Gutter-balls are bad

I think everyone can agree that in bowling a gutter-ball is a bad thing.

Yesterday as I celebrated several gutter-balls at the alley with my coworkers, I wondered how a rut and a groove can have such drastically different connotations.

I am sure you have heard the expression, 
"After he graduated school, he got into a rut. Then later that year, he got into a groove."

Was Louie up, then down; or down then up?

The need to help

Pawan Murthy spoke at the October 5, 2010 Columbus Young Professionals networking breakfast, here are my notes.

Psychological Egoism - there is no deed that is unselfish (selfless)

I am ok with this theory. If everyone did this and realized it was beneficial, it would happen a lot more often.

Steve Geyer, Founder Shadowbox

The people who know you denots the currency of your success (quality  and quantity, ex: 1M pesos vs 10USD)

Dont put all your emotional eggs in one basket. If you spread things out when something fails all is not lost.

Guard your reputation with you life.

What struggles have you overcome?
What struggles are you working to overcome?

Consider helping others out.  A good way to decide how you want to help is by reviewing the needs of persons.  Maslow's hierarchy is a framework of an individuals needs.

I wonder, is there a group hierarchy of needs framework?
Where do you help?

You, inc.

Ben Blanquera was the guest speaker at the December 2010 CYP CLUB networking breakfast. Here are my notes:

1. What are the five most important things to me? 
2. What are the five areas of my life to which I dedicate the most time? 
3. Do they align? 

Consider treating yourself and guideing your decisions as if you were a incorporated business.

Your assets would be:

1. What you know 
2. Who you know 
3. (I would add, Who knows you)

Also, consider this:

The pebble in my boot...

The pebble in my boot is a greater obstacle than the boulder in my path.

Last Tuesday I rummaged to the back of the closet to locate my snow boots. I hadn't seen them since the beginning of 2009. As I get more prepared to start the walk to the park my dog, Lionel, becomes increasingly excited; and more difficult to manage. Due to this overwhelming zeal for exercise I failed to notice a pebble in my left boot.

As I began to pace my way toward the park I simply yielded to the annoyance in my boot and occasionally waggled my toes to shift the stone to irritate a different spot on my foot.

This was not the first time I experienced a rock in my shoe, but it was then that I was able to finalize the proverb that was waiting to be discovered. You see in life everyday we encounter all sorts of difficulties and challenges. Unexpected tasks, and projects that raise their head only to reroute the day's plan.

However I believe that those tasks and ventures although seemingly large and merit sheer mastery to overcome are still external. They will always be something outside of us that if we so choose we could choose to not do them. Or to put it another way, choose to do them differently than initially we observe them to be done.

Furthermore, "the pebble in my boot" is alluding to the great obstacle within us. That is something that we must battle and triumph. Keep in mind that it is small in size, and weak in mass, yet it is large in our own life.

Can you relate? What is the pebble in your boot?

Elephant in the room

In order to get an elephant to become tame they will use very, very heavy chains and then cuff one of its legs to a post.

Once the elephant awakens from the tranquilizer (you didn't think he would just come willingly, did you?) He is so angry that he fights with the strength of 100 pissed pachyderms. He rumbles and trumpets in anger until it has no more energy, no more effort, no more eagerness to escape.

Later the bold trainer removes the impossible-to-break chain and in its place ties a rope from the elephant's cuff to a mere stake in the ground. Now if you were tied down with rope you would likely be stuck just the same as the elephant's prior situation; however, with the strength of muscle on muscle a rope would be nothing more than a string to you and I.

On with the show. The depressed elephant which at one point was a titan has now succumbed to the simple bond of a rope. The elephant has been defeated physically but the real trick is that the pachyderm has been defeated mentally. You would be hard pressed to find an elephant that will break away simply because they don't think they can.

What dire life event did you go through that whipped you to the point that your spirit was deterred for good. Occasionally we experience something in life that so changes our way of thinking that it never crosses our mind that we can try again and that we might succeed.

Try again.

Getting closer

If you sit a 10 year old Robert down and start to explain how a atom works do you choose liken the orbit of the electrons to that of the solar system as we currently believe it, or to what is known as probability clouds?

Once you are done reading what a probability cloud is on wikipedia.org I would like to share with you the clever concept of Accessibility versus Accuracy as I heard it from "Made to Stick" by Dan and Chip Heath.

When you are sharing a concept you have to first make a decision, do you want them to get the idea, or get the idea?

Sharing with elementary students how the electrons of an atom revolve around the nucleus much like the solar system will get them close enough to understand. If your audience is comprised of Ph.D. candidates you might want to take the probability cloud approach, which would be more accurate.

Do you have a complex message that you are blessed to share. Consider the benefits of Accessibility versus Accuracy.

March Forth!

Well, I did.

Two days ago now was March 4th. And in light of my forever witty (corny) humor I thought it should mean march forth.

I took the time to Tweet (Twitter) a charge to pursue the thing that has been beyond your reach or beyond your procrastination.

Getting Buff
When I was younger my Mom would ask me to help carry in the groceries from the car to the kitchen. As my mind searched for a way to make it more exciting than it really was I grabbed for the item that was sure to be heaviest - why else would she ask me to help?

Often it was the gallon of milk that yielded this excitement. In my mind's eye I was pushing the limits of strength, and after a few more grocery hauls I would be large and in charge. (I still need a few more grocery hauls.)

Give me your hand!
This is Arnold's classic line. In whichever action-hero epic he has sent to the cinema at some point in the adventure he cries out his line and saves the day.

In celebration of March Fourth I was able to give Arnold, the Governator, a hand.

That is me and hundreds of others as we constructed what will become the years largest and most attended central Ohio trade show, The Arnold Classic.

