As we get older, wiser and more experienced, we often fall into a comfort zone. How can we avoid this monotonous routine in which we forget how to think outside the box? Find something that makes you marvel in wonder. It may seem silly, but I love looking out the plane window at the twinkling lights and bustling people below. It makes me feel small and yet significant in that I am part of some great intricate society. Here is why I think finding something wonderful is healthy to experience on a regular basis.
  1. Acknowledge the Unknown
    • When you wonder at how something is made, how something is done, or how something is connected, it means you admit to not knowing something. You become curious and that emotion keeps us young, inquisitive, and insightful. The moment you don't jump to conclusions, apply age-old logic, or make assumptions you open your mind to new possibilities. It challenges you to stay creative and learn new things and stay ahead of the competition.
  2. Remember the Little Things
    • Sometimes we can overlook what happens around us when we are focused on our own paths. Change can be big or small and if we crouch down to watch an ant or smell a tree we realize how much effort it takes to make something so simple work. Enjoying our favorite things like a kid again reminds you why you work so hard and will strengthen your enthusiasm.
  3. Think of Others
    • When you look at something else with open eyes, you lose sight of yourself a bit. Either putting yourself into someone else's shoes or imagining life from an alien's view, you quickly realize that you are only one small cog in the working world. Your efforts, accomplishments, and memories become after thoughts to history. How can you as a single spec possibly influence anything? I think you can, but this perspective enables that possibility.
Wondering at things smaller than you, bigger than you, and unknown to you is something I think everyone should practice regularly to stay rejuvenated. What do you do where you loose yourself a bit? Hike a mountain? Swim underwater? Meditate?
People deal with criticism in many different ways. Hearing negative things about you whether it is the hard truth or just plain mean is hard to do. I mean, ignoring it, responding, or redirecting it? Sure you can learn from it, stay positive, and return the favor but nothing seems like a perfect way to handle negativity and move on. Take for example these classic approaches from one of America's favorite TV Shows, The Big Bang Theory:
  1. Focusing on others
    • Howard and Bernadette are always pointing the blame. You think I did this? Well you did that! Why aren't you helping? It's not that you think you are perfect, you just know the truth that no one is perfect! If you bring other people down, they will stop looking out for you and might even start saying things behind your back.
  2. Focusing on yourself
    • A little self-centered and self-blaming are Penny and Leonard. They always are worrying about what others think of them, playing the what if game, and. Sometimes it is asking for advice and others it is leaning heavily on a shoulder to cry on. People can usually only handle listening to you talk about yourself for so long before they want you to reciprocate and listen as part of the conversation. Communication is two ways!
  3. Focusing on stuff
    • A new game? Your favorite seat? A particular food? Sounds like Sheldon and Rajesh. Inanimate objects might not be able to talk back and defend themselves from your blame misdirection, but that doesn't make it any better! It turns into a dependency on things and routines that may not be healthy.
Are you guilty of using one of these methods heavily? Maybe rethink how you deal with the negativity from others and try not to be one of these characters.
Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?
by: Billy Crystal

I just finished listening to Billy Crystal's autobiography at 65 years old and whether a fan of his comedy or not, I enjoyed his book mainly because of how it made me look at my own life. Am I making choices that I will regret later in life? Am I setting long term goals that I can achieve? I took away three big ideas from listening to Billy Crystal talk about himself, some chapters even in front of a live audience:
  1. You don't find real meaning by waiting for someone to give it to you
    • Billy shares the secret of the revelation given to him at his Bar Mitzvah... and things aren't what they seem at face value. People will tell you what they think you should think, how you should act, and how you should feel. If you wait for someone else to determine that for you, you might not get the answer you wanted. Which means, you should just define things for yourself from the beginning!
  2. Death is scary but that means you should talk about it
    • Whether you like it or not, as you get older your friends and family pass away. And it hurts! The fact is everyone is getting older every day and you will never be ready when it is time to say goodbye. Billy tells you to celebrate your birthday every year and even though planning your own demise is strange, just remember to tell your loved ones how you feel as often as possible.
  3. Happiness is not only skin deep
    • Billy loves his family, baseball, and his comedic career of stand-up and movies. You could tell he was happy not because of the fame and fortune, but because he loved doing it and in turn had loving support of friends and family. Overall, Billy's life seems full of good choices and few regrets and I started to admire him for it... until I realized that, well, if I was going to write my own autobiography, I'd want people to remember me that way too: for all the good times. :-) And why not?!
I rented this quick listen audiobook from my local library (via Overdrive). Have you read any good books lately?

