Simple Plans and Limiting Thoughts

"Before you can do anything, you must first learn to do One Thing."
- Gordon Byrn

This week I got away from the consistency of my previous weeks. I didn't write out my professional and personal objectives on Sunday evening--as I have done that past two weeks. Without this clear vision, I was pretty much all over the board. My work got done this week, I got some good swims in, and two runs, but there wasn't that sense of focus for each day. In short, things got done but they weren't lined up well. So, I'll spend a quality hour this afternoon writing out my week.

I'm still dumb founded at how hard it can be to follow a simple plan. In my case this week, the "plan" portion was missing from the two part equation of plan and execute. I don't see this as being a phenomenon that is limited to myself. No cosmic commentary on this. I'll continue to work on doing "One Thing."

I've created a running club at work to support people who are going to run the 2008 Rock 'n Roll Marathon--a few are doing the full and some are doing the half. One of the ladies who signed up for the half had some things to mull over, so we sat down and talked it over this past week. Before we got down to brass tacks, I had a few simple questions: "How far have you run before," and "How many days can you commit to running." I could see her get a little uneasy. So I responded to the moment and said, "It's all right. I'm not judging you, just trying to determine what is a reasonable place to start with your training."

Then something happened that I was not expecting. She responded by saying, "I know. I'm judging myself." Gosh, how many times have I done that before?!! How many times have I done that and it's limited me from doing something that I would really enjoy?! I wish I could come up with a number, but it's been often.

When I was working as an auditor--a job in hindsight that I didn't enjoy very much--I had a vent session with my Uncle Paul. He said something that has stuck with me since that moment: "If you continue to think this way, you will end up taking yourself out of the game before it even starts." A very wise comment. It's best to take things step by step. Again, it goes back to doing One Thing.

That's all I got today. My body is banged up, starting to feel some fatigue setting in from training. I'll have to take this into account with my planning for this week. Nothing I can't handle as long as I sit down and actually plan.....

Namaste

Some Change

"I would say that I'm finding my voice in more ways than one. "
- Boz Scaggs

Not sure what it is, but I've had Boz Scaggs on my mind since I woke up this morning. For those of you who are unfamiliar with his work, Boz is the great "blue-eyed" soul man of the 1970s. He had a string of hits in the late 70s, then decided to "retire" for almost all of the 80s. The guy just wasn't feeling the music inside him anymore, so he didn't record. He came out of retirement in the 90s, put out one of my favorite albums of all time, "But Lovely." His cover of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is probably the best 99 cents I have ever spent in my life. At the very least, it's worth a listen on iTunes.

As I was writing "Looking for Brain Candy" last week, I called up MAD looking for some answers to dealing with the "grind." One of the things that I really respect about MAD, is that he has never lied to me. There have been a couple time we have adamantly disagreed on some things, and the guy has never broken stride. He's always been unwaveringly honest. So I am thinking that if anyone is going to be strait with me about this, it's him.

MAD picks up the phone, and I waste no time at all, "Does the grind of working ever get to you?" There was this slight pause, a laugh, and then maybe one of the most honest conversations I've ever had in my life. Much of that conversation I will choose to keep private, but there is a story that came out of it that helped me process my new found professional maturity.

So MAD has this friend who graduated from a very prestigious school, knocked out killer scores on the LSAT and was accepted to Stanford Law School. Right before they are about to head off to law school, their brother asks, "So why do you want to go to law school?" This innocuous question completely derailed everything. They completely bailed on law school, and pretty much bailed on having any direction in life. This person holds a job long enough to scrape together enough money to go on extended hiking trips, and comes back to the world when they are dead-ass broke. Awhile back they broke their foot badly, didn't have health insurance, and had a real nasty problem on their hands.

This is where MAD really made things clear. Instead of saying this was a path that a person shouldn't go down, he said, "You can go down a path like this anytime you want. But doing so isn't going to solve any problem, or give you any great clarity. All you are going to do is delay doing any real internal work."

Last week I wrote "Creating one's life is like putting together a jig-saw puzzle where the picture is constantly changing." My shower thoughts are usually right on the money. This idea is of the same vein as Boz Scaggs quote. Even after years and years of singing, recording and performing, he's still refining his craft. My sense is that he does this because it brings him a lot of joy as well as a lot of challenge. As Gil Fronsdal would say, "Practice is forever."

Just like last week, I don't really have any real answers. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the place that I'm trying to get to isn't a world without any problems. Rather, I am trying to get to a place where I have the confidence and the supporting skill sets to handle Life's challenges as they come my way.

Namaste

The Right Questions...

