====

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

—

Calvin Coolidge

===

“The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret of outward success.”

–

Henry Ward Beecher

===

Some people are born with a silver spoon <with money & status in Life>.

Some people are born with some extraordinary talent <albeit all of us born with some talent for something>.

Well.

Let’s be clear.

Those “some people” are certainly guaranteed some aspect of ‘easy’ or ‘easier’ in their lives.

However.

Those ‘some people’ have no Life guarantees … they are not guaranteed greatness nor are they guaranteed to slide down into derelict status.

The only real guarantees in Life are not external driven but internal driven … the engine that makes Life go is … uhm … you.

And speaking of the ‘you engine’ … while persistency is a nice thought I would suggest participation is the key.

<1>    If you participate you have a chance of elevating whatever you have to offer.

<2>     If you persistently participate I guarantee, yes, guarantee, … you will elevate above the majority.

Now.

You not only have to participate externally <involve yourself in the game of Life> but you also have to actively participate, with some persistence, within yourself.  You have to start the engine and engage the gears and keep it well oiled and … well … you get the metaphor.  Suffice it to say that the engine, whatever ability & physical/mental/intellectual resources you have available to you do not run on their own.

You have to be actively nurturing.

You have to be persistently honing your talents.

At the basis for my belief in what I say is that ‘good’ deteriorates without nurturing … and, maybe worse, never even has a chance to blossom without participation.

At the basis for my belief is that talent is not eternal. It naturally diminishes.

Actively participate with whatever you got and you can improve upon talent with determination and persistence and you can elevate it to some extraordinary place so that when at some point you want to relax it starts slipping downwards to a place where others reside. But, oh shit … let it lie dormant and it diminishes. No participation and everything, even your talent, simply atrophies.

Okay.

Babbling aside let me share the simple formulas for participation, persistence, talent and derelicts.

–       If you have no talent <or don’t identify the talent you do have>, and are not persistent … you are not a derelict … you are most likely living in your parents basement writing a blog about conspiracies and wearing a tin foil hat.

–      If you have a passion, and persistently pursue that passion, and … well … you have no particular talent for what you are doggedly pursuing … you are a frustrated unhappy person.

<note … lets say you are persistent enough to do the 10,000 hour Gladwell ‘expert’ path … despite Gladwell’s bullshit theory  – https://brucemctague.com/limitations     –  you will most likely attain at least competency status … and will still be frustrated and unhappy because with all that persistency you don’t seek being ‘competent‘>.

–      If you have talent and are not persistent … well … you are a derelict <good education or not>.

Worse. You are one of the silly people who have wasted their talent.

–      If you have talent and persistently nurture and use that talent you will be successful.

<note … not all talent is created equal … you can have ‘good’ talent and someone can have ‘great’ talent and while it sucks … all things equal … if both are persistent and determined … great will always be better than good>.

–      If you have talent and passion and are persistent … you actually have a chance of being the best of the best … laughing at the derelicts who may have had the same talent <and a shitload of education> but no passion and nor persistent determination. You also have a shot, not guaranteed but a shot, to actually be better than someone who is talented and simply is persistently dogged about being good at their art/skill … but it is not driven by a passion to be the best.

Look.

Formulas aside … we all have some capability and if we are persistent enough when focused on that capability we will most likely do relatively well in life. Society throws us a bullshit curve ball suggesting that Life is some competition in which your talent & persistency should be measured against others.

What bullshit.

The competition resides within ourselves … not to be measured against anyone else.

And, frankly, while we as individuals are unique and original … most likely most of us have some capability or talent that falls into the “a shitload of people can do something pretty similar.”

Who cares if someone else can do it? You should just care that you can do it. And go do it <rather than sitting around wondering how you can be better than someone else or have some unique skill>.

===

“And while I’d like to lay claim to some extraordinary act of originality, truth is I’m only taking advantage of capabilities inherent in everyone.”

–

Mark Z Danielewski

===

Just remember.

The first, and last, step to avoid being a derelict is to realize that we each have a role that requires us to persistently attend to Life and our talent, we have to participate internally & externally and, lastly, assume responsibility for shaping our own future. Everyone has some talent the difference usually resides in who actually uses it & who does not.

=====

Creating a company takes more than an idea. It demands a vision. And visions are more difficult to sell than products. Because a good vision isn’t easily attainable but still remains worth reaching for.

Great visions are grounded by the practical pragmatism of what it takes to reach a destination which is often located somewhere over the horizon … unseeable but imaginable.

Our company?

We have a change the world attitude. We don’t mind being disruptive as long as it is with the intent to create something new and better. Smart disruption displaces the conventional and replaces it with an unconventional way to do things that actually meets what people want, need and expect.

We call what we are doing ‘shaking the category etch a sketch.’

Visions should be lofty and grounded.

Simple yet reflective of a complex world.

Pragmatic & practical yet not the status quo.

Bruce McTague <for his own company>

====

Ok.

This is about having a vision, vision statements and thinking of a ‘place to go’ … a place to aim for … business and personal. This is about the pragmatic side of possibilities & the possibilities of pragmatism. You will find some practical stuff <because I have had to do it recently with several companies> and some … well … thoughtful stuff <because any time you work on vision projects you inevitably start thinking>.

Let me state upfront.

I am an admitted ‘hope vision’ type guy.

