Rants, Raves and Faves
http://johnrenard.com
Rants, Raves and Faves
State of the Unions
I have been following the story that has been engulfing several states, including my own (NY), regarding the attack on union power by newly elected Republican Governors. Basically, it is about freakin' time. What the unions call an attack, or an assault or a trampling of some god-given universal right of collective bargaining is in reality a responsible attempt by the stewards of tax payer money to reduce the cost of labor and balance their respective states budgets.
Take Wisconsin for example. Republicans take over the statehouse and the governorship. I didn't follow their campaign promises but it is reported they campaigned on 1) reducing spending, 2) attracting new businesses 3) keeping taxes low and 4) other stuff I am sure sounds nice as promises to change the current bad financial situation. Sounds like a winning plan when your state is in deficit and losing jobs and businesses because of high costs and taxes.
States cannot print their own money to cover shortfalls. They must issue bonds or other debt obligations. If you have a systemic monetary deficit year after year, you become a greater risk of defaulting. Sort of like California. Scott Walker and the legislature have tried to curtail spending by finding ways to lower the cost of labor the state pays out in salary and benefits. This is the reason for all the fuss in Wisconsin.
As of this writing the legislation was passed without the 14 Democrat State Senators who broke quorum and headed off to Chicago. Instead of doing their duty of debate and voting, they took their marbles so nobody could pass legislation and negotiated from a Chicago hotel on terms to come back. In addition state workers, reinforced by outside organizations staged multi-day demonstrations and sit-ins at the capital.
Now that the budget is passed and the bond debt is secure and renegotiated, things have quieted down. But the unions who got beat by a Republican Governor who held firm to his convictions, was not intimated by union thuggery and AWOL democrats, vow to continue the fight with a recall drive. Well good luck with that. But the true recall vote happens on election day.
Wisconsin unions, as well as unions in other states, have been the beneficiary of lucrative contracts and benefits. Fifty years ago Wisconsin enshrined the right of collective bargaining of public unions into law. Well boys and girls, the party is over. What everybody forgets is that rights legislated into existence can be legislated out of existence.
Look for my next post all about rights. Until then I am...
Virtually yours
John Renard
Take Wisconsin for example. Republicans take over the statehouse and the governorship. I didn't follow their campaign promises but it is reported they campaigned on 1) reducing spending, 2) attracting new businesses 3) keeping taxes low and 4) other stuff I am sure sounds nice as promises to change the current bad financial situation. Sounds like a winning plan when your state is in deficit and losing jobs and businesses because of high costs and taxes.
States cannot print their own money to cover shortfalls. They must issue bonds or other debt obligations. If you have a systemic monetary deficit year after year, you become a greater risk of defaulting. Sort of like California. Scott Walker and the legislature have tried to curtail spending by finding ways to lower the cost of labor the state pays out in salary and benefits. This is the reason for all the fuss in Wisconsin.
As of this writing the legislation was passed without the 14 Democrat State Senators who broke quorum and headed off to Chicago. Instead of doing their duty of debate and voting, they took their marbles so nobody could pass legislation and negotiated from a Chicago hotel on terms to come back. In addition state workers, reinforced by outside organizations staged multi-day demonstrations and sit-ins at the capital.
Now that the budget is passed and the bond debt is secure and renegotiated, things have quieted down. But the unions who got beat by a Republican Governor who held firm to his convictions, was not intimated by union thuggery and AWOL democrats, vow to continue the fight with a recall drive. Well good luck with that. But the true recall vote happens on election day.
Wisconsin unions, as well as unions in other states, have been the beneficiary of lucrative contracts and benefits. Fifty years ago Wisconsin enshrined the right of collective bargaining of public unions into law. Well boys and girls, the party is over. What everybody forgets is that rights legislated into existence can be legislated out of existence.
Look for my next post all about rights. Until then I am...
Virtually yours
John Renard
One Good Turn....
Now that the snow is finally melting, and the prospects for another snow day is rapidly decreasing, I can relay this story. Actually I could have done it earlier but I've been lazy about maintaining my blog. Lots of ideas just no discipline in getting it all down.
Anyway my story is about snow. And a good neighbor. And an unexpected favor. Back in January when Long Island was hit with the second major snowstorm (since Christmas) I dutifully grabbed my shovel to battle the white demon horde of snowflakes to get my car clear so I could get to work. As I cut a path to the driveway from my back door, I saw my neighbor across the street, taking his wife to work in their Jeep.
As he noticed my heroic shoveling efforts he called me over and told me he had just bought a new, super deluxe snow blower and said to use it. He took me to the back shed, showed me how to start it, handed me the keys and took off with his wife.
I was kind of speechless. I don't think I could have handed over to a neighbor an expensive piece of machinery that I barely scratched the paint on. As he powered out of his driveway with the Jeep I began to clear the path from the back shed to the driveway. I then proceeded to clear his whole driveway before I started on mine.
Man it was sweet. What took hours the previous storm was done in minutes. Drunk with horsepower I cleared out both cars. Cut the driveway entrance larger. Man this machine ate through the leftovers of the last storm like nothing. I was going to clear the path to the front door when my adjacent neighbor started her digging out.
A quick rev of the motor and I was able to clear her out in minutes to much thanks. Turns out she was going to her dad's to help him dig out. Well snow blower time was coming to an end and it was time to take it home.
On the way to work I reflected on all the good that was done, with one trusting action among some acquaintances and strangers. What you give out to the world multiplies and impacts others before it comes back around to you. The saying goes "Aint Karma a bitch??" I say "Not if its a good turn!"
