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Slow and FaithfulNot where are you, but where have you been?Where is work? It’s not a place. It’s an effect.
Stephen Ambrose in Nothing Like It In the World (page 130-131) tells a story about General Dodge's philosophy. “He [General Dodge] toured the country and had every soldier on the Platte in the saddle instead of by a fire in the stockades. Shortly, the general manager of the Overland Telegraph notified Washington that telegraphic communication had been resumed from the Missouri River to California. Grant wired him a query: “Where is Dodge?” The general telegraphed back, 'Nobody knows where he is, but everybody knows where he has bee...
2020-11-0704 minSlow and FaithfulTime TacticsSchedule it.
That's the best time management advice I can give summed up in one bumper sticker. Sure there's more we can talk about, but if you only remember one thing, schedule it.
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2020-11-0611 minSlow and FaithfulDoes your change have a feeding plan?Have you ever stressed because you don't have enough time in the day? I hope so, and that's a good thing. I believe you can use this to your advantage.
Do you normally start out strong and relax a little as the day progresses? I hope so; you can use this to your advantage.
Boundaries and restrictions, like 24 hours a day, force innovation and creativity. One of my favorite movie quotes is from Platoon, "There's the way things should be and the way things are." When we talk about change in a corporate sense, we...
2020-11-0504 minSlow and FaithfulWhat is your definition of success?Definitions are powerful. What's your definition of success?
As a parent, my definition of success is simple. I have 6 kids now, and I formed this definition years before I had kids. I would add so much to it if we were discussing parenting today, but I still think it holds as a decent definition.
I'm the child of a teenage pregnancy. I've heard lots of stories about the hardships and struggles. I've seen a few as I got old enough to understand. I guess this is why growing up I considered teenage pregnancy such a...
2020-11-0404 minSlow and FaithfulCan you trust your answer?How I wish we were face-to-face. We could talk like humans. We could trade ideas, extend our views, challenge our assumptions, and even become friends. I think it was Newton that said we stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. Day to day we can stand on the ideas of our peers much like you see the obstacle course racers scale a wall with the help of their team. We need each other more than ever to tackle the problems of the day.
I love to learn. And after I’ve learned anything, I c...
2020-11-0305 minSlow and FaithfulRight size fits all. Sunday, November 1, 2020 UpdateSunday, November 1, 2020 Update
Hello again. It’s Sunday. Time for an informal update on the 100 Day Challenge. We are down to the wire. A week from today, and it’s all over. So far, I’ve missed exercise on 1 day. I have recorded a podcast and wrote the accompanying blog every day for the last 93 days.
I keep thinking about day 101. What do I do? Do I keep going? Doesn’t feel right. I might have something to learn from a forced break. I could lose the handful of people that actually listen.
Am I goi...
2020-11-0105 minSlow and FaithfulDon't judge a fish out of water.Do you believe physical weight is relative? Does 50 pounds weigh the same for everyone? I know on a scale, we might agree, but in practice, is 50 pounds just as easy for a 1st-grader to pick up as it is for a high school senior? Of course not.
Do you believe emotional weight is relative? Can I handle the same emotional trauma that everyone else can handle? Maybe I can handle less; maybe I can handle more, but we can all agree we don’t each handle it the same. I might cry like a baby during an ai...
2020-11-0105 minSlow and FaithfulAre you a believer?Are you a believer? Do you live your life as a believer? I’m guessing many of you are thinking about God, and that’s probably the most important question you’ll have to answer, but it’s not what I’m asking now. I’m asking about the power of belief, faith. What do you believe about normal life, day to day work? My favorite line from Coach Flower’s half-time, football pep-talk is, "Belief will rule my world.” He’s right. When I’m not doing what I think I should be doing, I have to ask myself, “What do I re...
2020-10-2905 minSlow and FaithfulAre you willing to delay? Can you afford to delay? Can you afford not to?Do you save for a rainy day? I always live with the feeling it might rain, and I need to prepare. Might sound like a good idea, but it does take away a little fun from the sunny days. Are you preparing for rain? Are you doing the work needed to reduce or mitigate risk? Are you maintaining processes and machine as you should?
Are you afraid to risk it? How many of us know to change our oil every 3,000 miles? Of course, we don't often say that's the "more severe" schedule as my car's owner's manual...
2020-10-2905 minSlow and Faithful5 Daily Tactics.Daily Checklist
I have an appointment each morning. It's my daily checklist. Reminds me to do what I intend to do and not just start looking at email. I set outlook to open on my calendar and not my inbox. Here's a sample:
Morning Pep Talk. It's a link to a google doc containing a commercial by me and about me. It's a over the top and ridiculous, and it helps get me going.
10 min meditation on "How to do my job better?".
Review my Project list
Review my calendar for the week - do I...
2020-10-2705 minSlow and FaithfulLet's celebrate preparation.Did you prepare? Did your preparation have a goal, a purpose? Maybe you had a test in school? A sales-call on a client? An interview for a new job? An interview of a magazine article or online blog? A prospecting phone call? One thing all of these situations have in common is preparation. We celebrate the result, and the results do matter, but have you heard the saying, “What gets measured gets done, so be careful what you measure?”
If you mainly emphasize results, you over emphasize luck and win at all cost. I think we can agre...
