Want Fries With That?

"When I go to a restaurant they don't give me 'kind of' a cheeseburger. They don't come out 4 minutes after I have started eating with the tomatoes, and cheese. The same goes for what we do in financial reporting. We need to strive each day to produce an exceptional, and complete work product, not a work product that is 'kind of' done."
- Mark A. Davis, Controller of GenCap Financial

Back when I was playing tennis, we had a guy on our team who was very specific about his food. Asaf had served in the Israeli Defense Forces before coming to San Francisco to play on our team. I'm not sure if he had always been particular about his food, or if this was something that had developed while he was being shot at, jumping out of planes, or being shelled by artillery at close range. Irregardless, each time we would go out as a team, they would always screw up his order.

One time we were at McDonald's and they screwed up his order three times in a row. Each time the burger came out with the supposed corrections, it was still not up to par. Asaf insisted upon speaking to the manager. When the manager came out, he gave him a hard look in the eye, and said, "This is not what I ordered. I need you to fix it right now." Needless to say, he finally got what he wanted, but not without a lot of commotion, which brings me to my topic for the day.

Last week I went over some work stuff with my friend Mark Davis, we talked about adjustments and so forth, and then he got out his soapbox. Personally, I always enjoy this. Mark is not only a talented accountant, but he also has a solid grasp of what it means to be a professional. For a few minutes he went on about how we need to really put all our energy into one's work each day if we want to do something at a high-level. He talked about being proactive in handling our challenges before they become challenges, i.e. proper planning, and organization. One of the things that he hit on was taking inventory of the things that inhibit a person from doing their best each day, and then working on eliminating those. I was really fired up, and made a list of the aforementioned things:

• Not taking enough rest on the weekends
• Not getting 8 hours of sleep during the work night
• Eating too much as well as eating unhealthy food at lunch
• Setting unrealistic expectations, and getting upset when I don't achieve these things
• Rushing to get things done, instead of moving slowly
• Setting a time horizon that is too short

These are the things that jumped out at me. There are probably others that I do each day that hold me back. I'm sure that more things will pop-up once I figure out how to better deal with the aforementioned six. This is going to be my work for the next few months.

So those are my thoughts for today. As always, I'd love to hear what the individuals in the peanut gallery have to say about this.

Namaste

San Diego Half Marathon

"Hell, I may be slow, but at least I am out here."
- Hand written on the back of runner's T-shirt at the San Diego half marathon

Today I completed the aforementioned half marathon. It's probably the most scenic race that I have run to date. It started just off the Pacific, then sloped through some really beautiful suburban area, down to a pier area, then up to Balboa Park. The first 10.5 miles were nice, but the last few were literally all up hill. It absolutely sucked. The nice thing is that the race is over, and that I have a half marathon under my belt very early in the season.

One of the things that struck me with this race was the number of people who weren't "athletic" looking. I mean this in a positive way though. There were a lot of people who were walking from the very start, or trotting slowly. My perception is that they had a set a goal, were deeply committed to it, and were just going to finish the race. This needs to be tempered with safety. I know of at least three people who needed EMT attention today. The odd thing is that all of these people looked reall fit. You'd never guess that they were the ones who were going to be lying down with a IV sticking out of their arm.

I spend a good chunk of time on this page talking about what I want to do, and how I am going to create the person that I want to be--which isn't a bad thing. But I realized yesterday that I need to be better at inching towards these things in a meaningful way each day. The Buddha said, "The great vessel is filled with many small drops." Something ponder, more importantly, it's something to practice.

Namaste

Family Stuff

"Families are about love overcoming emotional torture."
- Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons

I am sitting at a desk in Los Angeles right now, the same desk and computer where this blog originated from. Sort of a full-circle moment right now. A year and four months have passed, and I have documentary evidence of all the personal growth I have seen. I wouldn't say that I have The Game mastered, but I have learned a great deal over this time horizon.