Virtually Yours
JOhn Renard
Anyway my story is about snow. And a good neighbor. And an unexpected favor. Back in January when Long Island was hit with the second major snowstorm (since Christmas) I dutifully grabbed my shovel to battle the white demon horde of snowflakes to get my car clear so I could get to work. As I cut a path to the driveway from my back door, I saw my neighbor across the street, taking his wife to work in their Jeep.
As he noticed my heroic shoveling efforts he called me over and told me he had just bought a new, super deluxe snow blower and said to use it. He took me to the back shed, showed me how to start it, handed me the keys and took off with his wife.
I was kind of speechless. I don't think I could have handed over to a neighbor an expensive piece of machinery that I barely scratched the paint on. As he powered out of his driveway with the Jeep I began to clear the path from the back shed to the driveway. I then proceeded to clear his whole driveway before I started on mine.
Man it was sweet. What took hours the previous storm was done in minutes. Drunk with horsepower I cleared out both cars. Cut the driveway entrance larger. Man this machine ate through the leftovers of the last storm like nothing. I was going to clear the path to the front door when my adjacent neighbor started her digging out.
A quick rev of the motor and I was able to clear her out in minutes to much thanks. Turns out she was going to her dad's to help him dig out. Well snow blower time was coming to an end and it was time to take it home.
On the way to work I reflected on all the good that was done, with one trusting action among some acquaintances and strangers. What you give out to the world multiplies and impacts others before it comes back around to you. The saying goes "Aint Karma a bitch??" I say "Not if its a good turn!"
Virtually Yours
JOhn Renard
Happy Birthday Mr. President.
No, not the current occupant of the White House. Today I choose to celebrate the 100th birthday of the first man I ever voted for President. Ronaldus Magnus aka Ronald Wilson Reagan. I came of voting age during the Watergate fiasco. I actually liked Richard Nixon, to the extent any young skull full of mush, political neophyte can like a president. He supported the space program. He was anti-communist. He generally supported policies that I agreed with. Back then I knew I agreed with Republican values more so then with Democrats.
Opposition against the war was mostly from the Democrat spectrum, which solidified my Republican leanings. At the time it was fashionable to wear your hair long, smoke dope and be against the war in Vietnam AND vote Democrat. After all it was going to be our generation who was going to be sent to that meat grinder in southeast Asia. But I was not into any of that. I was fully comfortable with the fact that I may be called to "fight for freedom" in some remote hell hole. After all, I was raised on John Wayne movies and had a slanted view of a just war from all those Saturday afternoon WWII movies made in the late 40's and 50's.
Once Nixon was ousted and we dealt with the aftermath of Gerald Ford and the election of Jimmy Carter, I stayed out politics until 1980. Ronald Reagan was the first President I voted for. First of all he embodied the view that America is inherently a good place, full of good people, doing good things for each other and the world. Especially after all the crap we had to go through with the Vietnam war ending badly, Nixon resigning, the failure of the economy under Gerald Ford AND Carter, and 444 Days of the Iran Hostage debacle, it was refreshing to hear some good news for a change.
The nattering naysayers and nitpickers(mostly Democrats) brushed Reagan off as a boob and a simpleton. A 2nd rate actor trying to sell the same old unsophisticated and outdated message of "American Greatness". It amazes me even to this day how elected officials, cough *Obama* cough, want to tear their own country down in order to score some political points. But despite the brain cloud of negativity, Regan's message resonated with the American People. Elected in electoral landslides (that's electoral votes not popular votes) Reagan cleaned the clock of his very liberal opposition TWICE!
Happy Birthday Mr. President Reagan and Well Done Sir! I am glad I was able to help with my 2 votes.
Virtually Yours,
John Renard
Opposition against the war was mostly from the Democrat spectrum, which solidified my Republican leanings. At the time it was fashionable to wear your hair long, smoke dope and be against the war in Vietnam AND vote Democrat. After all it was going to be our generation who was going to be sent to that meat grinder in southeast Asia. But I was not into any of that. I was fully comfortable with the fact that I may be called to "fight for freedom" in some remote hell hole. After all, I was raised on John Wayne movies and had a slanted view of a just war from all those Saturday afternoon WWII movies made in the late 40's and 50's.
Once Nixon was ousted and we dealt with the aftermath of Gerald Ford and the election of Jimmy Carter, I stayed out politics until 1980. Ronald Reagan was the first President I voted for. First of all he embodied the view that America is inherently a good place, full of good people, doing good things for each other and the world. Especially after all the crap we had to go through with the Vietnam war ending badly, Nixon resigning, the failure of the economy under Gerald Ford AND Carter, and 444 Days of the Iran Hostage debacle, it was refreshing to hear some good news for a change.
The nattering naysayers and nitpickers(mostly Democrats) brushed Reagan off as a boob and a simpleton. A 2nd rate actor trying to sell the same old unsophisticated and outdated message of "American Greatness". It amazes me even to this day how elected officials, cough *Obama* cough, want to tear their own country down in order to score some political points. But despite the brain cloud of negativity, Regan's message resonated with the American People. Elected in electoral landslides (that's electoral votes not popular votes) Reagan cleaned the clock of his very liberal opposition TWICE!
Happy Birthday Mr. President Reagan and Well Done Sir! I am glad I was able to help with my 2 votes.
Virtually Yours,
John Renard
In Situ with the SOTU
Definitions: 1730–40; < Latin in situ lit., in place
SOTU - State of the Union
Yes I know the SOTU was on Tuesday, but I have been bedridden by a particulary nasty virus that
sapped all my strength and left me a quivering, sweaty mess. But I digress. What most impressed
me about Pres. Obama's speech was the absolute disconnect from reality. While acknowledging the
political reality of now having to work with the Republicans, he still listed all the "investments"
that we as a country need to make in order the "Win the Future".
