Category: Uncategorized

Time Wasters and Accelerators

There are more time wasters out there then you could ever imagine. Luckily, there are also some fabulous time accelerators that allow you to do so much more in much less time. Today we look at some of our biggest time wasters. And, I am afraid a few of them may shock you. After all, although work is good, it is not meaningful if you’re just doing something for someone else, and even worse when you pay someone else to do so.

The worst time-waster is worrying about the past. First off, you can’t go back and change the past no matter how hard you try. Also, you are only remembering your big picture of your history, which is actually only a tiny sliver of what was going on. And to make matters worse, you remember a memory of the past and not the real thing. All this put together means spending a whole lot of time fretting over nothing. If you are not happy with your memories and you want to do something about it, quit looking behind you and focus on where you are now. That’s the place you can change things and do better. If you’re going to use the past, use the lessons as a guide stick to making the present better.

The next biggest mistake is worrying about the future. You don’t know what’s going to happen yet.  Worrying about something that hasn’t happened means you are concerned about something that may not ever exist. And unfortunately, there is not a lot of time savings in doing that.

If you want to do something useful and productive, work for today. Don’t worry, work. You get things done if you work at them. Worry never accomplishes much.  All worry ever does is give you grief.  

Be careful not to spend your time doing someone else’s job. This happens more often than you think. You meet someone online who has courses for sale, and they talk you into taking one. They make it seem like they have all the answers to your real needs. Unfortunately, sometimes you find yourself two-thirds of the way through the course and asking the question, ‘Am I learning what I need to learn from this course, or am I just learning what this person wants to teach me.’ Worse yet, you are probably paying this person, and in doing so, you are doing the job for him, or her. The real job is to get people to pay to take that course. And sure enough, that’s what you’re doing. Always ask yourself will this course give me something I need so that I can do better.

So how do we save you time? Unfortunately, we can only give you a few hints for using time better. Something that takes more than 20 minutes during your day should be giving you something back.  If you’re playing games for hours at a time on the iPad, what are you really accomplishing? I put on a few games from time to time, and when I realize what’s going on, I usually take them all off.

I find that getting the timing right is a never-ending struggle. If I plan my time using a schedule, I usually do better than standing in the middle of the room and trying to remember what’s next. If I have a shortlist of what to do with the time as it shows up, I can use the extra 15 or 20 minutes that pops up here or there. Is it easy? Well, it’s not hard. I just have to take a daily look at where I am, and where I am trying to go.

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

Not the Same for Everyone

This week we are looking at time efficiency. We know we can’t create more time, so how do we use the time we have to our advantage. And yes, it can be done. Before we talk about time efficiency and time management, we have to talk about why something does not work the same for everyone.

I have a good friend who believed that people are lazy or frauds because they post as professionals and yet do not have protocols that would work equally across the board on everyone. The truth of the matter is, each and every one of us is different. Our DNA sequence is different, our genes and our thought patterns are different. And, all of our experiences are different because of the way we work differently in various situations.

Before anybody strives to help anyone else, they must first understand how the person works. They must know the person and how medicines react (if given) with the person, how situations affect a person, and how stresses react with that person. If you are not sure how these things react with you, it’s time to pay a little better attention to yourself.

This seems like someone is a grumpy old master sergeant today, yet I assure you that I am writing the things you should consider when you start trying to improve. I hate to see people who get excited, overcommit themselves, burn-out, and then look at themselves as failures. Nobody who attempts something is a failure, they just haven’t found the right formula yet.

If you want to do something, you can. Yet, if you burn out, you probably won’t go far. The trick is not to look at what other people are doing, you want to look at what you were capable of and how your work can be best situated to the problem. A master craftsman always understands his or her tools and what they can do for him. You should understand yourself and look at the person in the mirror as your greatest asset.

Some people are night people, and some people work best in the morning. Some people push hard for 72 hours, and others work best in spurts two or three times a day. If you put 100 people in a theater, I am sure you will find there are at least 105 different ways those people do things best.

