Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society.

Don’t Dwell

Today we honor our past leaders.  Those who stood tall to shape our country and our society.  Whether good or bad, the presidents were there and tried.  They served in an office with such problems and pitfalls that most people, for many reasons, would never want to hold.

It is important to remember and honor our past.  Our past, good or bad, is what has made us.  We cannot go back and change it.  We can take the lessons learned from that past and strive to create a better future for ourselves.  This does come with a warning of actions that we can all be susceptible to.  Look but don’t Dwell.

Understanding our past helps us to know where the hidden traps are. The snags that can drop us into deep holes or ruts where we cannot find our way out.  To avoid those, we need to keep looking to where we are going, not where we have been.

If you are driving somewhere, you keep your eyes looking out the front window, more than the rearview mirror.  It seems to be safer that way unless you are backing up.  Life does not have a reverse on the stick shift, so, eyes forward.   

Wherever you are right now, you have learned knowledge from your past and hopefully developed future plans.  Keep your eye on the future, and you will probably get there.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Tell Your Story

We all have a story to tell.  It could be a series of short stories or a great epic saga.  The fact is that we all have a history that we have lived and should share.  You should do so.

Your stories live within you.  You are the only one who knows and can tell them.  If you share them with others, then everyone can laugh, cry, and learn together.  If you hold them in, only you know, only you have learned, and if anyone else brings them to light, they are told in another narrative.  Your stories belong to you, and you should express them.

When we share our information, our knowledge base grows exponentially.  When we fail to share, learning is stunted, and everyone learns at a much lower rate of trial and error.  This is easily seen in both individuals and cultural groups which close themselves off from the main-stream society.

Look at your story, those things that you have done.  Granted, some are personal, private, or embarrassing.  You do not have to tell too much information, share your best.  People will appreciate it, and so will you.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon.

Do What You Can

In life, we cannot do everything. We should, though, strive to do what we can. We may not always win, yet we will feel good for what we do.

I believe in helping others where I can. And I think that I should learn something new every day. I work at a mission one day a week, where we help the homeless. We are open for a few hours, five days a week.

In doing this, many rules are set forth for us to follow. We do not, under normal circumstances, help people before we open because we need that time to get ready. We do not continue to serve people walking in after we close. And yes, as you can imagine, there are always deviations to these rules for one reason or another.

Yesterday we had several people who needed to make phone calls after we had put the phone away. As the low man in the pecking order, I cannot just reconnect the phone and let people continue making phone calls. Luckily, I had someone with more pull tell me I could do so, and we did. Someone was able to call somebody for a ride to where they needed to go. Of course, once the phone was out, someone else had to make a call, and we could not deny them.

One of the callers started asking for other items, such as toiletries. The client wanted a toothbrush, a nice toothbrush, not just any toothbrush. The caller also asked for soap. I freely gave a bar of soap, and it was handed back to me. A large bar of soap was needed, and since I had two larger bars sitting on the counter, both of them were needed. After some discussion back and forth, I handed over the second bar, even though I realized I was only supposed to give one per our rules.

Another client who was watching this said that some people are like that.  And then the observer did a remarkable thing.  That client told me about a bible verse that says, if someone wants your coat, give them your shirt also.  The more I thought about the verse, the more I realized I was doing right. Even for those who were late or wanted a second helping of something, I was doing the right thing.  That comment from an observer enabled me to learn a valuable lesson on helping and serving others.  I truly appreciate the thought.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Why Not

We often ask Why. If you saw yesterday’s blog, the entire thing was devoted to the question of why.  Today is a little more challenging.  Today I invite you to ponder the question, “Why not?”  Do you often ask this question?  I mean in front of others.

It is hard when someone tells you that something cannot be done, that there is no hope, or that something has to be done a certain way merely because it is tradition.  What makes this phrase worse is that the person you say it to thinks you are challenging them, personally.  When this happens, emotion spills into the room and the conversation. 

You want to avoid emotion if you are trying to make a correct business decision. Passion may point out some needed truths. Unfortunately, emotion can lead to ire and hurt feelings.  And hurt feelings can definitely cause good desires to go sideways.