If he was really concerned about America winning the future he would resign tomorrow and hand
power over to somebody who knows what they are doing. After 2 years of excessive spending with
little economic results to show for it, groundbreaking unpopular legislation, expansion of the
entitlement state as well as mismanagement of crisis after crisis he is just coming the realization
that "governing seems to be harder than campaigning".
Full Disclosure. I am a Tea Partier. I have voted Repbulican all my life except for those
rare occasions when I saw a principled Independent(once) or Democrat(never). The point is principles
drive me. Not party or personality. How can the President first speak of freezing spending at current
levels(unsustainable Trillion + dollar deficit), and then follow up with his "investment" lists.
Which, if you pay attention to these things, is always the same: Education, High speed rail, Energy Independence, Green Jobs, yada, yada, yada. All with the same results for the past 50 years: Our schools suck, we are more dependent on foreign oil, Amtrack loses almost billion dollars a year, and the ONLY job growth is in the government sector.
If the trillions that were spent on these investments hasn't worked yet, what makes you think it
will this time? Insanity! Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Create spending limits. Ignore spending limits. Raise Debt Ceiling. Print more money.
Buy your own Treasurey Bonds. Devalue your currency. End Result: Collapse of Economic System.
The SOTU responses from the Republicans and the Tea Party got it right. STOP THE MADNESS!!!
The first test of the new Tea Party Caucus will be how their members handle the Debt Ceiling Vote.
My hope is that the members find their spine and stop the increase. Then cut spending down to size.
Personal note: With my hiatus of personal grooming during my illness, the Fusion+ shaver from my first blog posting did an excellent job of cutting through the 3 day growth of beard. - Still a Fave!
Virtually yours,
John Renard
SOTU - State of the Union
Yes I know the SOTU was on Tuesday, but I have been bedridden by a particulary nasty virus that
sapped all my strength and left me a quivering, sweaty mess. But I digress. What most impressed
me about Pres. Obama's speech was the absolute disconnect from reality. While acknowledging the
political reality of now having to work with the Republicans, he still listed all the "investments"
that we as a country need to make in order the "Win the Future".
If he was really concerned about America winning the future he would resign tomorrow and hand
power over to somebody who knows what they are doing. After 2 years of excessive spending with
little economic results to show for it, groundbreaking unpopular legislation, expansion of the
entitlement state as well as mismanagement of crisis after crisis he is just coming the realization
that "governing seems to be harder than campaigning".
Full Disclosure. I am a Tea Partier. I have voted Repbulican all my life except for those
rare occasions when I saw a principled Independent(once) or Democrat(never). The point is principles
drive me. Not party or personality. How can the President first speak of freezing spending at current
levels(unsustainable Trillion + dollar deficit), and then follow up with his "investment" lists.
Which, if you pay attention to these things, is always the same: Education, High speed rail, Energy Independence, Green Jobs, yada, yada, yada. All with the same results for the past 50 years: Our schools suck, we are more dependent on foreign oil, Amtrack loses almost billion dollars a year, and the ONLY job growth is in the government sector.
If the trillions that were spent on these investments hasn't worked yet, what makes you think it
will this time? Insanity! Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Create spending limits. Ignore spending limits. Raise Debt Ceiling. Print more money.
Buy your own Treasurey Bonds. Devalue your currency. End Result: Collapse of Economic System.
The SOTU responses from the Republicans and the Tea Party got it right. STOP THE MADNESS!!!
The first test of the new Tea Party Caucus will be how their members handle the Debt Ceiling Vote.
My hope is that the members find their spine and stop the increase. Then cut spending down to size.
Personal note: With my hiatus of personal grooming during my illness, the Fusion+ shaver from my first blog posting did an excellent job of cutting through the 3 day growth of beard. - Still a Fave!
Virtually yours,
John Renard
I Resolve....
to say a lot more this year in my blog than last year. Man, last post was in February and non since. I could post on a free site and avoid the charges of my own domain, but I like the idea I locked in JohnRenard.com. So basically it is up to me to do something with it.
As I write today the 112th Congress was sworn in today. It is a big deal because Republicans are back in charge of the House. The election in November was a massive repudiation of the President, his agenda and the spending in both houses of Congress. It's a big deal when the power structure changes in Washington. In most countries lawmakers or executives don't go without some blood being spilled in the streets OR they don't go. Period. America has over 200 years of peaceful transitions of power under the same government structure.
SInce 2008 I have been the most politically active in my life. Besides voting in every election, following the candidates, knowing the issues and talking about them, I have marched on Washington twice and contacted my representatives. I consider myself a Tea Partier and although I have not gotten as involved in local politics as others, that will change this year.
Let this blog record the events and see if anything changes.
Electronically yours,
JR
As I write today the 112th Congress was sworn in today. It is a big deal because Republicans are back in charge of the House. The election in November was a massive repudiation of the President, his agenda and the spending in both houses of Congress. It's a big deal when the power structure changes in Washington. In most countries lawmakers or executives don't go without some blood being spilled in the streets OR they don't go. Period. America has over 200 years of peaceful transitions of power under the same government structure.
SInce 2008 I have been the most politically active in my life. Besides voting in every election, following the candidates, knowing the issues and talking about them, I have marched on Washington twice and contacted my representatives. I consider myself a Tea Partier and although I have not gotten as involved in local politics as others, that will change this year.
Let this blog record the events and see if anything changes.