2020-10-2705 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update October 25, 2020Who cares about a 100 Day Challenge? I mean it was just a made-up bet to myself. All I win is a sense of accomplishment. Today is day 86, and how I think about the challenge today is alien from how I thought about it on day 1. For one thing, I didn’t believe I’d still be searching for a job. I actually was worried a new job would get in the way of the podcast. That would be a good problem to have. Some problems we like to complain about are actually good to have.
I haven’t been perfect. I guar...
2020-10-2503 minSlow and Faithful3 Must Read Books3 Books You Must Read
Checklist Manifesto
http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/
Tim Ferriss often asks which book you gift most often. He's compiled a list in his latest book, Tools for Titans. If had interviewed me, I would have easily said, The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande. Unless you have a job where it isn't important the complete anything correctly, you need to read this book. I am a huge fan.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555
I have lost count how many...
2020-10-2504 minSlow and FaithfulWant a little career advice? Stop believing in Gremlins. A long time ago, I typed for profit. I was a computer geek, a technician. I used to be decent -- maybe better than decent. What did it take? What separated those of us that were decent from those that were faking it? I really believe it was faith in Gremlins.
All of us lost our way and got confused. When the chips were down, the difference was who believed in Gremlins and who didn't. The technicians that stopped because “sometimes things just happened” believed in Gremlins. We found the tenacity to keep going because we knew Greml...
2020-10-2404 minSlow and FaithfulIs a winning home run something to celebrate?35 years since high school, and I still remember talk about the star freshman that hit the winning home run. I said, "What about the first home run? Was it not as important?" My friends walked away making comments about my lack of understanding sports. I still get those comments today. We had won by one run. The score was 10 to 9. If the first 9 home runs were not hit, then what value would be the last one? I was genuinely confused why we celebrated the last run more than the first run. I do understand the extra pressure that comes...
2020-10-2205 minSlow and FaithfulHow did you know? How are you training?Driving into work one morning, I noticed all the ornamental grass had been cut back to about 6 inches from the ground. It made a nice geometric scene for me to enjoy but more than that, I wondered how they knew that's best for the grass.
More to the point, I wondered what I would do if I was told to maintain the grounds. If it was my job suddenly to take care of the landscaping, what would I do? I wouldn't have thought to cut back grass. I doubt there is a training manual at our property...
2020-10-2105 minSlow and FaithfulDrive.Crutches are necessary, sometimes. You are probably leaning on one now, and it's holding you back; it's keeps you from running.
You might not realize it's a crutch. One of my kids fell and hurt her arm. She needed a brace, and the brace took away most of the pain. Weeks went by, and she insisted she still needed the brace. The arm wasn't getting stronger as we expected. We had to force her to take off the brace, so the arm could strengthen, and she's been fine ever since.
What crutch are you using...
2020-10-1904 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update October 18, 2020Sunday Update Oct 18, 2020
Two numbers to start with 999 and 21. 21 days till my 100 Days are done, and 999 times has someone played a podcast episode. Numbers are numbers and people are people. The numbers just keep track of the events. The numbers don’t tell the story.
I almost skipped out on the exercise yesterday. It was odd since I did the podcast early. I got part of my goal out of the way, and I left what I thought was an easy part till later. Life has a way of getting in the way. I had a...
2020-10-1803 minSlow and FaithfulWhat do you want to be remembered for?I’m realizing I talk a lot about stories. The only nonfiction is the past. The future is up to us. I don’t mean 100 years from now. I’m talking about the next hour, this afternoon. What’s that story going to read like? Is it a love story? an adventure? Will it be sad?
Stories are so powerful that I believe we should know a little about them. Maybe you noticed that there are only so many plots available? We experience the same stories over and over in slightly different ways. I heard once that the movie...
2020-10-1704 minSlow and FaithfulNo Art. No Story. No LIfe.Have you been to the Chicago Art Institute? It is amazing. An oasis in the Chicago loop. My wife and I took the kids a couple of summers ago, and my 10-year-old spotted this painting. To me, it looked like a 2x4 painted green on one half and read on the other. My son said, "I can do that. That's dumb." Despite my smile, he made me think about our attitude and judgement. If he can do it, it can't be worth much. He makes the judgment that what he sees is all there is.
What if...
2020-10-1602 minSlow and FaithfulWrite a Great Ending.Where do I begin? You are in a slump, and you want to change. Where do you start? At the end, of course. The ending is the best part of winning story. What’s your story; what’s the ending? How much is the story worth to you?
Let’s talk about a quarter. It’s only a quarter. How much should you pay for it? It depends how much you need it. Let’s say you are at a parking meter. You step out and need to borrow a quarter. The first person says, “Sure. I have a quart...
2020-10-1604 minSlow and FaithfulWhat would you do if the baby was wet?Half asleep she picked up her very wet baby girl. Now Mom knew why baby was crying so loudly. Her pajamas were soaked. Did the diaper not work? What happened? Mom quickly discovered that Dad had put the diaper on inside out. If you aren’t familiar with disposable diapers, one side is absorbent and the other is covered in plastic to avoid leaks.
If you want help, you have to allow for the occasional inside out diaper. A lot of people would ban the Dad from ever changing a diaper again. The baby would certainly be mo...
