A Time To Reflect

A Time To Reflect

  As if to say, another year has gone by.  It’s over and done. No do overs. 

 Nothing is ever final until it is. A very contradictory statements but true. When the time comes that you are no longer able to participate, then it’s final. 

 A perfect example is the present year, in this instance 2022.  At the end of this 31st day of December 2022, the year will cease to exist. Most people will simply continue into the next year as they have done so many times before. Have you ever asked yourself, is that all there is?  Just stand or lay around waiting to see what life brings your way. 

 Have you ever asked yourself, where do I see myself in five years?  If you have, have youever asked yourself, what are the steps required to get there? Unless you receive an inheritance or win a lotto jackpot, improving your place in life requires effort.  Even winning the lotto requires that you buy a ticket. 

 Full disclosure, the only expertise I claim, is living my own life, being happily married and being fortunate at having some great children with reasonable happiness and success. I’ve always claimed to be happy healthy and blessed. I almost forgot to mention, I do have one superpower. 

 This one talent is so rare, that it now qualifies as a superpower.  My special power is common sense. Simply being able to assess possible outcomes, from actions initiated, is a strength.

 A positive attitude is always a plus but must be tempered with a dose of reality. The adage, “if it can go wrong, it will,” has been proven correct time and again. Consider that reflection time over the year ending today is proper especially if corrections are called for to achieve future goals.  May the New Year bring you your best year yet!  The best is yet to come…

 

Life and Building Bridges

Life and Building Bridges

I consider myself a very optimistic person, however, I would debate with anyone that our state of society is at its best ever.  You would almost have to be in my age group in order to look at society in our life span and compare apples to apples.

For starters, survival skills are one thing and survival instincts are yet another and not to be confused with one and the other.

Survival skills:  The ability to hunt for food, grow your own food, fix your own car, start a fire without matches (or lighters), how to navigate without a compass or GPS, build a raft, make your own home repairs, etc., etc.

Survival instincts:  the ability to read people, to anticipate a confrontation and how to avoid it or deescalate it, knowing when to take action or when to compromise, assessing the unseen dangers (example: undercurrent in a stream or river, making split second decisions, etc., etc.

Many of the skill that we developed in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s was the difference between success and failure, but today our society for the most part consider those to be the skills of dinosaurs (unimportant or at the very least antiquated), and unnecessary. 

Today’s younger generations are so dependent on technology that if a power outage takes place they are dead in the water.  Have you ever seen a young retail clerk struggle to make change for a dollar when their cash register fails?  We are so dependent on GPS that if you go into an area of limited or no cellphone signal a young person can’t find their way around because even if they had a street map they wouldn’t be able to read it.

How about the wonderful communication skills (writing or reading) of our youth due to their prevalent use of texting?  The youth are not the only ones to blame, the educational systems in some States are dropping the required cursive writing, because it is no longer needed or relevant.  The unskilled educated can’t grasp the big picture:  Who is going to translate or decipher our historical records (documents) in the future.  Cursive writing may as well be a foreign language to any one that is proficient in, WTF, LOL, LMAO, etc., etc.

My children and grandchildren are still being raised the way I was raised.  I insist in teaching them the old survival instincts, and skills, and even more important, I am teaching them to be competitive.  In other words, there are winners and there are losers, we all need to strive to prevail (win).  Nothing wrong with 2^nd place but 1^st place is the objective.

When my children use to complain to my wife that life wasn’t fair, their mother’s gentle response was “build a bridge and get over it.”  If you didn’t get that saying, it's ok, it took my children a few times to get the real meaning also.  My grandchildren don’t only get it, but I hear them saying it amongst themselves now and they are still young.  The best is yet to come…….

Self-Preservation

Self-Preservation

From a very young age (5 years old in private school) I already knew that I wanted to be the best.  Not just at one thing but at everything.  I don’t think that you can have a chip on your shoulder at that young age, I simply wanted to excel and be the best that I could be all around.