Electronically yours,
JR
DEBUG YOUR LIFE
Debug Your Life
Third of a series.Anybody who has written code for a living(programmer, web developer, software engineer, etc..) is familiar with the concept of debugging. Before putting your code into production (where other people will actually use it) it is best to test the code to insure it is free from errors and does what it is supposed to do. When you debug you are halting the program at certain spots called "breakpoints" which allow you to examine aspects of the program to verify it is working properly. Click here to learn how the phrase was coined.
As I wrote in my previous entry Routine Success the 4 step process for success is:
Step 1 Decide
Step 2 Take some action
Step 3 Evaluate
Step 4 Repeat until successful
It occurred to me one day as I was stepping through some code, in hunt of a pesky error, that Step 3 came to mind. "Wouldn't it be great if people could DEBUG their own lives the way programmers DEBUG code"? Thus was born this blog entry.
So what is involved in debugging your life? The first thing needed is a sense that you aren't having the level of success you expect in your life. O maybe you find yourself repeating the same mistakes you have made in the past. In other words there is a problem. Trust me, if you are breathing and on this planet, you have problems.
So how does this relate to programming?? Well if I have a program I am writing and it is not working, I am not going to get too far. The program won't be accepted if it fails to work as designed, and I may find myself looking for another line of work.
The second thing you need is an awareness of how your thoughts and actions may be contributing to your problems. This is a hard one, because we all tend to look outside ourselves when we look to pin blame. Trust me I can prove this point. Don't believe me?? Then answer this question --- What person is always there when "stuff" happens??
Answer?? You are!!!! By this definition you are contributing to the problem.
How does a programmer relate? Well I am the author of the program (or at least the current editor). I am the one writing the statements to tell the computer what to do. Maybe I am using another programmers code, but I'm the one doing the work right now!
So what is the third thing involved in debugging your life?? I call this preparing the battlefield. In this case the battlefield is inside your head. Your thoughts(feelings) determine your actions. Your actions effect the outside world (people, places, things). The outside world effects your thoughts(feelings). Once again there you are! Its one big loop that starts and end with you.
YOU ---------> OUTSIDE YOU ---------> YOU
Thoughts and Feelings ------------> ACTIONS ------------> EFFECTS ------------> Thoughts and Feelings
So You are the programmer. Your thoughts and feelings are the program statements. Everything you do and experience is the program running. So how do we evaluate whether the program is working correctly?? Look at the results.
If you are not (experiencing the effects you desire) or (experiencing the effects you expect) then you need to do some debugging and determine how you are contributing the the problem else nothing will change End If
(In case you didn't notice I threw in some programming lingo in that last paragraph)
Digitally Yours
How to setup TOS Charts - Part 1
Setting up TOS Charts Part 1
Resolute - shuns
I hate New Year's Resolutions. The whole idea that once a year we get to hit the reset button on all our past behaviors in a vain attempt to "change" something we don't like about ourselves. I think the apostle Paul got it right when he wrote in his letter to the Romans in Chapter 7, Verse 19 "For what I do is not the good that I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."
(New International Version of the Bible)
I think Paul is on to something here. For all our desires to do the right thing (lose weight, stop smoking, be a better person, etc..) there is a profound disconnect between what we think or say we want to do, and what we actually take action doing. Most of us aren't engaging in major evil like murder, mayhem, or corporate fraud. We are engaged in the "little" evils, the "no big deal" kinda stuff like lying, cheating, ignoring our families. The actions or sometimes inaction we engage in ping on our consciences, until the little warning voice is smothered by all the "no big deals" or other rationalizations.
The only time we can REALLY make a change in our behavior is NOW. Not New Year's Eve. Or Later. Or Someday. NOW is the only time we have. Don't believe me? Try doing something yesterday. Nope. Can't do it. Yesterday is gone and it isn't coming back. Well yeah of course, but I can always do something tomorrow, right?
Well you can't actually do it tomorrow. You have to wait until tomorrow is today and then do it at when the time becomes NOW. Plus what about all the other things you put off until that tomorrow which is now today?? Not to mention all the events that happened from yesterday until now that may impact your ability to do anything NOW. As Roseanne Rosannadana used to say on SNL "If it's not one thing, it's another!"
You want to become resolute? You wanna make some changes this year? I did. We had another couple over to celebrate the new year along with my two teenage children. About an hour before midnight we played a game. I called it "5 Things" I handed out an index card to each along with a pen. Then we told each other 5 things we would like to change in ourselves. We each wrote another persons 5 things with the rule that it had to come from the person and not put on them by another person. Then we gave the person their card and toasted the New Year.
So what 5 Things would you like to change about yourself this year. Write them down. Reflect on them and be about it. NOW!
Digitally Yours
(New International Version of the Bible)
I think Paul is on to something here. For all our desires to do the right thing (lose weight, stop smoking, be a better person, etc..) there is a profound disconnect between what we think or say we want to do, and what we actually take action doing. Most of us aren't engaging in major evil like murder, mayhem, or corporate fraud. We are engaged in the "little" evils, the "no big deal" kinda stuff like lying, cheating, ignoring our families. The actions or sometimes inaction we engage in ping on our consciences, until the little warning voice is smothered by all the "no big deals" or other rationalizations.
The only time we can REALLY make a change in our behavior is NOW. Not New Year's Eve. Or Later. Or Someday. NOW is the only time we have. Don't believe me? Try doing something yesterday. Nope. Can't do it. Yesterday is gone and it isn't coming back. Well yeah of course, but I can always do something tomorrow, right?
Well you can't actually do it tomorrow. You have to wait until tomorrow is today and then do it at when the time becomes NOW. Plus what about all the other things you put off until that tomorrow which is now today?? Not to mention all the events that happened from yesterday until now that may impact your ability to do anything NOW. As Roseanne Rosannadana used to say on SNL "If it's not one thing, it's another!"