We like to mimic others, and that is fine for some things. But when it comes to the way we do serious work, we each stand alone. Maybe not in the overall generalities, yet most assuredly in the fine details of genius.

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

 

 

 

 

The Aftermath

 

The small skirmishes started in the mid-afternoon. Civilians who really were like mere children, not knowing how to execute a real campaign and having no idea of the barrages they would soon face.  As an observer to the melee that was about to happen, I was worried about the safety and well-being of all those who were about to start their battle for power.

The initial onset was confirmed with the pops and crackles of light ordnance.    This was the kid’s stuff really, overseen by the veterans who have had to face these actions time and time again. As the initial skirmishes grew through the afternoon, various units were reinforced with seasoned veterans of these actions.

About dinnertime, portable grills, and cook stoves were brought out to feed the troops before the events of the evening unfolded. Activities that they knew would happen. They had seen them before and knew that they would have to face them again. A little libation was used to celebrate where they had come from and their plans to be victorious this night. They just hoped and wished that everybody would still be together and in one piece in the morning.

After dinner, more types of ordnance were heard as various groups started to get anxious in anticipation, knowing that the time of action was growing nearer. The light ordnance was now beginning to grow louder, and soon, some aerial flares were added to the mixture, probing to see what might be accomplished. By the time dusk was near, several independent groups had started aerial barrages. Along with ground assaults and displays which kept everyone busy.

As dusk fell into night, government forces stepped in with the ‘Shock and Awe’ of an unbelievable aerial bombardment which went on for over a half an hour. Although one would think that alone would have been enough to quiet all the splinter groups, it was not to be. The gigantic show of force only whetted the appetite of all those ready to join the melee. Various methods for these aerial bombardments, including color, noise, and anything else they could use to heighten the senses.  Although many groups had given up the battle before midnight, some stalwart groups kept the fight going until well after one in the morning.

I inspected the battlefield the following morning. To my surprise, nothing had been burned, nothing had been destroyed, and the participating groups had even policed their own areas for debris. Thank goodness.

We have all survived another Fourth of July.

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

Rockets Red Glare

Tomorrow we celebrate the founding of our country.  It is the official day of our Declaration of Independence.  This is the summer holiday we look forward to enjoying each year.   

We honor those who initially stood to make our country a reality.  We also remember those who have fallen while defending our freedoms at home and abroad.  Everyone in America has paid the price in helping to make this country great. And we take time to remember those who have paid that ultimate sacrifice.

There will be sports games and picnics, reunions and remembrances and great cookouts. Along with hot dogs and hamburgers and potato salad, fantastic food from each nation that we come from will also be made and consumed. For although we are one country, we can never forget we are a nation of immigrants. Our forefathers have come from around the world, and because of this, we are a nation of delicious foods and great traditions.

Some people will camp, fish, hike, sail on a lake, waterski, or enjoy the beach. Others will go to a movie to stay cool in some of our warmer climates. Others will take part in family reunions because it’s always great to see those who make up your family tree and are a meaningful part of your life. There are many activities, and everyone gets to do what they want to do. This is to enjoy some of the things that our forefathers fought and died for us to have.

There will be parades in many places. I will never forget the parade I marched in after the first gulf war. During that war, I was assigned to a small island in the Atlantic. Because of the role we played, I was picked to march in a local parade. I had joined the Air Force during the Vietnam War, and the military wasn’t thought of very well back then, so I was a little nervous marching in the parade. Yet, when we stepped onto the parade route and started to march, there was a cheer from the crowd, and that cheer lasted the entire parade route. By the end of the parade, I knew I had found my new home.

For many, the best part of the Fourth of July does not happen until the sun goes down. We are talking about fireworks. Fireworks are bright and light up the sky in beautiful colors and look magnificent. Each year they add new types of fireworks with fancy designs that blaze across the sky. After the fireworks show itself is over, my neighborhood kicks in and by the end of the night, all you see is a blue haze from all the fireworks that they have set off. Everything from Roman candles to firecrackers.

