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Childish Eyes

March 28, 2011 in Fun Stuff, Ideas, Life with 5 Comments

For the first three month’s of Avalon’s life, we’d been blessed by the Gods of Sleep with a baby who loved to sleep. The trade-off, is an ever-growing insatiable appetite for the discovery of new things. She’s starting to get up more through the night and realizes there’s a lot of fun to be had while awake than there is while sleeping.

The biggest mistake is letting her make eye contact with us during the 3am wakeup, because that brings on an ear-to-ear grin of excitement and happiness! “I don’t want to sleep, I want to play!” She’s suddenly hungry for the world. Hungry to have fun. Hungry to explore.

When do we lose that hunger? At what point do we decide, “this is my life, and this is how my days will play out. There’s nothing I can do about it”?

The animals in the zoo certainly have no choice. Tough luck. What a sad reality. When the monkey is depressed and want’s to start down a new path, she’s got no choice. Sit behind the glass as the children poke and prod. All day long. Factory work for monkeys.

Yet we have the choice. We’re the one creature that can decide today is going to be different than yesterday.

It’s the power of childish eyes. The power to have the thirst and hunger of discovery like little Avalon is now realizing she has. And yet so many of us are afraid to wield this power. Maybe you forgot you had it?

If the animals in the zoo see an open door, they usually use it.

We’re given this power for a reason. The door is open. Don’t waste the opportunity.

The Good News and The Bad News About Momentum

February 25, 2011 in Ideas, Life, Misc with 5 Comments

What an incredible amount of snow that’s been dumped on us in the past 24 hours! It’s certainly been a great winter for snow here.

This morning, we were awoken at 3:30am to an unhappy baby. It seems she needed a midnight snack. Then after a quick bite to eat, she fell back asleep.

As I laid in bed watching and listening to the snow accumulate, I got to thinking about momentum. You know when you get a little momentum in life, and you’re suddenly moving in the right direction, constantly picking up speed, everything and everything seems to go your way? Well, I think momentum, for the most part, is a powerfully important force we need to have, and more importantly utilize; but there’s good news and bad news about momentum.

Think for a minute about a tiny snowball sitting on the side of a snow-covered hill. As the snowball starts rolling down the hill, it gathers and collects more and more snow. As it collects more snow it gets bigger and bigger, all the while gaining tremendous power and speed. It becomes unstoppable. Nothing can stop it now.

So what about good news and bad news?

The bad news is that to gain momentum you need to start.

The snowball (you) sitting on the side of the hill needs some sort of force or action to start the movement down the hill. Sometimes it just needs a tap or maybe just a slight push. Sometimes, it’s in need of a massive amount of energy like an avalanche. Regardless, it won’t start moving on its own. It won’t miraculously start itself down the hill. Without a start, it sits idle on the top of the hill and will eventually melt away into nothingness.

So what’s the good news?

The good news is that to gain momentum all you need is a start.

The Monday-Morning Quarterback

February 21, 2011 in Ideas, Misc with 4 Comments

You shipped.

You made a decision to get something special out the door on a specific day, and you did it. I applaud you. You acted as a linchpin and shipped something new and exciting. You went against protocol and tried something fresh and unique.

Unfortunately, it was a flop. It turned out to be a complete and utter failure.

In to the office walks Bob, the Monday-morning quarterback. This is Bob’s favorite moment - to bask in your dismay and to cherish the moment when the deck is stacked against you. Bob is eager to tell us he would have done it this way or that way. Bob surely wouldn’t have done it the way you did. Hell no.

And Bob is first to tell your Boss, “told ya so, I knew that wouldn’t work!”

Here’s the thing, in 5-10-20 years, Bob will still be playing for the same team. He’ll still be playing that same position. He’ll still be a lousy, washed up, second-string quarterback continuously doing his Monday-morning thing. Fresh meat is what Bob craves. This is Bob’s drug. If only there was a way to warn the fresh meat. Bob has a sneaky way of causing creative paralysis amongst you special folks out there. He plays dirty.