Even at age 5 I already had a gift for gab.  My personality was very outgoing, and I received all the attention that I could possible desire from my parents and my maternal grandparents.  They instilled in me not only that I could be great, but that I already was.  I was an only child, and they heaped love and praise on me.

I remember that at the private school where I was enrolled, I would sneak away from the classroom before lunch (while lunch was being prepared in the kitchen for the students and faculty), and walk right into the kitchen, I would impress the food preparers (ladies), first by complimenting their culinary skills based on the aroma alone, and then I would share some poetry that my grandmother had taught me.  Within a matter of seconds one of the cooks would prepare something for me to eat (appetizer if you will) before lunch was served to everyone else.

It was that kind of experience and rewards that encouraged me to improve and sharpen my oratory skills (gift of gab).  My ability to properly respond to any situation is what got me ahead because the teachers felt that additional time spent working with me one on one, was time well spent.  As a result of this kind of privileged treatment I was a B+ student through sixth grand, and then starting with Junior High School and all the way through college I was a 4.0 GPA.

Much of the academic accomplishment can be attributed to consistency in study habits (if not good old fashion hard work) and clean living. I didn’t party or even drink or smoke.  While many of my peers did all that and more (weed, speed, LSD etc.), I participated in school sports and even worked a 30 hour week including after school and weekends.

I never wanted to admit it even to myself (perhaps especially to myself), that the reason I wanted to be better is because I was a minority (raised in South Texas); bias and racial discrimination was all around us.  Some of my friends either ignored it or were used to it and didn’t acknowledge it.  I on the other hand didn’t dwell on it but was constantly aware that the snake could rear its ugly head when you least expected it.

I never once thought of discriminating first as a preemptive strike, because I believe in the good in everyone’s heart, and I was willing to accept being the target of someone so compelled.  I am not aware of any incidences of racial discrimination (in the work place) in my life time probably because I am astute enough to recognize problem areas and stay out rather than test the waters.  I do know of one incidence of discrimination against me in the area of consumerism, but rather than feel bad for me, I felt bad for the merchant because of the hatred that he carried in his heart and the fact that he was stuck living with himself.  I was only 9 years old at the time, and unwittingly crossed over to the wrong side of the tracks (didn’t literally cross the tracks).  As life often does, and in retrospect my life turned out many times more successful in every way than the life that the merchant was already living in his late 50’s.

I pray early and I pray often, more often than not it’s to give thanks for the abundant blessings in my life and family.  I know that just as we begin to make progress on one social issue another one seems to get out of whack.  Despite all the technological progress that we make, we only seem to magnify the negatives in the world.  Don’t give up hope, and stay involved, the best is yet to come………..

1950’s Pioneer Spirit

Small Town USA

When you hear talk about the Pioneer Spirit or the reference to the Pioneer type woman (with reference to strength), I always imagine a strong and stout woman with a near perfect posture.  In fact the pioneer spirit that we refer to is something that people simply endured or grew into for survival’s sake.

You and I can elect to be strong by choice or be made strong by circumstance.  What I mean is that back in the 1940’s and 1950’s people chose the pioneer type spirit to survive, where as the time shown on Little House in the Prairie (the television series) that was the pioneer times.

In today’s society if you have a wood burning fireplace, you can cut your own wood if you have the Pioneer Spirit or you can simply Google “firewood,” and have it delivered and stacked in the back patio already cut to perfect size.  Back in the 1950’s some people had the option to buy the product but most chose to cut their own, and many times it was used in the wood burning stove that served for cooking and heat.

Imagine having an ice box instead of a refrigerator, and waiting to catch the iceman when he came by on your route every other day.

 

• The ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade, was a 19th-century industry, centering on the east coast of the United States and Norway, involving the large-scale harvesting, transport and sale of natural ice for domestic consumption and commercial purposes. Ice was cut from the surface of ponds and streams, then stored in ice houses, before being sent on by ship, barge or railroad to its final destination around the world. Networks of ice wagons were typically used to distribute the product to the final domestic and smaller commercial customers. The ice trade revolutionized the U.S. meat, vegetable and fruit industries, enabled significant growth in the fishing industry, and encouraged the introduction of a range of new drinks and foods.

