Put Your Shoes On!

Have you ever had a morning or time when you just want to get more motivated? You feel sluggish or not as motivated as you'd like to/need to be? Try putting on your shoes earlier, now if you don't have them on. I've suggested this recently to a few peers and friends and they were surprised at the impact. If you're walking around your house in your comfy slippers, fuzzy socks or even with the freedom of being barefoot, that simple fact can slow you down. Somehow, putting on your shoes makes you more "ready" to act, and it makes it feel a little odd to just lounge around. I have started putting on my shoes earlier in the morning - you'll get chores done earlier, be more likely to go take a walk, and in general, get motivated and into gear! This is such a simple thing, but it has been powerful for me when I've noticed myself not being as productive in the mornings or on weekends as I could be. There's always more we can do, and putting on your shoes are just one tiny step in getting motivated earlier...remember, there is no finish line.

There is No Finish Line

Last year, Arthur Blank (Co-Founder of The Home Depot, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, serial businessperson and philanthropist) spoke to a small group from my EMBA class. He was especially candid (no cameras, reporters, etc.), and he told stories of starting up Home Depot with Bernie Marcus, challenges with the Falcons (think Michael Vick), and his views on philanthropy.

He lives by a saying..."There Is No Finish Line". This simple phrase was very powerful for me. It symbolizes the art and skill of continuing to move your goal and the principle that there's always more we can do. I think of that talk and phrase often.

If you wish to accomplish more, change the way things are going (bad to good, good to great or just a different direction), think of this phrase - THERE IS NO FINISH LINE. It means Status Quo is rarely good enough, there is almost always a better way to do something, and you can do more than you or even your biggest fans think you can.

Find ways to remind yourself of your potential - with work, family, health and life in general - and be sure to pass this along to help others do the same. There is no finish line...

Spreading the Word on Good Deeds

Dafna Michelson is spreading the word on good deeds-  read her story at this link http://www.cbsnews.com/ .  She's capturing stories of America's local heroes - those who do good... a lot of it... and who truly live the principle of "be the change you wish to see in the world".., and luckily, CBS has captured her story.   Talk about a calling.  She ended up leaving her job, and even when donations to her cause dried up, she cashed in her 401K to keep this project going.  Many of you know the feeling - you get involved in something, and an intensely strong connection develops.  It may be your work, a personal relationship, a charity, a hobby, or project such as Dafna's.  I understand the pull you feel to keep giving, to learn more,  to serve others, to spread good, to enhance the world, one person and community at a time.  Some people feel that pull more powerfully than others, and at different times, but when you've "got the bug", there's little that can stop you. 

I'm thankful to all those people who Dafna has interviewed, and the many other people like them.  I'm thankful for Dafna and her irresistible calling to highlight these people, and I'm proud of CBS for making this story a priority.  I hope those who read this forward links to Dafna's story...she deserves all the support we can give her.

The Principle of Cost & Tradeoffs... Cause & Effect

I am fascinated with the principle of cost – specifically that everything has one.  Life is about trade-offs – and managing them.  Think about it  - every accomplishment, item, experience and status has a cost (or price).  Being wealthy has a cost or trade-off, as does being poor; being unbelievably successful in work has a price, and focusing only on family and friends has its tradeoffs. The reality is – no one status is better than the other in totality – if you are a leader in your business or work – what has been the cost/trade-off for that achievement?  Is the cost too high?  That is different for everyone, but regardless, there is a price. 

If you haven’t seen the movie Charlie Wilson’s War…you should watch it.  Not only is it entertaining, but it is based on a true story about American support of Afghanistan in its fight against the Russians.  (wait…what country are we fighting right now….oh yeah….Afghanistan).  Remember, some trade-offs (cause and effect) are in a series, difficult to predict due to outside circumstances.   Back to Charlie Wilson’s War.  Throughout the movie, Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character has been attempting to tell a story – at the end, after the point of the story has been illustrated by the war and events themselves, he finally gets to tell it:

There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse... and everybody in the village says, "how wonderful. The boy got a horse" And the Zen master says, "we'll see." Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight... except the boy can't cause his leg is all messed up. and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful." Now the Zen master says, "We'll see."

