=============

“The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.”

―

John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

==============

“Dr. Watson’s summary list of Sherlock Holmes’s strengths and weaknesses:

Knowledge of Literature: Nil.

Knowledge of Philosophy: Nil.

Knowledge of Astronomy: Nil.

Knowledge of Politics: Feeble.

Knowledge of Botany: Variable. Well up in belladonna, opium, and poisons generally. Knows nothing of practical gardening.

Knowledge of Geology: Practical but limited. Tells at a glance different soils from each other. After walks has shown me splashes upon his trousers, and told me by their colour and consistence in what part of London he had received them.

Knowledge of Chemistry: Profound.

Knowledge of Anatomy: Accurate but unsystematic.

Knowledge of Sensational Literature: Immense. He appears to know every detail of every horror perpetrated in the century.

Plays the violin well.

Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.

Has a good practical knowledge of British law.”

―

Arthur Conan Doyle <A Study in Scarlet>

==================

So.

I am not sure if it is that I am of an age where my experiences have become varied enough that I chafe on being slotted in some form of ‘what you do’ or if I am of an age where many of the people I know get frustrated that they are demanded to define themselves, careerwise, in some simplistic way.

All that said.

I found myself in an odd alternative universe writing a core “here is why I have created this site and initiative” for someone I respect … and it was written for him but easily expressed my own situation.

After I sent him what I had scribbled I went back and I replaced his field with mine and … well … I found I was writing about my frustrations were which his … as well as a number of people I know:

====================

This site is borne of my frustration with explaining I am more than an advertising guy.

This site is borne of a belief that there is a community of advertising guys/gals who not only know they are more than advertising people but they also know they would like to use the skills they have in a business world which they see as needing what they have to offer.

This site is borne of what I know to be true – many of us are not simply advertising people, we are tinkers, tailors, soldiers & spies … all in one.

For some of us it gets frustrating to explain just because I have my MBA and am an experienced advertising guy that I am more than just that.

I get frustrated when my degree defines me.

I get frustrated when my industry experience label defines what my skills are.

I get frustrated that what I do, or have tangibly done, defines what I am capable of.

I get frustrated because I know how to ask the hard questions which often offer the hardest answers – the right things to do <which I believe businesses are desperate for this skill>.

I get frustrated because I know that “the truth is” is rarely the truth and I know that truths are often misty and multiple, like ghosts.

I get frustrated because I know all that I just wrote is a reflection of a thinking skill, a problem solving skill, a business skill and not just an advertising skill.

I get frustrated because I am more than an advertising guy and I know many people are frustrated by being slotted so simplistically.

To me, the world is too quick to define people and their skills in a simplistic way — simplistically by what they do <on the surface> and what specific skills they have acquired. People are often more complex than the labels they carry along with them and skills are often more translatable, with surprisingly positive outcomes, than many people are willing to think about.

It is our own fault because we have bludgeoned it into everyone’s head that everyone has to be a specialist or have some specific skill and, therefore, if you cannot simply define your specialty or skill you are … well … of less worth than someone who can.

That is, frankly, silly if not ludicrous.

Here is what I know.

I am more than an advertising guy. I am a tinker, tailor soldier and spy.

And I am building a community of likeminded people with a desire to go beyond simply being defined by the degree they earned and what labels people put on them to reach out into a business world, which may not know they need our skills at the moment, and show them there is a group of overlooked people who have skills to offer which businesses can benefit from.

============

tin·ker

ˈtiNGkər/

noun: tinker; plural noun: tinkers

    1.

    (especially in former times) a person who travels from place to place mending metal utensils as a way of making a living.

        a person who makes minor mechanical repairs, especially on a variety of appliances and apparatuses, usually for a living.

2.

    an act of attempting to repair something.

tai·lor

ˈtālər/

noun: tailor; plural noun: tailors

    1.

    a person whose occupation is making fitted clothes such as suits, pants, and jackets to fit individual customers.

Soldier

Noun

A soldier is one who fights as part of an organised, land based, sea based and air based armed force.

spy

spī/

noun: spy; plural noun: spies

    1.

    a person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities, movements, and plans of an enemy or competitor.

=============

Sigh.

I am fairly sure I am not in the majority in that the bulk of the world tends to acquire specific skills but I do believe the majority of generalists get unfairly squeezed into some incredibly uncomfortable boxes simply because the world just doesn’t seem to believe a generalist has the same value as a specialist.

It is frustrating.

To be clear … a qualified generalist doesn’t claim to be able to do everything.

I am not qualified to be a CFO <although I understand what CFOs do and what they say>.

I am not qualified to be some social media strategist <although I understand what they do and what they say>.

I am not qualified to … well … you get the point.

But from a generalist perspective I am qualified to talk about effective marketing, advertising and communications in any industry <even if I have never worked specifically in that industry>.

But from a generalist perspective I am qualified to talk about effective company vision, objectives, strategies and how to grow sales & retention in any industry <even if I have never worked specifically in that industry>.

But from a generalist perspective I am qualified to talk about positioning products & services, behavioral economics, the emotional & functional reasons people do things as well as using those things in making the hard business decisions which guide businesses toward success in any industry <even if I have never worked specifically in that industry>.

But from a generalist perspective I am qualified to dabble in almost any topic in any industry on any issue and use that ‘dabbling’ to make some relevant points based on some seemingly disparate type knowledge.

===============

“You know about fixing cars, you’re athletic, and you know when to shut up.”

“That last one isn’t a skill.”

“Honey, trust me. It’s a skill.” 

―

Simone Elkeles

============

Anyway.

Tinker tailor soldier spy.

I like that title.

A little bit of this in a lot of ‘that.’

I am tinker, tailor, soldier & spy.

So.

I usually open with a quote but because today is JRR Tolkien’s birthday this entire piece is dedicated to Tolkien quotes <with Bruce thoughts>.

I have been a JRR Tolkien and Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fan since grade school when one ambitious teacher read us The Hobbit during reading time <in whatever grade someone has reading time>. I was fascinated by the battles and the drama and the cast of characters.  My imagination went wild with the possibilities and I would guess The Hobbit was the first “adult” book I picked up and read on my own when I was old enough.

Looking back … I guess I have always found joy in the metaphorical aspect of all the Tolkien books <and loved drawing the correlations>. But it was The Hobbit that originally tweaked that understanding and began my love of words and framing of words. It was this book that opened the door in my mind where I understood books were not just words but thoughts.

And I could probably blame Tolkien for my sense of imagination and some of the ways I view things in Life & business.

Anyway.

What I really value is that he made me realize good authors/writers didn’t just write things down in some willy nilly fashion. He made me realize authors wrote with a thought <not just some story>. And that it was a mistake to take the words at face value but rather it was worth taking some time to understand the meaning behind the words … the messages and the lessons to be learned.

In the beginning, my impressionable youth, it probably took me a number of years to begin breaking down the metaphors into distinct conceptual quotes and truly understanding the genius of Tolkien <and, I imagine, I am still a work in progress>.

Ok. Enough of that.

As with any well written fantasy book the Lord of the Rings is strewn with a number of great quotes and soundbite thoughts. Really thoughtful thoughts. Not “elvin” thoughts or thoughts using some wacky made up language or simply unrealistic fantasy-like thoughts … but thoughts about Life.

