GPS Guides For Life

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Follow the Footprints

My parent’s parents (my Grandparents) came through Ellis Island and took the short ferry ride to begin their life changing journey into America. They came as children and young teenagers. It was the start of the 20^th century – no way for them to know what was ahead.

I do not know their story. What was it like in their home country; why did they travel here; how did they feel about life in America; how did they learn English; what were their parents like? They likely had many stories. With shyness of a child of the 40s and 50s I never asked and never took part of any conversation. It was my loss.

The facts are simple – a question not asked can never be answered. When I knew them, my grandparents were more like their former countrymen, not like the ‘Americans’ I knew. Conversations with my Grandparents did not discuss my schoolwork, nor the New York Yankees, nor who should be President. By the time I was 19 finishing my freshmen college year, each of my Grandparents had died. The time for me to exhibit curiosity had passed. It is still a heavy burden for me that I was not curious about who, what, where, why. I have visited Ellis Island; there is an abundance of stories waiting for the visitor.

Maturity comes in all forms and this is no exception. I embraced a goal to change this cycle of information gaps about lives gone by. I am now an orphan and can no longer ask my parents any questions. I have children and they have children. I want to to listen to their stories and share some of my stories. It is impossible to know all the stories. Knowing something is a lot better than knowing very little.

It is my reenergized curiosity that is now being exchanged and shared. This is not a time for lectures and workshops; it is a time for dialogue and fun sharing. It is a time for communication, conversation, talking, emailing, picture sharing, opinion sharing and whatever is available.

When navigating through the woods, it is fortunate to see footprints that can be followed. Navigating through our lives, we follow footprints all the time. It is important for each of us to leave footprints so that others can choose to follow some of our steps or none of steps. The choice will be theirs. And, at least they will indeed have a choice.

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The First Egg

There are lots of topics surrounding being first, number 1, only one and so on. This drive to be the one among many is used in sports, politics, job applicants, prize winners and more.

At this holy time of Easter, one of the key images is the Egg. It is common today to say that the Easter Egg is a Christian Symbol. Actually, it goes a lot farther back as the egg was a symbol of new life for a very long time. From About.com, describes the following:

“The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians, and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, thus the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for eons. The particulars may vary, but most cultures around the world use the egg as a symbol of new life and rebirth.”

That, of course, brings us to the ever popular chicken and egg puzzle - which came first? This puzzle has prompted all kinds of jokes, historical myths, legends, plot lines and more.

Today, for painting eggs, the chicken is a participant. If, on the other hand, you are having a meal that includes some form of cooked chicken, then the chicken is positively committed.

Does it matter to you, in your life, which comes first? Are you seeking a new career, a new job, a new company, a new family, a new computer, or what do you want that is not currently in your possession? You may want to ponder on what you need to do before any of those new things are brought into your life.

A simple example of what comes first is: to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket. As you consider about your chicken and egg question, what do you have to commit to before you can obtain that which you want next. Some things need to be done in a sequence to give you something to celebrate. Figure out what comes first, then move ahead.

 

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Talk of a King

I just viewed “The King’s Speech” and find myself in agreement with most movie critics – a terrific movie and performance by Colin Firth. It is rare that movies in vogue today do not deliver meaning nor entertainment to me. This includes the thrillers, slashers, and R-rated comedies.

Unlike so many issues today, I tell people my opinion about what I like but do not scream at anyone who has a different opinion. Just because I do not find blood and gore entertaining, actually, it borders on repulsive, others feel differently.

Many movie goers may skip “The King’s Speech” as it is not a comedy or filled with lots of blasting special effects. It is a movie of a man discovering a mentor/coach to help guide him to overcome the fear that drives him to stammer. It takes both, the King’s commitment to getting better and the coach to not give up and continue to push and guide and encourage.

Are the you the King or the coach? Do you need mentoring and assistance? Can you deliver coaching to someone who needs your encouraging support? Perhaps you are both – giver and receiver. However, you answer these questions, go out and participate. Offer help, seek help. There is no shame with either. In fact, really good things can happen.