Over the past month I have flown over the Rocky Mountains several times and every time I watch the white peaks roll by with silent awe. They stand so resilient against the harsh climate. The tops of them are always white and you can see how the heavy snow sags on one side from the high winds. The paths of avalanches are etched in steep patterns down the sides. Even seeing the mountains from above they seem tall. These mountains from this view are my inspiration this week. They are like corporations and that brands and values rarely change by individual efforts. How do companies stay so resilient through internal and external change?
  1. They make tough decisions
    • They have seen good times and bad times, given winning pitches and failures. Their experience leads them in their future decisions. They will never admit to having all the answers but they will always have a plan on how to tackle them. From the top, mountains may direct snowfall down a certain crevasse and it gathers speed on its way down. Once a decision that big starts, you can't second guess it and change the avalanche at the bottom. Mountains don't change their minds and neither can companies when there are that many hands involved.
  2. Together they are strong
    • The Rocky Mountains are our entertainment, our water source, and our Westward compass. Much of our lives rely upon them and it forms every stone and snowflake into the skyline just like the efforts of every employee help shape the continuous growth. And even avalanches and rock slides don't alter the landscape much.
  3. They keep in mind the long term
    • Everything makes sense from above because you can see so far in all directions. You can see the next thunderstorm rolling in. You can see lines that purposefully separate each of the land types. You can see the flow of water like a flowchart. From this perspective, long term intentions not only take precedence but mask some short term oversights. R&D release paths and industry trends are easier to plan and manage if you can see the big picture. 
Rocky Mountains from the plane

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
by Dan Heath and Chip Heath

One of my favorite quotes about change is:
“People don't resist change. They resist being changed.” ― Peter M. Senge
This quote rang true in this book in the way it dissects the way people react to change. The Heath brothers break down our self control into two parts: the rider and the elephant (Haidt) in which the Rider holds the reigns and is the leader... unless the stronger Elephant is distracted by something shiny. Thus, to be successful in influencing change in yourself or others you need to learn how to both direct the rider and motivate the elephant in addition to the basic path to reach your long term goals.

There are nine points made in this book, but my favorite three are:

  1. Follow the Bright Spots
    • Honestly, this is a lesson that I didn't implement early on in my career as a program manager. It is easy to listen to the "squeeky wheel" and try to get the nay-sayers on board with everyone else. I wanted a common starting point so we could move as a unit toward software adoption. Instead Switch showed me how to focus on the bright spots, the places your change IS working, the people that already successfully use and advocate for your idea. Ask: how did they get there? What part of the process have you overlooked that is key to adoption? Find what works for the rider and copy and paste!
  2. Shrink the Change
    • If you want to lose 20 pounds, how are you going to do that? Baby steps broken down to such a level of simplicity that it is hard NOT to do things differently. Start by saying no to donuts unless you go to the store and buy them yourself (not free Friday breakroom ones). Start by just carrying the pedometer every day. Don't say no sweets. Don't count calories. A simple checklist (see The Checklist Manifesto review coming soon) can help you realize your goals little by little. As the Heath brothers' say, break it down until it no longer spooks the elephant off course.
  3. Find the Feeling
    • I'm an analytical person and work with technical engineers on a regular basis so even though I know this technique, it still surprises me how influential it is. I am one that truly believes in the power of statistics and examples to sway my audience. The tough truth is that the elephant is motivated by many things and if you can understand how your target audience unintentionally reacts to things you can design ways around it.

One of the reasons I loved this book was because there were so many examples and stories. It talked about the size of popcorn buckets and weight loss, colored vests to prevent medication mistakes, and maps in local food donation drives. A recommended read!



About Me



So if you want to be happy at work like I am, then thanks for being a reader! I am a consultant that travels constantly and is always working with new people. I love what I do! I'm formally trained with an MBA and BS Engineering. At home and in my free time, I like to drink beer, travel, garden, read, hike with my dog, and play board games.

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