Here you go:

===============

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

–

Gandalf

=========

This thought is huge.

And not all people may buy it mostly because it is always difficult to believe that good people shouldn’t have the opportunity to fulfill their potential “good” destiny.  And it becomes even more difficult when you observe obviously ‘not good’ people living a long life dispensing ‘not good things’ as freely as loose cards from a dozen decks of cards. But. It is too simplistic to suggest the bad deserve to die and the good deserve to live. Because, frankly, life isn’t all good nor is it all bad.

Anyway.

I guess the bigger thought here is that we judge people ‘as is’ <or as they are>and estimate ‘what will be <or what could be> and .. well … judge.

You can’t.

Sorry.

But you can’t.

Even the best of hearts can be cracked by life.  Even the worst of souls can find redemption.

Regardless.

Gandalf reminds us we shouldn’t be too eager to use death in judgment for bad .. or good. Why? Because, whether we like it or not … “not good” people serve a role in life. One big role is that it is in the conflict between good people and bad people therein lies the growth of “what should be.”

Think about it.

In those who live, that deserve death, we see vivid demonstrations to remind us of “what shouldn’t be.” And in those who die, who seemingly deserved life because of goodness, it is a harsh reminder that those of us remaining have a responsibility to uphold that “which should be.”

Here is what I know. No matter how wise I may become … I cannot see all ends.

And I certainly cannot judge who deserves death and who doesn’t (no matter how much I would like to).

And I think it is either silly, or selfish, to dwell on ‘what could have been’ even with who may be seemingly the best of the best.

In the end?

Try not to judge people. And judge your own life by what you are doing … because you cannot see the end. The end arrives … well … when it wants to arrive not when we choose.

===================

“It is not your own Shire. Others dwelt here before hobbits were, and others will dwell here again when hobbits are no more. The wide world is not all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.”

–

Gildor Inglorion

=====================

The big thought: “The world is not all about you.”

Wow.

If the Shire were America, and Gildor shared this thought, could you see the ole twittersphere lighting up like a roman candle?

Ignorance is a fence. And isolationism is living within that fence. That is fencing yourself from the unknown.

I won’t suggest it’s out of fear or any number of actually good reasons … but rather just say isolating yourself <personally or as a country) is never good.

Anyway.

I think the bigger thought here is that we need to always remind ourselves that we today represent a past .. and that we are probably a blip in history <or what will be>.

I guess the reason why this quote resonates with me today is that Americans are REALLY focused on what is seemingly “our problems” and what is happening now.

And I guess they should be but this quote is a reminder that all in which we live in should have some perspective. What happens in our community is important … but it is simply one cog in the bigger global wheel.

Bottom line?

Yeah. What you & your community is facing is important.  And needs to be dealt with. But burying your head in your own community means losing sight of the forest. And the issues that reside in the forest. And, frankly, the things the forest can bring to bear against your own little tree in the woods.

The cycle of time brings an end to everything … only to bring a beginning to another. You may as well step beyond your own shire at some point. And that’s not about being adventurous … that is simply about living life.

===================

“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.”

–

Bilbo

====================

Adventures are fun to write about. Especially when you talk about beginning or end.

Because … well … in my eyes … true adventures never do end.  I could have included another thought … “in each end there is a beginning, and each beginning there is an end.”

A truth.

Life is an adventure. Or a series of adventures <that is if you elect to look at it this way>. Peoples’ lives end but life doesn’t. Someone is always there to carry on.

Think about it.

Someone is always an extension of the past. No one is totally new.

Your own adventure is simply something you have found a passion for that exists and you are carrying it on from someone else … for someone else to pick up again one day and carry it on.

We are all just a chapter in a bigger story.

Never lose sight of that fact.

======================

“all that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

–

ancient verses of Elvish prophecy

===============

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. And it is probably my most used. While many use the first couplet I like the entire stanza.

Part A. “not all those who wander are lost.”

Maybe because it seems a reflection of me … maybe it’s because I think it is a reflection of a lot of people … but I use this time and time again when teaching some high school classes and talk with students about their future and making plans and knowing what the hell they are going to do with their lives.

I have written about this thought ad nausea but the truth is that not everyone knows their “destination.”

Particularly in youth.

It takes time to figure out not only what you are good at but what makes you happy <which may not be the same thing> as well as what feeds your life vitality <the shit that makes waking up every morning fun>.

People wander. Ok.  Not all do … but those who do tend to be some pretty interesting people (not necessarily the most successful … but interesting).

I often use a clip from the old tv show Felicity to make this point called “ben’s big mom speech” … and yes … I actually use a clip from Felicity to make a point.

Ben:

“I’d like to think that people take a good look at me before they make up their minds… He’s this guy, he doesn’t know what he wants to be yet, and he doesn’t have a major yet, he’s got his dad as this dark character … has a drinking problem.

I’m not really selling myself here, am I? … Look I understand why you guys needed to see Felicity with someone like Noel… I mean, he’s obviously gonna make it. And probably long before, I mean, I figure out what I ‘m gonna be in my life. But I always remember this one thing my teacher said, which was, all these people she knew they had no idea what they were gonna do with their lives when they were twenty. So, chances are, I’m gonna turn out to be a pretty interesting guy.

———————————–

 It’s a great clip.

And says what many of us at that age felt … even though we were still wandering. What do I mean? Well. The wanderer usually feels like there is something wrong with themselves (and adults are typically fairly quick to suggest just that). I imagine the danger is in defending yourself you stop seeking a destination and revel in the seeming rebellion of wandering.

Regardless.

Wandering doesn’t mean you are lost. You may simply be discovering. And all that discovery is needed to make whatever gold you have in you shine. Time just needs to buff away the dullness a little.

Part B … “deep roots are not reached by frost.” 

Well.

As I have grown older I have grown a larger appreciation for this part. The first couplet is brilliantly crafted but inevitably I believe the genius of Tolkien was putting the two couplets together.

For the deep roots are found in your soul. This is that life vitality stuff I talk about a lot.

Deep roots is the shit you care about. Your passion. Your soul. The kind of stuff that no matter how much someone may challenge or try to make sound silly … well … they are your deep roots.

Here is the tricky part.

I think deep roots takes time. And I don’t mean cultural roots or family roots … I mean personal roots.

Unfortunately <as I tell young people> you don’t get deep <healthy> roots until you are older. A young person may have an old soul … but only life experience creates deep roots.

But.

It’s worth the wait. Because even in the coldest and darkest of time … deep roots can never be touched by frost.  Which means they will grow again.

Ok.

My last Tolkien saying in part 2 … it seemed appropriate to end with this one.

I am a self-anointed nomad.

I am most happy when home is simply where I hang my hat for the moment. And sometimes that is a difficult thing to explain to people because it seems like the majority like the comfort of home … and the stability that comes with it.  I find homes confining. I find settling constricting. I find comfort in roaming. I find the unknown freeing.

With that said … roaming and leaving places always reminds me of this Tolkien stanza:

=============

“The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Still round the corner there may wait,

A new road or a secret gate.”