You should keep emotion out of business.  If you can do so, write and tell me about it.  You would be the first person I have ever known to actually do so.

Just because something is hard to accomplish, that does not mean we should not try.  Why not at least try.  New discoveries are going on all the time.  Maybe we could help set a new precedent.  Why not.

Maybe we could help others to find new ways of learning, teaching, discovering, and enjoying life through new ideas.  Maybe the unsolvable problems would be seen in a new and more understandable light.  And, possibly good could come from different views.  Why not?

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Why?

Because… Why, is the shortest question to find an answer.  When you are not sure of what to ask or where to start, the beginning is always ‘Why?’ Why is this the way it is? Why is this not done differently?  And my favorite from every three-year-old, why is the sky blue?

It is no mistake that the curiosity of the very young mind starts with this three-letter word.  And such usage must ask for the top tier of knowledge.  What’s more, there is a substantial likelihood that your tot is asking the exact same questions that you asked when you were their age.  The same ones your parents asked their mom and dad.

Imagine if you had a real answer ready to go in return.  ‘Timmy, the sky is blue because that is the color reflected from the oceans around the world.’  The next time the same query is asked, you can say, “Remember, Timmy, it is because of the reflections of the ocean into the sky.”

Does this take a little legwork? Sure.  Yet every time you answer a question with real information, does that not make everyone just a little bit smarter?

Smarter, at a younger age, appears to open the way to better questions.  If you are hit with a subject you are not sure of, you can say, “that is a wonderful question.  Would you like to see how we find the answers?” Then you could take them to the library, look up the answer on your tablet or smartphone, or use some other method to find facts about the subject.  Even YouTube is getting better at this.

The more a child realizes that he or she is taken seriously, and real facts can be found, the faster real learning starts.  The answers are relevant both to knowledge and better future questions.  Does this mean your kid will be an Einstein by age 12? Probably not.  Yet even if the queries are short-lived, the way you answer could make a valuable and lasting memory.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Ask

If you don’t have something that you need, you should ask for it. How do others know that you need something if you do not ask for it? You have to get help, asking is not nagging. Just do so with the concerned smile on your face. They don’t need to see you to hear your smile.

People sometimes get so worried about bothering someone else that there are cases where the person has perished, not wishing to be a bother. It does not matter whether you need medicine or a way off the island, or to get out of the ocean because you’re tired of swimming. If you need help, only you can ask for it.

Yes, we all do get wrapped up in what we are doing. And often, we tend to miss the signs of those around us. If you need something or desire something and we cannot see those signs, it is in your best interest to share with us. We are not you. We are everyone else. And sometimes, we get so focused on ourselves, we forget to check on those around us. That is not an excuse. This is a reminder that we are humans. As humans, you have to help us out once in a while and remind us that you may also need assistance.

In times of war, brave men refused to be seen by medics until they know their pal is going to be okay. And sometimes they die doing so. And that is a shame. There absolutely is a greater love than giving your life for your friend. That love is ensuring both of you are taken care of and can go on with the rest of your duties.

Just a thought from the mean old master sergeant.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Stuck Where You Are

It is snowing again.  It started early last evening and was only supposed to be flurries.  It snowed all night, on top of the snow we had two days earlier, and it is still snowing now with the expectation of one to four more inches by tonight.  So here I am stuck, not able to get to my office for the second day this week.

We all find ourselves stuck sometimes.  We cannot seem to be where we think we should.  We feel that we are being held back, or we find ourselves buried in all the extraneous actions we must complete when following our passions.

Yet, in most things, there really is a purpose. If we take a little time to actually examine everything, we may find ways to actually make more positive strides to where we want to be and what we want to accomplish.  Sometimes a delay or a sideroad happens to allow us a moment of reflection that shows a new way to a better outcome. 

It is up to us to use these moments of serendipity to look around and study where we are and how we can best take our next steps to where we want to be.  We hold the action of pangs, purpose, or procrastination.  And we alone can decide which road we walk to find our goals.

When you find yourself sidetracked or in a rut, you must look for the way back to your main path in life.  You do not have to do it alone.  There are always friends and professionals there to point the way.  Keep moving in a positive direction, ask for help as needed, and keep your faith in what you are doing.

