A quote I heard today.... The world owes you nothing. Sounds kind of harsh and maybe it is. But it is true. Over your life you will find that there are some people that get things handed to them, or things may seem to come easier to others than yourself. Do not compare or get frustrated. It is a waste of your energy and time and makes you look like a negative or pessimistic person. You do not know the background or the complete story. Take ownership of your goals and what you want to accomplish and you will ALWAYS come out ahead even though it may not seem like it, because you accomplished it YOURSELF.
onward
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Monday, April 4, 2016
What is inspiring.....
My family just returned from vacation. We went to Florida to see family. It is important to me to "create moments" that my kids will remember. As I look at past experiences that we have planned for the family, many revolve around nature (National / State Parks) and Technology (mostly Space / Aviation).
During this trip we visited Huntsville and the US Space and Rocket Center.
Space Camp is hosted here and as a kid I wanted nothing more than to attend Space Camp. For lots of reasons that was not in the cards for me. Though they do offer adult camps......
The visit was good and there was a fair amount for the kids to do... simulators, rock climbing, rides, etc. which they all liked. Overall I felt that the exhibits were a bit dated and were not being maintained. I visited the location in 1997 and some things have changed (i.e. they added a Saturn V rocket exhibit similar to Kennedy) which was interesting.
We took the bus tour and the highlight of the entire visit was touring the payload operations center. There we got to see the team working with the International Space Station. The ISS had just received a shipment of supplies that morning and one of the engineers came out to discuss the mission. He mentioned that once the supplies are removed the capsule is filled with trash that is then burned up in the atmosphere. On this particular mission, they are going to do experiments with flames in the vacuum of space before reentry. Had we not toured, we would not have known about this exciting experiment. We also learned about NASA Mars mission and the SLS or Space Launch System. We plan to land on an asteroid in 2025 and Mars in the 2030s.
Is it that we take this for granted, or are just so consumed with life on our planet that we are not more interested? In the 1960's we all rallied around the program and it was the worlds success. Everyone knew the astronauts, the missions and watched it on TV. It was shown in school and discussed as a class.
I got to witness two space shuttle launches and it was awe inspiring. Space X and Blue Orion are making things very exciting, why are we not tracking this? Huntsville and Kennedy were more of a celebration of accomplishments 40+ years ago than a look to the future of space exploration and what lies ahead. We are going to lose a generation if we cannot find a way to get our children (and their parents) interested in space.
My family just returned from vacation. We went to Florida to see family. It is important to me to "create moments" that my kids will remember. As I look at past experiences that we have planned for the family, many revolve around nature (National / State Parks) and Technology (mostly Space / Aviation).
During this trip we visited Huntsville and the US Space and Rocket Center.
Space Camp is hosted here and as a kid I wanted nothing more than to attend Space Camp. For lots of reasons that was not in the cards for me. Though they do offer adult camps......
The visit was good and there was a fair amount for the kids to do... simulators, rock climbing, rides, etc. which they all liked. Overall I felt that the exhibits were a bit dated and were not being maintained. I visited the location in 1997 and some things have changed (i.e. they added a Saturn V rocket exhibit similar to Kennedy) which was interesting.
We took the bus tour and the highlight of the entire visit was touring the payload operations center. There we got to see the team working with the International Space Station. The ISS had just received a shipment of supplies that morning and one of the engineers came out to discuss the mission. He mentioned that once the supplies are removed the capsule is filled with trash that is then burned up in the atmosphere. On this particular mission, they are going to do experiments with flames in the vacuum of space before reentry. Had we not toured, we would not have known about this exciting experiment. We also learned about NASA Mars mission and the SLS or Space Launch System. We plan to land on an asteroid in 2025 and Mars in the 2030s.
Is it that we take this for granted, or are just so consumed with life on our planet that we are not more interested? In the 1960's we all rallied around the program and it was the worlds success. Everyone knew the astronauts, the missions and watched it on TV. It was shown in school and discussed as a class.
