Awareness.

The word conjures up thoughts of guilt-ridden charitable donations and drawn-out workplace seminars.  We become aware of some disease or safety concern for a day / week / month, and then we forget about it until it is brought to light again the following year. 

The reason "awareness" gets such a bad rap is that throwing the word into most conversations implies that one was ignorant in the first place. Now I, and I'm sure many others, do not like to be called stupid.  And if you're ever called dumb, stupid, etc., you tend to fight that perception by reacting immediately.  I mean technically we should be "aware" of all these things all the time, right?

Enter guilt, stage left.

Ah... Upgrading.

I could probably tell you all the cool features of the new iPhone 4 if you asked me.  It's not because I own one... A friend and new owner of this magical wonderbox proceeded to let me know how amazing it was.  Multiple times.  For the first 4 hours of his acquisition, he basically read me the specification sheet.  He also has it decked out with a guard protector, a ridiculous amount of memory he'll never use, and a battery that could probably power a third world country for a couple of days.

If you told me about all of that when I was 10 years younger, I would have gone nuts with envy.  I can see myself in early teen fashion saying "Sweet!" or "How cool!" and the like.  But now, I'm unimpressed.  The cost of the phone, insurance, and getting tied up in a 2 year contract would take a heavy chunk out of my budget.  I can't wrap my head around carrying that thing, knowing how much money it's pulling away from me every month.

Are We Truly Independent?

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Independence Day weekend.  I spent some time thinking about what we were celebrating.  This day is remembered for the tipping point of the formation of America, where we declared our separation from the bounds of Great Britain's rule.

Are we truly independent though?  Yes, we are protected from tyranny, and we've been given many rights and freedoms.  But many of us aren't free.  We're bound by our jobs... our responsibilities... our own vices.

Be mindful of what things hold you back from becoming who you are.  Then you might start to understand what it takes to be free.

Thinking Through Producing and Consuming.

I've come across a lot of material lately that discusses the ideas of anti-consumerism.  Whether the motives are to leave less of a carbon footprint, be thrifty, or fight the establishment, the premise of consuming less is valid.  I can't speak on behalf of the American population, but I know that I'll continue to take steps to consume less while being more mindful of the things I do consume.

The other side of the coin is production.  There is the argument that if I'm not consuming, than I'm producing, and if I'm not producing, I'm consuming.  So the logical step would be to increase my production due to the decrease of my consumption.

Is Your Career Your Purpose?

It seems that people use their careers or jobs as their defining roles in this world.  It makes sense considering the amount of time we spend at our work, with 40 hours being the typical for full-time.  Add in the commute, overtime, and the time we spend thinking about our jobs, and it seems like there isn't much time for anything else...

The "Yes, And" Rule.

I did improvisational theatre while I was in high school.  It was pretty much the only type of theatre I was decent at; I was horrible at memorizing lines, and my expressions were too over-the-top.  Improv came naturally to me though, and I ran with it.  In participating in it, I learned a valuable life lesson.

To be good at improv, there is one rule you have to engrain into your skull.  It's known as the "Yes, And" Rule.  The "Yes, And" Rule is simple... whenever an idea is brought into a scene, the actors must accept it as true (the yes) and commit to incorporating it throughout the scene.  This builds continuity, momentum, and integrity.

To Live Like You Were Dying.

I watched The Bucket List this morning.  This is the second time I've seen it.  Yes... I know it's sappy.  Yes... I'm okay with being a softy sometimes.

Anyway, the two main characters of the film embark on a journey of knocking out things they would like to do after hearing they have 6 months left to live.  Through their journey, they end up learning more about themselves and the world around them while providing joy to others in their final months.  The beauty of this story is that they took action and lived it out to the last breath, instead of just doing enough to survive.

I leave you with this...

Are you actively engaged in your own life?  Or doing just enough to survive?

Why Care About Age?

I've had a couple long conversations about age in the past week, so it seems valid to address it today. 

Why do we care about age?  It's all based on perceptions of others. 
Age really doesn't matter.  But for some reason we place importance on the number because we are told to.  It is our attempt to quantify (via time) something that is qualitative (life).

Age brings about the "shoulds".  By this age, you should be at this point... you should be able to handle these responsibilities... etc.  Who says you can't take care of that stuff now?  Using specific ages is just lazy thinking.