You want to become resolute? You wanna make some changes this year? I did. We had another couple over to celebrate the new year along with my two teenage children. About an hour before midnight we played a game. I called it "5 Things" I handed out an index card to each along with a pen. Then we told each other 5 things we would like to change in ourselves. We each wrote another persons 5 things with the rule that it had to come from the person and not put on them by another person. Then we gave the person their card and toasted the New Year.
So what 5 Things would you like to change about yourself this year. Write them down. Reflect on them and be about it. NOW!
Digitally Yours
RAVE - Unconventional Wisdom
What do Mohammed Yunnus, Sarah Palin, Bill Gates and Rush Limbaugh have in common? All of them have endured stinging criticism, had obstacles put in their way by the powers that be and have achieved astounding success by beating back the “conventional wisdom”.
Sarah Palin is the latest victim of the conventional wisdom crowd that is seeking to define her as a quitter and unable to stand up to obstacles and difficulties. Although this story is still being played out in the Mainstream Media there are glimmers of greatness in her methods and genius in the delivery of her message. Many people see the future of the Conservative Republican movement in her message and are inspired by her life story and the direction she is now taking as she prepares to leave the position of Governor behind. Others can’t stand her and view her as a threat to the policies they hold sacred – namely abortion, feminism and equal rights; as well as their political power.
The political class and its followers cannot fathom her reasons for leaving, even as Gov. Palin laid them out in exacting detail: 1) I’m not running for re-election 2) I don’t want to be a lame duck governor wasting the taxpayers money; 3) I am transferring power to the Lt. Governor who will continue the agenda we started ; 4) As long as I am governor I will continue to be attacked by operatives who will raise dubious charges (like the 15 that were all dismissed) ; 5)Fighting these charges is costing the taxpayers money and wasting time; 6) Fighting these charges has also has impacted my family finances; 7) I can be more effective in spreading my message across America as well as defend my family as a private citizen instead of Governor.
If a non-political guy like me can figure it out, why can’t the polical savants in Washington DC and New York? Political conventional wisdom suggests you stay in office on the taxpayers dime as you seek higher office. Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER mean what you say and say what you mean or ever give a REAL reason why you are doing something. You ALWAYS say “it’s for the children” or “it’s for the poor”. Political conventional wisdom suggests that the most important thing is to get elected and STAY elected because of all the “good” you can do (for the previously mentioned children and poor). Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER give up power amd always seek to increase your power and influence (again for the children and the poor). Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER go outside the box that the mainstream media draws around you and when they say you are “finished” you might as well give up.
I believe Sarah cares more about her state and its taxpayers than her own personal ambition. I also believe she is freeing herself up for a major campaign to help Republican Conservatives spread a consistent message of low taxes, smaller government and more freedom. Time will tell whether Gov. Palin will succeed. However, the seeds of success are present in her actions, as her opposition keeps reporting on how she will fail because she is not following “conventional wisdom”.
Let us take a quick look at how conventional wisdom dealt with the others mentioned at the beginning of this post:
Mohammed Yunnis turned the entire concept of banking on its head by creating Grameen Bank which makes micro-loans (very small amounts) to the poorest of the poor. Starting first in his home country of Bangladesh in the 70’s, Yunnis discovered that the best way to help the poor help themselves is to provide small amounts of capital. These micro-loans (usually not more than $25 US) enable the poor (mostly women) to control the means of production of any number of small businesses from which they earn a profit. They pay back the loans, sometimes a penny at a time, and the loan default rate is less than 5%. The borrowers are organized into small groups to help each other and keep everyone accountable for the debt.
Previously the poor would have to work for a third party or borrow money at exhorbitant rates and generate barely enough to feed the family for a day. Yunnis ran smack into a wall of “conventional wisdom” when he tried to present his idea for helping the poor with micro-loans. “These amounts are too small for us to bother with” ; “The poor don’t pay money back”; “They are illiterate they can’t even write their name or fill out an application” were some of the responses he received when he took his idea to bankers.
Despite the opposition from local bankers, central bankers, government bureaucrats and even the World Bank, Yuniss built Grameen Bank into a global enterprise helping millions of poor through the simple idea of micro-loans. His story can be found in Banker To the Poor. The idea of micro-capitalism is an idea that can revolutionize impoversished populations anywhere.
Bill Gates through his company Microsoft made computers more personal and fun. Once the domain of scientists and engineers, computers were reserved for air conditioned rooms with hordes of specialists to attend them. As the hardware became smaller and cheaper Gates had the vision of a computer in every home that was easy to use by anyone. Conventional Wisdom said that computers are too complicated for untrained people to use or that only a BIG company like IBM or DIGITAL can make it happen . But Gates achieved his vision and revolutionized the industry making the information age possible.
Rush Limbaugh has lost count of the number of times he was told “You can’t do that!” by conventional wisdom when he was building his talk radio career. When he makes the claim that “He is Talk Radio” it is not far from the truth. His syndicated show is broadcast on over 500 radio stations with a weekly audience approaching 20 million listeners. Whether you agree with his politics or not you cannot deny he knows how to hold an audience and charge “confiscatory advertising rates” to the benefit of himself, his advertisers and the industry.
The problem with conventional wisdom is that it is so….. conventional. It is the middle of the pack, the average, the majority, the fat part of the bell curve where most of us live. To be excellent means breaking out of the pack and exposing yourself to the mundane critics who are content in their mediocrity and attack anyone who thinks they are capable of being more then average.
As for Sarah? You go girl! I agree with your policies. I agree with your message. I also look forward to the first female president being a conservative. Now wouldn’t that just drive the liberals nuts!! Sorry Hillary.