2020-10-1502 minSlow and FaithfulNo Lesson in VictoryAs a much younger man, I had the privilege of attending one of the military's survival schools. Best training environment I have ever experienced. They spent very little time telling me how to act, and they spent most of our time creating an experience where I could test out my new knowledge. How did I do? Thankfully I failed horribly. There's no lesson in victory.
Another great training environment is IBM. I had some of the best professional training while working for IBM. In one particular event, I got to meet the 2nd women ever hired as...
2020-10-1403 minSlow and FaithfulPass the Baton. Setup Tomorrow for a Better Run.Can we play a game? Let's pretend you have a race tomorrow. It's a team event, a relay race. Are there things you could do today that would have a negative impact on the race tomorrow? What could you do to let your teammates and yourself down?
Stay up all night drinking?
Lift heavy weights in the gym and pull a muscle?
Not bother to look up the time and place for the race?
Ignore your teammates requests for planning?
We could make an equal list of the positive actions you can take. You can choose from...
2020-10-1303 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Oct 11th, 2020Sunday Update Oct 11th, 2020
Here I am again, a Sunday update. I’m within 30 days of the end. Day 1 seems so long ago. Today is day 72. The last day is November 8th. I am so grateful for my health during the last 72 days. I haven’t felt ill at all. If I get sick in the 4 weeks left, I’ll roll with it. I wonder how I’ll feel if I don’t make it to 100? I don’t see any reason why I won’t, but I wonder. Will I pout? Complain? Feel less of myself? No. I don’t th...
2020-10-1107 minSlow and FaithfulOnly 2 reasons for mistakes: lack of knowledge or lack of attentionDoes responsibility come with awareness? I looked out the window and noticed the shed was left open. It wasn’t my fault; however, now I know. I could have gone on to bed and blamed the guilty party if something went missing. Whose fault would it have been? Do I share in the guilt since I knew?
Is this why some people avoid finding out?
What if I told you mistakes only happen for 2 reasons?
1. Lack of knowledge
2. Lack of attention
We park our cars outside. The other night so...
2020-10-1005 minSlow and FaithfulCurse of Knowledge and maybe why you don't have more friends.Can you see the elephant in the room? It really depends if you are an insider or an outsider. To an insider, the little things matter. The dirty laundry is everywhere, and selection bias is rampant. Twenty plus years ago I worked in a service garage selling repairs to Chrysler car owners. To this day, I have trouble believing in Chrysler quality. My belief has nothing to do with the truth. It's a selection bias. I only saw the Chrysler cars with problems, so I mistakenly thought Chryslers have more problems than other cars. Crazy; I know.
H...
2020-10-0903 minSlow and FaithfulAlter your attitude and change your life.“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.”William James
Attitude is a choice. Attitude takes practice. Start to think about all you have to be grateful for and your attitude can improve.
How close is attitude to belief? I mean unless you are a fake person you must believe there’s a reason for a good attitude. You must believe in the possibility of improvement. I know my attitude can impact my performance. I know that if I have a better attitude the chances of win...
2020-10-0904 minSlow and FaithfulStop doing that. See what happens and add it back only if you must.“There is more to life than increasing its speed” – Mahatma Gandhi
Forbes Magazine interview with Peter Drucker, 'Successful leaders don’t start out asking, “What do I want to do?” They ask, “What needs to be done?” '
Or better yet also by Drucker, “There is nothing more useless than doing efficiently what doesn’t need to be done at all.”
I need to take a hard look at what’s being done and do less. I believe we should take away as much as possible and when the process breaks add back the last step.
No...
2020-10-0805 minSlow and Faithful2 rules for personal progress: Again and For Me.2 rules for progress toward your goals:
1. Again
2. For me
Again:
How long do you allow your child to try to walk before giving up? What advice do you give when learning a new skill? Go again. Try again. Again tomorrow. “Again” is a powerful idea. If we don't quit, if we go again, we'll be moving toward the goal.
What you seek seeks you. When we go again, we continually seek our goal and the goal gets closer to us. If we stop, we have no hope. “Again” is the secr...
2020-10-0602 minSlow and FaithfulPig Test, Toilet Paper, and a Ball of String.Comparisons are fun and at times informative. Are you a reader or a listener? Do you enjoy the practice or the novelty? Do you believe intelligence is fixed or elastic? Are you a cow or a pig? Maybe you aren't familiar with the last one. I grew up on a hobby farm in Kentucky, and we had cows and pigs. I don't think we always did things the right way, and we used an electric fence at times. If you aren't familiar with an electric fence, it's a simple wire connected to an alternating current. If the animal touches...
2020-10-0605 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Oct 4th 2020Weekly Update Oct 4th, 2020
It’s Sunday. It’s the easy update day.
Mentally tough week. Hasn’t been that easy. I am blessed with several friends who believe in me, and I’m excited about what’s possible. I’m just nervous, and maybe that’s normal.
Today is day 65, and I’m still going strong.
Looks like nearly 850 downloads of the podcast. I have stopped worrying about who’s listening and if the podcast is any good or not. I’m just doing what I can and let the chips fall.
I...
2020-10-0502 minSlow and FaithfulCan you change your mind?How to believe?
