All work and no play makes Ryan bitter and mean

I know it has been some time. You know what happened? Life.


For some of us, life is our work and that is just all right. But for people, like your’s truely, I play lots of different roles during my day. Granted I am not the industrious person in the world, but I do have times when my priorities have to change to match my life. Do you know that the best way to cram for an exam is not to pull an “all-nighter”, but to plan naps into your schedule? It doesn’t seem like the obvious thing to do.

I’m bringing up my priority changing situation to discuss your current situation. Over the last few years, I’ve read dozens of articles talking about people losing sleep. Sleep is rest. If you are always working and never rest… it doesn’t make you a dull boy/girl. Lack of rest makes you the cranky, prickly, stressed-out, control-freak you can be. (And that’s on a good day.) When you are not well rested and at ease, you can affect others negatively. You share your mood and attitude with anybody around you like that phone commercial. You tell two friends, then they tell two friends and so on.

So, as my annual reminder, take some time for yourself. Schedule it in if you have to. You are human despite what others may think. (Its okay, I don’t believe a word of what they say about you.) Unwind and kick your feet up. Because when the boss walks in face-red, veins flared, and yelling so forcefully spit is flying: you’ll want that relaxed demeanor. Stay cool everyone!

So crazy it's true!

I couldn’t believe what I read this afternoon in the news. I read an article about the violent responses to the healthcare vote. This is no joke folks… someone opened-fire on a Republican campaign office. Bart Stupak (D, Michigan) has been receiving threatening phone calls. According to this article, fire marshals and the FBI are looking into the slashing of a propane gas line outside the home of Rep. Tom Perriello's brother. This happened after a Tea Party activist posted the brother’s home address online. What is happening out there people? Are you really ready to kill someone over this?


Actually, I take that back, I can see someone getting very worked-up about this situation. The situation has been so sensationalized that it taps into the emotions around the argument. When our emotions get involved, we tend to lose our rational thinking. Most of the people that are acting this way are people opposed to the bill. Let’s put it this way… More Democrats have been harassed like this than Republicans. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends that fall under the Conservative or Republican category. These are people that can get emotional, like me, and we know how to keep it under control. We have great conversations and debates. We enjoy having that opposite opinion to empathize with. What I am talking about are the extremist views on the subject. Severing gas lines, threatening phone calls, and an office shooting are all examples of dangerous and extremist behaviors.

I have a problem with organizations that justify, insight, and create intense anxiety to this extent. I could blame a certain television network (*cough FOX cough*) but they are not the real problem. Though, I wouldn’t mind pointing out the people who are living in a complete fantasy, like Glen Beck. The real problem is people out there that do not seem to know the line between reasonable and unreasonable. Extremist organizations, like the Tea Partiers, are helping (whether they mean to or not) to create a mob mentality. A mob does not have a sense of right or wrong and has no remorse about doing something that is ethically or morally wrong. In this way, your movement becomes perverted. [Perverted- (adjective) turned from what is right; wicked; misguided; distorted.] I am for everyone having a voice, but don’t use it to trample on others. Wake up, your non-violent protest, just got violent.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/25/congress.threats/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

Moments in History

We have had another milestone last night in these United States. We’ve been a nation that has been slow to change when it comes to taking care of others. Our health insurance had been far too difficult to obtain; either monetarily or because of seemingly arbitrary pre-existing conditions. I’ve seen this fight become ugly on both sides of the debate. I think that we need to take a step back and realize that we are doing something for not just ourselves, but other people. The jargon word used by psychologists is altruism. We have made an altruistic step. As someone who works for the betterment of others, and supporter of the healthcare bill, I felt it was my need to note this day.

I can clearly see you're nuts!

Yes... two posts in one day. I read something that got me all fired-up. I feel that I needed to share it with everyone. So, here we go...

Michele Bachmann (R-MN), at a rally last Saturday, decided to step back into the spotlight spouting fuzzy logic and her party's rhetoric. Rep. Bachmann has a history of railing against her opposition by using fantastic language and whole statements that, illuminated in the light of the past, seems to make little sense. Michele has been quoted by Talking Points Memo as saying:

"If they pass the bill legitimately, then yes, we have to follow the law -- until we repeal it. But if they pass it illegitimately, then the bill is illegitimate, and we don't have to lay down for this. It's not difficult to figure out. So if for some reason they're able to get their votes this week and pass this 2,700-page Senate bill -- if they get it, trillions of dollars is what it's gonna cost, when we didn't vote on it, we need to tell them a message: That if they get away with this, they will be able to get away with anything -- with anything. And you can't say you voted on a bill when you didn't, because it's fraud. But we are not helpless here. We are not helpless, there are things that we can do."