The vision statements I write and the visions I gravitate to almost always have some ‘bigness’ to them … always strive for aspirations … and attempt to offer a sense of hope … as in hope for something better in what we offer … maybe make things better in Life … certainly give people hope for something better.

This can be small hope <if I make nuts & bolts, my hope is everlasting strength … of something else>.

This can be big hope <if I am remaking how everyday healthcare is conducted my hope is … well … enabling people to live a better, fuller, Life>.

The bottom line with me is that a great vision, and visionary, has an idea of the world they want to be part of … and how they want to help create that world <whether it be in a small or big way>.

Regardless.

Let me get the practical ‘what is a vision statement’ crap out of the way first.

To be clear.

A vision statement shouldn’t be confused with a mission statement.

– Mission statements are present-based statements and reflective of your external existence. A mission statement answers the question “why does my business exist?”

– Vision statements are future-based and internally focused. A vision statement answers the question “who do I see myself as in a bigger picture <and where do I see my business in this bigger picture?”

A well crafted vision statement should communicate the company’s goals in a single sentence … or a few concise paragraphs … or in a tightly knit manifesto.

As you can see … a vision has no formula … excepting it should inspire. I believe visions are to be treated seriously … but is also a time for creativity, dreams and fun thinking.

They should stretch the imagination as well as offer some construct for direction and culture. A good vision statement will help set the company direction for employees as well as guide priorities … all the while challenging employees to think & grow & inspire <actions & attitudes>.

Develop a good vision and I promise you … a good strategy will follow <note: strategy never leads to a vision>.

Now.

The problem is that some vision statements consist of one vague statement which, frankly, anyone could say. Some are too long, unstructured and wandering reflecting not only a management’s lack of understanding of what a company really does but also reflects a lack of understanding for meaningful aspirational direction.

Suffice it to say … there is something called the Golden Bull award “for excellence in gobbledygook” for which many visions could be nominated.

Yet.

None of this stops me from seeking something that whispers ‘be dynamic beyond your purpose’ in everyone’s ear.

I do believe the vision can be one of a company’s cornerstones. But I also believe that because there is so much <too much> importance being placed on such statements that businesses tend to sit down like it is going to a dentist … generates a vision … whether it is good or bad … and posts it up on some website to prove they have a vision.

Let me unequivocally state … I would rather have no vision then a bad vision.

Ah.

But a good vision?

A well articulated vision aligns a company <that is a good thing>.

And more businesses apparently need a well done vision because according to a Harvard Business Review study up to 70% of employees do not understand their company’s purpose & strategy <that is a bad thing>.

It’s bad mostly because failure to understand your company’s position typically leads to poor decision making <that’s the practical side> and leads to thinking commodity-like thoughts about your company <that’s the ‘value’ side> and, finally, doesn’t lead to any ‘wow, I am part of something big & purposeful & meaningful’ <that’s the aspirational side>.

Anyway.

Maybe it’s because I have been working with some people on visions and seen how excited they get when they truly think about how their little idea can actually make something better and how what they thought when they thought of their company was part of something bigger they had been thinking.

Oh.

And maybe that is why I like vision statements. I like aiming for something in the future. I like inspiring people. I like an organization that feels like it is doing something more than making something or providing some service.

I like that a vision aims for some “what” … as in what could be & what do we want to happen.

I like a vision that is so big that it is compelling, not only to everyone else, but to me.

And, yet, no matter how big a vision gets it is very specific in outlining who you are as an organization.

This may sound crazy but I have seen dozens upon dozens of companies who have not taken the time to define themselves … or … define themselves so broadly it is meaningless … or … the worst … create a bunch of beautiful words and then behave in a completely different way.

Look.

If you discuss vision with business nerds you will get so many definitions and suggestions your head will start spinning.

If you discuss vision within an organization it may start in a good place but inevitably will be dragged down by pragmatism and ‘clarity’ <see mindless drivel>.

Screw them.

Here is what I know.

Your vision is your dream.

It is your company’s north star.

And while its primary objective is to inspire and create a shared sense of purpose throughout the company inevitably it sets the direction for new products, company culture, future decisions, hiring and … well … everything.

It is dynamic beyond your own purpose.

That’s business and vision.

Uhm.

Which leads me to my second and last thought on visions and a ‘place to go.’

Vision statements are a well renowned business tool.

Why isn’t it a personal or individual tool?

I would encourage everyone to write one of their own <instead of pursuing some of that personal branding drivel advice>.

Here is the incredibly great thing about a vision … its big and it gives you some place to go.

This isn’t dreamer type stuff … albeit … the stuffy pragmatic jerkwads of the world tend to shove this type of thinking up many people’s asses.

Far too often if a young person, shit, anyone … writes down a vision for themselves you will see the people they share it with shaking their heads and saying “well, that’s nice, not very realistic, but nice …”

What shitheads they are.

A vision is some horizon. It’s a place to go. Something yet to be created but a directional north star for who and what you are as a person.

Let’s call it ‘your soul direction.’

I tell young people that they may never get there … and that’s okay … the most important thing is maintaining sight of the north star.

I think we lose sight of how important something like this is for everyday schmucks like you & me.

In a world in which far too often visions seem small & practical <therefore not really a vision> it seems like trees become the focus and we never see the forest. And if that is the case then how the hell do you even know you are in the right forest?

All you know is that there is another one of those frickin’ trees in front of you.