It’s a beautiful sight to see, yet I really believe the professionals should do the fireworks. Along with people getting hurt while setting them off, and the potential for starting fires, there’s another thing to consider. Some of our combat veterans have problems with some of the very loud fireworks. If you had ever been on a receiving end of a howitzer barrage, you would understand.

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

Leaders

Leaders

This is the week we celebrate a country that was founded on including everyone.  From the time of the Mayflower, the first ship from England reached our shores, the overall idea was to work together and share in the rewards together.  This was part of the Mayflower compact.

Over time the greed of men takes over.  We forget that we had altruistic beliefs that would allow everyone to work and share in the rewards.  Although some looked to raise the common good and help all to be better, others lost their way in using other people and our vast resources to make a fortune that would not be equally shared amongst all who toiled. 

At this point, seeking revenge for sins of the misguided and ruthless individuals who have gone before does little more than fan the flames of hate.  We must step forward, hand-in-hand, and multiply our talents working together, for the good of and reward to all. For we who live now hold it within our hands and our minds to do the right things.

Easy? No. Attainable? Only if we work at it together. A top-down directive? I don’t see that working. A grassroots initiative for peace and prosperity? I think it’s the only chance we have. Am I talking about over-throwing the current system? Absolutely not. What we need to do is work within the system to make it better. At the same time, we work with those on our blocks, our neighborhood, and in our city, to curb violence and find ways to work together towards the common good.

Instead of looking to the past, we need to look to the youth of today. The young people we teach and groom today are our leaders of tomorrow.

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

Inclusion

When you have much to do, and there’s no one else around to delegate to, you need to get to work and do it. If you think you’re feeling miserable looking at it now, think about what it would be like looking at the same thing two weeks or a month from now. If you take the time to do it now, you get a boost because you can look at it and you have endorphins that will release in your brain because you actually got it done.

There are many things I have to do that cannot be delegated to anyone else, mainly because no one else is there to do the work. I have to make my bed in the morning. If the dishes pile up and the kitchen gets messy, I need to do some cleaning. If I ignore these things, I have to look at the results. If I do these things, I get to enjoy the results. If I do the chores and I get tired doing while working, it’s a good tired. If I ignore them and do nothing, I’m still tired, there is just nothing good about it.

Remember, there is nothing wrong in delegating equally. Sharing anything shows inclusion. Keeping everything to yourself, unfortunately, excludes everybody else. When people feel excluded, they get worried, and problems start to arise. Everyone feels better when they are included, even when there is work to be done. Just make sure to include the same people in the rewards.

Togetherness, sharing, being part of the team, working and learning, and growing together, people are social animals. People like to be with others and do things together. Even when they act like they do not.

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

Taking A Moment

Taking A Moment

It is good every so often to stop, just for a moment, and take a look at where you are. This is important because as we initially set our goals and go to work on them, we often find ourselves in crosscurrents of other people’s ideas, their wishes, funding, life events and other things which push us off course. If we are not careful, our easy-going adventure from point A to point B could turn into an odyssey that takes us all over the map. Just ask an Argonaut.

It is essential for us to take the time to assess our progress and to make minor corrections before they start becoming significant obstacles. Most currents are tricky, they apply just enough pressure to push your momentum off the path, and yet they do so in such a way that they are hard to detect. It is vital to keep your forward progress pointed in the correct direction and do so with a light touch on the tiller so that you’re not zigzagging all over the place.

Some people like to do this at the beginning of a new year. The biggest problem with that is there is too much extraneous noise in that season. Parties, presents, people, and many more trappings of the season make it hard to get away and give yourself a realistic view. I prefer to do it on my birthday, which falls on a quiet week of the year in between all the holidays. This allows me more quiet time to reflect, to consider, and to find new energy and ideas. I can correct my direction if needed, and I can review any new ideas that may have come up over the last year.

I like the quiet time when I can get it, yet in this modern world with everything that goes on, quiet time is often a scarce luxury. If you feel you are selfish by taking a little time to yourself, be selfish, and do it. The truth is the time you take turns out to be of benefit to you and an even more significant benefit to all those you work with. Those you work with will benefit in a focused and rested you, who can do more for the people you work with.