 

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Efforts vs Results

Many follow the path explored by their predecessors – work hard, give 110%, effort will bring rewards. A lot of people found success in just this way. There is another side to this tale - putting your head down and making major effort does not always lead to success.

The reality of this life is that results are not always directly comparable to the amount of effort applied. Winning the lottery is all luck, not the result of any expertise picking numbers. A successful company does not just rely on hard work; it needs appropriate decisions at the right time.

Working hard is good. Efforts exceeding 110% helps. Keeping your head down all the time does not help.

There are times when we have to look up, pause what is being done and examine what results are happening from what efforts. Thomas Edison discussed that the invention of the light bulb occurred after the team discovered 2,000 ways how not to make a light bulb. Sometimes you one attempt to put a thread through the eye of a needle, sometimes it requires lots of unsuccessful attempts.

Throughout our lives, events and actions of others impact the range of possible outcomes for us. When fortuitous events intersect with our journey, it is really good to be prepared to make the appropriate amount of effort. The effort needed cannot always be planned and scheduled. Sometimes, you go to sleep early, other times you work through the night.

Do not forget that the results are your goal, not just making announcements about how “hard” you are working.

 

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Feelings and Control

How are you feeling today? Are you:  up / down / in control / out of control / some combination?

One of my top favorite cartoons is Mother Goose & Grimm ®. Yes comics are OK at any age. Here is Sunday’s offering – the links is http://www.arcamax.com/newspics/18/1841/184102.gif 

Are you connected and know your feelings when you are at home, at work, on the road, exercising, being entertained, etc? I am not a psychiatrist and ready to help you uncover those deep inner secrets or the reasons that you feel out of control. Rather I want to encourage you to recognize that in fact you do have feelings and they are important.

When you are overwhelmed with feelings, they can completely block from doing what is on your list today or any tomorrow. Of course, the very natural emotions of heavy grief for the loss of someone close or overjoy with the results of your favorite sports team’s latest win, are real and should never be denied nor discarded.

Feelings have a roller coaster impact on our lives. There are times when we can control the feelings and times when we cannot. The focus is for us to be real within ourselves and if filled with grief, allow that grief to flow and be shared. If these are ebullient times, share the good stuff, just, as Hans Solo said years ago – “Don’t get cocky …”

Let feelings exist and flow through you. It is a most human trait.

 

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Overcoming Challenges

I sure hope that you have tasks in your life that are challenging. If all you do is the easy stuff, the stuff that keeps you in the back of the room and allows you to avoid being tested, what a shame.

In baseball, if you are a good hitter, you cannot be afraid of a good pitcher and vice-versa. If you are on a debate team, never duck under the hard questions and the talent of the opposition. No one is ever correct all the time. No one is wrong all the time – unless their talent is to avoid every challenge on their path.

This life requires you to accept the fact that being perfect does not exist and yet you can be very good that can often appear like perfect. I forget someone’s name, I miss the exit on the highway, I make a small wager that my favorite team will win and they lose. I have given answers and scored 100 and then taken other tests and received something less than 100.

So what challenges do you have today? Tax returns or extensions are due. Passover is Monday, Easter is next Sunday, May flowers will follow the April showers. Do any of these deliver a challenge for your time and effort? Stand up and be ready to accept the challenges that will intersect your life on a regular basis.

It is time to get better at overcoming challenges. The only way that can happen is – practice, practice, practice. Some challenges will be easy, some medium, some very hard. Go on, the challenges are waiting and you are in preparation to do your best today.

 

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The Pursuit of Wisdom

No one can precisely measure what we already know as we have been accumulating from before we breathed air. Whether in our DNA, gene pool, or brain synapses, there is a constant accumulation of data. Our bodies reacted to food as it was introduced to our bodies. We learned about hot stoves, favorite singers or comic book characters.

The pursuit of wisdom descends from generations eternal.