Another small struggle of the early 1950’s was the need to maintain a supply of kerosene usually in five gallon cans for the purpose of lighting the homes after the sun went down (using kerosene lanterns).  One of my uncles created a job for himself by keeping the neighborhood supplied for a fee. 

 

You also grew your own supply of vegetables, and anything you couldn’t eat you would trade and barter with.  Homes for the less fortunate ones didn’t have running water or any kind of indoor plumbing.  Imagine having to answer nature’s call in the middle of the night and going to an outhouse with a newspaper in hand (dual purpose including reading).  Taking a bath was not as easy as it is today.  You had to plan it by first warming up water, and later disposing of the used water.  Is it any wonder people didn’t bathe more often?

 

The fortunate people that had cars would usually pick up friends and coworkers every day on the way to work and dropped them off on the way home.  Others would use public transportation or ride bicycles by necessity not just to conserve or be cool.  Walking was a very acceptable mode of transportation, is it any wonder why they didn’t need Fitness Center Membership to get or stay in shape? 

This post is a very small snapshot of what life was like in the 1950’s (for a slightly less than well-off family).  The majority of these people were so satisfied that they had no clue that they lived in poverty.  If you have memories of your grandparents being strong and healthy the reasons were many, including fresh air plenty of sunshine and hard work, many natural foods that included plenty of fruits and vegetables, and minimal addictions.  The best is yet to come…..

Sports Influence

Sports Influence

My life’s foundation includes a generous mix of scholastic sports participation.  If you break life down to the basics, you will find that life is a competition, whether you want to admit or not.   In the beginning level of life (at birth) if you are a twin, you will start competing from day one.  Whether it be for the next feeding, diaper change, or just mom and dad’s attention.  In my generation, my parents expected me to excel in everything from school work to sports to chores around the farm.

Even friendly family competitions were played to win never to lose or draw.  When I entered school sports in high school, I was expected to minimally letter in the sport.  My parents felt like they were spending money on insurance, and sports equipment. Not to mention giving up my time after school when I could have been performing chores on the farm, so they wanted to hear that I was amongst the best performers if not MVP.

Well I grew up with a very competitive spirit and I passed it on to my children growing up.  To this day you should see how rowdy our board game nights get when the family gathers around the dining room table to spend quality time together.

I remember occasions when I visited my relatives in California and my uncle Frank would take me to Dodger baseball games or my father would take me to championship boxing matches also in Los Angeles.   At the time I couldn’t understand their enthusiasm for Baseball and boxing.  Being from the Pacific Northwest myself, I didn’t have the exposure to professional sports that southern Californians have always had.  However, it wasn’t long after my exposure to boxing in southern California that a young fighter entered the competition (Cassius Clay) and I became a fanatic.  All of a sudden the fights were not boring, here was a fighter that would call the round he was going to knock out the opponent, and actually did it.  I started attending Close Circuit Television viewings in select venues around the northwest with my step-father and step-brothers. I can honestly say that those were exciting times.

 

In 1976 I was very fortunate to get on the fan wagon of my favorite team ever.  The Seattle Seahawks arrived and I have been a fan ever since.  In 2005 the Seahawks made it all the way to the Super Bowl, and were able to compete with the opposing team, but were not prepared to take on the officiating team also.  I already gave full disclosure, I have been a fan from Day One.  This coming Sunday my team, the Seattle Seahawks will once again be competing in the Super Bowl.  This time our team is going against the recognized best quarterback in the NFL.  I only agree to the title because he probably is, considering his accomplishments, and secondly because when my team beats his team, I expect my quarterback to inherit the title.

