I was buzzing around the house completing one task after another. My goal? Order. The arrival of the twins was met by an intense need for order. Some could call it OCD. I was working in double time. And I am doing things I don't want to do. I like order. I don't like doing the things that create it. So these are things I have to do. I need the order to have my mind clear to produce. I'd rather watch the Colbert Report. Steve Colbert will take me further from what I need. I get … [Read more...]
What do you HAVE to do?
December 16, 2011 by
A friend of mine had a rough week recently. Here was the week in no particular order: Lost parent Made arrangements for funeral Drove 4+ hours to the funeral Went through/packed the parent's things Drove 4+ hours back Co-conducted a 4 day intensive seminar Visited with clients Decorated/furnished new business offices Shut down/moved her old business office That's a hell of week. I'm sure there are details I missed. I had dinner and beer with them last night. At some … [Read more...]
Are you tipping enough?
December 14, 2011 by
Jen and I met our twins two months ago. Our priorities were redefined. Things like showering, blow drying of hair, eating food while hot fell to the bottom of the list. Feeding babies, remembering to eat at all, finding 2-3 hours to sleep shot to the top of the list. The babies are kicking our asses. Feeding two newborns at the same time is one of the most exhausting things I've done in my life. I go from energetic and enthusiastic to exhausted and exasperated in a matter of … [Read more...]
Winning the War
October 31, 2011 by
The final piece of paper left my hand. My signature in place. The condo was sold. It was on the market over two years. We got beaten on price and concessions. I played this hand poorly. We did not win this battle. I bought the condo for the wrong reasons. It was what I thought I was supposed to do. I bought into the dogma that renting is bad, owning is good. Owning would make me an adult, I thought. I bought. My decade of ambition had begun. The ambition was to be good enough. … [Read more...]
Conceiving the inconceivable
October 17, 2011 by
In 10 minutes, I'll be driving my wife to deliver our twins. I don't have any kids yet. I can't imagine what it will be like ... other than sleepless for a couple of months. I don't know what the experience of deliver will be like. I don't know what it will be like to hold them for the first time. I don't know the sense of responsibility I will feel when I meet my children. Jen and I launched this baby business around 12 months ago. We decided to see a doctor to make this happen. We … [Read more...]
Paint yourself into a corner
October 13, 2011 by
Sam has a really cool product. He plans on selling it via the Internet. He has one big problem. He keeps pushing his launch date. The Internet is virtual. As much as we want it to be real, it is not. We can't touch it. We can't feel it. We can't walk inside it's doors. The virtuality of the Internet (and other technology related products) poses a problem. Our brains don't respond to problems that they believe are imaginary. This is why arbitrary deadlines can blow up in our faces. … [Read more...]
What do you think?
October 10, 2011 by
Steve Jobs influenced the world. No doubt. Time will tell the significance and meaning of that influence. I did not know Steve Jobs to like or dislike him. I can't comment on his character. I never experienced it. He said things that inspire me. Based on the number of reposts and tweets, he inspired others, too. Steve Jobs seemed to demonstrate a commitment to refuse compromise, an eye for beauty and the ability to drive relentless execution. We can learn from that. His legacy can … [Read more...]
Is it time for a little perspective?
October 3, 2011 by
The ladies read their visions to the person sitting next to them. We talked about the visions they wrote and spoke. One of the women said that she had a hard time believing that she could make her vision a reality. I asked the group a question. Who heard a vision that they think the person reading it could make happen? Every hand shot up. They were all afraid. They didn't think they could do what they dreamed. They were all confident that the person next to them could do it. What … [Read more...]
Where’s your resume?
September 21, 2011 by
I work with people to help them manage change. When things go well, they produce results that they weren't able to produce on their own. This is a common outcome. I speak to many clients who want to leave their job. Their obstacle: Their resume isn't ready. They'll wallow in misery rather than write their resume. Meanwhile they deliver "Less than" results for the people they work for. This may last weeks, months or years. Disengagement is contagious. It needs to … [Read more...]
