The relevance of learning irrelevant things...
Just about everything I've ever done in life, no matter how seemingly irrelevant or unconnected at the time, later on has played a part in something I did afterwards or what I'm doing now.
Who knew when I started showing people, when there was no capable supervisor or a trainer around, how to do a technical support job that was growing exponentially at the time, that it would lead to my becoming a certified instructor? I wasn't asked to do it, there was a need and I did it to stop being asked questions in the middle of my work, to make my life easier. Years later, when I had gone as far as I thought I could as a technical instructor, I applied for a job for which I had no experience, running a vault and money processing center. They hired me out of the blue because they needed a leader who could teach and figured I could learn the specifics on the job. Little did I realize a few years after I had left and was working as a technical writer and was laid off, that my experience in a money processing vault would get me hired at a credit card processing company. The work I currently do I can trace back to at least six different apparently unrelated things I learned at a time they didn't seem pertinent. I know better now how what once seemed like odd things can fit together...everything to it's own purpose.
Never turn down the chance to learn something new, even if it doesn't seem applicable to what you're doing now. Always learn from others who are willing to show you something that may not seem important at the time and also teach others as you go along in return. One day it will pay off, because time has proven it usually does.
Showing posts with label Invest in Yourself. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invest in Yourself. Show all posts
11/11/10
10/21/10
Geography of the Mind
Balancing Act...
Things of nature that are constant, like mountains and the sun rising and setting every day, are the everlasting backdrop of what is constantly moving, such as human nature and the course of societal events. The natural world provides for us a reminder, should we choose to stop and look at it no matter where we live, that it endures and goes on with a certain regularity and rhythm. It changes with the seasons but the regularity of the seasons and what they will bring is certain.
Similarly human events do have a pattern to them but they toss and turn in our day to day lives since we're immersed, by our very human nature, in the course of our lives and the society we live in. The world of people is in constant flux and irregular in our vision, as we partake in what each day brings, the good and the bad as well as the mundane. In the larger tableau of life, history really does repeat itself and overall the behavior of people is pretty predictable. We lose sight of that as daily miracles, commonplace events and problems present themselves, while we're caught up in conducting our activities.
There's something disconcerting about this lack of proportion in our minds between the background of the natural world and the foreground of everyday happenings. Very few of us are wise enough, especially in this workaday hustle and bustle world, to take even brief moments of time out of the day and put things in perspective of what is constant and enduring versus what is brief and ephemeral.
This year has been, in a gut-wrenching way, a period of change and growth for me. I accept the teeth gritting upheaval part and don't resent it but don't enjoy it either but embrace it only as a necessary part of getting to where I want to go on a personal level. Where I struggle is in reminding myself to observe the example of the constant of the natural world, to keep in balance the fluidity of the social world, at a time when I most need stability to stay on the right track. Therein lies the greatest challenge, since that balance also means simultaneously learning the freedom and peace of mind I am seeking for the long term.
Things of nature that are constant, like mountains and the sun rising and setting every day, are the everlasting backdrop of what is constantly moving, such as human nature and the course of societal events. The natural world provides for us a reminder, should we choose to stop and look at it no matter where we live, that it endures and goes on with a certain regularity and rhythm. It changes with the seasons but the regularity of the seasons and what they will bring is certain.
Similarly human events do have a pattern to them but they toss and turn in our day to day lives since we're immersed, by our very human nature, in the course of our lives and the society we live in. The world of people is in constant flux and irregular in our vision, as we partake in what each day brings, the good and the bad as well as the mundane. In the larger tableau of life, history really does repeat itself and overall the behavior of people is pretty predictable. We lose sight of that as daily miracles, commonplace events and problems present themselves, while we're caught up in conducting our activities.
There's something disconcerting about this lack of proportion in our minds between the background of the natural world and the foreground of everyday happenings. Very few of us are wise enough, especially in this workaday hustle and bustle world, to take even brief moments of time out of the day and put things in perspective of what is constant and enduring versus what is brief and ephemeral.
This year has been, in a gut-wrenching way, a period of change and growth for me. I accept the teeth gritting upheaval part and don't resent it but don't enjoy it either but embrace it only as a necessary part of getting to where I want to go on a personal level. Where I struggle is in reminding myself to observe the example of the constant of the natural world, to keep in balance the fluidity of the social world, at a time when I most need stability to stay on the right track. Therein lies the greatest challenge, since that balance also means simultaneously learning the freedom and peace of mind I am seeking for the long term.
10/18/10
Quality
Take the time to figure out how to do something well first...
Then when the task is repeated, speed and quantity naturally follow.