While my team is well prepared in all aspects of the sport, we are going against the best possible team that we could compete with.  It’s unfortunate that after Sunday, no one will care who came in second place over all.  Having said that, I will admit that, that is the way I was raised, and that is the way I like it.  The second place team will begin the rebuilding process the very next day (Monday), and that is the way it should be.  Like in everything, especially in sports, there needs to be winners and losers.  It’s just how we keep score, and it builds character.  GO SEAHAWKS!!!  The best is yet to come…..

Welcome To Being50.com 2

My 1969 Charger R/T

Welcome To Being50.com 2

This post is an update to: Welcome To being50.com, posted February 10, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/02/welcome-to-being50com.html.  This post was the second post as I started what I had hoped would be a very long journey into the world of blogging.

In keeping with tradition this is the second post of the beginning of the second calendar year that www.being50.com  is in existence.  My one year anniversary of this Blog will be on February 10, 2014.  I find myself still excited about the project, and particularly proud of the accomplishments at every level.  In a little less than eleven months I have posted 280 times (that is an average of more than 25 times per month or one every 1.2 days).  I couldn’t perform this task for pay, unless I loved it, and I do.  I won’t tell you how many page views I have because you will think that I am bragging, just know that the following of readers is worldwide and includes Russia, China, England, Ireland, Germany, France, Australia, continental USA, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada, I won’t attempt to mention them all because I will most likely leave somebody out.  USA is the country where most of my followers come from, with China in second place, and Canada within 300 in third place.

Our minds are still the driving force of this blog.  There is much to discuss, and reminisce about: our parents and grandparents, the cars we drove, our music, clothing fashion, our schools, our friends, on and on.  I like to think that we can travel back in time any time we want because the “Time Machine’” sits squarely on our shoulders, and yet I realize that we are not all equally equipped to make those time travel journeys, so join me and I will be happy to be the one element that triggers your memories, and time travel.

The amazing thing about our minds and memories is that we are able to trigger the good memories and fun times, while not dragging out the perhaps negative times that we just as soon keep in the past.  Always remember that through memories you can revisit but we are unable to go back except in our dreams.  Simply think about a favorite time in your past, 20 or 30 minutes before you fall asleep, and you may just learn to visit in your dreams.  I testify to you, that I regularly do.

I extend a formal invitation to all the readers of this blog to visit regularly, and I promise to maintain this blog in a way like few others do.  You will find fresh postings on a variety of subjects, and always respectful and considerate to the readers.  Thank you for joining me on this special project, and best wishes for a Happy New Year 2014!  The best is yet to come……

Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone

People close to me know that I don’t like change for change sake.  I don’t even like necessary change.  I don’t mind change initiated by me, but I have to think long and hard about that.

The comfort of familiarity comes at a cost that we are often not even aware of.  Who in their right mind would think that there is a price to be paid for enjoying the comfort or comforts that you so willingly embrace.  After all costs are most often associated with change, rather than stability, right?

I most often have the latest in computers, cell telephones, iPads, and any other technological advances.  Truth be known those changes are brought about by the desire to have the advantage in the ever changing world of communications and technology.  If the world of technology were to once again become stable (stale-slow) as in the 70’s and 80’s I would be in hog heaven.  The years when the IBM Selectric II typewriter, and Motorola Beeper were the technological wonders of the world for long stretches of time.  You didn’t have to update equipment every six months to keep up with the Joneses.

By surrounding ourselves with familiarity, we are most often creating a protective shield that keeps outsiders out of our circle.  Outsiders are a source of information that keeps us growing as individuals, in a competitive environment.  Our subconscious tendencies are to seek out people that think like us because they reinforce our attitudes, and way of doing things.  Please understand that this is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as we are aware of what we are doing (accomplishing).

 

One can actually compare the above information to someone who is successful but enjoys being surrounded by “yes men.”  Even when these individuals are making bad decisions they are constantly being praised and validated by the “yes men” they surround themselves with.  This environment when sustained for long periods of time can lead to self-destruction of the successful individual(s).  You may not agree with me and that is totally fine, after all my disclaimer as usual is that, this is one humble man’s opinion.