I got to witness two space shuttle launches and it was awe inspiring. Space X and Blue Orion are making things very exciting, why are we not tracking this? Huntsville and Kennedy were more of a celebration of accomplishments 40+ years ago than a look to the future of space exploration and what lies ahead. We are going to lose a generation if we cannot find a way to get our children (and their parents) interested in space.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Knocking the dust off of this thing. Hope to dedicate more time to using this going forward.
Thought during my commute: Our mobile devices and access to information are amazing indeed. It is easy to be a "consumer" of information: Facebook, LinkedIn, youtube, podcasts, etc. but not an "active participant". There is a richness in the dialog between individuals that is lost by sitting back and consuming information. You may be motivated, inspired or feel a call to action but there is no accountability or sustained growth. I recently saw a statistic that said 97% of online class attendees drop the course before completion. Many give the reason that it just go too hard. They drop out because there is no social accountability or built in support-network either through the instructor or more importantly a classmate. If you are inspired by something you have "consumed", if you truly want to own, improve, adopt or create something, take that idea and share it with someone. Talk about what it means to you, be vulnerable and ask for their thoughts on how to improve / shape the idea. Appreciate that it will not be perfect, change is a product of incremental improvement not step or quantum change. Do not be afraid to fail. Enjoy the journey, use it as an excuse to reach out to a friend that you have not spoken to in a while, it is a great excuse.... (I read this and though of you.....) Then make a date to continue the conversation. You are keeping in touch with a friend, learning from someone, pressure testing your idea and ACTING on your inspiration. This will greatly improve your level of happiness and in turn your quality of life.
Onward....
Thought during my commute: Our mobile devices and access to information are amazing indeed. It is easy to be a "consumer" of information: Facebook, LinkedIn, youtube, podcasts, etc. but not an "active participant". There is a richness in the dialog between individuals that is lost by sitting back and consuming information. You may be motivated, inspired or feel a call to action but there is no accountability or sustained growth. I recently saw a statistic that said 97% of online class attendees drop the course before completion. Many give the reason that it just go too hard. They drop out because there is no social accountability or built in support-network either through the instructor or more importantly a classmate. If you are inspired by something you have "consumed", if you truly want to own, improve, adopt or create something, take that idea and share it with someone. Talk about what it means to you, be vulnerable and ask for their thoughts on how to improve / shape the idea. Appreciate that it will not be perfect, change is a product of incremental improvement not step or quantum change. Do not be afraid to fail. Enjoy the journey, use it as an excuse to reach out to a friend that you have not spoken to in a while, it is a great excuse.... (I read this and though of you.....) Then make a date to continue the conversation. You are keeping in touch with a friend, learning from someone, pressure testing your idea and ACTING on your inspiration. This will greatly improve your level of happiness and in turn your quality of life.
Onward....
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Power of Less
I am a big fan of StumbleUpon. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure to pass a little time in the evening. For those that have not used it, you set up a profile with your interests and hobbies and then by clicking stumble the site recommends sites that you may have an interest in. You can indicate which type of sites you like and the application better "learns" your interests.
While stumbling, I would frequently get referred to ZenHabits.net, a site by Leo Babauta. I found that I really enjoyed reading the posts on the site, and later found out that Leo had written the book The Power of Less.
I was drawn to Leo's posts and book as much for his thoughts on simplification, doing less while getting more done, etc. as I was his story. He himself is a father, husband, employee and he felt constrained by commitments, a poor diet, lack of exercise and ability to focus. By using the system that he developed he has transformed his life and now has two successful careers (one as a writer, which would be a dream of mine), has more time to spend with his family and runs on a regular basis.
I have set goals / resolutions to be more organized in 2010. Three months into the year, I am happy with the progress that I have made and the small successes have motivated me to do even more. I started a new job in Sept '09 and am proud to say that I have been able to manage my workload (including lots of travel), go to the gym (not as often as I like or should) and have begun to tackle some of the projects at the house including a major de-cluttering effort (we can park both cars in the garage for the first time in two years!)