"In my consultancy practice, my clients receive the greatest value when I ask the right questions -- not when I give the most forceful answers."
- Gordon Byrn, taken from http://www.gordoworld.com/gblog/2007/09/year-end-review-2007.html

Today instead of going off on my usual "What is the purpose and meaning of my existence" questions, I've toned it down a touch and am focusing on something much simpler. My question for today is "Can I follow a simple schedule for 18 weeks, and execute each day?" It's a really simple, face value question. My answer is "yes." More importantly, what I've noticed is that most people--myself included--have a strong tendency to make simple solutions much more complicated than they need to be.

Maybe this is just part of being human, but it seems that most of the problems or challenges in our lives can be fixed with simple solutions. For some reason, most people have a clear understanding of what they need to do, but don't do it.

Nothing really else to say right now. Just working through my 18 week schedule, and focusing on executing each day. It's not easy, but I think the end goal will be well worth it.

Namaste

Looking for Brain Candy

"I surfed a lot in my teens and early twenties, then put it away and worked like a dog till I was thirty. Made some money, didn't like the life. I fucked off and surfed through my thirties and forties. Now I'm a fifty-four-year-old bus driver. A bus driver. You've got to be careful."
- Charlie in West of Jesus, by Steven Kotler

I've been trying to get this blog going for awhile, but the material just hasn't been flowing. So, I did what I usually do when I hit a energetic or creative wall: I took a shower. I don't quite understand it, but a good hot shower always seems to get my brain cells going. Maybe it turns out that soap and shampoo are the magical elixirs of mental productivity, but that is neither here nor here. Anyway, I had this thought in the shower: "Creating one's life is like putting together a jig-saw puzzle where the picture is constantly changing."


This year has been a very productive year on all the "adult levels." I've gotten the CPA ball rolling, eliminated a chunk of personal debt, made some pretty serious strides at work this year, and cleaned up my diet--which has been like coming off of a horrible, yet wonderful drug. I'd submit that what I've done this year is all very "responsible" behavior. Please keep in mind, I'm a Gemini; while my responsible Twin is very happy and content, the other one is pissing and moaning.

In the past, I probably would have gotten really worked up and wondered if this was the ever impending quarter-life crisis that I've heard so much about. After this year of writing, I realized that creating balance in one's life is a never ending balancing act. We all have different needs at different time for different reasons. Expecting that each situation can be solved with the same "magic bullet" is madness. My relentless pursuit of progress this year has caught up to me now; the daily monotony has me mentally broken down. The cure for this is something simple: an enjoyable distraction. The only thing is that I don't know what enjoyable distraction is going to do the trick. Oh well, I'll have to try a couple.

I've heard that expression "the daily grind" for a long time. It is at this moment that I understand what it means. Up until this year, I've had jobs that I either didnt' like, or worked with people who were total jerks. Neither is the case with my current position. The reason I say this is that I've experienced these feelings in the past, but blamed it on the job or the people that I worked with. My thought is this: Irregardless of much you enjoy your work, or enjoy the people you work with, the monotony and routiness of a schedule is going to catch up to you at some point.

What is boils down to is this: I don't have an immediate solution, but I am aware of the causes of what got me here. Spending a lot of time working towards long-term goals is great, and will always pay-off. But what the high-achievers rarely talk about is taking intermittent, i.e. intermediate breaks, to reward yourself for the hard work and to recharge the batteries.

Hmmm.....Insert Clever Title Here

"One must work and dare if one really wants to live."
- Vincent van Gogh

So it's Labor Day. From what I can remember, we don't work on this day to remember all those people who fought oppressive bosses, and helped to create a more balanced, safe work environment. Everything is pretty fuzzy. I really don't remember most of the stuff I learned in middle school. It's sort of a blur. Looking back on it, I am pretty sure that my middle school history teacher was drinking spiked coffee, which translated into some inspired lectures that weren't supported by our text book. But that is a different story for a different day....

I celebrated Labor Day by doing absolutely nothing. I woke up late, meandered to Starbucks to get a cup of coffee--all the while smelling very manly, I might add--whipped up some eggs and bacon, and put a dent in the couch. I've been trying to do a better job of taking rest. True emotional down time rarely comes, and I suspect that I will have less and less as I get older. So, I practiced resting today. Sounds odd, but it's true.

There is one small caveat to this rest though. This week I need to finish a project, so this rest is the proverbial calm before the storm. From personal experience, you usually have to reach in deep to finish off the last 5% of the job, which is where I am at. My plan standard play of getting in early, and putting my head down will be my plan for tomorrow.

Nothing of great consequence to report on otherwise. Looking forward to having this project finished, and on my bosses desk for review. The first cut may be the deepest, but the last one is usually the toughest.

Namaste