We live and work in a world where our competition, no matter who they are, is nipping at our feet and time is of the essence. There is never enough time and and someone always wants to horn in and tell us how to do our job, operate our business and worse, run our lives. This creates a sense if panic urgency where we can make the mistake of jumping and doing things without thinking of the whole process. We do the immediate chunks that need to be done without thought to the flow upstream or downstream.
There are quality experts in business and "how to" instructions everywhere for how to do this in operating a business. Quality is not a new concept, many of us went through the best decades of corporate training on quality, only to watch front line managers revert back to lizard brain thinking of what-is-in-front-of them-at-that-moment, the second they could. If you operate your own business, small or sole proprietor, take the time to find the resources on quality, learn and use them. The information is out there.
My belief is that the same principles that were developed for high quality production in the business world can and should be adapted to our personal lives not just in the things we routinely do but in making choices on what direction to take. With quality we can reason out our thoughts and opinions so we have a clear understanding of what choices to make so we take the best path for us. It also means doing seemingly mundane tasks in a well thought out plan so they become routines that are not grinding chores.
Through taking the quality route in even seemingly small details of our lives on a regular basis in our day to day decision making, it becomes habit and an integral part of our analytical and evaluation in everything we do, large and small. Through this integration our lives become easier and less stressful since most things we do will go smoothly and well. We accomplish tasks more quickly and our decision making is speedier and confidant. We are able to formulate new ideas and have conviction in our opinions on weightier topics. It takes time and work before it becomes habit but as we assimilate the quality process into everything we do we discover our daily lives become simpler and less stressful.
Then when the task is repeated, speed and quantity naturally follow.
We live and work in a world where our competition, no matter who they are, is nipping at our feet and time is of the essence. There is never enough time and and someone always wants to horn in and tell us how to do our job, operate our business and worse, run our lives. This creates a sense if panic urgency where we can make the mistake of jumping and doing things without thinking of the whole process. We do the immediate chunks that need to be done without thought to the flow upstream or downstream.
There are quality experts in business and "how to" instructions everywhere for how to do this in operating a business. Quality is not a new concept, many of us went through the best decades of corporate training on quality, only to watch front line managers revert back to lizard brain thinking of what-is-in-front-of them-at-that-moment, the second they could. If you operate your own business, small or sole proprietor, take the time to find the resources on quality, learn and use them. The information is out there.
My belief is that the same principles that were developed for high quality production in the business world can and should be adapted to our personal lives not just in the things we routinely do but in making choices on what direction to take. With quality we can reason out our thoughts and opinions so we have a clear understanding of what choices to make so we take the best path for us. It also means doing seemingly mundane tasks in a well thought out plan so they become routines that are not grinding chores.
Through taking the quality route in even seemingly small details of our lives on a regular basis in our day to day decision making, it becomes habit and an integral part of our analytical and evaluation in everything we do, large and small. Through this integration our lives become easier and less stressful since most things we do will go smoothly and well. We accomplish tasks more quickly and our decision making is speedier and confidant. We are able to formulate new ideas and have conviction in our opinions on weightier topics. It takes time and work before it becomes habit but as we assimilate the quality process into everything we do we discover our daily lives become simpler and less stressful.
7/8/10
Don't Buy the Conventional Wisdom
Not everything is what it seems...
Pre-packaged agendas are for sissies, of both genders and all races. Buying into a Feminist, Gay, Liberal, Right Wing, Union, Religion, Tea Party, Political Party,Name-Your-Program, is a sign of not having an original thought. Few people fit neatly into boxes and categories.
In this video Willie Nelson (with an appearance by Burt Reynolds) gives stereotypes and as an aside, pre-packaged agendas, a run for the money. Regrettably a lot of people miss the point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u4CXlIYjyE
http://www.youtube.com/draxaxe
Pre-packaged agendas are for sissies, of both genders and all races. Buying into a Feminist, Gay, Liberal, Right Wing, Union, Religion, Tea Party, Political Party,Name-Your-Program, is a sign of not having an original thought. Few people fit neatly into boxes and categories.
In this video Willie Nelson (with an appearance by Burt Reynolds) gives stereotypes and as an aside, pre-packaged agendas, a run for the money. Regrettably a lot of people miss the point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u4CXlIYjyE
http://www.youtube.com/draxaxe
5/12/10
Guidelines of Money
Personal finance and money have their own commandments...
If you're doing what you should be doing with money, then money will fall into place for you.
Everyone has their own relationship with money but it is important to understand that money has its own relationship and commandments that are outside of the individual. If you take control of your money, you will not feel out of control of money. The way you relate to money says a lot about you and what you value. Keep foremost in your mind the understanding that money is an illusion, especially today's money that is printed off presses with no real value, like gold or silver, behind it. The value of money can quickly change depending on economic, political and social circumstances, so it's critical to not let your values be based on the value of money.