Normally I wouldn't say anything about this. I think the best way to deal with someone who has clearly lost touch with reality is to shun them like your crazy Aunt Mildred. (The one that insists your name is Buzz, which happens to be the name of her late brother.) In this case, I would like to take a look at her statement as an example. Bachmann is obviously for the conservatives in this issue. She also is under the assumption that this bill is going to be passed through illegal means. (Which, if you know about the processes of passing bills, it is not an illegal action.) Ms. Bachmann also cites the amount of pages of the bill... irrelevant information. The bill, if passed, will cost trillions of dollars overall, but will be a substantially lower sum than most families pay insurance companies right now.

So, excluding the irrational and incorrect thinking, I hear Bachmann's statement like this. "They are going to pass a bill that I do not like. We need to stop this bill I don't like. I don't have a reason except, I want my say." This is all very comical to me because, if you remember the last 10 years of history, you remember Michele Bachmann's party doing something similar to the Democratic Party. If we're going to complain and make statements against a reform, (Most of the people I know agree that the system needs to be reformed immediately.) please have factual information that is put into the correct context. You are a representative of the people... ACT LIKE IT!!!

Yes, I can read your mind

Do you have conflict in your business or organization? Don't deny it, you do. It is like asking if you have bills to pay. It is all part of be in the grid (as opposed to being off the grid... like the Unabomber) Do you know what kind of conflict you have? I don't just mean "the annoying kind". Conflict, believe it or not, can be good or bad. Sometimes conflict is both good and bad. Now that I've dropped that on you, you may want to get some Aspirin before continuing.


Conflict, like many organizational issues is a symptom of an underlying problem. It's like medicine. You can treat the runny-nose, cough and fever, but you are not taking anything to cure the cold or flu you have. Like the common cold or flu, conflict is equally hard to treat. Unlike the cold or flu, you need certain kinds of conflict. If you have negative conflict, you may need a professional to come in to help you work through your issues.

Let's face it... You are too close to your problem! Most people contact professionals to help only when they are up to their eyeballs in trouble. I could go on a whole rant about waiting until the last minute, but I will not digress. When you hire someone to help, take the time to really shop around. Don't just write it off as too expensive! You need you need to spend money to make money. Solving some issues could save you up to 25% in legal costs, hiring/firing, and lack of employee performance.

You only loose when you avoid your problems.

You make that degree look GOOD!

Are you intimidated by doctors, lawyers and professors? If not, most people are. To lighten the mood, I have a joke for you.

A guy walks up to a friend of mine at a party. I introduce them and this guys asks what my friend does. My friend says, "Well, I just got my doctorate". The guys says, "Really? That's great because I've got this rash and maybe you could check it out for me". As the guy starts to pull down his pants, my friend quickly shouts, "Not that kind of doctor!"

The moral of this story is that we usually attribute too much to people that we see as knowledgeable or powerful. (PhD’s, M.D.'s, CEO's) Although these people may have great knowledge or power, we sometimes give these people more than their due. Don't give-in to the hype! These people tend to be knowledgeable in very specific areas. (The doctor of philosophy cannot cure the rash on your neither-regions.)

In fact, some of the most successful people in the world don’t have a college education. (Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, etc.) Think about it. With enough drive and ambition, you could have been a billionaire.

In-Transition

If you've been out and around recently, you've heard the term "In Transition". Of course, if you are “In Transition” this means that you are seeking employment: which means you’ve been recently fired. (Fired/Let-go. Tomato/To-ma-do.) I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Why do we say ‘in transition’? When you think about it, we are always in some kind of transition”.

When we are young, we think about a time when we will just sit and relax. When we do get older, we realize that the time of sitting back and relaxing doesn’t really seem to exist. If it does, it doesn’t last long. We’ll always have some kind of problem or be in some ever-changing situation. The meaning is still has the same connotation: we are searching for the next thing.

In that sense, I guess I’m in transition as well. I am searching for new business, another hobby (that is less expensive than earning educational degrees), and the next event with my friends. I would go so far as to say, if you are not transitioning, I worry for you. To be transitioning is to have movement in your life. Sitting in the same place may be comfortable for a little bit, but gets you nowhere in the long-run. Now… Get in Transition!

Building on strengths

The Premise:


I had the opportunity to listen to a dissertation proposal over the weekend. The doctoral candidate was talking about building on strengths. The idea that we need to maximize or make the best use of what we are able to do. This is strategy used by Behavioral analysis psychologists for autistic children. It is a way to illicit growth from individuals. The converse is also used to illicit growth: focusing on weaknesses.

The Point:

We have the positive and the negative. For some time people have been using the negative to illicit growth in training and development programs. After a while people became anxious for something different. The humanistic movement came along and started focusing on the positive. So we've taken the whole picture and broken it into two pieces. So, you don't have the full picture anymore! You're playing cards with half the deck. In some games you CAN do that. Some games require only half your deck, specific cards. Life is a little different game. You need the whole deck to play such a complicated game.