Two famous examples of self-destruction that come to mind: Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.  Their entourage (handlers, hangers-on) catered to their every whim, and eventually all their fame, money and popularity couldn’t save them from self-destruction.

There are two popular sayings (practices) that come to mind, that exemplify the subject of this post: “think outside the box,” and encouraging the view of “an outsider looking in.”  If you are comfortable with doing things the same way year in and year out, you are missing out on the most important element to what you are doing and that is the opportunity to: advance; evolve; grow, and thus stay competitive.

Truth be told I still don’t like change but I embrace it cautiously because it is a necessity to stay relevant.  The best is yet to come….

Life’s Mission

Life’s Mission

 

Participation in this wonderful journey (life) is what it’s all about.  How do you know when your mission on earth is done and over?  You will never know, because as far as I am concerned, your mission is not over even when you die.  Until the day of your last breath and departure, you will contribute and then your legacy continues beyond.

• So what does a legacy include? As you would imagine, financial assets are certainly one part of a person’s legacy. In fact over the next few decades over $25 trillion, yes I said trillion, will pass from one generation to another making this period the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in the history of the world.
• The Allianz study actually revealed four pillars of legacy among its 2,627 people that they surveyed: values and life lessons, personal possessions of emotional value, wishes and directions to be fulfilled, and financial assets. Believe it or not, financial assets are not the most important of the four pillars. Non-financial items such as ethics, morality, faith, and religion, are ten times more important than financial matters to the elder parents and adult children.
• This study confirms that the value of your wisdom and personal experience, despite what you may perceive, is more valuable to your descendants than what you would ever have imagined. As a father, son, and grandson, I completely agree with this study and value anything non-financial from my ancestors and descendants as the most precious gifts ever given. Published: 02/01/2012  by Lee Thorsen

 

I would recommend to anyone reading this post to start a journal if you don’t already have one.  If you don’t presently have a journal, much of what you will leave as part of your legacy is still in your mind, and we all retain that information at different levels of quality, in other words depending on our family health history, our memories could begin to fade with age.  I am presently writing a book on my family history, and what little I have shared usually brings surprising reactions from my children, like I don’t know as much about you as I thought I did.

If we set our minds to it, every year, or minimally every decade could be a chapter in the book of our lives.  We usually underestimate the life we’ve lived, and can’t imagine anyone wanting to know what our life was like.  Certain periods of time might have been painfully slow and unchanging such as the pioneer days.  The period of our life on the other hand has been fast paced, especially when you see it in retrospect.

If you think for a moment about what some of us have gone through: from no television to smart television; from no widespread phone service to cellular telephones and Smart Phones; from being contained to Earth to landing on the Moon, and exploring Mars.  The amazing thing is that we lived the above mentioned events as they developed.  We can share first-hand information with our children and grandchildren that they may or may not take the time to research.

We still have time (and the mental capability) to explain to our children how their parents first met, courted and fell in love.  What our early family life was like, whether we cruised or struggled for the first few year.  How their arrival into the family completed our very existence.  Sometimes when we want to give our family a special gift but can’t afford it (financially), well, here is the answer right in front of you.  Make the gift that you can’t put a price on, and no one else can possibly give them.  Give them the gift of your legacy.  The best is yet to come….

Resolution

Resolution

·       Resolution (noun)                                                                                                                                         a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner  "he always wrote down his New Year's resolutions"

·       A firm decision to do or not to do something.  Research backs up these claims. According to a 2011 Marist University poll, "losing weight" topped the list for one in five resolution-making Americans, closely followed by "exercising more," with "spending less and saving more," "quitting smoking" and "being a better person" tied for third.

New Year’s Resolutions, can be from real common sense to the unrealistic.  An example of unrealistic is: “I will write a Best Selling Novel during the coming year.”  An example of realistic or common sense resolution might be: “I will whiten my teeth, and try to not stay up so late during the week.”