I will end with where I began … creating a great person takes more than an idea. It demands a vision. And visions are more difficult to sell than products.

Because a good vision isn’t easily attainable but still remains worth reaching for. Visions are difficult mostly because they are difficult to ‘sell.’

Sell? Sell to yourself as something practical and worthwhile <because Life has a nasty habit of suggesting there are more important things to focus on> and sell to others <because people have a nasty habit of being scared of big things>.

I would suggest to truly be happy in Life … Life will demand you have a vision.

I would also suggest that you will more likely be happier as a person if you actually have a vision.

I would also suggest stop trying to ‘sell’ anything when it comes to a vision.

Shit.

Do you think the night sits down every day wondering “how the hell am I gonna sell all those people out there that this star is the one that points North?”

No. It does not.

Direction & vision feels right. It doesn’t need selling. And, what the hell, if you are the one who can see the world you want to help create … only you can really see the direction to get there.

—

 

“If it matters to you, it’s not stupid.”

 

=

via tea-storm

Ok.

This is about eliminating “that’s stupid” from our vocabulary. What inspired me to suggest this?

The quote above that I saw on tumblr.

What do I really believe about my ‘eliminating stupid’ idea? Well. Realistically … this suggestion has about as much chance as an ice cube in Hell.

However.

Conceptually … this suggestion has a lot of merit. Especially if you take it out of the external world and think about applying it internally – as in … with yourself.

So.

Let’s take a minute and talk about the internal aspect — the “me, myself & I are stupid” type shit we tell ourselves in our own heads. I would suggest that far too often we think something … and say ‘how could I be so stupid?’

But.

Most times it wasn’t stupid. Most times thinking about something is simply iterative. It gets you from point A to point B … and on and on and … well … you get it. It just gets you … ‘on.’ <as in ‘forward progress’>

If it matters enough for you to have thought about it … well … it really does  matter.

And it is not stupid. Value is in the thinking.

Look.

Trying to put a value on an individual thought is not only a slippery slope … but … well … stupid.

Ok.

Better said? … Worthless.

I say that because the Truth is an individual thought can rarely be assessed in a non-contextual way. In and of itself it may look of little value … it may even look stupid <in the moment> but in the grander scheme of things each thought is smartly leading to real thinking <and a real thought>. And real thinking is where individual thoughts can be made or broken. And, frankly, where you – your mind and how you think about yourself – get made or broken.

But suffice it to say … everything matters if it matters to you.

Ok.

But let me go to the external context for a minute. Huh? … How often do we say ‘that’s stupid’ when someone says something?

Alright … try this on for size.

We probably say it much less often than we think it. But does that make it any better?

Regardless.

Let me suggest … we think it a shitload of times.

Even if we are open minded, and being open minded, it is a knee jerk reaction <mentally>.

But.

Here is a Life truth you need to consider before you even think “biy, that’s stupid.”

Someone has chosen to speak a thought.

Someone has ‘braved’ the real world and opened their mind <and soul>.

So.

I would argue <and will> … if it matters … truly matters to that person … it is not stupid.

Additionally.

And we are stupid if we don’t think it matters.

Okay.

Maybe we aren’t stupid but rather displaying a fear or reluctance to make the effort to understand them.

Yup.

Fear they may be right <and we are wrong>.

Reluctance to change what we believe.

Therefore maybe WE are the stupid one.

Anyway … we just need to be more careful, or thoughtful, with regard to ‘that is stupid.’

I often believe this issue occurs because we have a habit of defining ‘smart’ in the wrong way. We judge smart on outcomes … and not process.

Yet.

Things are often not as they seem … people who seem to be doing something smart or stupid … may not be smart nor stupid.

Things, in a grander sense, are often not as they seem.

There is always more & changing information.

There is always more context to be gained.

There is often more to the story than what we initially hear.

So … in order to not be stupid you need to be … well … smart … as in being smart means not avoiding thinking.

Being smart means thinking things through.

Being smart is trying to find the real answer not the first answer.

Being smart means trying to understand what matters and what doesn’t.

Being smart means not jumping to conclusions.

Being smart is thinking “I don’t know” or “I am not sure.”

What’s not being smart?  Saying ‘That’s stupid.’ Why? Because “that’s stupid”, more often than not, is typically a reflection, a sign, for stopped thinking.

Yup.

A stop sign for thinking.

Lastly.

If none of that really mattered to you … take a second and think about how the words ‘that is stupid’ taste in your mouth <or mind>.

If they are words you savor … well … you are the stupid one.

Ok.

Maybe you are just an egotistical asshole.

Or worse?

You are being a shithole to yourself <if it is words you say to yourself in your mind>.

If the ‘you are stupid’ words just don’t feel good … or taste very good when spoken?

Good.

And think about it.

In the end.

Everything matters if it matters to you.

And. If you truly believe that?

From here on out … assuming that what someone says, and thinks, matters to them will help you become smarter as you think about what they actually said <and why they said it> rather than simply rejecting it.

Yeah.

Simplistically … believing everything matters may actually make you a better person.

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

“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.

—

“The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”

 

=

Thomas Merton

———————-

 

 

“You can’t be happy if you’re thinking about being happy.

 

Happiness is either there or it’s not, and if you’re thinking about it, it’s not there. “

 

=

J. Parata

——————

Ok.