Some thoughts from Leo's book.
12 habits to start with:
1) Set your 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks) each morning.
2) Single-task. When you work on a task, don't switch to other tasks.
3) Process your in-box to empty.
4) Check e-mail just twice a day.
5) Exercise 5 to 10 minutes a day.
6) Work while disconnected, with no distractions.
7) Follow a morning routine.
8) Eat more fruits and veggies every day.
9) Keep your desk decluttered.
10) Say no to commitments and requests that aren't on your short list.
11) Decluter your house for fifteen minutes a day.
12) Stick to a five sentence limit for e-mails.
Pick three projects and work on them until completion. (when you complete one, do not add another, complete all three)
Focus on completion:
Have an outcome in mind.
Move from projects to tasks
Each day, choose a task to move you to completion
Reassess your progress
Track your internet usage:
Toggl, yatimer, tick
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Some of the points were very obvious and simple, but I guess that is the point, right?
While stumbling, I would frequently get referred to ZenHabits.net, a site by Leo Babauta. I found that I really enjoyed reading the posts on the site, and later found out that Leo had written the book The Power of Less.
I was drawn to Leo's posts and book as much for his thoughts on simplification, doing less while getting more done, etc. as I was his story. He himself is a father, husband, employee and he felt constrained by commitments, a poor diet, lack of exercise and ability to focus. By using the system that he developed he has transformed his life and now has two successful careers (one as a writer, which would be a dream of mine), has more time to spend with his family and runs on a regular basis.
I have set goals / resolutions to be more organized in 2010. Three months into the year, I am happy with the progress that I have made and the small successes have motivated me to do even more. I started a new job in Sept '09 and am proud to say that I have been able to manage my workload (including lots of travel), go to the gym (not as often as I like or should) and have begun to tackle some of the projects at the house including a major de-cluttering effort (we can park both cars in the garage for the first time in two years!)
Some thoughts from Leo's book.
12 habits to start with:
1) Set your 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks) each morning.
2) Single-task. When you work on a task, don't switch to other tasks.
3) Process your in-box to empty.
4) Check e-mail just twice a day.
5) Exercise 5 to 10 minutes a day.
6) Work while disconnected, with no distractions.
7) Follow a morning routine.
8) Eat more fruits and veggies every day.
9) Keep your desk decluttered.
10) Say no to commitments and requests that aren't on your short list.
11) Decluter your house for fifteen minutes a day.
12) Stick to a five sentence limit for e-mails.
Pick three projects and work on them until completion. (when you complete one, do not add another, complete all three)
Focus on completion:
Have an outcome in mind.
Move from projects to tasks
Each day, choose a task to move you to completion
Reassess your progress
Track your internet usage:
Toggl, yatimer, tick
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Some of the points were very obvious and simple, but I guess that is the point, right?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Laws of Simplicity
Welcome 2010.
As I look back on 2009 it certainly was a year of ups and downs (mostly ups). We got a lot of projects off of the list in the past year, I switched jobs and I continue to be a proud father and fortunate husband.
Not going to get into a list of resolutions here but needless to say there is always room for improvement and adventure. I did start off the year diving into Lake Michigan in 17 degree weather. After not feeling my feet for a few minutes, everything returned to normal and I would consider doing it again.
The single biggest area that I would like to improve upon is organization. The house, my workspace, my digital life (e-mail, songs, photos, files, etc.).
I got the jump on 2010 by organizing all of my contact information in one place(Google Contacts) and sent out an e-mail to everyone in the list giving them the vitals (e-mail, mobile, facebook, twitter, etc.). Something I have wanted to do for a long time and a great feeling to have accomplished. A nice by-product is that I was able to reconnect with some people that I have lost touch with.