Sarah Palin is the latest victim of the conventional wisdom crowd that is seeking to define her as a quitter and unable to stand up to obstacles and difficulties. Although this story is still being played out in the Mainstream Media there are glimmers of greatness in her methods and genius in the delivery of her message. Many people see the future of the Conservative Republican movement in her message and are inspired by her life story and the direction she is now taking as she prepares to leave the position of Governor behind. Others can’t stand her and view her as a threat to the policies they hold sacred – namely abortion, feminism and equal rights; as well as their political power.
The political class and its followers cannot fathom her reasons for leaving, even as Gov. Palin laid them out in exacting detail: 1) I’m not running for re-election 2) I don’t want to be a lame duck governor wasting the taxpayers money; 3) I am transferring power to the Lt. Governor who will continue the agenda we started ; 4) As long as I am governor I will continue to be attacked by operatives who will raise dubious charges (like the 15 that were all dismissed) ; 5)Fighting these charges is costing the taxpayers money and wasting time; 6) Fighting these charges has also has impacted my family finances; 7) I can be more effective in spreading my message across America as well as defend my family as a private citizen instead of Governor.
If a non-political guy like me can figure it out, why can’t the polical savants in Washington DC and New York? Political conventional wisdom suggests you stay in office on the taxpayers dime as you seek higher office. Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER mean what you say and say what you mean or ever give a REAL reason why you are doing something. You ALWAYS say “it’s for the children” or “it’s for the poor”. Political conventional wisdom suggests that the most important thing is to get elected and STAY elected because of all the “good” you can do (for the previously mentioned children and poor). Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER give up power amd always seek to increase your power and influence (again for the children and the poor). Political conventional wisdom says you NEVER go outside the box that the mainstream media draws around you and when they say you are “finished” you might as well give up.
I believe Sarah cares more about her state and its taxpayers than her own personal ambition. I also believe she is freeing herself up for a major campaign to help Republican Conservatives spread a consistent message of low taxes, smaller government and more freedom. Time will tell whether Gov. Palin will succeed. However, the seeds of success are present in her actions, as her opposition keeps reporting on how she will fail because she is not following “conventional wisdom”.
Let us take a quick look at how conventional wisdom dealt with the others mentioned at the beginning of this post:
Mohammed Yunnis turned the entire concept of banking on its head by creating Grameen Bank which makes micro-loans (very small amounts) to the poorest of the poor. Starting first in his home country of Bangladesh in the 70’s, Yunnis discovered that the best way to help the poor help themselves is to provide small amounts of capital. These micro-loans (usually not more than $25 US) enable the poor (mostly women) to control the means of production of any number of small businesses from which they earn a profit. They pay back the loans, sometimes a penny at a time, and the loan default rate is less than 5%. The borrowers are organized into small groups to help each other and keep everyone accountable for the debt.
Previously the poor would have to work for a third party or borrow money at exhorbitant rates and generate barely enough to feed the family for a day. Yunnis ran smack into a wall of “conventional wisdom” when he tried to present his idea for helping the poor with micro-loans. “These amounts are too small for us to bother with” ; “The poor don’t pay money back”; “They are illiterate they can’t even write their name or fill out an application” were some of the responses he received when he took his idea to bankers.
Despite the opposition from local bankers, central bankers, government bureaucrats and even the World Bank, Yuniss built Grameen Bank into a global enterprise helping millions of poor through the simple idea of micro-loans. His story can be found in Banker To the Poor. The idea of micro-capitalism is an idea that can revolutionize impoversished populations anywhere.
Bill Gates through his company Microsoft made computers more personal and fun. Once the domain of scientists and engineers, computers were reserved for air conditioned rooms with hordes of specialists to attend them. As the hardware became smaller and cheaper Gates had the vision of a computer in every home that was easy to use by anyone. Conventional Wisdom said that computers are too complicated for untrained people to use or that only a BIG company like IBM or DIGITAL can make it happen . But Gates achieved his vision and revolutionized the industry making the information age possible.
Rush Limbaugh has lost count of the number of times he was told “You can’t do that!” by conventional wisdom when he was building his talk radio career. When he makes the claim that “He is Talk Radio” it is not far from the truth. His syndicated show is broadcast on over 500 radio stations with a weekly audience approaching 20 million listeners. Whether you agree with his politics or not you cannot deny he knows how to hold an audience and charge “confiscatory advertising rates” to the benefit of himself, his advertisers and the industry.
The problem with conventional wisdom is that it is so….. conventional. It is the middle of the pack, the average, the majority, the fat part of the bell curve where most of us live. To be excellent means breaking out of the pack and exposing yourself to the mundane critics who are content in their mediocrity and attack anyone who thinks they are capable of being more then average.
As for Sarah? You go girl! I agree with your policies. I agree with your message. I also look forward to the first female president being a conservative. Now wouldn’t that just drive the liberals nuts!! Sorry Hillary.
ROUTINE SUCCESS
Routine Success
Second of a Series
Ok. So you have your goals written down in a SMART manner(If not please review the post Where have you been? Where are you going?). You know what you want to achieve (S-Specific). You know when you achieve it (M-Measurable). You have a general idea what to do (A-Action Plan). You know why you want to achieve it (R-Relevant). You know the date when you want to achieve it (T-Time bound). Now what?? All the goals, and may I also add, dreams, wants, desires, aspirations, hopes will NOT come into existence unless you begin to take action.