On new year’s day I wrote about a pragmatic hope … a practical version of hope … or a rational version of hope … and all of a sudden I received a bunch of emails talking about ‘thinking positively in 2015″ and how that will power ‘good things.’

Whoa.

While I love hearing from people about what I write … sometimes I step back into the conversation because I think someone has misconstrued my thinking.

2015, shit, any time is about Hope … not positive thinking.

Let me be clear.

The whole positive thinking business drives me a little nuts because I am unequivocally in the Hope business.

And they are not the same.

Not even close in my book.

Hope is about a desire for better things to happen.

Positive thinking is not really hope … it is about envisioning things to happen … therefore … it’s just positive things.

Now.

I am not suggesting positive thinking is about ‘confidence’ because it is not. Confidence, when managed well, is a character trait.

On the other hand … I sometimes refer to positive thinking as ‘personal puffery.’ Puffing yourself up thru some random ‘positive thoughts about myself or what I believe I deserve.’ In fact … I think that is where that whole fake law, the fake ‘law of attraction’, begins <and end>… with puffery.

Anyway.

Positive thinking is all about making the intangible tangible in your mind. Its about creating the thought, an image in your mind, that what seems impossible isn’t just possible … it becomes real. Conversely … Hope is all about accepting the intangible … and accepting that it could become tangible … not just in your head but in reality.

What seems impossible just appears … well … as not impassable.

It is the simple acceptance of what could be possible.

Semantics?

Maybe.

But a huge crevasse in between the two.

Look.

We don’t all need positive thinking to be successful <but … we do need some doubt or cynicism to balance>. However … we all need hope.

A hopeless existence just isn’t worth living. Shit. We humans instinctively know this … that is why we spend days, hours & minutes searching for hope.

Unfortunately … we sometimes settle for something a little short of hope.

<insert “Uh oh” here>

Because of that, with good intentions to feel good about where we’re headed, we mistake positive thinking for genuine hope. The real difference between the two seems to come down to their sources.

Positive thinking flows from the human will … from the choice to believe that everything will turn out all right <whether it actually does or not>.

On the other hand … Hope seems to rest on character on the promise that Life offers <albeit it may not look that way all the time>.

Positive thinking seems to depend on us … while Hope seems to depend on Life.

Oddly <or interestingly>.

After looking at some research … it also seems that there are some character traits which affect how we think about positive thinking and hope. It appears how we have developed our character <or how we think about things> makes a difference.

For example.

How we view our behavior through a certain filter – shame versus guilt. This filter is developed within our childhood.

Shame is the feeling that I am a bad person … where guilt is the feeling that I have done a bad thing.

Shame is a negative judgment about the core self which can be debilitating & diminishing. Shame makes children feel small and worthless and they respond either by lashing out at the target or escaping the situation altogether.

In contrast, guilt is a negative judgment about an action, which can be repaired by good behavior. When children feel guilt, they tend to experience remorse and regret, empathize with the person they have harmed, and aim to make it right.

 === 

 

The idea of positive thinking grew in the 70s and is certainly popular as we manage our shame versus guilt feelings.

 

Positive thinking has become a way of handling whatever happens to be bothering you.

  

The positive thinking movement continues to be strong today, culminating in recent years with the massive success of “The Secret” book and movie which prescribes tapping into the “law of attraction” <which is not actually a Law> to attract good things in your life simply by thinking about them.

 

=== 

Well.

Unfortunately … sometime Life cannot be ‘handled.’

Life is … well … lived.

And therein is where Hope resides.

Positive thinking is not only flawed thinking but a fallacy.

They posit that positive thoughts are supposed to generate positive feelings and ultimately attract Positive life Experiences. This is the belief that positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will <wherein the reality is that a balance is the best>.

The true death knell of positive thinking is the tendency to expect the best.

The majority of Life is actually not portrayed in ‘the best.’ We get glimpses of the best and at times we brush up against the best but more often than not we do not attain the best.

Therefore one of three things happen:

—

We accept less than the best but call it the best.

<all the while thinking positively of course>

This is a sad compromise.

This is called ‘settling’ which is a word you never hear in positive thinking psychology <mumbo jumbo>.

=

We become blind to reality.

The close ‘one time’ becomes the example of positive thinking proof which blinds us into ignoring the 99 other times our misguided positive thinking guided us into a less than fruitful path.

=

We become … well … discouraged.

This can create some false optimism <false positive thinking> in that we live under the belief that ‘we are due’ and ‘it will happen the next time’ and we will not change behavior <which has created the outcomes to date> and end up with the same results over and over.

—

In addition positive thinking generally promotes a “more is better” approach to positivity.

Some proponents of positive thinking would argue that if you don’t have the wealth, health or happiness you want out of life, it’s because you allowed some negativity to creep in. Only by shutting these thoughts out and focusing on the positive can you be successful.

Well.

That is kind of bullshit type thinking.

Life is … well … what happens.

And Hope is more about Life.

Hope for something better. Not anything specific … just better.

Therefore it accommodates negative emotions <doesn’t reject them> recognizing they help us to flourish in our lives.

In fact … one research study found an ideal ratio of 3 positive emotions to every 1 negative emotion for human flourishing.

Yup.

3:1.

To be clear.

Not 3:0.

This means it is all about accepting both positive and negative emotions <in whatever ratio they happen to exist> and then acting consciously, while staying true to personal values and goals.

Hope enables people to develop standards for judging their actions, feelings of empathy and responsibility for others, and a sense of moral identity, which are conducive to becoming a better person.