In late December I finished reading the Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda. Maeda is a professor at the MIT Media Lab. As such, I will share some of the "golden nuggets" in the book.
Central to the book - 10 Laws
1) REDUCE - The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
2) ORGANIZE - Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
3) TIME - Savings in time feel like simplicity.
4) LEARN - Knowledge makes everything simpler.
5) DIFFERENCES - Simplicity and complexity need each other.
6) CONTEXT - What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
7) EMOTION - More emotions are better than less.
8) TRUST - In simplicity we trust.
9) FAILURE - Some things can never be made simple.
10) THE ONE - Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.
3 Keys
1) Away - More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.
2) Open - Openness simplifies complexity.
3) Power - Use less, gain more.
Use the SLIP method for organizing - Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize
Tools for using can be found on lawsofsimplicity.com
Use your BRAIN
Basics are the beginning
Repeat yourself often
Avoid creating desperation
Inspire with examples
Never forget to repeat yourself
Always be learning (example):
In Karate, it is a symbol of pride to wear your black belt long enough so that it turns white again.
Focus:
Become a light bulb vs. a laser beam. You can either brighten a single point with laser precision or use the same light to illuminate everything around you.
Swimming:
A swimming teacher kept having his students lean back in the water. The students kept wanting to swim. After numerous times leaning back in the water, the teacher instructed the students to roll over in the water and flap their arms and legs. A formative moment occurred when the students learned that they could always swim they just needed to trust the water.
And BTW, a book about simplicity was 100 pages long. Easy enough to finish on a shorter flight.
2010 is going to be a great year.
As I look back on 2009 it certainly was a year of ups and downs (mostly ups). We got a lot of projects off of the list in the past year, I switched jobs and I continue to be a proud father and fortunate husband.
Not going to get into a list of resolutions here but needless to say there is always room for improvement and adventure. I did start off the year diving into Lake Michigan in 17 degree weather. After not feeling my feet for a few minutes, everything returned to normal and I would consider doing it again.
The single biggest area that I would like to improve upon is organization. The house, my workspace, my digital life (e-mail, songs, photos, files, etc.).
I got the jump on 2010 by organizing all of my contact information in one place(Google Contacts) and sent out an e-mail to everyone in the list giving them the vitals (e-mail, mobile, facebook, twitter, etc.). Something I have wanted to do for a long time and a great feeling to have accomplished. A nice by-product is that I was able to reconnect with some people that I have lost touch with.
In late December I finished reading the Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda. Maeda is a professor at the MIT Media Lab. As such, I will share some of the "golden nuggets" in the book.
Central to the book - 10 Laws
1) REDUCE - The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
2) ORGANIZE - Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
3) TIME - Savings in time feel like simplicity.
4) LEARN - Knowledge makes everything simpler.
5) DIFFERENCES - Simplicity and complexity need each other.
6) CONTEXT - What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
7) EMOTION - More emotions are better than less.
8) TRUST - In simplicity we trust.
9) FAILURE - Some things can never be made simple.
10) THE ONE - Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.
3 Keys
1) Away - More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.
2) Open - Openness simplifies complexity.
3) Power - Use less, gain more.
Use the SLIP method for organizing - Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize
Tools for using can be found on lawsofsimplicity.com
Use your BRAIN
Basics are the beginning
Repeat yourself often
Avoid creating desperation
Inspire with examples
Never forget to repeat yourself
Always be learning (example):
In Karate, it is a symbol of pride to wear your black belt long enough so that it turns white again.
Focus:
Become a light bulb vs. a laser beam. You can either brighten a single point with laser precision or use the same light to illuminate everything around you.
Swimming:
A swimming teacher kept having his students lean back in the water. The students kept wanting to swim. After numerous times leaning back in the water, the teacher instructed the students to roll over in the water and flap their arms and legs. A formative moment occurred when the students learned that they could always swim they just needed to trust the water.
And BTW, a book about simplicity was 100 pages long. Easy enough to finish on a shorter flight.