I'd like to say that I got up early today with a steaming cup of coffee, reviewed my writing, then went out for a run on the beach as the sun rose, but that didn't happen. I did sit back and take and emotional inventory of what's happened over the life of this writing outpost. Lots of change, lots of awareness backed up with some practice of these lessons. The practice is the real rub of it all.

Last night all the members of the McGill family that were in the United States met up at a restaurant in Camarillo, California. We all laughed the same trademark laugh--one part machine gun rapid fire to one part evil scientist--had one or two or three drinks more than we needed to, and celebrated the birthdays of my Uncle Paul and Aunt Margie. It was another wonderful moment in my life.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to write about this morning, but the Groening quote made things pretty clear. At some point each person at that table had offended or hurt every other person at that table in some way. As a family, we spend a good chunk of time together and time mixed with other family members is a recipe for disaster. But still, each person had accepted the overwhelming imperfection and humanity of their family members, and chosen to love them irregardless. For me, that is the miracle of a family gathering.

This morning I stumbled downstairs. My cousin-in-law Matt was downstairs waking up, and rehydrating--not from booze though. Matt was the designated driver last night, and drank a lot of coffee to keep himself up. We sort of just grunted at each other as I headed for the fridge and a big ass glass of water. That's one of the the things I love about the guy. We can have a conversation for hours about something we both really like, but can go hours as well without saying anything. Another great addition to the family.....

I'm not sure what it is, but time moves so much slower in this little pocket of Los Angeles. I can't really explain it, but one day here feel like two or three days back home--but in the best way possible. The moments are like wonderful flavors that are held on the tongue.

Looking forward to going back home, though. I have a lot of good work ahead of me this week. Going to knock out some beautiful financial reporting this week, get one last week of half marathon training under my belt, and pray to God that I don't injure myself come race day.....

Namaste

Compound Practice

"The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest."
- Albert Einstein

"There is power in small and simple things."
- Gordon Byrn (see http://www.gordoworld.com/gblog/2007/08/oracle.html)

When I was in college, one of the general education requirements was public speaking--I saved this class for the second semester of my senior year. Unlike most people, I have always loved public speaking. Most people hate the opportunity to be scrunitized and judged in front of a large group of people; I absolutely love having a group of people captive for any length of time. I guess I am just a whore for attention.

The last speech of that class was on basic financial management. I started off the speech by saying that a reporter asked Einstein what is the most powerful force in the universe. The reporter thought Einstein would say something like, "Love is the most powerful force in the universe," or "God is the most powerful force." They were basically trying to back the guy into a corner, but were unsuccessful. POW! Compound interest! Who would have ever guessed Einstein would have busted out with that?

Compound interest is simply, "Interest which is calculated not only on the initial principal but also the accumulated interest of prior periods." Instead of getting a return on what was put down initially, the individual receives a return on the "return" from previous periods. I think this concept of compound interest applies very well to any sort of discipline or practice that someone goes about cultivating.

When I started swimming 6 years ago, I couldn't make it across the pool swimming freestyle. Swimming 200 meters was an accomplishment. But I realized that if I just kept practicing that the practice would build upon itself, and I would develop "feel" or mastery for the craft. But the underpinning of this idea is something that most hard-ass drill instructors miss: enjoyment. I really enjoyed being in the water, and feeling of holding water. So, killing myself to knock out what most 8 year old swimmers did as a warm-up was worth it.

Lately, I have been looking at my life on a wholistic level, and trying not to be as granular as I usually am. Historically, I get really upset when small little things aren't right where they should be. I can get fixated on them very easily. I recognize that this habit of being fixated on small imperfections gets in the way of enjoying the big picture. For this to become a reality, I have to set a long-term horizon. I keep coming back to Gordon Byrn's words that we can achieve much more than we think possible in the long-term.

My driving thought for this week is come up with a simple plan that I can achieve each day, and really enjoy. I've been bringing fruit and nuts to the office, which have really helped to keep my energy level and focus going through the afternoon swoon. Again, this just comes down to a little extra planning.

Namaste