How long does it take to believe?
“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” I first heard this from Dale Carnegie in his book, Win Friends and Influence People, an excellent book by the way. My question isn’t how well we hold on to beliefs, but it’s is close. How long until we believe something new?
A hint is in the quote itself, “against his will.” I have to will to believe. I have to change my mind. The reason I’m diving into this idea...
2020-10-0304 minSlow and FaithfulDo you read or bleed through experience?My 15-year old son has been passionate about mowing the grass ever since he got a plastic mower at 2 years old and would follow me around the lawn. He mows for me now, and I see he's very quick to notice what I do and copy exactly. He's learned what he knows from experience and watching. He's a true bleeder. A bleeder is someone who has learned the hard way, through experience, as in someone who gets their knees skinned trying to learn, no book knowledge or classroom training at all. As a bleeder he's show great promise, but...
2020-10-0106 minSlow and FaithfulRemove Before Flight and Do or DieI love aircraft, and I am intrigued by all operations that must be performed correctly to survive. When the stakes are high and tested every day, the process improvements are tangible and applicable.
A simple lesson to take from the professionals, is "Remove before flight". What are the few tasks that must be done before flying? What tasks are important enough that you must remove the red tag before proceeding?
I have an appointment with myself each morning labeled, "Remove before flight." It's a short list of the few things to square away before I...
2020-09-3003 minSlow and FaithfulWhat do you want to learn? You're asking the wrong question.Too many great teachers are out there. I have so many choices and so little time.
How do I pick? Where do I start?
The problem lies in the question. I am not asking the right question. I am saying, “So much I can learn, where do I start?” I love subjects like mental toughness, productivity, goals, finding purpose. Again, I’m asking the wrong question. I’m asking, “What do I want to learn?” I should be asking, “What do I want to do?”
I remember my kid’s swim team t-shirt slogan, “If you wa...
2020-09-3004 minSlow and FaithfulNo substitute for face-to-face“It’s making a funny noise.” My wife had just picked up the car from the garage, and she complained about a noise. Being a former service garage adviser, I was quick to tell her it was only the metallic brakes. I explained it’s not safe to use asbestos, so we had to switch to a more noisy brake.
“Doesn’t sound like brakes.” She didn’t agree with my brake theory, and I’ve learned to listen to her over the years, so I thought it could be the new tires. She said it was worse on the highw...
2020-09-2904 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Sept 27, 2020Sunday Update Sept 27, 2020
Hello and welcome to my Sunday update. A chance for me to rest one day and give an informal update the 100 Day Challenge. I am 58 days into the challenge, and I’m going strong. Many days, including today, I’m only doing this because of the commitment I made to myself, and I want to see it through. I have to wonder why I didn’t make other commitments, and why didn’t I do this years ago? What makes this 100 Day Challenge special?
I’m sure there’s an answer is there somewh...
2020-09-2802 minSlow and FaithfulPoor attitude is a sickness.I always feel a cold coming on and start to dread what's ahead. Sales Sickness is similar; however, it's easier to spot in others. You start explaining why it's been hard to close more deals. You begin to wonder if I should change things, offer new things, or discount more. You use phrases like "it's different here" or "this is that time of year" or "the economy is slow".
If not cured, you'll end up losing and removing yourself or missing your targets by so much that you’ll need to part ways. I do think there's a c...
2020-09-2703 minSlow and FaithfulStrategy is crafted through a string of 2nd chances.Natasha was her name. She didn’t know us, and we didn’t know her, but she changed our lives. My wife and I were considering adopting a baby. We had spent a couple of years asking questions, visiting agencies, and wondering about how to best go about this decision.
We learned a lot along the way. We were told it isn't about finding the perfect baby. It's about the baby finding good parents. We were told you don't become the parent you want to be. You become the parent you have to be. Parenting is a game...
2020-09-2604 minSlow and FaithfulShort-term GoalsPart II – Progress is a temptation.
Some endeavors do lend themselves to counting, to progression. Yesterday, I was talking about the pursuit of mastery where measurement is the enemy. What about production type jobs? I can’t pay the bills without profits, and I can’t wait to see what happens at the end of each month. I must know where I stand and be able to adjust early and often.
What about starting a new job? Would I have 30, 60, 90-day goals? I will also have paths I’ll choose toward mastery of the new job, and...
2020-09-2405 minSlow and FaithfulProgress is a temptation.I love it when ideas come together. I keep a list of what I believe. I collect principles and hard-fought lessons. One of those beliefs is “Love the Plateau.” I got the idea from George Leonard. His little book on Mastery is a treasure. It's about the work, the practice. Growth comes in surprise burst surrounded by long stretches of seemingly flat gains. The flat periods are needed to build the base for growth. You must love the plateau to reach mastery.
I stumbled upon the lesson again but in a very different context. I teach at a Je...
2020-09-2404 minSlow and FaithfulWhat's your leadership style?Some other lessons I learned from the tough colonel:
Protect your people. He was always more concerned about our welfare and our preparedness than he was about anything else. If someone needed equipment, he made sure it was delivered.
Eat last. He did eat last in the lunch line. If there wasn’t enough of a favorite dish, he’d go without. The team saw this and would skip out to make sure he got it anyway. He didn’t stop at the lunch line. He always got a computer upgrade last, he rode in the ol...