But not you. In five years, you’ll be long gone. You’ll be a star. You’ll be in demand. You’ll never wait long as a free agent. You’ll be sought out. Bob will pass out resumes; after all, 20 years of experience must mean something, right? You won’t have a resume. You wont NEED a resume. You know that one, two, or even ten failures isn’t enough to take you out of the game.

Bob’s a sly S.O.B.

Let the Bobs be Bobs. You keep shipping.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

The Little Thing Monster

October 5, 2010 in Business, Getting Things Done, Ideas with 5 Comments

This morning I had a business meeting with some colleagues to discuss a new venture we’re working on.

The meeting was great except for one thing.

The “Little Thing Monster”.

The Little Thing Monster is the monster that loves to knock you off the track. He loves it when we focus on the little things that don’t matter as much as the big important things.

Let’s be realistic for a minute about this classic lizard brain tactic. The lizard unleashes this little devil of a monster that wants to divert our attention. The monster loves it when we get caught up in the little things.

“It’s the little things that compound and snowball into big things” he says.

Now, I’m not saying that little things don’t matter. Of course they do. What I’m saying is, when you let the monster take over and let the monster shift your focus, you’ll end up stalling out and not getting anywhere.

Believe me, I understand how important the small things are. That’s not what I’m saying. The difference is that this monster’s goal is to derail you from what’s actually going to move you forward. It keeps you from looking at the big picture.

And it’s your goal to figure out what the big picture is. Figure out what needs to happen. Look at the big picture and focus, and the little things will end up happening regardless. After all, it’s the big things that make the little things worth doing.

Source: medialunadegrasa

Happiness Now?

September 2, 2010 in Ideas, Life with 7 Comments

Here’s something interesting I recently read about happiness.

About a year after winning the lottery, the person who won the money will come down from all the hoopla and experience, roughly, the same level of happiness they were experiencing before they won the money. One year.

Subsequently, if you were to lose both your legs, you’d be depressed and unhappy, but eventually you’d get your happiness back at your “pre-leg” levels.

I find the whole idea extremely interesting, especially the part about losing one’s legs. We often hear about lottery winners and the extremely wealthy being no happier or better off than non-winners. Maybe, in extreme examples of pain and despair, it could have the same result.

Of course, being blessed and fortunate to have both my arms and legs, I’m not willing to say if this is particularly true. I can’t imagine what that would be like.

But…

Here’s the thing. You’re happiness level here and now, at this very moment, might be the best it’s ever going to get.

The key is, are you allowing yourself to see the beauty in the present moment – not something down the road, or tomorrow, or next year, but now?

Remember when we were kids and we could spend hours not worrying about time, or looking at the clouds, or splashing in the water, or playing with our toys. It’s that sense of contentment we need to get back.

Many of us are trapped on the hamster wheel, chasing something that’s always just around the corner. We never seem to actually get around the corner. Maybe instead of chasing, you could simply stop, get off the hamster wheel, and start seeing things a little differently.

Imagine if this was your peak moment, here and now. Nothing more or less was going to make you any happier then you are now. What would you do differently?

What would you change?

The Foghorn

August 23, 2010 in Business, Career & Work, Ideas with 2 Comments

During our trip to Newfoundland last summer, we heard the most beautiful and magnificent foghorns along the coast that warned incoming ships of potential danger.

If you’re the captain of a ship in the midst of a dense fog and you hear a foghorn, you need to realize that it’s being blown for a reason. Its purpose is to let you know there’s a danger or hazard ahead. It’s purpose is to warn you, loud and clear, that you need to change your course.

When a 12-time best-selling author tells you that he’s moving on, and will no longer publish books the traditional way, the same way they’ve been published for years – it’s time to pay attention. The foghorn is audible.

Captains who refuse to pay attention to foghorns, or take the warnings seriously, end up hitting shoals and sinking their ships.