—

Elvish verse

===============

To me <and I know I am in the minority on this> Life is all about “still around the corner there may wait a new road or a secret gate.” I thrive in the fact that we don’t really know how each day will unfold. The fact that every day something will happen. And every day somethings we expect and somethings we don’t will happen.

And, to me, that’s what makes Life interesting. What you cannot see around the corner.

That new road. Or that secret gate. The unknown.

To me each step in life is driven on by curiosity and the joy of discovery. And then not settling with that discovery but rather pocketing it as a new experience and immediately stepping back out on the road seeking the next gate, door or errand …. ‘pursuing it with eager feet’ as it may be.

Look.

I don’t lie to myself and believe everyone feels this way. In fact … I am fairly sure not everyone does. But I do talk about it as often as I can. Because everyone should at least try it once in a while.

Ok.

That’s it.

These are just some of my favorite quotable moments but all his books are chockfull of thoughtful literary moments.

I will end where I began. Tolkien taught me there were thoughts behind thoughts & words behind words.

Books are not just meant to be read but savored thought by thought.

Read Tolkien.

Read any literature.

Whatever.

What I know for sure is if you read, and you think about what you read, you can gain perspective on things in a way you maybe have never thought of them ever before.

 ===========

“And I do not assume that my experience is universal. It is simply mine, and I offer it to you as a window, dirty though that window may be.”

–

opticalnoise (a blogger)

===============

Ah.

Sometimes young people say things with the type of panache you only expect from older people. This young blogger wrote the quote and I liked it enough to use it.

The basic thought many of us ignore. Experiences are personal <unless there is enough similar critical mass to make it quasi-universal>.

And in the business world I often find myself debating with people when they offer their experience as …. well … not dirty but rather … well … universal (and that is an issue).

Two basic thoughts.

–          Research of one is not research.

–          The odds that the person relating the experience <in business management> actually reflects mainstream American <or any mainstream consumer> is so low that, well, even Las Vegas wouldn’t take them odds.

Bottom line?

Realize that your experience is most likely not universal <particularly when discussing business … but beware when offering personal advice also>. This may seem like a no brainer, but I can’t tell you how often this basic rule is ignored. WE, even the most savviest behavioral people in business, ignore it all the time <alebet in degrees not wholesale>. I think a large part of it is that is because people personalize their experience <or their wife/husband’s/group of friends> that they cannot fathom that no one else feels exactly the same way.

Anyway.

All that said I am now going to share my dirty window experience list <although I actually stole the original thought from a blogger named arina and put my own dirt on some different windows>. I created the list because I almost have it all figured out <yeah … not so much>. Thinking back from my personal experiences I believe there are a few universal experiences <let’s call them windows we all peer through on occasion just for the sake of this post)> that seemingly work without fail throughout life:

–          The Karma window

Karma is this random thing floating out there in the ether that somehow impacts cause & effect on all of us. Simplistically … for every action there is a reaction. Yeah. Every action <and thought just in case you have forgotten>. It is amazing to me how often we forget that our actions always, yes, always, have repercussions.

Whatever force we exert … things we send into the ether around us in the form of our thoughts, feelings and actions … comes back to us in kind (if not sometimes multiplied). There are no exceptions and you get no free passes. Oh. Please note I included thoughts & feelings in the “cause” column. That is truly the Karma aspect. Somehow … someway … thoughts & feelings enter into the ether as some type of tangible force (or ’cause’) that often creates a nuclear-sized effect. Never forget that.

–              The Life window

This may actually be a different pane of glass in the Karma window. We are all connected by invisible glass in one window … called the Life window. When we hurt someone or when we pass judgment on someone … we are affected as well. Sorry. Life, for some reason, just likes to keep everything balanced.

What that means is you are probably better off (or more likely to be happy) if you attach what you care about (and Life objectives) with good intentions for other people. If you look at it selfishly, when your objectives benefit other people there is less difficulty in achieving them. Oh. And others will assist you. If you don’t look at it selfishly … well … just assume more good shit will happen in your life if you do good shit (and think good shit about other people).

–          The Creation window

Everyone is creative and every one has unlimited creative potential. It is just how you define creation. Create art. Create financial success. Create the most awesome balance sheet your company has ever had. Create a kid that will be the next president. Everyone one of us has the potential to create some type of greatness. You just have to make sure the window is open and the blinds are open. Oh. And make sure you know that you actually have that window.

–          The Neutrality window

Life is neutral. It does not play favorites. This is probably a derivative of the balance thing. In the absence of good & evil Life probably wouldn’t choose sides but rather stay in bed taking a nap. Life does not decide someone is more important or less significant. Life never randomly punishes.  Life never randomly rewards. Nothing is random but pretty much (with some notable exceptions) everything is earned. Everyone is given an opportunity to learn something (which ultimately is the key opportunity for personal success). Everyone pretty much has a chance in Life (albeit it is tougher for some people than others).

–          The Action window

This is the window right next to the neutrality window. In the absence of individual action Life will do its own things in its own time. Life does not just happen to us. It requires our active participation. Remember. Life is neutral. If you are inactive … Life is inactive <with you>. It will not take interest in you until you take interest in it. It is too busy paying attention to people paying attention to it.

–          The You cannot Ignore ‘What is’ window

“What is” will evolve into “what will be” when ignored. That I guarantee. In other words … you will continue to receive what Life gives you even if you refuse to accept it. If we ignore our problems, they will only get bigger and more urgent. If we ignore opportunities, they will cease to exist. If we refuse to learn lessons from the past, larger, more serious, lessons will be given to us. If we obsessively pursue a goal or idea that is not right for us, it will elude us until we accept that we can live without it.

–          The Stagnancy window

This one is the opposite side of the Action window pane. And this one is a warning. Stagnancy is addictive. What I mean by this is, if the view from your window is awesome, you can find yourself sitting there doing nothing but enjoying it. So. This I guarantee … it may be a beautiful view today but if you don’t move … and just stay there … it will lose its appeal. Stagnancy is the death of inner growth and happiness (or seeing beauty in life). When you do not use skills you lose them. Similar, without continuing effort in personal growth, you are doomed to fall back as Life continues moving. What happens then? Obsolescence.  Life, and people, and thoughts, and whatever …. just pass you by.

–          The Impatient window

Impatience is sneaky in life. Sometimes it can disguise itself as ambition or ‘goals’ or things like that. Because the allure, and desire, of success is something we all desire. And we may like the idea of instant gratification or easy success or short cuts … but deep down all of us know that things of value have to be earned. And that is where impatience rears its ugly head. You are peddling as hard as you can toward success … but as look through this window you are impatient, and it is challenging, because you want it NOW … but this window is about patiently waiting for the reward to come in its own time. Ok. This doesn’t mean you should be scared to do things nor shouldn’t be ambitious … this is more about having some common sense. Good things typically don’t come easy. If it were all that easy anyone could do it. Maybe learn to be patiently impatient for success.

–          The Reality-based Optimism window

Here is a reality <2 of them actually>.

1. Negativity begets negativity. If you think negatively I can guarantee you will never attain happiness.
2. Uh oh. But. If you always think optimistically I can guarantee you will always be disappointed <sorry about that>.