2020-09-2306 minSlow and FaithfulBe a Person Worth FollowingZig Ziglar promised us that we’d get all we want in life if we helped enough other people get what they want. I didn’t realize how true this is. I had a conversation recently with someone that wants to be a leader. I feel for them because I think they want to skip over being a follower. The definition of a leader isn’t too hard. Do you have people following you? Are you the type of person that people want to follow?
Let’s walk through the goal setting framework mentioned by Zig Ziglar, Be, Do...
2020-09-2204 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Sept 20, 2020Sunday Update Sept 20th, 2020
Episode number 51. It’s Sunday, so I take the day to rest and give a simple update as to the progress and direction of the podcast. Yesterday was the mid-way point on my way to 100. I’m a little excited, but it didn’t last long. I’m back at it tomorrow with the back half to complete.
I figured out how to add apple podcast to the distribution list. It was easier than I thought. I’m not sure why I waited so long, but it’s going now.
I was offe...
2020-09-2103 minSlow and FaithfulHappy Halfway Point!Today marks the half-way point. I have looked forward to this a while. I remember being around day 5 thinking, “What have I done?” Even now sitting at 50, I’m not sure how I’ll make it to the end. I don’t plan on quitting. I guess it’s that simple. Like Dori in the Nemo movie, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
I’m intrigued with activities like swimming, riding a bike, parenting. I’m not sure what to label the attribute that intrigues me, and if you do, please let me know. What is it about these types of...
2020-09-2004 minSlow and FaithfulNatural Born Heroes And a New HopeWe love the natural born hero. Superman didn’t learn to be superman. He didn’t practice being superman. He was born superman. Superman has done more harm to us than any villain ever could. We know superman isn’t real, but we still hold on to the natural born idea. We love to pick the winning horse early, to spot a tendency and extrapolate into the future. The trouble with our natural born idea is that it’s wrong. The research is plentiful, but we still hold on to an old idea.
I have a humorous story to i...
2020-09-1904 minSlow and FaithfulDo you know what your job is? You'll get fired if you don't.A friend of mine has done very well taking over poor performing businesses and turning them around. I guess you could say he flips businesses. I asked him what's the method? What's the plan? He said he comes in and figures out the one or two activities that matter. Gives those two activities everything they need and lets everything else suffer.
Seems like a good idea for my own professional life. My professional life, like yours, is my business. I don’t get to flip it for profit; although, that would be cool. I do get to re...
2020-09-1704 minSlow and FaithfulWe are going from how-to to what-now. Are you reading?It was a project for fun. Something to show the kids. I was going to write an app. First, I had to learn the language, get access, setup the environment, so I signed up for some free on-line courses that look promising. I started, and I started, and I started -- each time getting distracted and lost in the details.
I stumbled up MIT's App Inventor. I downloaded the kit, synced with my android tablet and following the simple instructions, I create a magic 8-ball app. The kids loved it. When you shook the tablet, a new...
2020-09-1705 minSlow and FaithfulAre you in your dream job?It's take about an hour to fly from England to Germany. We had picked up 5 brand new graduates. Tomorrow these new team members would fly off to join the 1st Gulf War. The normal training program for our computer system on board the aircraft was 6 weeks. We had one hour.
Lockheed had trained our team on the system originally. The trainer started in the top left corner of the keyboard and explain each key, one at a time. It was mind numbing and nearly useless. Government contract at it's best. As a group of instructors, we had...
2020-09-1503 minSlow and FaithfulWho am I?Col. Chris Hadfield is an amazing guy, and in his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, he describes getting ready. He's always getting ready. He started getting ready to be an astronaut at 9 years old after seeing the moon landing. What I found so interesting is Canada didn't even have a space program.
Col. Hadfield lived the life an astronaut would have lived and put himself in the best possible position for success. If he didn't make it, he still lived a great life. Enjoying the journey is key (actually his wife enabled his journey...
2020-09-1504 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Sept 13 2020Sunday Update
Today is 44. It’s Sunday, and it’s time for an update. Sundays are more of a free-flowing report on my progress to date. It’s meant to give me a break without stopping.
Sept 19th, Saturday, is day 50!!! The halfway point.
What am I learning? I’m not seeking a lesson, but I’m learning, nonetheless. Remember the saying more is caught than taught. Life is also tossing us lessons.
1. I am not a quitter. This might seem odd, but I’m feeling a sense of confidence in finishing 44...
2020-09-1306 minSlow and FaithfulResistance points the way.Each day is full of little signals. Like Pavlov's dogs we are trained to react and often we don't even realize it. Peter Bregman wrote a book called 18 Minutes. He has a clever idea to manage your day. It's built around getting back on track when you drift off, and one trick is to have a trigger. In his case, it's the hourly chime on a wristwatch. When the chime sounds, it's your trigger to examine your day. Are you working on what needs to get done, on what you planned to get done?
I learned a...
2020-09-1209 minSlow and FaithfulAre you sad you lost your story?When you wrestle with a commitment, who are you arguing with? Let’s say you made a plan to get in shape. You download a workout schedule, buy some shoes, and a watch. You are ready. The alarm goes off the next morning. You debate the rewards of sleeping a bit more vs. going for a jog. You decide to roll over. You wake with a heavy guilt for not running. Does it seem like two characters in the play here? Why are you guilty? It’s you that decided to roll over.