Conclusion:
Whether you focus on the positive or negative... don't lose sight of the opposite. You can't have light without the dark. The scale only works with weight on the other side.

Last week

Passing on knowledge is the premise of this blog. Every once in a while I get out from behind the computer to do the same thing as a speaker. I got the chance last week to speak at Central Michigan University and my old high school. It turns out that everyone needs a little direction.


…Or at least I’m lead to believe people like to listen to me talk.

Okay, that may be the high school students but the college students really have questions; questions that need to be answered. Remember what it was like out there before you started your career? I think we forget our past perspectives from time to time. Remember the time you needed to start paying for your insurance? Or the first financial aid bill you received before you had a job to pay it off? Scary, huh? Doesn’t getting advice sound good now?

Dogs make good leaders too!

I grew up around dogs since I was 2 years old. My family lived next to a dog groomer. My sister and I would go over to "help out". This, of course meant we would go play with dogs for most of the day. Being around lots of dogs you see how they work in their mini hierarchies. Dogs, as well as people, are pack animals. So we do share certain similar behaviors. One of those behaviors we share is a leadership hierarchy.



Any hierarchy is built on a "pecking order". This is maintained in the dog world in a series of aggressive behaviors. If you think about it, humans do the same thing. Let me explain that aggressive behaviors can be verbal or non-verbal. What is most important is social context. (Dog bark = Human shout, Dogs bite = Humans hit, and we both shun others creating outcasts)

I spent years observing the dogs that come in and how they socialize with people. Especially when socializing with the owner of the grooming business (head groomer). The head groomer in any dog grooming business NEEDS to be the leader. It has been very interested watching the interaction. To become the leader of those different from us we need to become, in a sense, bilingual. As I said last week, I believe that learning as much as possible (diversity of knowledge) is strength. It takes time and persistence but it is not impossible. I think this is why we, as people enjoy dogs. It is what we like to call the "similar to me" effect.

All knowledge is useful

I'm a strong believer that knowledge is everywhere. What you don't know is as important as what you do know. For example... If you can't see a large, muscular, and angry person trying to beat the crap out of you, it doesn't save you from a savage beating. It just makes you unaware of the onslaught to come.

Now, I don't believe any of us would have to worry about vicious attacks. I do think that you must gather information from more than one source. This gives a diverse aspect to knowledge and diversity is strength. If you are learning only how to become a very knowledgeable person in the Applied world (business, etc.) try to look at the Academic world too. If you are rich, go find out what it is like to be poor. I think you get the picture!

You're clearly joking, right?

Over the weekend I was reminded of this little tidbit from the past. Remember that turtle, the one with the air raid helmet, which told you that you could save yourself from a nuclear attack by staying under your desk at school. Clearly, most of the population does not remember this PSA (Public Safety Announcement). My parents do remember seeing this PSA. At the time they were young and believed what they heard. I saw this while I was young and remember thinking it was a joke. Don't we all wish that was true?

The joke was clearly on the public for believing such a ridiculous idea. Of course, if you've ever watched the TV programs of day, you may understand why people were still gullible. (Howdy Doody. How was that entertaining?) Sadly the joke goes much further. Let me take you back just a few years ago... to a little country named Iraq and the search for weapons of mass destruction. We went from being speculative about Iraq and it's dictator, while we should have been in a whole different country all together. If you believe Iraq was a just war because of the weapons of mass destruction... Well, you probably still believe hiding under your desk will save you from having your atoms rearranged by a nuclear blast.

So why are we not seriously questioning the news we get. All I'm asking is that we start showing a little intelligence. Folks, we are not setting the bar too high right now on intelligence. It would be an easy time to call out someone on a lie. This is a time in our society when "news" organizations are pandering to political parties, showing opinion programs instead of actual news. (Yes, I'm talking about Fox News.) I would like to have people tell me the truth about what is happening. If experience teaches me anything, the truth is much stranger and entertaining than fiction. Come on! We believed a cartoon turtle telling us that an inch of wood can save you from a giant fireball!

Back to Basics

Making a change can be difficult. Losing focus is a big problem. Focusing on too many things spreads your focus too thin. Or maybe you prefer the carrying too much slows your progress idea. However you put it, getting rid of what is not important can be helpful to bring change. This is a useful way to move an apartment, streamline a business or change your management tactics.

Personally, to mark a new period or change, I clean my place of residence and maybe move some things around. (A new quarter, another semester of doctoral classes and a new year) It is a way for me to clear my head and gain new perspectives. I know. It isn't a mind-blowing revelation, but it does work. Why be all big and fancy about it when a simple solution works just as well? Going back to basics is a great way to refocus no matter what you happen to be doing.