So can you ever be happy? Yup. By being realistic, but being optimistic. A truth in this window? Good things DO happen to good people. Well.  Let me be specific … that is ‘good people who exhibit some reality-based goodness’. By the way … for anyone who wants to debate the view from this window …. research (published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)  predicted in simulated models that generosity/trust pays. Mathematically they found it pays to be trusting in the long run even though you will sometimes be cheated (so that is how Santa can figure out how to assess naughty or nice).

–          The Trade-off window

For everything you gain you have to give up something else. This is an unfortunately simple complex dirty window.

And the last.

–          The Desire window

This window sometimes has a weird filter over it that makes things not look as they really are. What I mean by that is not everything we go after is what we truly want. Sometimes we only think we know what we want … and sometimes we don’t know what we want until we get it. Maddening? You bet. But everyone has this window. Unfortunately this window is most typically found in the main room so you look through it a lot. This window is also, individually, often the dirtiest. You will be tempted to go to other people’s houses and look thru their “desire window” and hope for some guidance. Sorry. No can do. Your Desire window is your Desire window.  I kind of think they are like snowflakes … no 2 the same. You will probably not have a more aggravating window in your home. Too bad. Every home has one.

So.

There you go. I would suggest these windows are universal but will be individually dirty in different ways. At best you should try and wipe each one as clean as you can <smudgy is better than dirty>. While I made my personal experiences universal … I do look through other people’s dirty windows as often as I can.

Like the opening quote said … they offer a view … regardless of how dirty the view may be.

===============

“So the universe is not quite as you thought it was.

You’d better rearrange your beliefs, then.

Because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe.”

—

Isaac Asimov

=====================

So.

I imagine we all want to change some shit in our lives.

I even imagine some of us wish Life could be changed a little.

Jut a little change in either our circumstances or maybe how the world treats us or maybe even how the universe conspires against our wishes and desires <or, from a  pragmatic perspective, how it fails to reward our efforts>.

I have written before and, I am fairly sure, will write again … the world, the universe and Life is indifferent to what we want.

Shit.

I think it is relatively indifferent to anything but itself.

This means … well … I am not sure you need to rearrange your beliefs in general, but you sure as shit better arrange your beliefs around doing shit and not waiting around.

Life does not come to you.

The universe does not await your presence.

The world is not an oyster begging to be placed in your hand.

And even with all our incessant talk about disruption and being a disruptor and ‘changing the world’ … most of that really isn’t that true <and I say this as someone who clearly believes people & words can change the world … and as someone who has not completely given up on personally making some change in the world>.

Or maybe it is true but we just don’t talk about it correctly and create some false impressions.

What I mean by that is the universe is the universe … life is life and the world remains the world. It doesn’t really change its course. Disruption, for the most part, is really about finding some cracks and crevasses and squeezing yourself into them and maybe creating a little elbow room for yourself and your ideas and what you want. And maybe, just maybe, by doing so you slightly change the course of the world, life and the universe.

I am not even sure a tugboat analogy works where.

I think it is more you insert a slightly irregular heart beat which changes the pulse of everything if but for a moment. And maybe that moment creates the excitement, the pause, the whatever … that make the greater whole move a little faster or makes it rest at a moment in which the course of history & fate shift ever so slightly in your favor.

Maybe it makes the odds move ever so slightly in your favor.

I am not suggesting Life, the world or the universe will favor you <because, once again, I think it is mostly indifferent to you> but rather something you do or something you say or even your presence or participation ever so slightly changes, bends, the arc of your destiny a little more toward what you seek and what you are working for.

I imagine everyone should note I am closely tying two things with this thought … attitude and effort.

Attitudinally you gotta be thinking you can somehow effect the arc of your destiny.

Effort-wise you accept you gotta make that happen.

And, finally, you gotta change your beliefs in ‘cause & effect.’ And I don’t mean that you stop believing ‘if I do this, this can happen.’ What I do I mean is that ‘can’ is the operative word.

There are no guarantees it will.

The only guarantee is that if you don’t embrace the attitude and if you do mot simultaneously embrace the effort … it WILL NOT.

Maybe that thought sucks to you and maybe it doesn’t.

Well.

Sorry. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what you are thinking, because it is what is.

My advice is that you either rearrange your beliefs or you are gonna get fucked <in that you will not get what you want> because the universe sure as hell ain’t gonna rearrange itself for you.

=====

I wrote about this thought in a slightly different way back in March where I discussed progress, going and ‘doing’ and maintaining the essence of your character as the guiding star in getting what you want in this universe. Maybe visit that, rearrange your beliefs, and ponder that.

Framing the Right Questions

Persistent CEOs almost always get the information they request. It might not arrive as fast as they’d like, but eventually it gets there. Their bigger problem is getting information they haven’t demanded because they don’t know to ask for it. And unfortunately, it’s not just obscure corners of underperforming operations that CEOs are oblivious to. Often, it’s some brewing development that will redraw the lines of competition for the future.

One way to describe these unanticipated risks is “unknown unknowns”—a phrase former U.S. defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld made famous in 2002.

================

“Before beginning a hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.”

–

Winnie the Pooh

==================

“Chaos is what we’ve lost touch with. This is why it is given a bad name. It is feared by the dominant archetype of our world, which is Ego, which clenches because its existence is defined in terms of control.”

―

Terence McKenna

===================

Well.

I have written extensive pieces on effectively managing change in business, probably been asked to speak about managing change in business a dozen times and, yet, I am not even close to being an expert and every time I return to the topic I learn something new.

This time I learned something new in a Harvard Business Review article called “Bursting the CEO Bubble” by Hal Gregersen and how  change leader can become “un-insulated” from the information they need to implement the most appropriate change.

Almost every new leader is new because the business they are assuming responsibility for wants some change <I struggle to think of a new leader being placed to ‘maintain the status quo’>.

So lets say, just to hedge y bets, 98.37% of new leaders are being asked to create some sort of change … the change can be big <transformation type change> or it can be small <fine tuning type change> … but suffice it to say … change is change and change is demanded.

And while many people will say all this effective change fashizzle we talk about is all about vision … I would argue it is more about insights. I say that because we all know we want our car to go as fast as it can and do so successfully over whatever type of terrain we are aiming to traverse … but you gotta get under the hood to assess the engine to make it all happen.

I use the engine analogy because I am often asked about how leadership insights are revealed and I, personally, believe it is foolish to advocate anything like a linear process in uncovering them … because not only is there no real linear process to uncover them but … well … most things work like engines in which hundreds of parts need to work together to make shit happen well.

Yeah. That is not linear – do this and this will happen — stuff.

A change leader is demanded to bring some sanity to the horizon … not reckless chaos.

Insights spring from a multitude of sources that are often difficult to define or systemize and can often look quite chaotic. I say that to point out that trotting out some ‘tried & true process’ is no guarantee of any success … in fact … it may guarantee failure <because change is amorphous in nature and process is solid in nature>. What matters most are the qualities and the inherent skills one must possess to gain the necessary insights — seeing the possible and being the change, as a leader, we want to make in the business.

All of what I just wrote is important because change is not just change.

Huh?

Well.

Far too often we permit change to be defined as some nebulous idea. And in doing so we talk about change a shitload … but never really seem to get around to doing everything that needs to be done <implementing it in an effective way>.