You had an idea of y...
2020-09-1106 minSlow and FaithfulNo Such Thing as Tough"There is no such thing as tough. There is trained and untrained. Now which are you?" Denzel Washington, Man on Fire
Do you believe in having a hot hand? Batting streak? Lucky streak? Natural Born? Phenom? Prodigy? Turns out these don't really exist. Most are within the wide bounds of normal and others are more practiced. Picasso produced an estimated 50,000 pieces of artwork.
Have we evolved in the last hundred years? Are we faster, stronger? 4 min mile is proof. No one before 1954. 1964 a high school kid did it. And the current record is nearly 17 seconds...
2020-09-0904 minSlow and FaithfulAI, Analytics, and Thomas Davenport. Buyer BewareTom Davenport has a very easy way to focus in on what's needed -- see the picture with the article. Divide the needs between 3 time periods: past, present, and future. And divide between known and unknown.
Most products I've seen are good at past and present knowns -- think data visualization DOMO or Tableau. Great reports and Dashboards.
If you want to dig into the unknown past (like why did this happen?), then you'll need something like Splunk or other logfile miners. Something to crunch a lot of data and connect the dots, usually by time stamps or...
2020-09-0906 minSlow and FaithfulIs that question correct?Not about being correct. It’s about asking the right questions.
Peter Drucker told us, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all."
To paraphrase, there is nothing so useless as answer correctly a question that doesn’t solve the problem.
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2020-09-0705 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Sept 6 2020A Sunday update!
It seems like the last update was only a couple of days ago; it has been a week already.
First a few stats. I started the 100 Day challenge on August 1st. I had already been making some podcast episodes, but I wasn’t doing anything daily.
42 episodes total.
36 days out of 100 done.
The secret is to define what counts as done. I have 3 goals: podcast, blog, and exercise. Each goal has a min, realistic, and stretch level. Most days I only achieve the minimum, but I do...
2020-09-0603 minSlow and FaithfulKnow Fear. Know Bravery.When you were a kid did you play the game or refuse because you might lose? The fear of losing was too big for me when I was young. I have to forgive my younger self. The younger-me didn’t have the support needed to handle the fear. I didn’t have someone standing there to tell me everyone is afraid and being brave is to go ahead and still play. You can’t be brave without fear.
My favorite verse in the Bible is “I believe. Help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24. The verse helps me realize I can hold b...
2020-09-0604 minSlow and FaithfulFight the Fear.I’m thinking about fear. The fear of failure. The fear of looking foolish. The fear of announcing one direction only to switch gears soon after. The fear is large and looming. I think it’s keeping me from acting in my own best interest.
What’s the cure for fear? Action, activity, movement, decisions. I don’t need to shout it from the mountain tops, but I can start walking in a direction that makes sense. Small victories, short distances, climb the next hill. Just do what I can from where I’m at with what I have.
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2020-09-0507 minSlow and FaithfulDrilling for Oil. Do the Work.What do you know about drilling for oil? If you are like me, not very much. I’ve been reading up on drilling for oil to explore the idea, to compare it to everyday projects. Of course, technology has improved. Oil companies do what they can to find the most likely spot to drill, but someone has to go first. The initial step is a test to see if a bigger oil deposit is possible. The first one is called a wildcat well.
Any idea what the success rate is today for a wildcat well? The success ra...
2020-09-0303 minSlow and FaithfulWho is the a-hole?Leaving the Air Force for the "real world", I had to find a job and quickly. I read a book Customers for Life by Carl Sewell. He described a world of selling cars that I found appealing. I found out much later that maybe he was seeing his world through rose colored glasses, but one of his principles was not to work somewhere that acted like a circus.
This was 1991, and you had to visit in person back then. The first dealership was noisy and had balloons, so I moved on. The next one met in a...
2020-09-0202 minSlow and FaithfulThirsty for feedback?Do you love feedback? I do. And don’t sugarcoat it.
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2020-09-0203 minSlow and FaithfulWhat would I recommend?I met an interesting person today. I didn’t ask him about sharing our conversation publicly, so I’ll use a fake name. I’ll use my first name, Joe.
Joe’s running his own IT business. It’s a small business, and it’s growing. We only spent 30 minutes talking. I wondered what I could share that might be useful.
Joe did make an interesting comment about consulting or business-help firms out there. He said the focus was always on more clients; how to sell to more people. He doesn’t need to sell more. He’s got...
2020-09-0105 minSlow and FaithfulSunday Update Aug 30th 2020Just a quick note to subscribers. Feel free to skip.
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2020-08-3102 minSlow and FaithfulCould you hit a mountain while flying? They did. Who's looking out your window?I spent a few years riding in the back of airplanes for the Air Force, and we'd have a safety debrief after any accidents. I remember one particular briefing. It's been over 30 years, so I'm sure I've forgotten the exact details, but the idea is accurate.
A blinking light indicating engine trouble held the attention of all four crew members, and the plane hit a mountain; no one was looking out the window.
It' a tragic story, and sadly, it isn't rare. Can the lesson be applied to the work environment? I think it can...
