dogged and impatiently persistent in that pursuit. 

But the BEST news is that we don’t have to do it all by ourselves.  The “Bandwagon Effect” of dogged persistence harnesses multiple forces of the universe – and establishes and sustains momentum – that can help pave the way toward wherever it is we’re going. 

Let’s get REAL … RESIGN OURSELVES to REALITY and to our TRUEST DESTINY … hike up our shorts, and get the New Year rolling … and may the FORCE be with you!!  Quartermaster

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