Category: Uncategorized

Staying in contact

We are fortunate to be living in this day and age. Today we have many marvels which allow us to stay in contact with each other.  We have numerous email accounts, social media accounts, FaceTime, and other video chats. We can use these apps, whether living next to each other or half-way around the world. Yet having them does not make us connected.

If we are to stay connected, we need to monitor our connecting accounts and know who is reaching out to us and when. Then, we must be sure to answer. How much time do we devote each day to monitoring our accounts? And how many times do we miss things that we fail to notice?

 I have had people in a working environment tell me that they do not read or answer most emails because they get over 800 in a 10-hour shift. If you are in business and you are monitoring communications and know who is writing to you and why then you are doing more than just missing out on many opportunities.  You are setting yourself up for your failure and your departments’ downfall. You will need to stay focused on your communications for it to be of any meaning to yourself or those who count on you. To do this, you will need to spend time in front of the computer managing your communications.

Things such as CRM can help. Cutting the joke teller’s and sellers out of your email listing may help somewhat. Try to keep your business communication just that, business. Keep social accounts separate. And try to remember, at the office, you do not have to read the latest gossip.

I have learned, recently, how easy it is to drown in information and knowledge. Pour in a little stress, add a little bit of angst, and the next thing you know, the river of knowledge becomes a quagmire of quicksand. Now is the time for you to take control of things so that you do not have to face fate. It is not a pleasant thing to face.

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

Life Takes Courage

Life is not easy, even in the best of times. It takes courage to get out there and do something. There will always be people who care for you, and there will always be people who just do not care about anything. Please just remember it’s your life, no one can tell you what is right and wrong because they are not you. And no one can tell you what you need to do or not do to succeed. Because 90% of the time, others are only seeing part of your picture.

What you need to do is sit down and take the time to understand yourself.  Where do you want to go? And even more important, at the end of your life, where do you want to end up? What is it that drives you? And what are the things about which you most care?

It’s hard for you to make sensible decisions until you have sat down and tried to understand yourself. Understanding yourself is not always easy. Many people spend a lifetime never figuring themselves out. If you take the time, though, you may find some great insights within the depths that you may have to travel. And then, with those insights, you will know yourself and be better able to understand what you need to do and what directions you need to go in.

You should set some time aside to find out more about yourself. Understand and write down your insights, your vision, and what you perceive to be your mission in life. If you are not sure about what you are interested in, then try to take an assessment or two. Or, try a long walk or two. The answers are there, and as you spend the time, those answers will make themselves known.  Do not give up.  You are worthy of doing this.

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

More Than One Way

There is always more than just one way to do something. I am not talking about the thousand ways to do something crazy. I am talking about all the little things that you want to do around the house, in the yard, or in the office. Those little things which can make life better yet annoy you because you cannot find the right bracket or thing-a-ma-jig to make it work right for you.

I drive myself nuts trying to make something new. Something that would work well, take up less space, and help keep the place neater. Right now, I am building a craft center for my art studio. I found many that look just wonderful and are on sale for only multiples of thousands of dollars. I decided I wanted something functional, good looking, and does not cost anywhere near $1000.

 I put my mind to work and came up with a simple idea that would work and would only cost about a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, as I started to build out my vision of the art center, I kept on running into problems finding the materials I wanted. I cannot just jump up and go out anywhere because of the virus that is going on. I did what I could online, and then shopped in stores where I was buying other things I had to get anyway. What I found out was that if you go to the store to buy something, that is probably the one thing they will not have. And trying to find a suitable substitute will drive you nuts.

The other thing I learned while trying to find gadgets was that while you’re at the store trying to find whatever it is that you need for your project. You end up figuring out another way to use something else you already have at home. You realize it might be lost or buried somewhere at home, and you leave the store having not purchased what you needed. But you go home knowing you will get that part of the job done anyway.  All you need do is find the right hiding place with the correct part.

After multiple starts and stops, I think I have gotten to the point where I can complete my project. And therefore, complete my art studio cleaning. I plan to have it done by the end of this weekend. If all works well, I will do a follow-up to this blog telling how I did it and giving pictures of how an art studio, which is clean for the first time in over two decades, Looks.

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

We Need a Better Internet

I took my wife to the lab today so she could get needed recurring blood testing. There was almost no one there, literally. The lab would only work with one person at a time, and my wife was the only one there to be tested. The whole thing seemed a little spooky.

I know that we worry about the virus that’s going around. And if we want to get rid of the virus, we need to have a respectful fear of it. A little fear and respect may keep us from going out and doing dumb things just because we think our constitution gives us the right to do so.