This doesn’t mean that these leaders are not truly trying hard to bring about change. It’s just that their attempts get trapped in the wretched hollow between ‘ideology’ <conceptual shit> and the practical <which is by no mean easy or simple>.

And it gets even more complicated if the leader can only envision what is <the current system> … which leads only to tweaks & improvements . The best change leaders not only see the system that exists but also envisions a system that … well … does not exist.

For it is within that understanding in which a good change leader can break what needs to be broken, keep what needs to be kept and tweak what needs to be tweaked.

Inevitably successful change is a reflection of several things … all embodied in a process incorporating information, education, dialogue, and ultimately, the insights generated from the process which will drive the choices.

Which leads me to ‘asking questions’ <because the only way you can gain insights is by actually asking questions>.

I don’t know why but it seems like there is a growing fear to ask questions these days … especially by leaders. And I really don’t know why.

McKinsey just did a whole study on how leaders should be better listeners and ask better questions.

Say what? A whole study? WTF. Why not just have an entire seminar called “common sense.”

That said.

Here is the most basic aspect of any good leader … information begets insights which inform decisions. It sounds really basic … so basic I think we often overlook it.

We discuss instinctual decision-making.

We discuss effective decision-making.

But rarely do we discuss the fact this insight-to-decision relationship <or at least … not often enough>.  And because of that we sometimes ignore how we gather information, assess information, discern information and use the right information to ultimately make a decision.

Yeah. What I am suggesting is that information may actually be more important than past experience <existing ‘answers’ you may have to offer>. Suffice it to say … the best change leaders almost slowdown in gathering information, and ask questions, to speed up <in the decision and its effectiveness>.

Maybe we don’t talk about this because if we did … and described it that way … it sounds … uhm … slow.

Questioning.

Listening .

Responding.

 

And, yet, to be effective a change leader has to ask different questions in order to get new answers to the problem sitting right in front of them <and, no, there is no secret handbook … or published book … or even some website article which  can give you all the different questions to ask – albeit you can find some of this false advice if you search>.

But it was this new HBR article, and MIT study, which reminded me that in order to be successful when dropping into a new company, and effectively survive, you have to be able to uncover the crucial information … the stuff you can get from a spreadsheet or in some board room.

==================

I think the default strategy and direction with any organization is towards efficiency. It’s all about the assumption that we already know what to do and we’re doing the right thing, so let’s just be more efficient with it. When that starts happening, people stop asking questions and it can easily turn into a situation where leaders don’t want to get questions coming at them. A number of the leaders I interviewed said that they got hired, and promoted up the ranks because they were able to give quick, smart, relevant answers to people. The problem is, when people move into that CEO role, they not only need to know how to do things that are currently being done, but they’re defining the future. That takes a completely different behavioral-set, mindset, and skill set. Many organizations don’t realize that, and when they get into that pure efficiency mode, solving and poking and challenging the status quo is not part of the mantra.

Those CEOs asking better questions and speaking out about what they don’t know are obsessive about client, customer, and user needs. When a leader takes that fundamental position of customers first, and they actually mean it, they’re simultaneously taking the position that problems are first, not politics.

Hal Gregerson

executive director of the MIT Leadership Center

=========

While I have often suggested that a good change leader is like an assassin … that implies “effectively killing the problem.” Upon reflection I think that diminishes the importance of the research & planning which leads to the ‘assassination.’

You have to hunt down the necessary information. So maybe I should suggest it is a hunter assassin characteristic.

You have to come in and go on the hunt for new information … ask … and listen effectively.

I imagine I am pounding away on this point because most change leaders gain a new position to give answers … and they are used to not only talking but giving answers. And, most likely, because they did get the position there are a shitload of people in organizations more than willing to let the new change leader talk and give some marching orders <answers>. The current business environment seems to encourage action and less reflection <before acting>.

And a portion of that ‘environment’ pressure is correct. Many times we wait too long and act too slowly. But I would argue that fast movement or more considered movement … if you haven’t asked the questions you will not be successful.

================

“No plan survives meeting the enemy.”

General von Moltke

==========

““On s’engage et puis … on voit.”

“First engage in a serious battle and then see what happens.”

Napoleon

=================

For if you are trying to build out a plan to stand the tests of implementation or commit to ‘adapting to implementation issues’ … you have to know the proper insights.

My personal attitude is that I assume I am wrong about many things. I say that as I share a quote I agree with 100%:

———————

“The difference between successful executives and unsuccessful ones is not the quality of their decision making. Each one probably makes good decisions 60% of the time and bad ones 40% of the time—and maybe it’s even 55% to 45%. The difference is, the successful executive is faster to recognize the bad decisions and adjust, whereas failing executives often dig in and try to convince people that they were right.”

——————————–

Anyway.

Change leadership is not just about a good plan nor is it just about effective adaptation … it is about having the flexibility to accommodate the unforeseen. You don’t know what you don’t know.

And leadership, in general, translates into a natural isolating bubble created by the position and the power that comes with it.

This bubble naturally creates a layer between what you know, and do not know, and what you should know.

I can tell you one thing — unequivocally. If you are managing change and stumbling into what you didn’t know … and not having the insight to adapt to what you didn’t know … your survival, and the survival of what you are managing, is under significant threat. In other words … you will die <get fired> or the company will die <in reality>.

Change is complex.

The best of he best, and smartest, management thought leaders have created sophisticated frameworks all designed to help business leaders grapple with their own change strategies at an abstract level.

But the reality is that strategy succeeds or fails based on how well leaders at every level of an organization integrate real useful insights into day-to-day operations.

It is as complex, and as simple, as that. And it is by asking questions where you will find your insights.

It is as complex, and as simple, as that.

============

“When you make a choice, you change the future.”

―

Deepak Chopra

===========

“Oh, yes. Choosing… it has always hurt. And always will. I know.”

―

George R.R. Martin

=============

Ok.

This is about Intelligence … and making choices.

Why do I put both of these together? Well. Do you know the origin of the word ‘intelligence’?

<because I did not>

Intelligence is derived from the latin verb intelligere … which actually means “to choose among.’

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm … so that means an intelligent person isn’t a smart <high IQ> person or one who has reams and reams of knowledge and factoids stored away in their pea-like brains <although I envision it could increase the likelihood of actually being intelligere>.

It actually suggests that the ‘intelligent’ are those who can discriminate fact from fiction, truth from lies, which half of a half-truth is the important half … and I imagine those who can discriminate … even if only between the bad and the worse.

Oh.

And, of course, that means intelligere is founded upon the concept of choice. And not jut the ability to discern the choice but also the character, and fortitude, and smarts … to actually make choices.

In addition … intelligere demands one have the curiosity to have at hand that which is needed to actually create, and have, ‘the among’ available.

Uhm.

The ability to ‘choose among.’

Once again … we seem to face the uncomfortable truth that things are rarely black & white, choices are inherently unclear and a simple “if this then it must be that” linear choice is almost never at hand.

Intelligere is … well … not easy.

Look.

I don’t know that I really have a point to make here today.

I simply found this interesting. It made me think about what I perceive as ‘intelligence’ in people.