——–

“The miserable have no other medicine

But only hope.”

=

William Shakespeare

——-

Hope enables people to see, and find, something beyond the miserable.

Hope enables the ability to look for the unknown. Hope, by definition, is a feeling that what is wanted … will happen <or some desire accompanied by expectation>.

Children seem better at this Hope thing than adults <maybe that is why we adults created this whole ‘positive thinking’ bullshit? … because we stopped being good at Hoping?>.

Many times I wish we adults had a little more of the hope of the young. They never seem to doubt that what they hope for will happen. I don’t think we need all of that … just some.

Ok.

One last thought before I leave you with your own thoughts.

Today and Hope.

These days it seems like the word ‘hope’ is used in a pretty casual way. It is almost like we use it as synonymous with some type of need.

Like we need many things to happen in our lives.

Like we need jobs, we need money, and need some ‘thing.’

We tie this Hope thing to … we need … we need … we need.

I don’t know if its because we live in such a tangible outcome oriented world these days … or that Hope and dreamers have it kind of tough as not being pragmatic or realistic enough … but regardless of the reason … Hope is being diminished into some fairly basic needs & tangibles.

Hope cannot, and should not, ever be cheapened … and certainly not ever <ever> lowered to the abysmal depths of the worst positive thinking tripe.

Hope is more a primal need and Life expectation.

And hope is infinitely more powerful than any amount of positive thinking.

Hope isn’t about thinking about ‘what isn’t’ as ‘what is’… it is about believing ‘what could be’.

Hope is not false believing <like positive thinking ‘personal puffery’> but real believing … an acceptance that something appears impossible … and yet is not impassable.

There is a reality in hope that doesn’t exist in positive thinking.

To that end.

I will end with a quote from the infamous movie ‘Princess Bride’.

—-

“We’ll never survive!”

–

 

“Nonsense.

You’re only saying that because no one ever has.”

=

The Princess Bride

—–

Hope, in a very odd way, is about realism. Or, maybe better said, being realistic.

We hope that things will happen.

Not guaranteed … but maybe what ought to be <believing that because it ought to be that somehow … someway … we will get there>.

Hope is … well … about survival.

It may be tempting to settle for positive thinking … but … it means you are settling for too little. I will not argue that positive thinking has benefits nor that it is a distant cousin to Hope but … well … it is settling.

Do not settle.

Accept the big prize in Life – Hope.

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

“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.

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

“Life is a test of endurance, strengths, challenges and patience.”

–

Kim Hoth

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

“We are many, many people and yet we are one. What we do today with our thinking, what we do tomorrow with our thoughts, what we do with our actions and our interactions with people determines the course of the universe itself.

You are not powerless. You are not without power.” 

 –

Little Crow

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

Well. I have written several times about how businesses fear doing what it truly takes to survive <for some good reasons & some bad reasons>. I was reminded of this because I just saw an article that said “GE is broken. Fixing it will be long & difficult.”

My 1^st thought?

They will fail to fix it just like Kodak failed to fix itself and … well … there is a long list of companies faced with ‘broken’ and failed to fix itself.

Oddly enough the reason is simple.

They weren’t willing to make the hard choices and were not willing to do what needed to be done.

== 

“Stop discussing how serious the problem is, and get serious about finding an immediate solution to it.”

Terry Mark

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

This permits me to share my favorite business lesson. One from September 14^th 1812. The beginning of the lesson? On September 14^th 1812, the Russians set fire to Moscow in the face of Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops.

Yup. The governor of Moscow herded out most of the Moscow residents and then burned almost 80% of the city.

Just as a reminder to all non-historians this began the demise of Napoleon’s reign. This action not only permitted Russia to defeat Napoleon by forcing a debilitating retreat back to France, but it also began the demise of the Grand Armee of France. The point of this is, well, how far would you go to solve your business problem?

What happened on this date should make us all think about what we in the business world would sacrifice to win.

Look.

Do you imagine there was consensus in this Moscow discussion & decision? <hell no>

In fact. Can you imagine the first person who stood up and said “hey, I have an idea, how about we purposely burn Moscow so they can’t have it?”

<of course all said in Russian, probably after several liters of vodka, to the Czar and probably a couple of Cossack bodyguards … who have some very sharp swords>

Someone had some guts – lots of guts. I hesitate to believe many people in today’s business world have that type of guts.

The tough decisions are … well … tough. Hard choices are … well … hard. And I can guarantee they seem to get even tougher & harder when your survival is at stake.

—————

So would you be willing to burn your burn your business to win in the face of overwhelming odds?

——————

Far too often we try to keep our options open. Straddle the fence as it were. Keep some of what we value in place and do “radical” shit with other parts. 90% of the time that is simply mental masturbation. 90% of the time that is simply suggesting your Frankenstein strategy will help you survive … when what you actually need is a “6 million Dollar Man” strategy.

Sometimes you have to kill the structure to rebuild something better from the ashes.

I say all this because I believe more businesses, whether they believe their survival is at stake or not, should be sitting down and having the hard discussion … what ARE you willing to do to win?

Heck. Maybe most importantly. When you look at your situation do you even recognize how desperate your situation is?

<remember … someone in Russia recognized, and had the balls to say something about, the fact they were about to get their ass kicked>

I mention that because the business landscape is strewn with the wreckage of businesses that did not envision their own demise.