To succeed a resolution must be well thought out, and written down, so that you will be reminded of the commitment that you made to yourself.  If you over reach or exaggerate your resolution, you might well be setting yourself up for failure.

I have a pretty good grasp of my personal life and the things that personally affect me specifically through my action.  For instance I can confess that in my lifetime, I’ve probably lost at least a couple of hundred pounds.  That is not to say that I was ever that much overweight in my life, but in fact I have made corrections to my body weight by dropping a few ponds now and then only to gain them back.

I like to tell my wife that the only addiction in my life is her.  I never started smoking because back when all my high school friends were being cool, cigarettes cost 25 cents per pack, and I wasn’t about to grow addicted to anything that cost that much, just to burn (imagine that with today’s prices).  I never got addicted to alcohol because I’ve spent most of my life participating in sports, or otherwise holding down management positions that required clarity of mind.  Besides, when I go out for fun, I like to be entertained and not be the entertainment.’

I have the ability to analyze my life and determine that correction is required, whenever that occurs, I take care of it and don’t have to wait for New Year’s Day to roll around.  Resolutions are good however, for anyone that needs the additional pressure of having their life adjustments under the spotlight.  Even if it’s just pinned to the bulletin board at home or on the refrigerator as a reminder.  I definitely encourage and support anyone that is inclined to start working on a resolution for the New Year.  The best is yet to come…..

Side-Effects

Changing Life Styles

• A side effect, also known as an adverse effect, adverse event, or undesirable secondary effect is when a treatment goes beyond the desired effect and causes a problem; the treatment, which may be a medication, surgical procedure or some kind of therapy has an undesirable secondary effect which occurs in addition to the desired therapeutic effect.
• The term undesirable side effect is more specific than side effect. For example - imagine a fictitious drug for elderly people for the treatment of insomnia which also improved the eyesight of 3% of those who took it; this could be classed as a side effect, even though whoever experienced improved eyesight would not complain about it. However, the term side effect is mainly used with a negative meaning. For it to have a positive meaning, the speaker would have to explain what the benefit was - if they didn't, the listener would most likely imagine undesirable things.

Most events even when negative have a silver lining if you bother to look for it.  One example might be where due to cutbacks you end up unemployed and decide to go back to school and end up with a better job.  Sometimes just having the opportunity to look for new employment you can end up making more money and/or being happier.  Another instance you might be required to take a medication that ends up with unintended good side effects healthier heart or dropping some unwanted weight.

On the other hand, the door also swings both ways, there can be unintended (not fully embraced) side effects.  One particular instance comes to mind for the first time this time of year.  There is no way that I can look at his particular situation as anything but positive with a less than desirable side effect.  Many of my family members, I am happy to report have turn their lives in the direction of a healthier life style.  It seems that many family members have gone as far as to hire a nutritionist in order to lead healthier lives.  Furthermore, some have gone as far as to remove meats from their food menus.

As a result of that decision for the first time the turkey dinner (meal) tradition is in jeopardy.  I for one would be willing to take one for the team and eat their share.  I can’t hold it against them for wanting to eat and live healthier.  There was a time when I didn’t eat turkey because I was raise on the farm and I was the executioner (chicken killer, chicken plucker).  If you have ever plucked feathers off of a chicken you would have an idea on how bad that is.  For about the first seven years of our marriage my wife use to fix for me a steak and lobster plate for Thanksgiving.  I felt bad back then for not participating on the turkey meal, but I feel even worst now that it is going the other way.

Even though this year the gathering around the table is going to get larger, it looks like the turkey is going to get smaller.  I want to also live a healthy life, but at least for now there are some tradition I am not willing to change.  Turkey and all the goodies that normally accompany it will be on the table this year, with the addition of more veggies, more fruit, and whatever the more knowledgeable family members contribute.  The one thing that is not yet scheduled to go away is the tradition of finishing of the day with board games galore.  As usual a very nice and competitive evening will be had by all.  The best is yet to come…

Rapid Rewind

Rapid Rewind

I have often said that I have a blessed life.  I know that anyone could argue that a blessed life is in the eye of the beholder and they would be right.  After all, I also believe that unless you appreciate all your blessings you will end up a very dissatisfied and unhappy individual.  Have you ever wondered what you might have done to deserve where you ended up in life?  To be sure you can read that in one of two ways.