I know I had always simply thought people who were smart were intelligent. And, frankly, I didn’t think much beyond that.

But.

Assessing intelligence not just as being smart but rather what you do with those smarts?

Whew.

I like that.

===

“Believe those who are seeking the truth.

 

Doubt those who find it.”

 

————

Andre Gide

=====

Well.

If I could earn a salary being a truth seeker I would sign up today. In fact. I believe we need a job like this.

I think we need a job like this because … well … Truth is significantly more elusive than I tend to think we believe. Truth is rarely simple … certainly not as simple as we would like it to be and even more rarely tied to what could be misconstrued as “common sense.” Truth is often complex, nuanced & tinged with contradictions.

And because I believe what I just wrote … I am always wary of those who come out blazing by speaking “the truth.”

Why? Things are rarely black & white. I also imagine I say this because my truth attitude is tempered by the fact I have been called optimistically cynical.

While my incessant curiosity always has me pursuing new & better & different knowledge <which inevitably create unlearning> I guess I question everything upfront. This means I filter thru everything I hear & rarely accept it as “it is what it is,” I imagine this is my cynicism part <or maybe one would hope as I have become older I can judge what to question and what to accept upfront>.

My optimistic side?  I always believe great things come of the cynicism filter <rather than use cynicism to drag things down>. Maybe this style of mine insures I feel more confident in what I know versus what I don’t know as well as draws my thoughts & thinking a little more away from opinion & more towards truth, fact & real knowledge.

By the way. I would like to believe more people <and society … and business … in general> would benefit from a filter like that.

Regardless.

I would like to believe I am one of those people who is constantly seeking truth. I may not be, but, it is certainly a good objective to try to attain. And I would welcome anyone on to my truth seeking team <as long as they truly were open to “unlearning to learn”>.

I do know that I believe as long as you are ‘seeking’ … you are being persistently curious … and … well … there are worse things to be.

I do know that I believe we need more persistently curious truth seekers in today’s world.

Anyway.

Truth seeker.

Well.

That is certainly a title I would like to put on a business card. Tough job but, whew, I would do take this job in a second.

==================

“Sureness will always elude you.

The detective will always circle around what he wants, never seeing it whole. We do not go on despite this. We go on because of it.”

—–

Claire DeWitt

==================

<note: this thought piece skews toward learning & teaching our youth but is relevant to all ages & how we learn>

So. Everyone who knows me knows that overcoming ignorance is my thing <I always hesitate to use the ‘soapbox’ word so it’s ‘thing’ here>. In fact … I was tempted to call this post “enlightened Ignorance” <because I love contradictions>.

That said, I found a guy <Jim McGee on Future Tense blog> who has actually not only thought about learning & overcoming ignorance as much as I have but has also created some interesting diagrams which better articulate the dynamic between “learning and ignorance” then I ever could <plus … the diagrams look like something I would have scribbled on a piece of paper>.

What Jim did was to articulate this idea of “boundaries of ignorance” and “circles of knowledge” in a really interesting way. The foundational idea is that by expanding the circle of knowledge you are simultaneously expanding the boundaries of ignorance. In other words, the more things you learn, the more things you become aware you don’t know.

Now that is an awesome incredibly simple concept.

The thinking behind this concept? In the beginning of your knowledge gathering life <probably think mainly children> ignorance always outpaces knowledge and learning <side note:this is just one of the places where I believe people like you and I can make a difference – think about in viewing this first diagram and young people>.

Let me be clear. By ‘people like you and I’ I mean older people with more experience and a better understanding of how expansive true knowledge can be. Why do I say this? Because if you think about this circle diagram concept it means that gaining knowledge can be frustrating.

Frustrating? Frustrating in that every time you learn something ignorance still lies outside your existing knowledge base. This translates into a state of being perpetually dissatisfied <or the glass is never completely full with knowledge> which obviously can be either encouraging or discouraging with a person’s attitude to continue learning. This diagram also makes you think about the role of schools <and do they help or hinder or minimize or maximize>.

Schools fulfill their role in this process by focusing attention on the inside of the circle and keeping youth carefully inside the boundaries. What I mean by that is the credentialing system of education looks backward at what you are supposed to have learned in its testing and measurement of success. I imagine the good news is that a good school environment helps keep you from falling off the edge into material you are unable to understand or appreciate <and in the process hopefully limiting a type of discouragement>.

In addition.

A huge purpose of schools is to introduce students <of any age> to appropriate vocabulary in a logical order … so you can progressively move on to additional learning <this is the same in business>. For example, it’s difficult to skip to more complex physics until you have basic physics understanding. Or. It is difficult to read Tolkein if you haven’t mastered Dr. Suess.

Yet. The danger, or maybe better said, the potential limitations of formal schooling <even when well done> is too much focus on what you already know. In other words, if a person <or child> isn’t pushed out to the boundaries, opportunities become limited for significant new learning. This thought gets compounded by the fact today’s schooling tends to overly protect students from failure and, therefore, from opportunities for deeper learning.

Therefore. Learning and attacking ignorance <and the boundaries of ignorance> is a place where parents and outsiders <beyond teachers> can make a HUGE difference.

I do believe as we get older we come to appreciate, or at least understand, the importance of failure in real learning.

This is important learning beyond educational building blocks and assists in ongoing career development activity and personal intellectual growth. We need to insure children don’t get discouraged with two things:

——–

(1) slow paced learning as they learn necessary foundational elements <they get discouraged because their curiosity never gets sated>

(2) failure to learn everything <they get discouraged because by remaining in the ‘ignorance zone,’ despite having invested energy in knowledge gathering to actually get in that zone, they never feel a satisfaction of ‘something completed’>.

——–

With that thought …. we get to Jim’s second diagram where the circle of knowledge has inconsistent edges/boundaries. Yeah. It is uneven. When I saw this diagram I thought it perfectly reflected not only how people expand their learning knowledge outside a school construct but also my own personal challenge when it comes to increasing knowledge and ignorance.

The problem I have personally always had … is I run the risk of collecting information book by book and article by article and with each one my point of view slightly sways in the direction of what I read. I imagine, upon reflection, over time I have gained a better understanding of my own learning flaws and I tend to treat each piece of new learning as simply a breakthrough in my ignorance and I start gathering information around that particular piece of learning to round out my thought and point of views instead of solely being invested in the ‘breakthrough thought.’ In some variation I imagine most people are like this. This would also mean … uhm … there is no such thing as a well-rounded person.

So. All that said.

Assuming I could actually create a diagram without help from someone who knows how to build diagrams, my personal third diagram would probably be the rounding out of some of the points above. In other words … the spike is the initial breakthrough which inevitably leads to a curiosity driven rounding out of fuller understanding and knowledge. Beyond that rounding out I would imagine there is an inevitable new ‘spike’ somewhere else assuming I had read or heard something that piqued my curiosity. Therefore, and I believe this is the neatest thought, this is a perpetual process with spikes and rounding out but in the end the circle just keeps getting bigger and bigger. In my mind <and personal motto> … this suggests ‘seek truth’ just expands the mind with no end destination ever truly landed upon.

Anyway.