Next. Think about ‘burning the city’ as a solution.

I believe we can all agree that someone “stepped out of the box” with a solution. Ok. They actually stepped ‘into the box’ and said “let’s destroy the box.’

And let’s be clear. I have to imagine neither of these points, as stated above, were popular, well-received nor accepted as a 100% agreement “so what we will do” type of moment.

Anyway. Survival or not, one of the most difficult things a company can do is address their situation in the market. It is just not a fun discussion <usually lots of fingers get pointed in a variation of a circular firing squad>.

In general I believe most companies and businesses are pretty good at assessing their situation in the marketplace. I, for one, have been in a number of those types of meetings where everyone sits down and honestly assesses the difficult position they are in. In other words, you can see the hole you are in or heading into.

I also have been through too many meetings where that same business just isn’t willing to do what it takes to resolve the situation.

Hey. I am not suggesting this is an easy discussion <but at least we don’t have Cossacks with really sharp swords standing around us while we are discussing what to do>.

So.

Are you willing to put 80% of everything you have up in flames to win? I guess it depends on whether you believe the situation merits it. And that is a toughie for sure because we are certainly a country and group of optimists and in general we always believe there is a positive horizon. All that means is we tend to lean back in our expensive chairs in some expensive board room and think, well, c’mon … if you believe there is some positive horizon then burning ‘the city’ isn’t necessary.

But. What if it is necessary? Would you recognize it? Would someone in your group recognize it?

Oh. And if someone did would you listen?

Look. I don’t have the answers. And I am clearly a “burning the city” type of person. I am quite fine with destroying to create <not just destroying for the sake of destroying>.

You may not agree with me, but I would point out burning Moscow sure as shit helped guarantee the survival of Russia.

In the end?

Keep your eyes open. And keep your mind open to solutions. Most of the time we see the danger but, in our optimism, seek creative ways to navigate the danger all the while ignoring the fact danger has no finesse and is a sledgehammer. Ponder. Sometimes the extreme solution, while scary, is the right solution.

========

“The most successful businessman is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new just as soon as it is better.”

—

Lee Iacocca

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

“I have found that hollow, which even I had relied on for solid.”

—–

Henry David Thoreau

==========

Ok.

Let’s get the harsh truth out upfront. I am a 50something and I believe the older generation, mostly old white men, hollowed out business to the shithole point we face today.

That said.

Let me spend a minute on old white men <and I have the right to do so … because I am one> to explain why I believe this.

While a generalization, because there are exceptions, old white men have hollowed out the business world in their quest for “winning at any cost” and “maximize win-to-cash <making $>” ratio. These men have guided business to a level of so-called “greatness” through a variety of ‘great’ business acumen thoughts & business culture attitudes which were hollow attitudes and, ultimately, created fantastic looking hollow achievements.

In doing so they successfully hollowed out business.

Now.

The other aggravating thing I am doing today is, while I could write this without making this point, everyone should note that Trump is the poster child of this hollowness <and I will aggravatingly point it out over and over again>.

He has been the guiding light into this dark world of money grubbers with questionable moral compasses. You want some specifics? Here you go. This is how they have hollowed out business:

Capitalism

Capitalism is not inherently bad. In fact … it is an incredible engine for growth, innovation and increased wealth & standard of living for any and all.

But old white men hollowed capitalism. They took out all the good and added all the greed. I could partially defend old white men and suggest that they were simply participants in the arc of business history … but I will not. Peter Drucker pointed out the beginning of the arc in 1989 <as I noted in Salvation by Society> and we old white men could have eyed the arc and … well … stopped it. Instead old white men viewed the arc as an opportunity to not be burdened by morality & soul rather an opportunity to build personal wealth.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Branding

Brands are fabulous creatures and not inherently bad. They offer us every day schmucks a nice heuristic way to make decisions and isolate differentiation in which we can make true choices.

But old white men hollowed brands. The easiest way to point this out is that we stopped talking about brands and started talking about branding. Old white men started looking at brands as vehicles of wealth and not vehicles of differentiation. Brands should evolve and not be constructed or built like some building of cold steel and cheap Styrofoam ceiling tiles. The whole concept of ‘building a brand’ is one of the most insidious concepts to infiltrate good and meaningful marketing and communications.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Profit.

Profit is not inherently bad. Used wisely it contributes not only to personal, or individual wealth, but spurs on business growth in terms of innovation and employee development AND social involvement. But old white men hollowed the soul out of each dollar as they squeezed every cent of profit it of it. Profit is good only if it is not tainted by <a> greed and <b> at the expense of giving back <in terms of true societal salvation type things>. Businesses represent an important weave in the fabric of society and the moment a business ignores that weave and focuses solely on the profits of the entity itself … well … the opportunity arises to let the soul of each dollar made bleed out into the ether. And, yes, dollars can have a soul. Making money shouldn’t feed stock holders it should feed society.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Wealth dispersion

Making money and creating wealth is inherently a double positive: proof of the value for your efforts and increased standard of living <not just in materialistic comforts but in real living>.

Old white men hollowed out the middle. This is more a byproduct of their business acumen more than anything else because I cannot really point out any specific behavior they consciously took to do this … but … suffice it to say that more went to the old white men and less to the ones who actually made the money for them.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Communication.