2020-08-3002 minSlow and FaithfulWill to WinI too suffer from this will to win without the will to prepare. I have the will, the desire to write a book, run a marathon, speak Chinese. All of these are childish dreams if I don't have the desire to prepare. Do you ever pine for success? Do you think they got lucky? Do you wait for your chance? These are signs of the disease. The antidote is daily hustle.
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2020-08-2804 minSlow and FaithfulFind the Spark and Fan the FlamesWhy am I writing this glimpse into my life? I’m concerned that we go about coaching and motivating all wrong. We focus on the mistakes and look only at the final results. If my story makes any sense at all, look for the spark in people and fan the flames. Focus on what’s going well and think about what can be improved.
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2020-08-2808 minSlow and FaithfulDo you believe? I think you must.http://gregdyche.com/2020/08/27/do-you-believe/
Do you believe? The question requires an object. A normal response could be, “Believe in what?” In my context today, I’m talking about the result your seeking. Do you believe you will get the result if you put in the action? What if the result will take months or years? Belief comes from hearing and hearing and hearing. If you hear something often enough, you will begin to believe.
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2020-08-2707 minSlow and FaithfulTake ActionAction is the best cure for fear, especially dread. To quote some MIT research,
“Since our brains only can consciously focus on one thing at a time, once you are in the act of doing, your fear fades away. Therefore, taking action reduces conscious fear.”
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2020-08-2605 minSlow and FaithfulPersonasWho are you? Are you the same person all the time? I'm not being philosophical. I'm being practical. Who I am does fluctuate a little with each context. I'm not talking about anything important. I'm taking about tools, preferences, activities.
I've often struggled with logins when I switch roles. For instance, I have personal windows account, and I have a company account, and I have a school account. Seems like I'm always logged into the wrong one at the time. I've tried different web browsers, like Firefox for school, chrome for personal, and edge for teacher life...
2020-08-2505 minSlow and FaithfulSunday update - note to selfAre you like me? Do you get caught in a trap where the bar is too high, and if you reach the bar, you’ll just raise it again. You can’t be good enough. I’m guessing you are familiar with the imposter syndrome, but just in case, the imposter syndrome is a feeling you are faking it. A feeling you aren’t good enough, and if people only knew, you’d be discovered.
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2020-08-2404 minSlow and FaithfulCan you help yourself?Snowball Express. Fun movie for a kid, and it has one scene that taught me a valuable lesson. The ski-lift motor is at the bottom of the hill, and they need to get it to the top. They talk about several crazy schemes before the kid in the room asks a simple question, “Why can’t it pull itself up the hill?”
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2020-08-2306 minSlow and FaithfulHow to get unstuck?Have you heard the world doldrum? Do you know what it means? I had to look it up to be sure. It’s a nautical term to describe a still zone circling the globe at the equator. The combination of north and south trade winds meeting and the intense heat causing the moisture to rise eliminating nearly all surface wind. Sailing ships could be stuck for weeks.
I’ve been working out the problem of the long middle of a poorly defined project. When a job, project, or season goes on too long and the end is uncl...
2020-08-2205 minSlow and FaithfulAre you giving up on me?It’s the relationship that creates the bond that breaks when you give up. Build the relationship and earn the right to ask, “Are you giving up on me?”
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2020-08-2105 minSlow and FaithfulValley Guides PodcastAre you striving? Are you trying to get better? Stay ahead?
What if you had help?
Valley Guides Podcast is raw, unedited and straight to the point.
I’m the host, Greg Dyche.
I’m a builder of people. I’m a guide.
I love to learn and share what I’ve found.
Join me in a conversation about getting through the valley, the tough times, the middle.
We’ll figure this out together.
It’s the conversation I’m after and in exchange, I’ll...
2020-08-2000 minSlow and FaithfulWhat would a note to your past-self say?What if you could date an envelope to be deliver in time, not just in place?
Let’s send a note to yourself 10 years earlier? What does it say?
Are you encouraging?
Harsh?
Disappointed with what you were given?
Do you feel like opportunities were missed, time squandered?
Would you pass along a little secret to better your chances at winning?
Would that change who you are today? or just your environment?
Would this change what you would say to yourself 10 years in the future?
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Sup...
2020-08-2009 minSlow and FaithfulWhat type of day are you going to have?What day you are planning to have is up to you? What can you do to help increase the odds of a great day?
A few poor choices aren’t permission to throw in the towel.
Eating poorly in the morning doesn’t permit over eating in the evening.
Salvage what you can of the day. Scraps can still make a quilt.
I let the disappointment of mistakes be an excuse for more bad behavior. Something like what’s the point, I’ve already blown it.
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2020-08-1906 minSlow and FaithfulAre you asking the right questions?Are you asking the right question? I had trouble with my door lock. The locksmith cut a new key, and the lock worked fine. It wasn't the lock. It was the key. I didn't have the wrong answer. I had the wrong question.
I've got a few tactics and ideas about asking questions.
Tell me more about that...
Repeat the last 3 words.
Empathic Statements
PESTLE acronym
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2020-08-1807 minSlow and FaithfulUpdate on the 100 Day ChallengeMore of an update to friends that listen. I've on a 100 Day Challenge, and I thought I'd give an update on the progress and the plan.