That is not to say that having money is not important in our society. It clearly is. The problem comes when our concept of money is not clearly defined with our concept of ourselves. It is alright to like money but it shouldn't affect who you are. If that is clear, you will have the money you need (and probably more) because you are clear about managing the money you have, leveraging it to the best advantage, which then leads to comfort with money and the rest follows. That's because your mind is in the right place with it. You will have the things you need and be in a position to gain things you want.
Assessing the personal value of money:
1. Acknowledge that your personal values have to be enduring concrete values, not based on material goods but autonomous and existing separately of money.
2. There are intrinsic agendas in the world you exist in and how you relate to it and them. They should be consistent with your way of life and include monitoring your money and your attitude about it.
3. Money should not be the driver or the destination, it is the result of achieving something of real value. If money is the only goal, misery follows.
A lot of people are in personal turmoil because of the relationship they've had with money and not understood what it really was worth and the damage it could do to them. Personal finances sooner or later, if not properly handled and misunderstood, eventually require reconciliation. How someone copes with that is dependent on their values, their willingness to reevaluate their affiliation with money and if they want to change. Money is fundamentally a relationship with things in the world and how you view things is important in understanding your relationship with money. There is nothing wrong with having things, whether your desires are modest or ostentatious, as long as you purchase them in an ethically correct manner.
It is a fact of life that some people have more money than others and it's not always due to what is fair, how hard one has worked or sometimes how well they've handled money. Nor does it have anything to do with your value as a person. Circumstances just are what they are and coming to terms with them in a harmonious way depends on harmony with personal values. There may be struggles with money but they can be relatively free of strife. Struggle is different from strife.
It's essential to control your money so it doesn't control you.
Enduring commandments of money:
1. Take charge of your finances, manage them yourself, never abdicate control. It is your money and peace of mind.
2. Live within your means: budget, monitor expenses, do bookkeeping and maintain records of your money. This does not have to be complex, it can be a notebook or an envelope system.
3. No debt is key. Exceptions might be a car, a house or property but only if it makes practical sense. Use credit sparingly; preserve your credit score.
4. Maintain a significant enough amount of savings for a backup and emergencies. Pay yourself first, preferably five to ten percent, or any amount, even if it's a few dollars or pocket change.
5. Avoid emotionally based financial decisions. If in doubt, don't do it, trust your instincts to avoid fear of finances and disastrous results.
We are entering three years of economic crisis and for most people, except the uber-rich, the end is at least three to five years away. Every indication is a second wave has started and it is even more important we take care of our money. If you are in a situation where you made money mistakes and it is causing you difficulty, own up to them and find relief in working towards solutions. Invest in your peace of mind by doing that and as much as possible, follow the commandments of money. Once resolved, following all of them will likely be easier due to lessons learned. If you are not in financial trouble and not following the guidelines of money...Start NOW!
If you're doing what you should be doing with money, then money will fall into place for you.
Everyone has their own relationship with money but it is important to understand that money has its own relationship and commandments that are outside of the individual. If you take control of your money, you will not feel out of control of money. The way you relate to money says a lot about you and what you value. Keep foremost in your mind the understanding that money is an illusion, especially today's money that is printed off presses with no real value, like gold or silver, behind it. The value of money can quickly change depending on economic, political and social circumstances, so it's critical to not let your values be based on the value of money.That is not to say that having money is not important in our society. It clearly is. The problem comes when our concept of money is not clearly defined with our concept of ourselves. It is alright to like money but it shouldn't affect who you are. If that is clear, you will have the money you need (and probably more) because you are clear about managing the money you have, leveraging it to the best advantage, which then leads to comfort with money and the rest follows. That's because your mind is in the right place with it. You will have the things you need and be in a position to gain things you want.
Assessing the personal value of money:
1. Acknowledge that your personal values have to be enduring concrete values, not based on material goods but autonomous and existing separately of money.
2. There are intrinsic agendas in the world you exist in and how you relate to it and them. They should be consistent with your way of life and include monitoring your money and your attitude about it.
3. Money should not be the driver or the destination, it is the result of achieving something of real value. If money is the only goal, misery follows.
A lot of people are in personal turmoil because of the relationship they've had with money and not understood what it really was worth and the damage it could do to them. Personal finances sooner or later, if not properly handled and misunderstood, eventually require reconciliation. How someone copes with that is dependent on their values, their willingness to reevaluate their affiliation with money and if they want to change. Money is fundamentally a relationship with things in the world and how you view things is important in understanding your relationship with money. There is nothing wrong with having things, whether your desires are modest or ostentatious, as long as you purchase them in an ethically correct manner.It is a fact of life that some people have more money than others and it's not always due to what is fair, how hard one has worked or sometimes how well they've handled money. Nor does it have anything to do with your value as a person. Circumstances just are what they are and coming to terms with them in a harmonious way depends on harmony with personal values. There may be struggles with money but they can be relatively free of strife. Struggle is different from strife.
