Want to Make God Laugh?

Then tell Him your plans ;)

My priest shared that one with us on a recent church retreat, and I thought it appropriate given all of the uncertainty in the world today. Sure, its important to do everything we can to plan, prepare and be ready for all of the challenges, opportunities and unknowns that life has in store for us.

We also have to leave room for the reality that we can never totally control or anticipate life's various bumps, bruises, disruptions, and sadly, pain and heartache (and that's why in business and life we have contingency plans, insurance and wills, right?). So on this day of Thanksgiving (yes, I'm writing this when I should be getting ready to gorge myself on good food, but more important, feast on the love of family and friends) - lets give thanks for what we have now; what we know now; what we are doing now, and what we will know, do and have in the future.

At the same time, the fact that we don't know what we don't know, and that we can't control what we cant control - is (as the overused expression goes) what it is. In effect, that give and take, and the fact that we have to be responsible and prepare - but also groove on ambiguity, uncertainty and compromise - just means that we're alive.

We're here.

We're doing.

We're living.

For that, let's be thankful.

Thankful living is good.

Think Armamentarium - Not Armageddon

By the looks of things today ... given the glum economy, dysfunctional world order, political divisiveness, the banking and auto industry meltdown , The Colts at 6-4, and my personal biggest bummer being my eyes, formerly a boastful 20/20, now tanking on me (I hear that happens after 40) ... why, you'd think ... we're on the verge ... of ... (gasp) Armageddon. Well, hopefully not really, but you get my point.

"Where's the Ghost Busters when you need them."

But seriously, what's with all heaviness, confusion, paranoia, challenges and uncertainty? Can you say D-R-A-G! The even sadder reality though, is that almost all of us, literally 99.9999999% of the individual you's and me's in the world, have absolutely no ability to personally effect (or affect for that matter), on a macro level, the national, let alone global, predicament that exists throughout the world today. We are but pawns on the chess board of life (got that one from the old TV show Kung Fu; ahhso grasshappa).

If we can't control Armageddon, we can control our own "armamentarium."

What's armamentarium you ask? Well, it's the aggregate of equipment, methods, and techniques available to one for carrying out one's duties. In other words, its how we personally comport ourselves, to do what we have to do, in order to: smile, laugh, listen, learn, sing, dance, work, love, live, support our families, and yes - especially today, to persevere. While we can't just wave a magic wand and make the stuff that we can't control better (unless you know Harry Potter) - we can, for the most part, control ourselves. Now, more than ever - we need to strive to be the best and most complete that we can be, appreciating of course that we'll never be perfect or be able to do everything we want, or be everything we should be.

Be that as it may, each of us needs to rally our armamentarium.

Celebrate it.

Promote it.

Embrace it.

Armamentarium is Good.

Semantics and Interpretations

Semantics and interpretations are important.

We should always be mindful of our choice of words to ensure that the right semantics and the right interpretations are achieved, especially when using words that are relatively similar. And no, I'm not talking about that George Gershwin song that emphasizes the different pronunciations of the letter A in the words tomato and potato. You know the one: “You say tomato, and I say tomato. You say potato, and I say potato: potato … potato … tomato … tomato … let’s call the whole thing off.” (But I got you singing it though, didn't I?)

No, what I'm talking about are the use of words that seem similar, but are semantically and interpretively distinct. And the two biggest words that I can think of in this light, are the words "respond" and "react." Are they the same, and do they mean the same thing? Maybe? Somewhat? Kindasorta? Well, look at it this was: Reaction tends to be negative - response positive.

Think about it: We respond (well) to happy news, good times, good change, the right medication, pleasant surprises, our favorite team winning, love, affection, etc., etc., etc.. As long as it's positive, we respond. On the other hand, we react (not so well) to unhappy news, bad times, bad change, the wrong medication, unwanted surprises, our favorite team losing, meanness, pain, loss, etc., etc., etc., - and will always react, as long as it's negative.

Here's a thought: What if we challenged ourselves to respond, when nature tells us to react? For example, instead of reacting (poorly) to bad news, bad times, unwanted change, meanness, hostility, etc. - we respond with the right Perspective, Attitude, Aptitude and Mindfulness. (That's called PAAM, and PAAM is really important when it comes to achieving success at work, and life). Sure, it's hard to always respond, especially given all the negatives and dynamics in life. But what if we tried to do it anyhow? If given the choice, and the ability - do you want to respond, or do you want to react?

I think we know the answer.

To respond is good. To react is bad.

Listen Up!

Yesterday, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to several hundred high school students, and almost one hundred K-12 teachers. And while this was hopefully a positive, meaningful and edu-taining experience for the audience (he writes humbly ;), it was extremely impactful to me. You see, I wrote Pocket PorchLights (http://www.pocketporchlights.com/) to help young adults succeed at business and life - while at the same time, helping their teachers, employers and families enjoy more happiness, compassion, and success.

That's the cause.

And when I get the chance to talk about the book's purpose on stage, in front of hundreds of people, and see them inspired and appreciative of this purpose (he writes humbly again ;), well, it makes me happy. Not only that, but it recharges my proverbial batteries.

It does.

You see, work and life are incredibly hectic. And we don't get enough time to have good talks, but more important, to do good listening. And while I'm doing most of the talking at these events - I am listening: to their eyes; their expressions; their body language; and yes, even their minds, and their hearts. In a word, I listen to their VIBE. (Now go on and feel free to start singing the Beach Boys song Good Vibrations; I know you want to.)

With that in thinking in mind, allow me to be pose this philosophical suggestion (kind of like my main man stoic philosopher, Epictetus): We need to listen, even when nothing is said.

Listening is good.

Thanks to our Veterans and Armed Forces

In honor of Veterans Day, let's thank our valiant men and woman who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Though its been said before, and will be said again, all of us in the United States of America (and many other countries for that matter), owe our liberties and freedom to their courage, servitude, and sacrifices. And in continuous honor of our military men and woman (above and beyond doing so on just one day of the year) - lets respect their service by NOT using military jargon and war analogies to describe business.

Business isn’t war. And business people aren’t soldiers.

War is war. Soldiers can get hurt, and can die.

That’s wrong and disrespectful.

Disrespectful is bad.