Think about it in terms of investments – you can have an investment, but if the price or cost of that investment is too close to, or higher than, its current value, what appears to be lucrative on the outside may have developed a significant, negative trade-off.  If someone says, “I hold 1000 shares of “x/big company” stock…it may sound impressive, but the real question is,  “what was/is its price?”.   You may admire someone else’s life or situation and aspire to be like them, but remember…everything, absolutely everything has a price.  Things are rarely as good as they seem and they are rarely as bad as they seem.  Even bad scenarios may have some positive trade-off.   This fascination with “the cost principle” helps me keep perspective on life and provides context for various situations and experiences.

Remember, too, that things are cyclical - take our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan...Afghanistan, which was a country whose wars we funded and supported is now one we are fighting.  Iraq - a country we occupied and fought, to one we are now investing in, supporting and developing.  This is the nature of things...but if you can be aware of the transitions in price or trade-offs, you will often be better off. 

Everything has a price – every cause has an affect.  Read some of my recent blog posts – and consider this principle.  What made the Rwandanese so resilient, recovering from genocide? What is the trade-off for defending our country, watching family grow up in pictures? What could possibly be the downside or trade-offs of someone who has developed an strong career?  Sometimes things that seem bad lead to something good, and often things that appear to be fantastic or desirable, have (or will have) some trade-off that others would find too high of a price to pay.  It’s all relative to you, the scenario, and the timing.  Keep things in perspective – do your best to weigh out what price you are willing to pay – and reevaluate that as often as you can remember to do so. 

Let Me Buy You Some Wings When You Come Home; Supporting Our Troops

It's always fulfilling to spend time serving our troops, whether you are putting out food, cleaning things up, or having conversations with our armed forces, just being there makes you feel good.  It's tough for some first time volunteers - troops being deployed aren't always exactly chatty... some just want to have any fun conversation they can, others put on their headphones, make no eye contact, and barely say a word, and others take some time to warm up, but in the hour before they leave for that flight, they want to talk, hug, take pictures and laugh.  They all handle it differently, and its important to respect that.   Regardless of how social one may be, a smile and the act of serving go a long way in their mind - even though some may not verbally express it at that moment.  I talked to those who serve in the Marines, Army, Navy and Airforce full time, and many reservists who have been activated.  They are engineers, doctors, nurses, pilots, specialists and more.  Some have aspirations of starting their own businesses after their tours are complete, others want to work in corporate America...and others plan on serving in the military full time until they retire.  I talked to a man who was on his 5th or 6th tour to the Middle East.... can you imagine?  One serviceman (pilot I believe) told me about his son and two younger daughters....and how tough it is to see them grow up in pictures.  He actually used to work for Hooters as a cook, so we had a good chuckle.  Another Marine shared that he was in Iraq during Desert Storm...fighting the Iraqi people...and now he's been going over as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom - training and developing them...what an interesting turn of events.  A few others shared interesting memories from their tours over the years.   Being that it was New Year's Eve, it was natural to think about how much can happen in a decade.

Talk to some of our youngest servicemen and women; they are fascinating.  Many have their degrees or are getting them; I talked to one young Marine who has a biochem degree (sharp guy and very outgoing), and he loves getting to use guns and explosives... gotta love the candor.

Throughout the day, we brought smiles and wings - and a little conversation...a modest offering...meanwhile, they are sacrificing their lives, and their profession is defending our country.  They have to watch their families evolve on Facebook, on Skype, and in pictures...they miss births, deaths, first steps, first words, graduations, and more... yet they continue.  They actually enjoy what they do - they are proud... they are special ...they deserve applause when you see them - they deserve a handshake - and a hug if they're in the mood.  They deserve to have their meal bought, their gas paid for, and the organizations that support their families in times of need (like the USO and Operation Homefront) deserve our time and money if we have it to give.  Spending time with them at the USO was an absolute treat - you should look into volunteering at your local USO!  http://www.youtube.com/HootersUSO

As the last group was leaving for that 18:00 flight to Afghanistan, a small group of Army men and Marines thanked us repeatedly, they said, "it's nice when we get a handshake or a pat on the back in our own country - even though there are people who disagree with the war, and who sometimes take it out on our men and women in uniform when we are at home, we truly appreciate the strong civilian support and help...thank you for being here, thank you for keeping the home fires burning... you make it worth fighting" - what do you say to that? I felt embarrassingly inadequate.  All I could come up with was to hug them as big and warm of a hug as I could give...and I said, "Let me buy you some wings when you come home" - they smiled, gave a few more hugs and said, "It's a deal".  Those are certainly meals that I and those who were with me look forward to buying!