It's essential to control your money so it doesn't control you.
Enduring commandments of money:
1. Take charge of your finances, manage them yourself, never abdicate control. It is your money and peace of mind.
2. Live within your means: budget, monitor expenses, do bookkeeping and maintain records of your money. This does not have to be complex, it can be a notebook or an envelope system.3. No debt is key. Exceptions might be a car, a house or property but only if it makes practical sense. Use credit sparingly; preserve your credit score.
4. Maintain a significant enough amount of savings for a backup and emergencies. Pay yourself first, preferably five to ten percent, or any amount, even if it's a few dollars or pocket change.
5. Avoid emotionally based financial decisions. If in doubt, don't do it, trust your instincts to avoid fear of finances and disastrous results.
We are entering three years of economic crisis and for most people, except the uber-rich, the end is at least three to five years away. Every indication is a second wave has started and it is even more important we take care of our money. If you are in a situation where you made money mistakes and it is causing you difficulty, own up to them and find relief in working towards solutions. Invest in your peace of mind by doing that and as much as possible, follow the commandments of money. Once resolved, following all of them will likely be easier due to lessons learned. If you are not in financial trouble and not following the guidelines of money...Start NOW!
4/29/10
Invest In Yourself
Engage in self improvement in turbulent times...
Invest in yourself while seeking shelter from the storm:
This era of Great Disruption due to technology and the internet, economic difficulties, political divisiveness and social problems can be disturbing to even the most even keeled of us. The world at large is in chaos of one order or another and it is difficult to remember that we have little control over much of it. We do have control over how we observe it, engage with it, cope with it.
I'm reminded of the era between 1968 and 1974, when in the US everything seemed turned upside down with racial tensions, university student disruptions, the draft resistance movement, urban riots, Kent State Shootings and Watergate. There were times when it seemed society was hopelessly mired in social ills with no end in sight. Who knew that Deep Throat was feeding Woodward and Bernstein information that would ultimately bring down Nixon? That was the beginning of the end of scary times during which many of us felt this country was dead-ended. Nothing lasts forever, change always happens.
Where we go from here in this time period is not within my foresight, although I have some ideas of what could happen. This time healing and recovering is going to be a long and deep process for most of us. The best thing to do in times like these is seek shelter and stay out of the storm, while observing for change in the weather. Staying out of the social storm doesn't mean personally stopping though. Engage in self-improvement, take care of things you've been meaning to, prepare yourself by building a foundation out of methods that have stood the test of time.
These six items seem to be good on an agenda:
1. Take control of your life.
2. Invest in (formal and informal) education and your mind.
3. Improve and maintain your physical and mental health.
4. Build solid relationships with good people - people good for you and people you're good for.
5. Devote energy to your business or career and/or make plans if you currently don't have one.
6. Think positively, turn away from negativity and engage in good self-talk.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Invest in yourself while seeking shelter from the storm:
This era of Great Disruption due to technology and the internet, economic difficulties, political divisiveness and social problems can be disturbing to even the most even keeled of us. The world at large is in chaos of one order or another and it is difficult to remember that we have little control over much of it. We do have control over how we observe it, engage with it, cope with it.I'm reminded of the era between 1968 and 1974, when in the US everything seemed turned upside down with racial tensions, university student disruptions, the draft resistance movement, urban riots, Kent State Shootings and Watergate. There were times when it seemed society was hopelessly mired in social ills with no end in sight. Who knew that Deep Throat was feeding Woodward and Bernstein information that would ultimately bring down Nixon? That was the beginning of the end of scary times during which many of us felt this country was dead-ended. Nothing lasts forever, change always happens.
Where we go from here in this time period is not within my foresight, although I have some ideas of what could happen. This time healing and recovering is going to be a long and deep process for most of us. The best thing to do in times like these is seek shelter and stay out of the storm, while observing for change in the weather. Staying out of the social storm doesn't mean personally stopping though. Engage in self-improvement, take care of things you've been meaning to, prepare yourself by building a foundation out of methods that have stood the test of time.
These six items seem to be good on an agenda:
1. Take control of your life.
2. Invest in (formal and informal) education and your mind.
3. Improve and maintain your physical and mental health.
4. Build solid relationships with good people - people good for you and people you're good for.
5. Devote energy to your business or career and/or make plans if you currently don't have one.
6. Think positively, turn away from negativity and engage in good self-talk.
__________________________________________________________________________________
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