So taking care of yourself, taking the time to understand where you are and where you’re going and coming up with course corrections that you may need or new directions you’re looking to explore is actually a benefit to everyone. When I look at it in this light, it seems as though it would be selfish not to take the time to explore, consider, rest, and correct. For shame on me for not doing more of this.

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

Everyone

Everyone is different, and that is OK.  We each have diverse backgrounds, which help us to grow different ideas and different views on just about everything.  Not all correct, one way or another, just what we have learned through being where we have been and seeing what we have seen. And for shame on us, if we would want it any other way.

The astrophysicists and other bright scientists have said that we are in the most dangerous part of our existence. They cite that the next hundred years are the most critical for us, and we may accidentally do something that would hurt ourselves or cause our extinction upon this world. Don’t believe it?

Well, believe it or not, I would like to point out the famines in Somalia, and the surrounding areas were untold masses have died because of starvation. Even though the rest of the world works to send nourishment to those people, civil war and other strife prevent the needed food from getting through to those who need the nourishment.

So, what is the great benefit in the diversity of others? I would like to point back to the potato famine of Ireland. Potatoes were the heart of the Irish diet. Yet only one species of these tubers were grown in mass. When that species ran into a problem and stopped growing, starvation ensued. This most likely would not have happened if various species of potato were grown. If one species or two species failed, the other types of vegetables would still be there to eat.

Right now, we need everyone thinking about our mutual growth and survival. We need to put away the ideas that others are wrong merely because of their differences from us. We need to stop all the petty civil wars and saber rattling, which does no one any good. Our differences and our different ideas shared openly and without fear of reprisal are some of the things that will save us as push comes to shove in the future.

Please remember our planet, although graphically not so different from 5,000 years ago, is closer in communication, the time to go great distances, and commerce. This puts us closer to each other in sharing conversation, thoughts, and goods. We need to understand that just because someone has a different view, a different idea, or different way about them, it does not diminish the role and partnership as a member of the human race.

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

Whose Interests

The question of the day is whose interests do we serve and why. We all want to do good and do the right thing. And we all want to make sure that we take care of ourselves. Quite often in our societies, we all end up feeling a myriad of emotions over these choices which we have to make.

Some people will tell us that it is wrong for us to concentrate all of our work, actions, and wealth on others. They may be right. Some people tell us that it is not right for us to focus all of our work, activities, and wealth on ourselves. They also may be right. So, who do we listen to and who do we believe?

I believe that life is a balancing act. We need to be balancing the actions of taking care of ourselves and helping others. If we totally deplete ourselves doing good for others, we will not help very many people, and our ability to help others would deplete rapidly as we wear ourselves out. However, if we spend our entire time focusing only on ourselves, no one else gets helped. What we need is a balancing act. We need to help ourselves, and we should do some good for others.

Anyone who has ever flown will probably remember the safety briefing where we are told to, if necessary, put our own oxygen masks on before helping anybody else with theirs. And this makes sense. If we are not breathing ourselves, we are going to find it very difficult to help others. To help others, we need to make sure we are in shape to do so, both physically and financially.

To care for myself, I need to earn enough money to live comfortably. Not lavishly. I just need enough so that I feel comfortable within my usual way of life. Part of that life is taking care of myself physically so that I can go out and help others without putting myself in danger and having the people I am helping have to take care of me. I have to ensure I have prepared myself for the task.

We see big companies who make huge profits, donate substantial sums of money. Yet money doesn’t solve every issue. Think of the older lady with no money who takes it upon herself to stay up with the younger woman who is in labor. Think of the man who will stay and keep a friend company after that friend has lost a loved one. They may not have money, yet their time is so valuable to the people they share it with.

We don’t have to be wealthy. We should not have to be destitute either. We can be ourselves. And if we can find ways to treat others the way we should treat ourselves, the interests of everyone are served, and we are all the better for the experience.

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