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2020-08-1705 minSlow and FaithfulDrive the truck. Don't let the truck drive you.I share 10 ideas I use to do the best I can.
Why pay attention to anything I say?
What is success?
What can you add to luck?
Only emotions endure.
Build a machine.
Culture of blame.
Daily production model.
The playbook.
What's the important part?
Transparency.
Bonus story: Drive the truck. Don't let the truck drive you.
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2020-08-1610 minSlow and FaithfulCourse CorrectionMistakes only happen for 2 reasons: 1) lack of knowledge and 2) lack of attention. What are you doing to enhance your knowledge and attention? I live off of personal documentation to avoid the lack of knowledge, and I use calendars and reminders to avoid lack of attention.
I share a few of my tactics and ideas. What do you use? How do you avoid mistakes?
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2020-08-1407 minSlow and FaithfulAre you getting better?Are you trying to get better at your job? Is your team getting better? Do your people know exactly what is expected? Are they surprised at yearly reviews?
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2020-08-1406 minSlow and FaithfulWhat do you do?How many times do you get asked, “What do you do?” How do you answer? Before Clay Hebert, I try to use a title, like Sales VP or Instructor. Maybe a sentence or two about the particulars of the job or the industry. The trouble is you are fishing in the dark if you don’t know what the other person is interested in. Why are they asking you? It might be just so they can say what they do; it might be just small talk to break the ice and start a conversation. Or it might be genuine interest...
2020-08-1306 minSlow and FaithfulYou are not aloneIt’s vital to realize you are not alone. No matter what’s happened you are not the only one.
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2020-08-1209 minSlow and FaithfulEnergy and FocusI want to combine focus with energy. Your energy level gives quality to your focus. Imagine driving half asleep. You aren’t going to drive very well. Energy is why I don’t recommend large lunches, and I do recommend a good night’s sleep and a little exercise each day. It’s not complicated advice.
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2020-08-1104 minSlow and FaithfulThe PivotHere’s the pivot. Valley Guides started out focused on the valley of unemployment. I’m going to expand the idea to include the journey. The valley is between where you are and where you want to be.
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2020-08-1004 minSlow and FaithfulDay 68. How to keep going?Day 68. I got the news on May 28th, and it's been 68 days. How do I keep going after 68 days, 2 months? What if I have 2 more months? Redeem the time by gaining more skills. Pick a skill that will add to your value and get started. See how far you've come. Don't look at how far you have to go. The middle can be long.
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2020-08-0505 minSlow and FaithfulHow to own the outcomeYou do not have the freedom from responsibility. It is not your fault you are unemployed, but it is your responsibility to act. How you behave will echo through your families' lives. I have some ideas how to get started.
#1 Action holds fear at bay.
#2 Learn to free-write. Spend time with unconstrained, un-edited, uncensored writing.
#3 Tell yourself, "It's possible." Les Brown taught me to say it, and it is powerful.
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2020-08-0405 minSlow and FaithfulThe Long Middle of Job SearchingHow to you handle the middle ground? How do you stay productive during the long days of job searching? I think it comes down to routine and schedule. What does an ideal day look like? How close can you get to that ideal day? Can you get closer tomorrow?
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2020-08-0306 minSlow and FaithfulYou Need A Budget - YNABTo successfully cross the valley, you need the right tools. If you were on an island and could only bring one tool, it's going to be YNAB , You Need A Budget. My wife, Kat, is the expert in the house, so I invited her to the podcast. You are going to enjoy this one. Have fun. And get YNAB
Here's our referral link (we both get a free month; I think): https://ynab.com/referral/?ref=rG0tXtKW8eUcyBSi&utm_source=customer_referral
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2020-08-0215 minSlow and FaithfulEpisode 8: The Power of a ChecklistWhat must the expert remember? To be a professional job seeker, you must use a checklist.
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2020-07-2906 minSlow and FaithfulBe Prepared. 10 steps to get ready when unemployment comes.In case of emergency, break glass. Are you ready? Do you know when to sound the alarm? Let’s talk about it before we must.
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2020-07-2713 minSlow and FaithfulEpisode 6: 10 Easy Lessons to BeginDo you have a struggle with where to begin? Do you ever wonder how do I get started? How about 10 easy lessons to start?
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2020-07-2308 minSlow and FaithfulHow to really help AmericaWe need a strong middle class to make America function. How?
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2020-07-1703 minSlow and FaithfulBe a pig and not a cow5 productive tips to help get through a valley.
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2020-07-0109 minSlow and FaithfulEpisode #4 Fight, Flight, or FreezeWhat does fight look like? What can you do about freezing or flying? Let's talk about it.
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2020-06-1705 minSlow and FaithfulAny port in a storm?How to say no when you do need to say yes.
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2020-06-1109 minSlow and Faithful5 lessons learned while unemployedRaw, honest, unedited - I share what I’ve learned and where I’m going as I search for a new job. Maybe my mistake will warn someone?
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2020-06-0217 minSlow and FaithfulGreg Dyche episode 1 - The News of unemploymentJust found out yesterday about being fired. So what’s next? What should I do? Join me as I talk about the experience. Maybe something will help others too.
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2020-05-2907 min