We stand on the shoulders of those who have lived before us. Our knowledge starts with all the collected facts, data banks and descriptions of what they have learned. They are the guides and teachers for the platform of our wisdom.

The pursuit of wisdom has no finish line.

Wisdom has no boundaries. The key is recognizing that there is always another piece to learn, another factual data element, another source to review. Consequently, we do not have to apologize for having limitations for what we know and for what we do not know. We are who we are, where we are right now. If we need more wisdom, we can expend time – to learn how to play music, speak a new language, recite poetry, play better golf, study persons of history and so much more.

Our individual pursuit of wisdom makes us unique.

What others want of us is what we know today along with our unique ability to take what we know and apply it to the building of a lifetime of wisdom gathering and wisdom sharing. Never stop the pursuit of wisdom; it has no end point or boundary in any direction from where we are to where we are going.

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Perfect - Says Who?

No one is perfect and no resume, letter or interview will ever be perfect. When thousands apply for a single position, pre-screening resumes and letters is required. Jobseekers need to understand that neither they nor the company is or will be perfect. The key, of course, is to make sure that everything said is verifiable and accurate.

Documents jobseekers send will be scanned, assessed on a platform of accuracy and clarity. When you do not correct a misspelling, typo, grammatical, or formatting error, the resume will be ignored. Accuracy is a message sent to the hiring manager before the interview. Hiring managers are focused on solving a problem with the company. People, office custodians to receptionist to accounting clerks are employed because they help solve a business need.

• Resumes are ignored when you show only historical information or your experience is not relevant to the job
• Resumes may get read when you understand company problems and have worked on similar issues
• Your resume is the bridge between you and what the company is seeking

When applying for a job, make sure that a focal point of your resume includes how you solved similar problems that the company is facing today. Hiding relevant experience is never good. Word processors allow for tweaking whatever needs to be said.

When you believe you are a perfect fit for an open position, always remember that a stranger has to come close to agreeing with you.  

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All Together Now - Strike

NFL, NBA, MLB, USG

• National Football League – money debate, who gets what – in process
• National Basketball Association – money debate over who gets what - July
• Major League Baseball – money debate over who gets what –November
• US Government – money debate over who gets what – about to happen today

There is an ongoing rush by two sides in our present economic crisis. People want more money. Lots of people want to share less money. Who is more right depends on each person’s opinion. Do you support owners or players?

The USG is a different matter. People who have received lots of money to get elected and now have salaries and staffs to continue their progress. Here we are, smart people on every side of the debate cannot locate a means of having a government function within a reality of governing all the people all the time. Make no mistake; the debate for all four organizations is about money.

Sports is entertainment and both sides will eventually figure how to keep the millions and billions flowing. The USG shut down will have that trickle-down effect that is used to describe how to get the economy to recover. In this case, a lot of people who have no safe job as a member of congress or the administration will be out of work and just plain out of luck.

Strikes used to be the way to get labor and owners to mediate. Today, strikes make attorneys very rich. As Vince Lombardi said – “What the hell is going on here?” Good words when smart people cannot stop posturing and start governing.

 

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Customer Contact

How do you embrace customer service?

• As a car dealer, is it only oil changes and engine tune-ups?
• As a CPA, is it only finishing the tax return?
• As a Doctor, is it only treat the ailment?
• As writer, is it only writing for yourself?

Well, customer service in 2011 demands more than just “customer service” to meet what the customer requires. It is abundantly clear that customers and providers demand relationships. Without relationships, the buyer is not a customer, but just one side of a financial transaction.

This year, figure out how to create and/or enhance relationships.

• Be a part of all generations of your family
• Make sure your friends know you care
• As a seller, develop a relationship so you can learn what your customers want to buy next
• As a buyer, be willing to engage in a relationship with your provider because it will improve every part of service that you anticipate receiving. 

You need to discover what works in your business and your life. Imagine how it would be if things between people you are in contact with – for profit or for personal – actually have a relationship with you. Things and stuff and more will have a chance to get better. I like that concept.

 

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