Where I ended up in life as in: the wonderful life that I am enjoying or the hell of life that I ended up with.  For one thing, making good decisions along the way sets you up for a better life over all.  Great things are not the outcome of great decisions (big ones) made every day.  Great things are the outcome of hundreds, and thousands of small decisions you make every day in life.  Many of these things you do every day may seem insignificant by itself, but over a period of time they make all the difference in the world.

As a small example, the attitude with which you face every day, will affect how others react to you every day.  I’ve always known that if a task must be performed, you may as well smile while performing it (like it or not), because others are observing the attitude and disposition with which you go about getting the job done.

I can attribute my wonderful place in life to a handful of major factors in my life and a million small ones.  One of the handful of major factors is that my mother raised me as a single parent, she literally gave up her personal life (social and otherwise) to work two and three jobs, for the sake of providing me with my needs and the luxury of some wants.  I was and am so grateful that I made it my mission in life to be a good son that she could be proud of.  I made sure that I didn’t add unnecessarily to her every day burden. I also made many decisions with her approval in mind, after all she had dedicated her life to my upbringing.

Another of my few major decisions that shaped my life was being careful about selecting my lasting friendships.  There is a saying in my culture that my mother often quoted to me: “Tell me who you hang out with, and I will tell you who you are.” (Translation: “Dime con quien te juntas, y te dire quien eres.”) For a woman with a limited formal education she had more wisdom than any amount of University Degrees can ever give you.  Because of that quote I was always able to make good choices in regard to the people that I surrounded myself with.

While in my younger years, like many young people, I often thought I knew better, despite that feeling, I listened to all the well intentioned advice, and I analyzed it and prayed when making the life changing decisions.  I don’t want you to think for a second that I knew all along that my life was going to turn out as well as it did.  At some point, about three quarters of the way to where I am today, I started to realize, that as I neared the finish line of this race called life, I could end up a winner.

Another fallacy that you could walk away with from reading this post is that my life was smooth.  My life has been anything but smooth.  In fact, my life is very typical of a normal life.  Some examples of bumps along the way: I divorced once and happily remarried, I suffered a broken back four years ago (and besides the couple of weeks when I couldn’t move due to excruciating pain) I maintained a work schedule of 10 to 12 hour days.  Without the valleys in life you can’t measure the quality of the peaks.  Another tired cliché is: it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, just make sure that you get up to continue trying.  Never give up, sometimes hope is all you have so always hang on to it.

With regard to the broken back, within two years I returned to my game of golf, and better than ever.  I play in the 70’s (any hotter and I don’t go out).  Because all I ever did was to try my best without any special measure (other than my own and my family’s happiness and satisfaction) that I was as surprised as anyone at how well my life turned out.  I had no inside information that I was doing all the right things, what I did have, was great guidance, and faith.  For all I have (especially family) I am very grateful.  The best is yet to come….

Goal Setting

Goal Setting

 

 All journeys (efforts) begin with the first step. 

·       Goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted (S.M.A.R.T ) goals. Work on the theory of goal-setting suggests that an effective tool for making progress is to ensure that participants in a group with a common goal are clearly aware of what is expected from them. On a personal level, setting goals helps people work towards their own objectives. Goal setting features as a major component of personal development literature.

·       It is considered an “open” theory, so as new discoveries are made it is modified. Studies have shown that specific and ambitious goals lead to a higher level of performance than easy or general goals. As long as the individual accepts the goal, has the ability to attain it, and does not have conflicting goals, there is a positive linear relationship between goal difficulty and task performance.