Many goals never see reality because we are too busy. Remember that a goal is a "planned conflict with the present". Meaning that in order to achieve your goals you will need to insert the items of your action plan into your daily routine. It is called a "conflict" because the goal action is going to collide with all the other things you want or need to do. It is called "planned" because you decided to do it. Every moment of every day is a decision point. Do I work on a goal item or something else? Whether you are conscious of it or not, you make a statement of what you value most, by what you get done.
Where most goals fail is in the execution of the action plan. If we fail to take action on a goal it will begin to lose the urgency it had in the beginning. In addition all kinds of other feelings and emotions begin to pop into our daily thoughts. Here are some common emotions and the thoughts that accompany them whenever we try to make meaningful change:
1. Fear - "I never did this before"
2. Impatience - "This is taking too long"
3. Doubt - "I can't do this"
4. Laziness - "This is too much work"
5. Rationalization - "Why do I want to do that, everything is fine"
I am sure you can come up with your own list. All of these whining voices have one thing in common. They want you to stay in your comfort zone. Here is a little tip. All meaningful change happens OUTSIDE your comfort zone. Most of the time we are pulled out of our comfort zone by other people and events. Isn't it time we planned our own change for a meaningful difference??
Remember that the 'A' in SMART stands for Action Plan. The"action" part is going to be the most fluid part of your goal plan. It will be the main focus of this article. So how do we combat our natural tendency to stay in our comfort zone and effect some meaningful change in our lives by achieving our goals?? You need to make it a habit.
By "routine success" I mean you need a Success Routine. Certain steps you take every day to insure you are moving in the direction you have decided. People who consistently achieve success have mastered this very simple success routine that I am about to reveal. In fact they have so mastered this technique that they don't even think about it, they do it. In fact, you are doing it right now with all the results you are currently accomplishing. The trick is to apply the same process to those things outside the norm. Outside the comfort zone.
Step 1 Decide to act
Step 2 Take some action to achieve the result
Step 3 Evaluate whether the action brought you closer to achieving the desire
Step 4 If you haven't achieved the goal yet, change your approach and repeat the process.
With basic wants and needs it easy. For example:
1. (Decision) I am hungry, i wanna eat
2. (Take action) you look around for something to eat and find a candy bar and eat it
3. (Evaluate) I'm still hungry
4. (Change approach and repeat) Probably need to go out for pizza or do some shopping
As the above example illustrates we are already using the 4 steps of the success routine to take care of our basic needs and mundane maintenance. The challenge is to integrate these steps with the action plans of our Goals, and begin the process of achieving them. This routine needs to become a habit. In the end we determine our priorities by what we DO, not by what we PLAN to do.
Step 1 Decide
Write down every task you either need to do(because of outside forces or situations) or want to do (goal actions or other desires). This becomes your action list for the day. Each task should be a single task that can reasonably be done within the daily time frame. Large or complex tasks need to be broken down into smaller tasks and scheduled over several days. Each item needs to be prioritized with an A, B or C. The priority system uses A for vital tasks, B for Important tasks and C for "Would be nice to do tasks". Priority has nothing to do with the due date but with the relationship of that task to your goals and values.
The next step is to sequence the tasks in order of priority. Sowith all your A tasks which is the most important to you? That is your A1 task. By going through this process for the A's B's and C tasks you are creating the work plan for that day. Now in the case of a task which is time sensitive you can mark those with an asterisk(*). Those are the tasks of a work of maintenance nature which need to be done and have consequences if they are not completed today.
Step 2 Take Action
Start working the list and checking off the tasks as they are completed. When is a task completed? When you don't have to think about it anymore. This is the reason to make your tasks simple and doable in a day. Something magical begins to happen when you start to see your tasks checked off. Whether its confidence or the feeling of accomplishment or something else, there is power in getting things done.
As to the order of the tasks you work on, that is totally up to you. Your A level priorities may deal with your family which you can'taccomplish until you are home. In addition, work related prioritiesmay change because of your boss or other reasons. Either way, as youcontinue to review your list and check off the completed tasks you havea record of how you spent your time. Which leads us to the nextstep....
Step 3 Evaluate Your Actions
So how did you do with your list?? I can almost guarantee you had more "tasks" than "day" to completethem. If not, then you are under scheduling your day. You need tomove out of your comfort zone and turn the heat up a little because youwill not accomplish more, until you push yourself to accomplish more. The best time to evaluate is either at the end of the day or when yourepeat the process at the start of the next day when you buildtomorrows list.
So what DID you accomplish?? Were the quick hit B and C taskstaken care of at the expense of the more important A tasks? This dailyevaluation process is often skipped by many people. This is because itshows what was actually done rather than what was planned. Realitybites us sometimes, especially when we think we have it all undercontrol. This evaluation process needs to motivate us to do somethingdifferent. Which leads to....
Step 4 Change Approach and Do it all again, but differently!
Asthe saying goes "Tomorrow is another day" so what will you dodifferent? First you will rewrite your daily list for today's tasks. Anything that wasn't done, gets moved to the next day unless you candelegate it to somebody else or just drop it entirely. Now, justbecause something was an A task yesterday doesn't make it the sametoday. All the tasks need to be prioritized again, but this time withthe self knowledge we acquired back in step 3 along with the newpriorities and mundane maintenance of today.
A wise man once said "Insanity is doing the same thing every day,and expecting a different result". So STOP THE INSANITY! Learn fromyour past actions ( I won't call them mistakes) and start moving inthe direction of your goals. You will be glad you did.
Second of a Series
Ok. So you have your goals written down in a SMART manner(If not please review the post Where have you been? Where are you going?). You know what you want to achieve (S-Specific). You know when you achieve it (M-Measurable). You have a general idea what to do (A-Action Plan). You know why you want to achieve it (R-Relevant). You know the date when you want to achieve it (T-Time bound). Now what?? All the goals, and may I also add, dreams, wants, desires, aspirations, hopes will NOT come into existence unless you begin to take action.