11 Things...

Today I stumbled upon a site called 11 Points.  Each posting is a list of 11 things / observations / ideas / considerations relevant to a chosen topic.  With this new found inspiration, I dare to submit my list of 11 Things that Make Me Happy (in no particular order):

1. A late night diner trip.
2. A flirtatious giggle and smile.
3. Guinness on tap.
4. Watching someone I'm rooting for succeeding.
5. Accomplishing precisely what I set out to do.
6. Hearing that song, to which the immediate reaction is "I haven't heard this in ages!" (bonus points if at a concert).
7. Taking a risk and hitting big.
8. A well-deserved high five, usually accompanied with an "Oh hell yes!".
9. A positive, out-of-the-blue message from a friend.
10. A well thought-out anything.  Idea.  Perspective.  Argument.  Toast.
11. Being clutch when the pressure is on.

I'm pretty sure that would make this week one of my happiest, considering I came across everything on this list...

Safety = Avoiding Unnecessary Risks

I sat in on a presentation today about all types of safety techniques.  You could sum up its message with the title of this post.

At the basic level, whenever you work in an inherently dangerous job, "Safety First" is always Rule Numero Uno.  This is to make sure the worker can continue to perform his/her duties for a long period of time.  Things get messy when safety isn't a consideration;  injuries cause missing workers, less work gets done, and money is lost due to medical bills and less output.

We should be applying that same idea to our own lives.  Now I'll be the first to admit that I never want you to live a "safe" life;  it brings this vision of living in a bubble with no challenges or risks so that you can be comfortable.  Being comfortable is overrated.  However, when you do live that awesome lifestyle that you've always dreamed of, I want to stress the idea of avoiding unnecessary risks.

What do I mean by avoiding unnecessary risks in this context?  Don't waste your time, energy, skills, or health on leaps that have nothing to do with what you want out of life. 

There Will Be Blood.

Today I went to the hospital for 3 different appointments.  No worries... just had to do some routine maintenance work. 

1. Learned about the importance of flossing from my dentist.  This is the umpteenth time that I have received this lesson.  It's a habit that always seems to escape me, but this may be when it will finally stick (I tell myself this every time I walk out of the dentist's office).
2. Got updated on my immunizations.  Eat it, seasonal flu! 
3. Went to the lab to do a little blood work.  They took what seemed like a lot of blood... 6 vials (insert random comment about vampires).  They're testing my cholesterol levels, so I had to fast for about 10 hours prior.

The reason for telling you all of this is not to bore you with mundane details about my life, but to focus on what I had to "endure" for my last appointment.  Giving up something like eating for almost half of a day sounds drastic (okay... not that drastic), but when you consider how I went about it, it was really easy to do.  My plan was simple;  I would sleep for most of the time and then spend the rest drinking water to quell hunger pangs.  It was a small "sacrifice" for a big return... in this case, a test to help assess my health.

Multi-tasking: How to Look Busy and Get Nothing Accomplished

Pick a random job posting, and 9 times out of 10 you'll see the "ability to multi-task" as a requisite.  In America, we tend to pride ourselves on how many things we can do in a limited amount of time.  The focus is on quantity, and our validation is based on how much we produce rather than what we actually produce.

What ever happened to a quest for quality?  And I'm not talking the business definition of quality, quality control, etc. but an actual pursuit of providing a complete, wholehearted output that you can stand behind and be proud of.

I've been on both sides of customer service, and have seen my fair share of successes and failures.  The best interactions have happened because a customer service representative literally stopped everything they were doing, gave the customer their complete attention, and focused specifically on the problem at hand.  In essence, they single-tasked.

The Only Goals I Like Seeing Are the Ones Hitting the Back of the Net.

I have been approached on many occasions to help people with their various savings plans.  Well, their lack of plans. 

See, many people who have gotten into this recent savings kick (which has become "sexy" again... only took another recession...) do so with the only motivation being that it should be done because someday we may lose it all.

"I might lose my job."
"How will I make payments on (insert random hoodad)?"
"I have bills to pay."
"I want to be secure."

Let's think about this for a minute.  Is just safety, security, peace of mind, etc. enough to keep you saving?  For some (and we're talking .001% of the population), yes.  For the bulk of us, heck no.