There is talk now that they want to re-open the schools, even though children have their own deadly reactions to the virus. I am the father of three wonderful men who used to be my boys. I do not believe I would let my boys go to school with this virus on the loose. I would instead have them go to school online through the Internet. I would recommend that to all parents who have school-age children. And we can do it. We can do it on a worldwide level, and we can do it on our national and state levels.

We are not living in the 1960s, where such Abilities were nonexistent. And we have both the technology and equipment in most homes to do so. We might have to strengthen our Internet with more fiber-optic lines and faster hubs. We would also need to run fiber-optic lines to rural areas too.  These are things that we’re working on and doing anyway.

They say America is the greatest of Nations and that we can do anything that we set our minds to doing. Going to the moon, I believe, is one way that proves the statements. After all, how many other nations put men on the moon?

We didn’t go to the moon by talking about it. We will not solve this pandemic by talking about it. And we will not safely move into the future by talking about it. We have what it takes, and all we have to do is go out and do it. Thank you for being with me today.  I hope to be with you again soon.

How Did We Get Here

How did we get here? The question is often a fair one to ask, and we do so all the time. There are many reasons that we find ourselves where we are. And, we could spend a lot of time going over the past and trying to figure things out. But we are not going to the past; we are going to the future.

The more relevant question would be, where am I going from here. It takes no quarter and lays no blame On the past. It does cause us to reconsider how we look at things. Rather than trying to repair a past that we can no longer get to, we need to think to the future where anything is still possible. And therefore, the future is where we need to focus our intentions.

It is often hard for us to focus on the future rather than the past. The past is more comfortable; it already happened. The only part of our past we can change is our understanding of what happened. And we often find our mind does that for us.

The future is harder because it has not yet happened. Therefore we have to create it from scratch. And that takes a cumbersome thought process. Yet there are positives in looking to your future.

If that’s the direction you’re going anyway, and there aren’t many other directions to go. Then you should find the paths that help you get to where you want to be. Try to understand what it will take, what the rewards are when you get there, and How stable will your position be. You need to think hard, plan well, and be ready for the little changes that are going to come up no matter what. The idea is that you have taken the time to understand where you are, where you want to be, and how you can best get there.

The first steps toward success are vision and planning. The next step is to keep up with the changes between now and then as they come up. None of us are able to know what the future holds. Yet with a little forethought And planning on our part, we are in a better position to get the future we want instead of one that someone else hands to us.

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

Times a Wasting

We have been at home for a while now. And what have we done? Played with the kids and spent time with the spouse? Binged watched whatever? Have you slowly gotten bored with everything you have done? Now what?

The answer is easy. What was it you wanted to do when you had no time to do it? Not the part about sailing around the world or hiking the Appalachian Trail. What did you want to do that is possible within the confines of your present abode that you could never get done because of a time factor? What are you going to paint? Write? Draw? Whatever it was, that is what you need to be doing.

Too noisy? Too busy with kids, homework, the duties of the house? It sounds like it is time for some time management.

It might feel like you have all the time in the world. The truth is you only have 24-hours in a day to get everything done. The laws of the universe have not changed because of one pandemic. If you were looking for a time to get away from one thing and into another, this is it.

Need knowledge? We have more technical devices that can put you on the Internet where you can learn and research almost anything you would ever want to Know. Need some bits and pieces or even a kit or two? The same Internet will allow you to order it and have it delivered directly to your door. The web works well for groceries too.

Are you starting to think it is too late to do this because we are going to re-open? Think again. If you get to go back to work soon, that is great. The truth is this is not going to be an easy road. And, we may be going in and out of isolation for the next 18 months to two years. How long might it take you to do what you want to do? If you are going to do something, now is the time. If you wish to spend your time binge-watching tv, it is your time. If you want actually to accomplish something, the world (at least your domicile) is your oyster.

Only one person can let you do this. And, only one person can stop you from accomplishing your dreams. And that person is the same in both cases. If you want to talk to him or her, find a mirror.

Just a thought from the mean old master sergeant, when it is time to do something, get going.

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

What is Best?

We see the sun out. We find a little warmth in the air, and we are ready to go out and play. Unfortunately, we are still in quarantine. What we must remember is that the reason that we still feel good and are not infected is that until now, we have not gone out to play.

We see the number of new cases and deaths rising in our area every day. We need to maintain our quarantines. We know that we must act carefully. Or else, we may end up as one of those numbers. We must do this for the safety of all.

I know how hard it is to sit on the sideline while work goes unattended, and money does not come in. I know this because I opened my life coaching office in January. By the middle of March, I was not able to actively go to it anymore. I finally went back one day this week, and although the office complex was open, there was almost nobody there, and I still had no clients.