I believe the most significant part of succeeding is seeking.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon. 

Oops All Over Again

The older we become, the more we can identify the mistakes we make and how the frequencies of those errors multiply.  As these miscues happen, we start to worry about what is happening and why. We really should not be disturbed, and I would like to explain why.

As we age, more and more information, activities, incidents, and other actions are stored in our brains. The more we learn and grow, the more time we spend remembering.  We are computing in our minds, working on problems, and everything else that we are doing during our day. Amazingly, we do not make more mistakes.

I do need to tell you that it is not a problem, even if you walk into the wrong room or open the wrong door on the refrigerator/freezer. You recognized the problem and then corrected the error.  If you can identify a mistake and make a proper adjustment to do what you wanted, you are doing ok.

If you open up the refrigerator instead of the freezer, looking for the ice cream, and ransacking the shelves looking for it, you may have a momentary lapse. If you then storm off blaming everyone else for eating the ice cream and throwing the carton away without getting more, you are having a real senior moment.  And if you go into the Laundry room and find the drier in a new corner all wired up and working, you may be having a disassociative moment.  These things will typically pass.  The trick in these cases is to stay calm.

A good night’s sleep helps with memory turmoil. Eating right and getting out for a little fresh air and exercise is also on the hit list for helping out.  Many people use 3 large breaths to calm the situation.  I think that taking 10 minutes of meditation somewhere during the day helps to clear the mind and get back towards normal.

None of this is a medical diagnosis nor a cure-all.  If problems are a concern or persistent, mention them at your next doctor’s visit.  And please remember, if you try something new, starting in small trials and seeing how it affects you is always best.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Taking Care

It appears to be a cold day today. Wind chills are dipping down towards a -29 Farenhight, and schools have been delayed two hours in hopes that the temperature will climb a little. It is days like today that I want to talk about taking care of ourselves.

We try to watch out for the crucial things in life. Most of us swim with sharks as little as possible. Bungee jumping is not a daily occurrence, nor is scaling peaks without the proper safety equipment. And, we’re pretty careful with the big things in life.

Quite often, though, it’s not the big things that get us. We seem to succumb more to the small items that we tend to neglect. And therefore, the little things in life are the ones that tend to disrupt us the most. Forgetting to put on a coat as the temperature turns cold for the year. Not ensuring the car is ready for winter driving. Not eating a balanced diet is a biggie, and my nemesis, not getting enough sleep.

Our bodies are well-tuned machines that can do great feats if we take care of them. Treat our minds right, and they will do well for us. Yet if we ignore them, corrosion and erosion will take their tolls, and the tremendous biological machine we inhabit will slowly succumb to neglect.

Many of our bodies, if taken care of, can last nine or 10 decades. And although demise is always there at the end, our medical technology is always pushing the boundary back. I still believe in trying to get the most out of everything I have, and the body is no exception.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

We Strive To Do Our Best

None of us are absolutely perfect.  We try, and we often want to believe we are the best we can be, and yet it is almost impossible to hit the mark.  We must remember that we are not perfect every time in every way.  So what do we do? 

For me, it is striving to do my best and to keep the things I do real.  I cannot pretend to be the best.  There is always someone better and someone worse.  I just need to be the best ‘real me’ that I can.  This means I have to work in the real world to do so.

Many of us like to hide in our thoughts, where we think we are doing fantastic.  That may be true in our fantasies, we need to live in the real world. Remember, nothing lives in a pure vacuum.  If it only happens in your mind, it never really happens.

You can formulate an idea in your mind and bring it to life in the real world.  Any thought, like everything else in our world, must be shared to thrive. Without sharing, things do not get nourishment, moisture, heat, and other essentials needed to survive.

Will all ideas survive the real world? No. Thoughts are like everything else that has faced the harsh truth of natural selection.  Everything has to adapt to stay in the world.  If your ideas can adapt and overcome adversity, they may do very well an even be a marked improvement in our culture.  If they cannot, they may not survive.  The only way to know is to set them out in the real world and see what happens.

Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again tomorrow.