Jim makes a great point in his blog — you become more expert and informed on certain topics at the expense of others. The well rounded circle that might have theoretically characterized the end of classic education system but reality suggests it should be replaced with the profile of an expert (or increased passion on a topic) in some particular domain. Therefore, you will never end up with a perfect circle but rather an ellipse or some wacky trapezoid <or something>. I would also suggest that at the end of high school a teen will have the first diagram and just one spike out <I am making a generalization but you get my thought>. Most kids have some passion that they become comfortable with and expand their knowledge to a point that they are pushing the ignorance boundary out on that topic.

Ok.

Before I leave that thought. I believe every kid is passionate about something. And I believe it is up to us adults to find it <not the kid>. Once again … I do believe we more experienced <older> people have a responsibility here <note: as do more experienced manager in a business organization>.

It is a tricky challenge … but we should be encouraging other “spikes” in the boundary <note: I hesitate to call it rounding out because if you believe this diagram – as I do – we are seeking to look to create the sharp salient effect on the circle and then round out the salient>. As noted earlier we adults are in a balancing act role of encouraging and managing inevitable discouragement <because of the never ending aspect of curiosity>.

We need to think about this. Really think about this.

While it is a fascinating thought process that if we do not take time to think about we are likely to mismanage.

In the end?

We need to recognize that our smallest actions can make a big impact. And that is a responsibility.

Regardless.

Do I believe there should be tools, techniques and specific tactics to take advantage of this “boundary of ignorance” and guide ongoing learning? Shit. I don’t know. I am not an education expert.

I am sure someone can come up with some voodoo technique that gets people to enhance their knowledge base. For me the success lies within the understanding of the process. For when people understand these diagrams and this thought process I believe we are on our way to success. For, as I noted with the first diagram, the issue sometimes comes down to discouragement/encouragement. In our current world people are very focused on “attaining a goal” and what this “boundary of ignorance” suggests is you can never attain the goal.

The cheese gets moved every time you get close to getting it. Maybe the trick is to make learning become visible so you recognize the next step is to further cluster more learning around something that interested you <and encouraging that gathering/clustering>. But. I am not sure how to do that.

So. Here is what I do know <or believe> from this:

–          School systems are built to create a rounded foundational learning and accumulate enough knowledge to “attack” ignorance as you get older.

That is good. And it probably pays for parents and influential people in kid’s lives to understand this. And encourage kids because there is a high risk they will sometimes get frustrated with the basics and want more.

–          In general … learning is discouraging <that is a big thought we need to wrap our heads around>.

Until maybe you attain Albert Einstein status on quantum physics you can never reach your goal. Or maybe better said you are always reaching for something and finding out there is something more to reach for. In people’s formative thinking/learning years it is helpful to remember this.

–          Personal understanding is important.

I recognized pretty early on my learning challenge. Each book contained a thought that could drive my newest “thinking” or point of view. I discovered a way to deal with it.

Do I still fall into the “tunnel vision learning” trap? Sure. Who doesn’t fall in love with a well articulated logical idea on occasion? Am I trapped for long? Nope. I know now to seek out additional learning on thoughts to round off the spikes.

–          Single topic pushing out versus multiple topics pushing out.

There is no formula. I know for a fact my own parents were scared shitless that when I picked up a science fiction book, and then another, and then another, that all I was going to read and learn about was that. But then I would find something else and then that would be my new eternal focus. Ok. Eternal until the next interesting factoid smacked me in the head.

Other people push out on multiple topics at the same time. The only thing I know for sure? Encouragement.

I don’t like the way my own parents encouraged my curiosity <it was a negative approach … “you shouldn’t just read about this .. you know there are other interesting things in the world”> … but, regardless, the intent was good.

Go get more.

More is good.

Okay. Maybe that’s the bottom line to this thought.

More is good.

More learning begets more enlightened ignorance. Question everything. Even your own knowledge.

So. In this case, oddly enough, maybe I am suggesting ignorance is good. Good in that the more you don’t know makes you want to know more. Ok. Maybe it’s the more you know makes you want to know more.

Anyway. In the end … despite the fact I abhor ignorance & fight ignorance everyday from my little corner of the world … after writing this … well … maybe I should say “Up with ignorance!” because it fosters more learning. Go figure.

=================

“Just remember, if you flinch from your destiny, you’ll never achieve your true greatness — you didn’t choose to be chosen, but being chosen means you have to choose.”

–

Charlie Jane Anders

==============

“Souls are funny things. They stay constant even when the outside changes, or when the heart makes mistakes.

Souls don’t really care about good or bad, right or wrong — they’re just true.”

—

Miranda July

=======================

Wow.

If you flinch …  that Anders quote is fucking awesome.

I had no idea who Charlie Jane Anders was when I read this quote and I am now glad I found out who she is.

Charlie Jane Anders

She is an American transgender fiction author and commentator. Author of All the Birds in the Sky, coming January 26, 2016 from Tor Books. Raconteur, bon vivant, wild and perilous soul. Willing to be a bad influence for a good cause.

Anyway.

I am glad I did some research because I gained a better perspective on the depth of this quote.

On its surface I just liked it.

I like the thought of it.

I like the truth of it.

I like the circumspection aspect of it.

I like the aspirational perspective of it <I do believe each of us has a destiny if we elect to achieve it>.

And I like the simplicity … and complexity within … of it.

But.

Coming from her point of view brings this quote to an entirely different level.

It shifts from merely communicating in platitudes to generating a deeper understanding that life chooses your destiny for you, everyone is included in that “you,” but it’s up to you to choose whether you accept your destiny.

And it is there, for all to see, in the quote … it is easy to flinch from your destiny.

Incredibly easy.

And that is what makes her thought a little more powerful because it is easy to see how she would have flinched. And … just guessing … probably did at some point.

And, yet, this woman who was born in New England and was herself a choirboy.

And, yet, this woman who has stated that she has been cross dressing since “definitely in my early teens.”

And, yet, this woman who has also self-identified herself as genderqueer and a trans woman.

She chose.

Yeah.

At some point she chose … yes … she chose … to follow the destiny life chose for her.

No excuses … she just chose.

Easy?

Yikes.

I imagine not.

Inspirational?

You bet.

I respect her. I am envious of her strength of character. But I am most likely most envious of her ability to access, and embrace, some self truth. Maybe I could suggest she peeked into her soul and decided she would choose to embrace it rather than flinch from it.

I say that because, ultimately, I imagine the stability and security of our souls needs to be grounded in some self truth. Ok. Some harsh unfettred self truth. The kind of harshness that could … well … make you flinch.

Harsh?

No lies.

No bullshit.

No ‘wishes.’

Just harsh unfettered truth.

In order to be greater than the turmoil of life.

In order to stand unwavering in the storm of life.

In order to not flinch in the face of the stiffest winds of life.

Just harsh unfettered truth.

I would argue that this harsh unfettered truth gives us a space.

It’s kind of like the eye of a hurricane.

It enables us to draw some lines.

It enables us to create some limits.

It enables us to place some margins as a buffer.

But at the center?

Just harsh unfettered truth.

I use harsh purposefully.

Self reflection is always difficult. It’s tough facing some shit you most likely don’t want to face.

But admitting it? Whew.

That’s where harsh comes in.

You come face to face with some shit you more than likely would rather not face about yourself and then … well … you admit that what you face is you.