I  still would like to go to the office at least weekly. I do not expect clients and need to dress in a face mask, gloves, and a hat to prevent, hopefully, contracting the virus. I need to be careful of accidentally bringing the virus home and infecting my wife. That is something neither of us would enjoy.

Yes, I watch the numbers and the forecast. I need to be realistic. If I catch the virus, I am probably a goner. My wife would end in the same fate. I must be careful.

For now, I am starting to work through various social media and trying to find some clients. I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep my wife safe. And I’m going to work on ways that my business can thrive through alternate means.

I’ve told you this, hopefully not to bore you, or give you one more person to worry about catching something. Instead, I have explained myself because I am here to ask you a question or two. How are you doing? Are you worried about your job or your position? And, do you think you do so more or less than the average person? Are you finding what you need to survive the pandemic? And most importantly, are you taking care of yourself?

I worry about people, and if you want to talk, please contact me. As a reader of my blog, I am always interested in talking to you. We can chat on Zoom or email back-and-forth. Please let me know how you are doing and how you feel about your situation.

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

Heeding an Idea

There comes a time when an urge comes over you to put everything right. And, although this feeling finds different people at different times in their life, the younger one receives it, the better off he or she is. You find yourself with a feeling of this where you need to clean up the house and set sail on a course of keeping everything inline the best you can follow it.

The worst that can happen is your place ends up clean, and you understand what you have in the bank and that the bills are eventually all up to date. The best that can happen is that you may find yourself in a better position. You are more comfortable because you feel more at home in your house, and with better knowledge of what you are spending and where the money is going. Who knows, you may be able to put something away for a rainy day.

None of this is a guarantee, because it depends upon how you see that feeling and what you do with it. No sensing found yet? That is OK. If you look at where and how you live, and it does not suit you, start working on how your house feels and what you can do (while staying on a budget of what you earned.)

The next thing you can do is come up with a schedule to clean your abode and get everything where it should be. Clean the floors and clean the shelves and dust all that which will make you feel better. Do not be afraid to go through the drawers and see what is there and what might be better if removed. Spring cleaning does not need to wait for spring. It can be done at any time of the year, depending on whether you are happy with what you see where you live, or if you want to change things to make it neater and more efficient.

I’m not saying this is for everyone. It is good, though, for those of us who tend to ignore something until it’s later than it should be. And, for those who want to find better ways, I cannot tell you what those better ways are. They are different for each of us. What I can say is those ways are out there and can quickly work out once you set your mind to it.

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

Back in the Office

It’s an eerie day today. Today is the first time I’ve been allowed to return to my offices downtown since the start of stay at home orders. We are in a ‘safer at home’ situation now. I know that my home is secure.

Yet, something drove me; I had to come to the office at least one day during the first week we were allowed to do so. I wanted to make sure all my files were OK, and that other people that I had worked with are all right. I need to see the owners who let me in my office and see what downtown looks like today.

My favorite coffee shops are closed and probably will not open until the middle of the summer. There are not a lot of people downtown. The biggest gathering is contractors, busy repairing the streets. And because they’re working behind barriers and signs, it is easy to avoid them.

Today is far from the hustle and bustle of what our city looks like typically. I am in early, and at my work, I’ve only counted seven people out of the usual complement of more than 50 who were here. I have not even seen the admin people who run the building. We call them the space captains because they are responsible for maintaining the space and making things happen. Everything appears to be running. I know the space captains will be here in a little while.  They placed markings on the floor in some areas for where to stand and where to go.

The fact that I’m here gives me a sense of coming back to normal. Seeing the lack of people and the number of changes that had to happen for the safety, I do not think we are ready to look ‘normal’ in the face for some time.

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

 

Rights

In America, we all have rights.  The constitution offers the rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  If you notice, some things never ended up on the list.  The guarantee of happiness is not present, only that you may pursue happiness.  Also missing is your right to walk over another person’s rights.

If I am a store owner, I can refuse the right to serve someone who I felt was threatening my patrons or me.  Threats could include someone who may be intoxicated, pointing a firearm, or potentially threatening my store with a bomb or a possible biological agent that could be deadly.  In this country, one person’s rights do not negate anyone else’s rights.

No one gets to yell ‘FIRE’ in a crowded theater.  You cannot start target practice on Main Street.  You cannot steal a car or kill someone and not end up pursued, and arrested. And, if there is a deadly virus that is threatening your area, and you refuse to follow the rules, you might not get service.  The store owner has a right to deny you service if you do not comply with the protective needs of society.

I Understand the wish to do whatever I wanted.  At the same time, I know the need to do what is right for the greater good of all.  I am not an island unto myself.  I am part of a greater community.  I must balance my rights with the needs of everyone.  If I fail to do so, the entire basis of my freedoms is at risk of failing.  Then, I would have no ‘rights’ to protect me.

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