·       Goals are a form of motivation that sets the standard for self-satisfaction with performance. Achieving the goal one has set for oneself is a measure of success, and being able to meet job challenges is a way one measures success in the workplace. It has been said that "Goal setting capitalizes on the human brain's amazing powers: Our brains are problem-solving, goal-achieving machines."

Your goals are best accomplished if you can write them down so you can visualize what you have committed yourself to do.  Throughout my work history and career specifically, I was aware that I had a special ability to write business letters.  Many times, I have gone through my files and revisited communications that I wrote fifteen or twenty years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised that I generated that particular document.

Three or four years ago one of my sons convinced me that I should write a book about my, and my family’s history for the family to have.  He even gave me the gift of an Apple iPad to use for the specific purpose.  Once again I am surprised at how much joy I get out of writing and reliving my life as I write.  The book is well on its way (the working title is: East Lincoln), and should be ready for publishing in the next year or so.

Earlier this year the same son talked me into writing a Blog about life as it happened to me (totally from my perspective).  The key words are “from my perspective.” How can I possibly fear the task, when it all comes from my life’s experience?  The Blog journey began in the second week of February 2013.  My son instructed me to let him know when I got to 20 posting so he could look them over.  Here is the correlation with Goal Setting:  My first goal was to get started, my second goal was to reach 20 postings (the first 20 days I wrote 39 posts).  I use to dream of reaching 100 posts.  In a period of seven months, I went right past 200 posts without event noticing.

I enjoy audiences from USA, China, Canada, Israel, Latvia, Russia and UK,  and a few other countries but these offer the biggest following in that order.  My following will be exceeding 10,000 in the next few days or weeks.

The funny thing is that, this is new territory for me, and a year ago I had no clue that I would be doing this and enjoying it as much as I am.  Ponder a journey, set a goal and aim to achieve it, it can be done, and you can do it!  The best is yet to come….

Accolade Driven Performance

Accolade Driven Performance

 

Are you still in the workforce, or perhaps you still operate your own business?  Well, either way this is for you.  In my lifetime I’ve been fortunate to participate in all sides of the workforce.  I’ve owned my own successful businesses, worked for very large corporations, educational institutions, and Public Sector.  There are positives and negatives in every one of the above mentioned sectors.  However, in this particular instance I am addressing the labor force that is the heart of every one of those sectors.

 

No man is an island, and neither is any successful business enterprise be it private or public.  A successful business is a combination of great administration, excellent business plan execution, and the loyal labor force that makes it all happen.  I’ve often talked about not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. In this instance and every instance the labor force is that metaphorical goose.

 

It stands to reason that a successful business should be able to compensate their labor force according to their contribution.  It goes without saying that the labor force should also understand that the cash intake is not all profit, and that management takes on financial responsibility to achieve the successful outcome.  So you see, both sides need to see the whole picture and that is why an annual report to the staff is important and not just to the board of directors or in some cases investors.

 

During the annual all staff meetings accolades in place of promotions or pay increases should be bestowed on the staff.  Where finances are not a problem pay is better. Where possible a committee should be assigned to evaluate the plan and execution of the awards to make sure that fairness is in play.  As an employer I always preferred the pay compensation.  In most instances a bonus is preferable to a pay increase for many reasons, the biggest reason being that a pay increase is ongoing year after year, where a bonus is one time and is dependent on the company’s financial success annually.

 

As an employee I could always tell when I was being given a title only promotion to keep me happy.  If the company was solvent and could have given me a pay increase, I would speak up.  My attitude has always been that I can’t eat a title.  Equally important or even more important: always know what you are worth, and remember in negotiations the first person to throw out a number is at a disadvantage.  I remember a time when I was negotiating a personal services contract, and I was hesitant to say the dollars I wanted, and they finally threw out a number that was 10 times higher than what I had in mind.  My response was to keep my joyful reaction in check, followed by, we’ll try that for a year and see how it works out.  Winning!!!!  Sorry, I sounded like Charlie Sheen for a split second.  My bad.  The best is yet to come….