Effective communication has been, and always will be, complex and complicated. But effective communication inevitably feeds into the minds and enlightenment of the listeners. If you dumb down communication inevitably you dumb down the listeners.

Old white men hollowed out communication. I imagine as they hollowed out everything else they found it inherently more productive to gain their objectives by hollowing out communication. Everything became soundbites, powerpoint bullet points and ‘elevator speeches.’ Effectively communicating complexity took on less importance than puncturing the mind with a quick sharp stab <and then walking away>. Old white men mastered the art of emptying communication to a point where businesses end up walking on the slippery surface of irrelevance <cloaked in a beautiful robe called “what is important for you to know.”>

That is Trump in a nutshell.

ROI.

ROI <return on investment> is a fabulous tool. It offers us every day unimaginative pragmatic schmucks an almost heuristic way to judge some fairly complex and complicated things in business.

But old white men hollowed ROI of anything intangible and along the way scraped away some of the most meaningful things associated with investment in their desire for simplistic “this led to that.” Certainly some investments have linear outcomes and results. But not all. And these hollow men in their black & white pursuit of profit, efficiency and outcomes became color blind.  Old white men started looking at people as equal to numbers & dollars and not organic organisms of less than linear productivity <in terms of Life actualization as well as business actualization>. These hollow men fell in love with numbers and began diminishing the value of humanity.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Racism

Racism in the workplace is a stealthy virus invading the organism in ways that can create an unhealthy organism which sometimes seems to never attain its full potential despite producing results.

Old white men enable this virus to exist by hollowing out the meaning in any racism discussion, and real substantive actions, in business.

These old white men rose through the ranks of business surrounded by other white people, & few minorities, simply believing it was so because it was a reflection of those “who deserved to be here” (assuming everyone COULD be here if they worked hard enough). When in leadership positions & told about racism issues they didn’t really believe it, reluctantly doing things they were told they should do all the while thinking “it’s just political correctness”. The times old white men got trapped in diversity meetings & told 5 things they did & said that were racist in their heads they said “they can’t handle truth, they are too sensitive.” What this all led to was hollow efforts at addressing racism. They grudgingly implemented some initiatives, while publically espousing their enlightenment, but privately thinking it was a waste of time, energy & monies. All the while they believed white people never got any more breaks than anyone else or that there was never any inherent ‘privileges’ bestowed upon white skinned people.

What the business world ended up with was a generation of old white men who are the worst of racists – racists convinced they are not racist. Ultimately, any substantive efforts to address racism in business were hollowed out by old white men who didn’t really believe in them.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

Lastly.

Behavior.

I hesitated to call this “the hollowing out of morality” mostly because that sounded a little harsh and I tend to believe the reality within this particular hollowness is more pragmatic. That said … it doesn’t make it any better just that I didn’t really want to get into a morality & ethical finger pointing game.

Behavior

Leadership is a complex mix of personal, professional and pragmatic. When wielded well it is a beautiful tapestry of effectiveness, however, beauty is often in the eyes of the beholder when actual effectiveness becomes

the measuring stick. As a reminder, old white men leadership grew up in a business of dictatorship leadership behavior or, at its best, benevolent dictatorship.

Old white men grew up in the hallowed halls of hollowed leadership management. This means that their ‘management twitch muscles’ inevitably provide reflexive business decision making based on this.

The easiest way to point this out is that businesses have developed a myriad of cultural initiatives and, yet, old white men leadership tends to simply treat them as “feel good politically correct” initiatives. They view them as “society dictated” thinking and not “business dictated” thinking. Therefore, a hollowness was inherent in the organization between how the old white men leaders attitudinally approached the business, how they viewed behavior and how the organization actually behaved.

Old white men began talking longingly of straight talk, when people knew their place in business and ‘carrot & sticks.’  Old white men started looking at businesses in disdain as vehicles of political correctness and not stark effectiveness. The truth is that many of the old white men simply didn’t buy in to a better way of doing business and, therefore, when put in a corner & challenged revert back to the hollow management style of “do what I tell you to do and shut up.”

To be fair, old white men did not create this hollowness … they simply propagated it.

That is Trump in a nutshell.

All that said.

These old white men, in their heart of hearts, inherently do not care about a ‘better America’ from a soul perspective nor do they care about any aspect of ‘being a better person’ but solely attach ‘better’ with wealth, importance and wins.

I get angry.

I get angry because I do not believe ‘hollowness’ is the path to greatness. It certainly has not helped us reach greatness up to this point.

And I am angry because I have believed this, and known this, for decades.

And I am even angrier because we are now led by a hollow someone with a hollow platform, hollow plans, hollow skills, hollow dignity, hollow composure and no soul <that I can see>.

Look.

This can be solved. And it can be solved by … well … old guys like me.

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

“At any other time it’s better.

You can do the things you feel you should; you’re an expert at going through the motions. Your handshakes with strangers are firm and your gaze never wavers; you think of steel and diamonds when you stare. In monotone you repeat the legendary words of long-dead lovers to those you claim to love; you take them into bed with you, and you mimic the rhythmic motions you’ve read of in manuals. When protocol demands it you dutifully drop to your knees and pray to a god who no longer exists. But in this hour you must admit to yourself that this is not enough, that you are not good enough. And when you knock your fist against your chest you hear a hollow ringing echo, and all your thoughts are accompanied by the ticks of clockwork spinning behind your eyes, and everything you eat and drink has the aftertaste of rust.”

