Tough

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Good morning, World!  It’s Friday!
  • What you become when the going gets tough…and you get going
  • What you hear when you really, really wanted something as a child and your parents didn’t see the logic, need or sense of urgency.
  • The last word I heard my dementia-stricken Father utter just days before he passed when I asked how he was feeling.
  • What my Father was.  He subscribed to the “boy named Sue” child rearing philosophy shaped off of the old Johnny Cash song.
  • What I’ve been told I’ve become over time despite a desire to prevent the inevitable jading that comes with time when you realize this world is broken.

Is this characteristic feared or revered?

Growing up, I’d say I feared the tough behaviors and took care to not trigger the potentially negative reactions of a tough parent.

Today, I believe we all revere tough behavior; tough love, tough discipline, tough action when the situation calls for it, with appropriate discretion and when it’s over, it’s over. Respond to antagonistic threats with a quickly escalated but measured (and well within reason) reaction to demonstrate it won’t be tolerated and just as quickly diffuse the situation by leading a diplomatic de escalation.

Unfortunately, tough only respects tough.
Russia and ISIS latest aggressions are two real world examples that aren’t going away on their own, and economic sanctions aren’t the answer to every problem.
Get tough!
Get going!
Have a blessed weekend.

All the difference

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Good morning, World!  It’s Friday! What is the value of a well designed facility? I recently learned how much difference there can be between something slapped together and something designed and built to be high functioning. On our latest road trip, we found ourselves changing plans at the last minute due to an equipment malfunction.  I’m a planner and prefer to have things laid out but hey, stuff happens. We were fortunate to find a similar hotel in a nearby city and we settled in about 10:30 pm.  I got up to use the facilities before nestling in and…the bathroom was locked!  I could see my lovely wife and the dog laying in bed so I wondered, who’s in the biffy?! I called down to the front desk and got a chuckle out of the gentleman who picked up who said he’d be “right up”.  Huh. Fifteen minutes later, an elderly gentleman with a walker (uh huh) knocked on the door with keys, an apology and a desire to help out.  Momma is laying in bed so I held him up for a minute.  I couldn’t get his assortment of potential keys to work so I ultimately had to let him determine which one would unlock the water closet …and off he hobbled. During the what-just-happened? investigation,  (to keep from having this happen again at 4 am) I noticed the door swung in toward the bathroom wall indicating it wasn’t plumb and where the push button lock meets up with the doughnut style rubber stopper, it isn’t centered (pictured).   As soon as you finish your business, you step out, open the door and … it resets itself for the next unsuspecting guest who likely has a sense of urgency and no sense of humor. There are a number of fixes for this issue, only one of which seemed to be evident to the hobbler; *remove the lock *center the stopper *plumb up the door *put up a sign *wait for the next unsuspecting guest A well designed and well constructed facility makes all the difference in the world.  You stay at a motel to … sleep.  When Mother Nature calls, you…answer.  When a poorly designed facility gets in your way, you… *wake the neighbors? *break the bathroom door down? *call 911? *run out in the hall, maybe trip over Captain Obvious, find the hobbler and hope he remembers what key he used earlier? * leave the light on, fan running (because they are on the same switch), door open so there are no more incidents and remember to never, ever stay in this facility again. When things “just work”, it isn’t by chance, it’s by design.  Someone with a high standard of care and pride in what they design, own, operate or maintain figured out what could go wrong and they took the necessary steps to prevent or correct things quickly if/when they do go wrong. The road between inception and occupation or utilization is littered with well intended but poorly implemented plans. Stick with the professionals, unless you don’t give a crap, or in this case unless you don’t have to. Have a blessed weekend.

There is no bigger fool…

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Good Morning, World!  It’s Friday!

I’ll call it the consultants mantra:  “There is no bigger fool than one who pays for advice and doesn’t take it.”

If you find yourself in need of answers and they aren’t readily available on google or ask or [pick your favorite search engine] you end up looking for a subject matter expert.  Often referred to as an advisor or consultant, they require remuneration for their services.

So, you get stumped, you break down and pay someone to solve a problem for you – you get a third party, unbiased perspective with years of experience helping others through the complexities that stumped you and…you don’t like the answer!

It may represent:
*conflict
*additional expense
*abandoning an expensive pursuit
but most likely it’s some form of discomfort. Now what?
-Seek another opinion?
-Fulfill the prediction of the phrase?
-Demonstrate the courage to follow through with what you started?

I’ve run into countless occasions where answers were only as good as the questions asked. To avoid the “fool” label, take more time formulating the question, problem or concern to the point it is easily understood and the answer, once crafted, can be widely accepted.

Abraham Lincoln said, “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe.”
Preparation before solution implementation should be taken seriously and given appropriate time and attention.

Recommendation:
Gather your thoughts
Formulate your question, then simplify it
Research solution providers
Engage the most qualified (and likable) with similar values
Implement the recommended solution(s)

Have a blessed weekend.

Matters of the heart

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Good morning, World!  It’s Friday!

What a WEEK!

*It started by sharing a meal and an evening under the stars with a near decade-long friend and colleague with spouses.  Toasting marshmallows (even though it was 82 degrees outside) made it a near perfect evening.

*It continued with a 2000 mile journey in a truck with a weak fuel pump (which means it doesn’t run well – i.e. 15 mph max in the mountains, can’t pass or drive the limit, stalled in the intersection just East of Four Corners monument) spouse and pet alongside.  The slow truck required we pay more attention to the glorious landscape and God’s natural beauty.  We saw a sunrise and sunsets and a whole lot of humanity along the way.

*Thursday morning, a text, meal and an afternoon with an old former client and long-term close friend.  Meeting in a bar for a couple of burgers, a water and a Diet Coke doesn’t align with the number of beers we’ve shared together in the past but it proved we aren’t drinking buddies, we’re comrades.

These three real, bittersweet life experiences served me as reminders of my typical reason for looking for the ‘wrong’ (too hot, too slow, too sober) colliding with a genuine recognition of the ‘right’ (special colleague, compassionate and resilient spouse, genuine buddy).  It’s a matter of the heart over mind … over matter.  I can think my way through nearly any situation and it’s easiest by choosing not to feel while I’m navigating the challenges.  However, life’s latest lesson for me is that divorcing myself from the “feeling” dismisses some of life’s greatest offering.

We live in a broken world where bad things happen continuously.  We have to consciously, actively and purposefully look for the good, the beauty and the love…then reflect it, announce it and celebrate it!

WHAT a week!

Have a blessed weekend.