The captains of the newspaper industry refused to take the foghorn warnings seriously. The captains of the music industry covered their ears and refused to listen – what a disaster.

Traditional employees, working in traditional organizations, doing traditional work, captaining their own ships need to realize there’s a foghorn blowing. It might be faint right now, but if you listen carefully, you can hear it. If you wait long enough, it will be loud and clear. Or, it will be too late.

Those working on writing resumes, following the traditional rules of resume writing, and following the traditional templates, writing the same old boring resumes filled with bloated and hyped-up job experience, need to listen, and listen carefully.

Whatever industry you’re in, take a moment and clear your ears.

Is that a foghorn I hear?

Battle Scars

August 5, 2010 in Ideas, Life, Misc with 4 Comments

I’ve got a scar on my finger.

One time many years ago, while on a fishing trip with my father, I caught my index finger in the door of his Ford truck. I almost lost the top-half of my finger, but it was saved by a boatload of stitches.

I’ve got another scar on the top of my head. This accident happened at a funeral home – of all places!

These are the scars I’ve collected as I continue on my journey through life. If you happen to see them, I might be eager to tell you the story that accompanies each one. Each of my scars has a unique story.

I’ve also had a handful of business ventures that failed. I’ve got silly ideas that I’ve told people about, only to be laughed out of the room. I’ve spent both precious time and money on businesses that have fallen flat, and I’ve had jobs where I quit after only a few short hours.

That’s just a start.

When I really think about it, these mental scars are very much the same as my physical scars. Of course, physical scars can happen for a variety of reasons beyond our control. I’m talking about our battle scars.

Our scars will always be a part of us. Regardless of how serious the battle may have been, the scars are there for a reason. I’m sure, deep-down, you’ve learned something from every single scar.

I’m always a wee-bit apprehensive when I meet someone in the business world without any battle scars. The warning bells go off even louder when they try to cover them up.

Show me what you’ve got. Your battle scars are what have made you what you are today.

Stupid Ideas?

May 18, 2010 in Art, Getting Things Done, Ideas with 13 Comments

Have you ever had a great idea? Have you ever told someone your idea, and they told you that your idea was stupid?

Maybe they looked at you like you were nuts. Maybe they thought you were a little bit of a weirdo. Maybe they told you to stop daydreaming and get back to work.

Jack Dorsey, the creator and co-founder of Twitter, had the idea for Twitter brewing in his head since he was 15-years old. When he first used the service, at a preliminary stage with his friends as test subjects, they were annoyed.

“That’s great Jack, keep playing, but I’ve got work to do.”

You can watch Jack talk about the idea and creation of Twitter below. One of the key points is that very early-on, he was able to move a very rough drawing of his idea out of his head and onto a piece of paper.

One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was called “Why you shouldn’t start your own business!” Looking back, my writing and blog quality has come along way, but the idea is the same. There will always be an ample number of people telling you how stupid your ideas are.

Most people will disagree and tell you to get back to work. They’ll tell you it’s too risky or it’s the wrong time to start a business.

Is it ever the right time?

There have been so many other stupid ideas before yours. For example:

Apple will never be successful with the iPod.

Lots of people said, and still say, “Twitter is dumb. I don’t get it.”

Your friends that once said, “I’ll never carry a cell phone,” are probably texting you right now.

Your friends that once said, “I’ll never join Facebook” are probably posting their fifth album of vacation photos this week.

The point is this:

It will never be the right time.
Your ideas will always be stupid to some people.
Those same people will probably talk about you and your wacky ideas behind your back.

I say – “proceed.”

No Guarantees – Only Opportunities

March 26, 2010 in Entrepreneurship, Ideas, Life with 2 Comments

The world is a tricky place to live. I read a line in the book Thinkertoys the other day that got me thinking. It read:

“There is no way of knowing how far intention and action can take you. This world offers no guarantees, only opportunities and vicissitudes. When you reach for the stars you may not get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

This world offers no guarantees – only opportunities.