―

Dexter Palmer

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

Old white men created the problems and … well … as so well said in the movie The Return of the Pink Panther … “you set a thief to catch a thief.”

Older people can reverse the problem in one fell swoop.

I could do it with a small merry band of contrarian older people (women & men) who have chafed in this hollow existence could bring some good healthy substance back into this wretched hollowness.

This is a unique time in history in which business, country and politics have intersected.

This is a unique time for older business people to right the wrongs of all they have wrought up to this point.

I certainly hope this happens, as an old white man myself, simply for the sake of redemption for all of us old white men.

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

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

—————

Michelangelo

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

“He’s a very candid, transparent kind of person, and if he feels strongly about something, he’s going to speak his mind. But as we all know, that can come with a cost, too.”

———

John Cornyn

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

‘non ventrem’ 

 

(no guts)

 

===========

Ok.

I am going to discuss guts a little differently than most people do today mostly because I am going to challenge the “no guts no glory” mantra.

First of all … is glory all that it is cracked up to be? <no>.

Second … what the hell is glory exactly? Some sense of recognition? <mostly, yes>.

Third … a truth to ponder … I can have no guts and still be successful.

Whoa.

#3 is gonna make some people shit some bricks.

What I mean by #3 is that we associate guts most often with big things and glory and ‘toughness’ and all that crap. I can have none of that, no guts per se, but I can have character, dignity & integrity to fall back on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone is gonna say “that is guts.”

No it is fucking not.

It is character, dignity & integrity. Don’t sell those things short by calling them ‘guts.’

Now.

I will hedge on that ever so slightly by saying Guts, not manufactured gut, isn’t really a choice.

Yeah.

That may sound weird but, as with almost everything personal, guts comes from within. That ‘within’ may be your character but I could also argue that guts, often, arises from fear of looking like a ‘lesser version of what people should see of me.’ That ain’t character … that is ego, self-esteem and self-actualization driven behavior, in other words, manufactured guts.

That said.

I will also state that even if you don’t have ‘guts’ as a natural instinct that does not make you a coward.

I can have no guts and still make a stand. I just may not desire glory.

I may be speaking of semantics … but cowards retreat. And I can have no guts and not retreat. That’s my point. You can just stand your ground and stand with some courage of your convictions.

Anyway.

If I show guts one time and don’t another … does this make me gutless?

If I go big one time and … well … go home another <or goo little> … does this make me little?

If I do the right thing one time and the wrong thing another … does this make me someone who believes in doing the wrong thing?

In today’s world we seem to want to make this a black & white, binary, all-or-nothing discussion.

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

 

“The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become.”

————-

D.E.B Dubois

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

Let’s face it.

This means we are incredibly hard on people who try to do the right thing.

We act like everyone can do the right thing all the time.

We act like everyone has some bottomless pit of guts they can tap into 24/7.

That just isn’t true. Guts is a finite resource <unless you are an idiot>. That means you will inevitably be faced with a situation which demands guts but you just have none to give at that moment.

And that is okay.

It is okay because we are defined just as much by our weaknesses and personal foibles as much as our strengths.

“Forcing” guts just is not sustainable.

Therefore, we are what we are … imperfect and perfect.

Grinding our way through thousands of decisions, choices and actions choosing right versus wrong <often with incomplete information in a semi-fog of distractions & multiple tasks> and when to go big or go little and when to … well … have guts or stand aside.

While I would love to suggest that all of this is approached tactically or in some calculated fashion … I cannot.

Far too often we view this in hindsight or from the ‘outside looking in’ and make some misguided judgements and offer some fairly harsh criticisms.

That’s crazy if not slightly fucked up.

There are certainly clarifying moments in which a choice should be calculated but, c’mon, a person is sifting through thousands of daily decisions and recognizing the truly clarifying moment from the mundane moment just isn’t as easy as we make it out to be. I challenge everyone to look back and decide whether they recognized all clarifying moments they had been faced with <and you would be lyin’ if you said you ‘saw’ them all in the moment>.

I am not offering an excuse for those who purposefully are gutless. I am just suggesting being right 100% of the time, having guts over 100% of a decisions & choices and ‘going big’ all the time is not very realistic <and is a recipe for disaster>. Therefore the reality is that there will be gaps, there will be spaces and there will be disappointments.

All that said.

I will say that everyone has the capacity for guts, going big and ‘doing the right thing’ when it matters.

Therefore, we all have the capacity for greatness.

Therefore, we all have the capacity for improving our lives in a way which gets us ever-so-slightly closer to the better, and nobler, version of ourselves.

Therefore, we all have the capacity for some level of what could be construed of success.

Therefore, we all have some capacity for some version of guts.

In the end.

Guts, to me, are far too often tied to ‘fearlessness.’

That’s nuts.

Guts are what you exhibit when you have fear.

Guts are what you exhibit when the world almost demands you go small and you make an attempt at something big or just bigger.

Guts are what you exhibit when ‘wrong’, or maybe ‘an easier path’, is the path of least resistance and you decide ‘right’ is the right thing to do.

Guts is capacity.

Capacity to accept your imperfections, your weaknesses, and accept the fact you will not always get it right.

Capacity to not only envision a better version of oneself but to actually, at least on occasion, do the things that reflect the better version of oneself.

Guts doesn’t lead to glory.

Guts leads to a nobler version of I. I wish we would measure guts this way more often.