In years past I have joined the muscle-bound and fit-natics as we carried our SWAG bags and herded through the aisles. However I have yet to think about the sweat and blood that went into creating the circus.

I return on Sunday to see the demise of it all, and from what I am told it is madness.

Put me in coach!

Exactly one week before I received my pink slip I happened to schedule a coaching session with someone I met through a networking event. It was her way of letting potential customers test her out.

We chatted for more than an hour about who I was and what I wanted out of life. When we set the appointment she asked me to write down the three wishes I would make if I were given Aladdin's lamp.

1. Backpack across Europe
2. Live with a native African tribe
3. Be rich and famous for product design

When diving into our conversation I assumed we would talk about how I would get to those wishes by turning them into goals. Then as we talked I soon realized it wasn't about achieving those wishes as much as it was about discovering what was preventing me from laying hold of them.

After fully describing my first wish she asked me about the benefits of a European excursion and why I would want such a event. When I stopped tripping over my reasons the heart of the motivation was that I wanted to share stories and be that interesting person who has trekked across the mother land.

Since this nice chat I have repeatedly asked myself, "Why do I want to be interesting to others, what is the point of that?"

People Pleasers

This title has been assigned to many, as well as self-proclaimed. Usually when attributed it is not in the context of compliments. I think it might fall in the category of, "We stopped dating because he was too nice."

Isn't pleasing someone a good thing? Shouldn't we seek to make others happy and content?

I suppose overextending ourselves and pushing our boundaries to meet this end is why such a label has come to stink-so-sweet like that of a skunk.

Are you aware of your motivations? Are you a people pleaser?

I am dominant

Perspective is an interesting topic.

You have the figurative interpretation as in, "They have a different frame of reference on saving the whales."

Then there is the physical perspective that we are somewhat limited by in our everyday life. Occasionally I am reminded of the movie "Dead Poets Society" when Robin Williams invites each member of the class to stand on his desk to gain a new perspective. Even if you get to stand 6 inches higher in a particular area it shows you a different way of looking at things.

The space between your ears is often referred to as one of your most valuable assets. Seldom do we talk about the space between your eyes, and I am not referring to the nasal cavity. From pupil to pupil my eyes are about 3 inches apart. Sloth from "The Goonies" has a different measurement all together.

Dear and many four legged creatures are blessed with nearly 360º of vision. Their eyes are placed quite literally on opposite sides of their head allowing them to be aware of what is going on all around them. However they must move their head from side to side occasionally to interpret depth perception.

A fun little exercise to try for yourself will help you determine which of your eyes in more dominant. Make a triangle between the web of your hands and with both eyes open view an object across the room (for example the corner of a picture frame).

The close one eye.

Did the object move from the triangle you made with your hands? If so, the eye you closed is your dominant eye.

To double check, start again, then test the other eye. If the object did not move, the open eye is the dominant eye.







Is your dominant eye on the same side as your dominant hand?

A boy cries wolf

I would like to revive my blog. Over the last few days, I have experienced some things that I thought would be enjoyable readings. If at the very least enjoyable writings for me.

Last night as I took my dog for a walk I was focused on the cold blowing wind when out of nowhere another four-legged friend approached. My mind's first assessment of the situation was that my neighbor's friendly dog finagled her way outside and would soon be scolding her untimely escape. The next moment the assumed owner was not scolding K9 #2 rather he was warning me, "That's not my dog, that's not my dog!"

Once my brain was able to interpret his heralds I realize at the end of my hand was a magnet for curiosity. After shortly walking in backward circles thinking my new observer would lose track, my dog whisperer training set in. With head raised high, I began to aggress the wolf.

I didn't fully think it, but proclaiming what doesn't belong to me does not, in fact, communicate the most pressing issue.

Are you able to exclaim the most important points at a nanosecond of notice?

Does practice help?

How about preparation?

Let me know what you think.

The Economy

The love economy is what I really mean to talk about. I just spent the day around fifty-some teenagers and the biggest thing on my mind is that for one day (not to say they don't receive it elsewhere) they will feel loved and important.

Now that I consciously reflect on all the things I said there wasn't really a time that I was truly admonishing a child, but my efforts were more subtle. I tried to speak to them about things they were doing and listen with full curiosity to their stories of whatever it is they were wanted to share.

I suppose since you are reading this you have some interest in what I have to say and might even take influence, so here goes - show interest in a kid in your life, chances are she respects what you say and do, or that he wants desperately for you to approve of what he is doing right.

So spend the time and make the effort - even if there isn't an immediate response to your doings know that it will affect things unseen long before the bloom arrives.

life takes reflection

Life is interesting and, well, the longer I wait to do things that I want to do the longer it seems things are going to get done.

I have been wanting to catalog my life one day at a time but many distractions have been keeping me from doing so.  I always wait for that next "first" to come up. I missed the March 1st, I missed the Jan 1st and well I think I have to just start whether it's a "first" or not.

I have been a firm believer that the best way to learn is by review what you have already heard. So this all the more confirms that I should be taking time to reflect on my day.  Uday and Pree have really encouraged me to clarify my understanding through the practice of writing.

So here goes, I can't say that I am going to write per diem, or with the depth of thought that Doogie Houser MD managed to script, but I will mention the big stones in my day and what they meant to me.

A journey of a thousand miles...

It's fantastic to see how words change over time and how our culture winds through the landscape of time like a river. The other day Jamie (a co-worker) was talking about taxis. I thought to myself, that seems like an abbreviation.

A few clicks later I found myself at wikipedia learning how the etymology traces all the way back to Paris and the 19th century. "Taximeter Cabriolet" has been contracted to Taxi Cab.

I like to see how things change and swerve as the culture and times takes its toll. As a design researcher my attention has been attuned to the way products are used by people and more so how people relate to the products.