Think about that for a moment.

I live just outside of Windsor, Ontario and people are in rough shape here. The situation is the hardest on people who worked hard and sweated for years because of a guarantee, a promise.

They feel that guarantees and promises need to be kept. We’re looking to our governments to enforce those guarantees and bail us out. Can’t blame em, can we?

So what’s left? Where do we turn?

What’s left after we come to the realization that the guarantee wasn’t really a guarantee at all? It was a sham. We bought into it, and they tricked us. Good people got screwed.

What can we do?

Well, we could hope they might have a change of heart. “OK, you’re right. We’re sorry. We’ll reopen the factory and overpay you again, even though we can make the parts 75% cheaper elsewhere.”

We shouldn’t bank on this happening.

Therefore, the only thing left is opportunity.

Opportunities come from ideas, and we’ve all got great ideas. We’re all capable of coming up with a few new ideas.

Take a look at the businesses I read about this week.

Butch Bakery Masculine cupcakes for men. Seriously… I love a cupcake just as much as the next guy; but if I can veto the pink sprinkles for some army camouflage, I’m buying. source – springwise.com

Soupcycle – soups made from organic and local ingredients delivered in an eco-friendly manner - source – springwise.com

Panty by Post – A Canadian company has decided to deliver sexy women’s lingerie on a monthly basis via subscription payment. Brilliant. source – springwise.com

If you’ve been hit by hard times now might be your opportunity to reach for the stars. Remember, there are no guarantees (ZERO), but the world has unlimited opportunities (UNLIMITED).

Unlimited is always a better choice than zero.

Homework:

Your assignment this weekend is to come up with five ideas for businesses or services you could create. Send me a message if you need help with this assignment.

3-2-1 Go

Washroom for Customers Only

March 3, 2010 in Fun Stuff, Ideas, Life with 1 Comment

So I was walking the streets of Toronto the other day and something happened which got me to thinking…

Here’s the story:

I had just finished off my second Venti Bold Sumatra from Starbucks and was in desperate need of a washroom. I had to go bad.

I found another coffee shop, which I won’t name, but it rhymes with “Jim Morton’s”

I rushed to the washroom, only to find it locked. I looked up to see that all too familiar sign.

The sign read, “Washroom for Customers Only – Key Required”

As I approached the counter, eager to get the “required key” to gain entry into the Men’s washroom, the girl at the counter did her best to totally ignore me. Why -because I wasn’t buying anything? In her eyes I was not a customer and, therefore, wouldn’t be allowed to use the washroom.

The washroom was for customers only.

I used the washroom anyway. While I was waiting for a few nanoseconds of attention from the girl at the counter, someone was exiting the washroom and I seized the opportunity. I was able to catch my foot in the door before it shut. No key required.

Here’s the problem…

I felt a lot better after relieving myself, but something really bothered me about the situation.

I’m a Jim Morton’s customer. I’ve given Jim thousands and thousands of dollars during my 29 years on this planet. I simply wasn’t a customer on that specific day.

I’m a Subway customer too, but on various occasions, I don’t need another $5 dollar footlong (meatball), I just need the washroom.

Does the lack of purchase at this specific moment disqualify me as a customer?

If so, why should I ever return? You expect my patronage and I expect you to be there for me when my bladder might explode.

But you weren’t there for me. The deal is broken or maybe it never existed to begin with.

My proposal – The Customer Loyalty Washroom Pass

Each time I’m a customer, I get a point, which gets automatically updated in an on-line database.

You give me a little gadget, which I attach to my keychain, and it allows me to access any washroom at any Jim Morton’s anywhere, at any time, no questions asked. Provided of course, I have enough points. If not, tough luck for me, I need to buy something.

On any specific day, if I buy a coffee, and use the washroom during that visit, we’re even. If I come in and purchase a coffee, but don’t use the washroom, I get a point for a future visit to the washroom.

If I use the drive-thru, I’m owed one trip to the washroom without purchase.

I think this could work…

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