2010 is going to be a great year.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Career Renegade -
Recently finished Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields. A very good book with a ton of useful information for anyone looking to make a change in their career and focus on doing what they love and actually make some money at it.
Some "nuggets" from the book:
bubbl.us - a brainstorming on-line mind mapping tool
freemind - www.freemind.sourceforge.net another free mindmapping tool
popurls.com - a website that aggregates what is hot all of the major social media hubs
Create a blog and sign up as a publisher with Google adsense, google will serve up ads on your blog, you collect revenue
Book: Problogger: Secrets for blogging your way to a six figure income
Place a hire me page on your blog. look at remarkablogger.com and chrisbrogan.com
Website: copyblogger.com
Teach an online course, check out teachingsells.com, teach-nology.com
If you want to franchise your business, check out franchise.com, franchisetimes.com, franchise.org, franchiseperfection.com/blog, the franchise king blog
If you want to produce a video look at metacafe's producer rewards program
Entrepreneurs-jorney.com, cnx.org - hub for people looking to collaborate in creating education materials
Attend the SOBCon conference in Chicago
How to create a business plan: 10 questions with Tim Berry, on Guy Kawasaki's blog
Search engine optimization: http://tools.seobook.com
Use google trends, seobook.com, clusty.com
Use clickbank.com to promote your product
find out what is hot on ebay http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/catalog.html
book: ultimate guide to google adwords - Perry Marshall
use facebook polls
use itunes for free podcasts look at podcasts, then education
other video education sites:
wonderhowto.com
videojug.com
expertvillage.com
graspr.com
use opencoursewear
wordpress for blogging
brazen careerist.com
use blogfuse to publish your blog posts to your facebook page
use linkedin answers
yahoo buzz
podcasts about poscasting on itunes
career renegade.com
Some "nuggets" from the book:
bubbl.us - a brainstorming on-line mind mapping tool
freemind - www.freemind.sourceforge.net another free mindmapping tool
popurls.com - a website that aggregates what is hot all of the major social media hubs
Create a blog and sign up as a publisher with Google adsense, google will serve up ads on your blog, you collect revenue
Book: Problogger: Secrets for blogging your way to a six figure income
Place a hire me page on your blog. look at remarkablogger.com and chrisbrogan.com
Website: copyblogger.com
Teach an online course, check out teachingsells.com, teach-nology.com
If you want to franchise your business, check out franchise.com, franchisetimes.com, franchise.org, franchiseperfection.com/blog, the franchise king blog
If you want to produce a video look at metacafe's producer rewards program
Entrepreneurs-jorney.com, cnx.org - hub for people looking to collaborate in creating education materials
Attend the SOBCon conference in Chicago
How to create a business plan: 10 questions with Tim Berry, on Guy Kawasaki's blog
Search engine optimization: http://tools.seobook.com
Use google trends, seobook.com, clusty.com
Use clickbank.com to promote your product
find out what is hot on ebay http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/catalog.html
book: ultimate guide to google adwords - Perry Marshall
use facebook polls
use itunes for free podcasts look at podcasts, then education
other video education sites:
wonderhowto.com
videojug.com
expertvillage.com
graspr.com
use opencoursewear
wordpress for blogging
brazen careerist.com
use blogfuse to publish your blog posts to your facebook page
use linkedin answers
yahoo buzz
podcasts about poscasting on itunes
career renegade.com
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Chicagoland Junto
In the spirit of getting around to doing things that I have wanted to do for a while and embracing social media, I have created a site on Bing in the hopes of creating a group to network, discuss business opportunities, have book discussions and guest speakers, etc.
The site is located at chicagolandjunto.ning.com
Take a look, if you are interested, post a thread on the bing site and hopefully soon we can host a face-to-face.
The site is located at chicagolandjunto.ning.com
Take a look, if you are interested, post a thread on the bing site and hopefully soon we can host a face-to-face.
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