That’s, more often than not, harsh.

You flinch a little.

But in flinching at this point you are empowered to not flinch when facing outwards.

You face your sins.

You face your flaws.

You face your failures.

You face the harsh unfettered truth.

=====================

“I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another.

I have no tongue for it.”

—

Arthur Miller

============

I believe any hope of greatness … any hope of attaining our destiny … always resides within us. I would also argue the harshest evaluation of your hope resides within the harsh unfettered truth within.

Now.

All of this may sound like only personal Life thinking.

It is not.

I use these same words these days with business people about businesses and companies. Businesses are given every opportunity to flinch. And I would suggest that most businesses, and business people, do flinch.

Shit.

The world makes it fairly easy to flinch.

In today’s world in which there seems to be no black and white and only grays.

In today’s world in which there seems to be no facts and only common sense.

In today’s world in which there seems to be no truth and only lies.

That said.

Not flinching resides in the power of self <as an individual r as a business> and naked unfettered truths.

Those who strip themselves naked of anything but truth will stand out not for their nakedness but rather for their clarity of who and what they are. These will be deemed the true authentic and the true credible and the true commendable or capable of winning favorable acceptance in people’s minds.

That is a harsh unfettered truth for the few who desire distinction and success in today’s world.

Don’t flinch from your harsh unfettered truth for it contains your destiny.

I will end by suggesting if Charlie Jane Anders didn’t flinch from her destiny … then none of us have an excuse.

None.

Being chosen means you have to choose.

So don’t flinch when faced with your destiny.

Maybe, just maybe, we should all seek a little willing to be a bad influence for a good cause.

 

 

==============

“Just remember, if you flinch from your destiny, you’ll never achieve your true greatness — you didn’t choose to be chosen, but being chosen means you have to choose.”

–

Charlie Jane Anders

============

======================

“I am 100% certain that I am 0% sure of what I’m going to do.”

–

Parks & Recreation

=============

“You’ve got to think about the big things while your doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.”

–

Alvin Toffler

===============

Life doesn’t really make it easy for us. It kind of encourages us to focus on big stuff … and little stuff … at the exact same time <all the while encouraging us to focus on one thing and do it well>.

At exactly the same time … well … we all seem to be encouraged to want a ‘big life’ or ‘live life as big as you can’ which implies ignoring little over big.

Do something really big thing.

Do something important.

Do something substantial.

I won’t argue that most of us get the “big definition” wrong <because the truth is that identifying the ‘big’ for us is closer to 0% success  than 100%>.

But what I would suggest is … oddly enough … we do more big things than we may think.

Huh?

Frequently, we see incidents in life as “little things” and later we learn to our regret we recognize the same incidents as “big things.”

While the Toffler quote sums it up well I would be tempted to add “… so all the small things go in the right direction and you end up near(er) your big thing <whatever that may be>.”

I would suggest that it is in the juggling of the small within the big that is the challenge.

And not everyone is good at juggling.

Some people are really really good at doing the small things.

Some people are really really good at thinking about the big things.

But few people are good at both.

Regardless.

Big things are seemingly easy to do because we all see them. And they appear easy to check off our “to do” list. But, inevitably, it seems like everything really does come down to the little things, which unfortunately, we have a nasty habit of overlooking <not necessarily on purpose>.

<emphasis here> … that’s bad <that overlooking thing>.

It can be a big mistake <which is a big thing by the way> and a large creation of stress in our life <another big thing>. It’s a big mistake because those small things most often have a large impact to alleviate some of these potentially negative ‘big’ things in our lives. Ok. Take a moment and think about it. Stress can be partially managed by doing a couple of really small things … like … show up on time …. and listen and … well … you get it.

Whew.

Small stuff sounding types of things aren’t they?

Yeah.

Sometimes small important things sound small.  But do big things. Make a big impact.

Anyway.

By now I imagine you get where I am going with this little post.

Little things that are big.

I write all this because while I believe Alvin was talking about actual “doing stuff” I thought I would remind everyone that the truly impactful little things have absolutely nothing to do with doing but rather HOW you do.

And while that sound very ‘self oriented’ I would point out it is not — because the big things, the truly big things, are not individual things, not “I did” things, they are ‘we’ things or group things or shared things.

Really BIG things may be ‘I’ generated but they are “we” implemented to be truly big.  And in that belief we can often find the little things needed so we can be sure the big things happen.

All this leads me to ‘hard choices’ because little or big … all things require making decisions.

Aw shit.

………. zig zag mistake …………….

Decisions.

Suffice it to say decisions, in general, are hard to make <even by people who are quite capable of making a good hard decision>.

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“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just silently outperforming all of you on my own terms.”

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INTP Musings

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Decisions are hard because … well … they inevitably harden the person who makes them.

Decisions demand you to harden yourself in some ways.  You have to harden yourself, insulate yourself a little, from the human aspects of the decision and focus on the bigger picture and the horizon. Please don’t mistake this for minimizing the ‘little people’ or the individual or even ‘not caring’.

This is the forest or trees type decisions leaders <and all people at some point> need to make. It may sound callous but it is just like firefighting a big fire … burn some trees to save the forest.

Sacrifice some little things to save a big thing.

Oh.  And sometimes sacrifice a shitload of trees <little things> to save the forest <big thing>.

Regardless.

These little day to day hard decisions, when they are made, harden you as a person. It’s just life.  It’s not personal.

Here is what makes it even tougher.

I believe all of us who make hard decisions worry a little bit that it … well … becomes too easy.

That we become so hard that we lose sight of everything else.

As things proceed in our lives and we make choice after choice after choice each decision affects you … that is your personal toll.

That is what Life demands of you.

That is the price Life charges you.

Now.

Having said that.

Not everyone will make the hard decision. We will inevitably made soft decisions. Soft decisions that possibly gave a glimmer of hope by saving some little things but the danger is always that once you begin the slippery slope of making soft decisions on little things <and gravity really takes over> the glimmer becomes dimmer and dimmer over time <and the big thing is lost>.

To stop the slide a really hard decision needed to be made.

Look.

We all do this … make soft decisions on seemingly little things.

It isn’t a lack of foresight.

It isn’t a lack of understanding of what is happening.

It is a lack of ability to make the hard decision.

And … it’s a shame.

He blew on one of the dandelions, and the whole world disappeared.

While this may sound flippant my only real thought on little things & big things & making decisions is … noli timere <don’t fear>.

My thought is that it seems to me that we, in everyday Life, have become so fearful of doing the wrong thing that we have become slaves to “what is stated <by some expert or others> to be the right thing to do.”

Even on the frickin’ little things

In the end.

I truly believe the so called big things are not really that big <even dreams I will say>.

In fact.

Most often it is the little things that are the truly important things.

So when someone tells you that you don’t “think big” maybe you can take some solace that they don’t “think small” and you are happier because of that.

So when someone tells you that you focus on little things too much maybe you can take solace that you just don’t fear making the hard choices in the moment.

So when someone tells you that you are 0% sure of what is important to you take solace in that you believe all things are important.

All little things are big and all big things are really little. That may sound overwhelming but … well … if you do maybe you will pay attention enough to make the decisions when they matter.