Flirting with Disaster

"If the system works, but it could work better, it is as good as broken."

As someone who has lived paycheck to paycheck the axiom "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" was something I lived by day by day.  The car shakes but is still drivable, the computer only crashes once every couple weeks, yeah the door squeaks but still opens, seemingly little things in our daily lives prophecying of impending doom.  We often pay little to no attention, often too late when disaster does strike do we realize we had warnings all along.  An example in my family was a car accident. My wife was driving to work in a car I knew I needed to do some work on.  It still functioned though, and I simply had not slotted out the time to perform the task. Behold, a phone call at 8 am awakened me from my neglect. The tire, hub, and brake assembly had fallen off as she was making a turn (I'm grateful it didn't happen at freeway speeds).  A simple error could have been disastrous.
Likewise, in life, we are surrounded by situations and circumstances which are calm on the surface, but a raging torrent is underneath threatening to wash it all away. Orrin Woodward, former Systems Engineer and current Leader/Entrepreneur, often refers to what is called PDCA: Plan, Do, Check, Adjust.  As an engineer he would take a component, tear it down all the way, analyze the pieces, and then build it better. 
It is in this spirit we should strive to live our lives. The idea of not fixing something which is unbroken is simply another way of choosing to live in mediocrity.  We cannot exist in status quo, the law of entropy ensures this. We must be striving for betterment,  or we will be consumed by decay. Our blessing is in the knowledge that we can control which direction we are going. What daily activities are you doing? Do they act to improve you or allow you to vegitate? Every decision made will take us either closer to or further from our goals and dreams.
Sometimes we are in a position where the realization comes that things could be better, improvement and growth is achievable. It is in moments like that the song by Meatloaf speaks volumes: "if it ain't broke, break it!" There will always be difficulty and pain when ties to old ways are severed. Often it seems as though we are losing a part of our self in the process. Eric "E.T." Thomas says we must be willing to sacrifice what we are for what we will become. There is so much that can be achieved if we will simply go after what pulls our heart. Be fearless on the edge. It is when we jump that we discover the wings we had all along. 

Be the Warrior Poet: be diplomatic when you can, fight when you must. 

Forge of Life

"Through endurance we conquer."
~Ernest Shakelton~

Of all the success principles and ideals, the notion of endurance and persistance are paramount.  This is the fulcrum upon which balances success. Even scripture speaks of "enduring to the end".  In fitness, endurance is where work translates into exhaustion, a position where muscle growth becomes possible. I have heard of a concept called Transcendental Training.  This is where, in basic terms, you get your mind to disassociate from the body as you train. By doing so we create two powerful tools for the road to success.
First, by removing your mind from the technical stress of the situation, you allow the mind to focus on the significance of why you are doing the activity in the first place. One does not get lost in the trees for the sake of the forest.
Secondly, once "muscle memory" takes over an activity it is from then on done with unconscious competence, something you can do in your sleep if called upon.
Imagine success becoming something done by muscle memory, by being unconsciously competent with what it takes to be successful. It is in this fashion that endurance becomes victory. Success, victory, conquering, they all become systematic and natural, causing the outside observer to think they are come by these easily. It is the training in the dark, enduring trial after tribulation of untold intensity, that they emerge the champion having been refined in the forge of life. 

Be the warrior poet: Be diplomatic when you can, fight when you must.

A word concerning football

A though concerning football

Yesterday while perusing my feed from friends, leaders, and others who inspire me I noticed a trend in posts concerning the act of kneeling during the National Anthem. This is not the first time I have seen this but some of the posts made me sit up and take some notice, ultimately inspiring me to write this blog.  Interestingly this is the third attempt as the first two glitched and deleted themselves before I could share.  

For me this is not a matter of right or wrong.  I am passionately a fan of the First Amendment and free speech (which also is choice of agency aka free will).  I would never deprive a person of their right to speak and act as they choose.  In life there are consequence to every action, but I am not judge nor jury.  What I am is an American Citizen and a member of the planet we call earth.  

If someone chooses to kneel, or chooses to stand, on the field kudos for them and their right to choose.  My only concern for those who are doing this is what do they do while off the field of play.  Indeed, what are they doing in their communities and larger arenas to effect the change they are seeking.  If they are actively engaged then fantastic.  If not, however, it then becomes a question of character and integrity.  

This goes deeper than simply a protest or someone kneeling or standing. We have become a nation of couch side protesters, choosing to post a thought on our screens and take what talking head pundants tell us to think as gospel.  When did we sell ourselves for that? Don't get me wrong, Social Media can be a great tool to do much good, but it is also rich and fertile breeding grounds for tempests of destruction.  I, in fact, will use Social Media to share my thoughts here.  Social Media does not do what local involvement can do or is capable of doing. We, as citizens of this nation have a right and duty to be involved and influential. If you go back and look through the founding era writings, they were incessant about people being involved in their local policies and governance. We were not supposed to be ruled by an aristocratic few from on high.  This is what they were working to eradicate.  And yes they were fallible, imperfect humans, just the same as you or I.  They knew, though, that systemic disease cannot be solved by waving a pen of legislation at the problem. It must be solved by the people.

Our country is very ill at the moment. Disease is running rampant in our towns and communities. It is our right and our duty to stand for the individual and for what we believe.  Will we disagree? Of course, if we all agreed it would be boring.  That is what makes life beautiful and diverse. The discussion is the tapestry of human experience, in the passion of focused moments. You are part of this and you have a voice.  Shine brightly in this world.  

Be the warrior poet: Be diplomatic when you can, fight when you must.  

Ps Cammi Love encouraged me to rewrite this after it was lost so thank you Cammi.