Many goals never see reality because we are too busy. Remember that a goal is a "planned conflict with the present". Meaning that in order to achieve your goals you will need to insert the items of your action plan into your daily routine. It is called a "conflict" because the goal action is going to collide with all the other things you want or need to do. It is called "planned" because you decided to do it. Every moment of every day is a decision point. Do I work on a goal item or something else? Whether you are conscious of it or not, you make a statement of what you value most, by what you get done.
Where most goals fail is in the execution of the action plan. If we fail to take action on a goal it will begin to lose the urgency it had in the beginning. In addition all kinds of other feelings and emotions begin to pop into our daily thoughts. Here are some common emotions and the thoughts that accompany them whenever we try to make meaningful change:
1. Fear - "I never did this before"
2. Impatience - "This is taking too long"
3. Doubt - "I can't do this"
4. Laziness - "This is too much work"
5. Rationalization - "Why do I want to do that, everything is fine"
I am sure you can come up with your own list. All of these whining voices have one thing in common. They want you to stay in your comfort zone. Here is a little tip. All meaningful change happens OUTSIDE your comfort zone. Most of the time we are pulled out of our comfort zone by other people and events. Isn't it time we planned our own change for a meaningful difference??
Remember that the 'A' in SMART stands for Action Plan. The"action" part is going to be the most fluid part of your goal plan. It will be the main focus of this article. So how do we combat our natural tendency to stay in our comfort zone and effect some meaningful change in our lives by achieving our goals?? You need to make it a habit.
By "routine success" I mean you need a Success Routine. Certain steps you take every day to insure you are moving in the direction you have decided. People who consistently achieve success have mastered this very simple success routine that I am about to reveal. In fact they have so mastered this technique that they don't even think about it, they do it. In fact, you are doing it right now with all the results you are currently accomplishing. The trick is to apply the same process to those things outside the norm. Outside the comfort zone.
Step 1 Decide to act
Step 2 Take some action to achieve the result
Step 3 Evaluate whether the action brought you closer to achieving the desire
Step 4 If you haven't achieved the goal yet, change your approach and repeat the process.
With basic wants and needs it easy. For example:
1. (Decision) I am hungry, i wanna eat
2. (Take action) you look around for something to eat and find a candy bar and eat it
3. (Evaluate) I'm still hungry
4. (Change approach and repeat) Probably need to go out for pizza or do some shopping
As the above example illustrates we are already using the 4 steps of the success routine to take care of our basic needs and mundane maintenance. The challenge is to integrate these steps with the action plans of our Goals, and begin the process of achieving them. This routine needs to become a habit. In the end we determine our priorities by what we DO, not by what we PLAN to do.
Step 1 Decide
Write down every task you either need to do(because of outside forces or situations) or want to do (goal actions or other desires). This becomes your action list for the day. Each task should be a single task that can reasonably be done within the daily time frame. Large or complex tasks need to be broken down into smaller tasks and scheduled over several days. Each item needs to be prioritized with an A, B or C. The priority system uses A for vital tasks, B for Important tasks and C for "Would be nice to do tasks". Priority has nothing to do with the due date but with the relationship of that task to your goals and values.
The next step is to sequence the tasks in order of priority. Sowith all your A tasks which is the most important to you? That is your A1 task. By going through this process for the A's B's and C tasks you are creating the work plan for that day. Now in the case of a task which is time sensitive you can mark those with an asterisk(*). Those are the tasks of a work of maintenance nature which need to be done and have consequences if they are not completed today.
Step 2 Take Action
Start working the list and checking off the tasks as they are completed. When is a task completed? When you don't have to think about it anymore. This is the reason to make your tasks simple and doable in a day. Something magical begins to happen when you start to see your tasks checked off. Whether its confidence or the feeling of accomplishment or something else, there is power in getting things done.
As to the order of the tasks you work on, that is totally up to you. Your A level priorities may deal with your family which you can'taccomplish until you are home. In addition, work related prioritiesmay change because of your boss or other reasons. Either way, as youcontinue to review your list and check off the completed tasks you havea record of how you spent your time. Which leads us to the nextstep....
Step 3 Evaluate Your Actions
So how did you do with your list?? I can almost guarantee you had more "tasks" than "day" to completethem. If not, then you are under scheduling your day. You need tomove out of your comfort zone and turn the heat up a little because youwill not accomplish more, until you push yourself to accomplish more. The best time to evaluate is either at the end of the day or when yourepeat the process at the start of the next day when you buildtomorrows list.
So what DID you accomplish?? Were the quick hit B and C taskstaken care of at the expense of the more important A tasks? This dailyevaluation process is often skipped by many people. This is because itshows what was actually done rather than what was planned. Realitybites us sometimes, especially when we think we have it all undercontrol. This evaluation process needs to motivate us to do somethingdifferent. Which leads to....
Step 4 Change Approach and Do it all again, but differently!
Asthe saying goes "Tomorrow is another day" so what will you dodifferent? First you will rewrite your daily list for today's tasks. Anything that wasn't done, gets moved to the next day unless you candelegate it to somebody else or just drop it entirely. Now, justbecause something was an A task yesterday doesn't make it the sametoday. All the tasks need to be prioritized again, but this time withthe self knowledge we acquired back in step 3 along with the newpriorities and mundane maintenance of today.
A wise man once said "Insanity is doing the same thing every day,and expecting a different result". So STOP THE INSANITY! Learn fromyour past actions ( I won't call them mistakes) and start moving inthe direction of your goals. You will be glad you did.