Are We Salmon?

"They go not only from cradle to cubical, but then to the casket, without uncovering their greatest talent and potential", Tom Rath, Strength Finder.

I just finished reading Mr. Rath's well researched book and loved the concept.  The premise is summed up beautifully in another quote from his book. He and another researcher "were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses.  Society's relentless focus on people's shortcomings had turned into a global obsession.  What's more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies."

In reading just the first 30 pages, it became apparent to me that many people who journey along the State of Being Cycle in pursuit of "Being" someone or something, may be pursuing an ideal or dream that is not in their arena of strengths.  We might be "fixing our weaknesses" versus developing our strengths.  Like swimming up stream, we may get there but with a lot of effort and it is very easy to slip back, giving way to the opposing current, hence the title of this blog.

In another aspect, some people may not take the plunge at all but just timidly waiting and not jumping from the State of Desire to the State of Being Cycle.  They know deep down that it is the wrong cycle to be on.  Perhaps it is not a question of being wrong or scared but just not knowing what is right.

Having gone thought the Strength Finder questionnaire and seeing the results, it becomes very clear that trying to achieve the attributes and traits we admire in others and aspire to acquire, may rob ourselves of those opportunities that are as clear as the nose on our face.  After gazing in my mirror, I realize that my own nose despite being a little pointy, is pretty darn good. 

Maybe in those moments where things are just not coming together, we need to step back and take a look at why.  I submit that perhaps we are needlessly trying to swim upstream.  Would it not be much easier to “go with the flow”?  Often we think that is going backwards and falling behind, but I also submit that the chances of surviving a Class V rapid is much greater going with it, not against it.

In the terrific true account of Teddy Roosevelt's epic journey down the "River of Doubt" (a book with the same title by Candice Millard), I found a perfect analogy.  At one part of this harrowing trip, a very wide and calm stretch of the river quickly narrowed to a space that a canoe could not even get through, bordered by high canyon walls.  The intensity of the funneled water increased exponentially into a powerful force that couldn't possibly be imagined.  Now think in term of your strengths.  How might they be channeled to generate a force that couldn't possibly be imagined?

Perhaps shifting to another State of Being Cycle …… one that plays to our strengths is certainly worth consider.

Mr. Rath also points out that strength is a combination of one’s natural abilities and the investment of time and effort to develop that talent (Talent + Investment = Strength). This makes perfect sense and the concept resonates with me.

I would like to add two things to that equation ..... desire and passion.  My interpretation is that talent is the fundamental ingredient and an obviously critical component.  Investing in your talent gives it the capacity to flourish.  To me, desire is the match and passion is the accelerant that makes things happen.  In my extensive study involving absolutely no data nor supporting clinical research, the degree to which a talent is fueled can turn it from a marshmallow-roasting campfire to a raging forest fire.  Without the fire of desire (sorry for the rhyme) and the accelerant of passion, talent could only be a pile of logs that once engaged could run out of fuel and burn out no matter how many logs you build upon.

Therefore, my equation is this ..... (Talent + Investment) x (Desire + Passion) = Strength

The moral of the story is that recognizing that you are on the wrong cycle is the best that can happen and the sooner the better.  Get on another that is flowing in your direction so you can glide effortlessly and swiftly propelled by your strengths.

Bottom line ….. we are not salmon after all.

God speed on your journey!

Recommended reading:

•   "Strength Find 2.0" by Tom Rath

•   "River of Doubt" by Candice Millard 

Not too Late to Innovate

On the morning of April 8^th, 2013, I begrudgingly woke up to begin my morning routine.  Glazed with the lack of sleep, I pummeled my alarm clock undeservingly three or four times to get a few skinny minutes of interrupted sleep.

I stumbled to the coffee maker and hit the magic button to percolate the life-giving four cups of coffee that I pre-loaded the night before.  I then hit the button on my radio that sits on my living room floor with my big toe. It too is pre-programmed to NPR at a volume I am sure my neighbors don’t appreciate at that hour.

I need to be on autopilot most mornings to get up and out, so the less I leave to chance the better! 

In disbelief, I stared in the mirror to look upon a much older imposter.  After I got over my disappointment that he was really me, I brushed my teeth, shaved, showered and sipped some coffee, all the while listening to NPR and the local public radio station.

I enjoy the slow paced news reporting and comprehensive featured stories that replace the rapid fire, repetitive TV or typical radio news delivered by talking heads being constantly interrupted by annoying commercials.  Besides getting updated on the latest world crisis and the daily reminders of how our constipated elected officials can’t make decisions, the broadcast helps to facilitate the waking process and slowly turn me into a human being.

This particular morning, I was listening to an interview by Jeremy Hobson in his syndicated Market Place Morning Report.  It was with Tom Agan, managing partner at Rivia, a firm specializing in innovation and brand consulting.  The topic was innovation and, more importantly, what is the best age for innovation.

The refreshing message, clear and straight, … it is never too late to innovate and, in reality, those that are most innovative are a little long in the tooth.  So there’s not only hope but proof that folks in their forties and fifties can and do create new products,  … and to take it further … change careers, begin a new life, do something great or become someone they always wanted to be.

The key thread through Mr. Hobson’s story and the critical ingredient for innovation according to Mr. Agan’s research, is experience.  Once again, I go to my trusted counsel, Mr. Webster.  Experience means “a practical knowledge, skill or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity”.  More over, experien”ed” means “made skillful or wise through experience”.

My good friend continued to feed my frenzied search for confirmation by adding synonyms such as accomplished, consummate, crackerjack, expert, masterful, and my favorite … virtuoso.  Wow!!!   To think I was just getting older!!

“The real innovators average about age 40” stated Mr. Agan during Mr. Hobson’s interview.  He went on to say that the image of a young college kid in his dorm room concocting the next big idea like Mark Zuckerberg is a “total fallacy”.    Agan provided a true example of Steve Jobs who created the iPod and iPhone after many years of working in the industry.  His successes and innovations came after years of experience (aka trial and error) or graduating from the “school of hard knocks” as by grandma Julia used to say.  I am sure we all can come up with many, many more men and women who have mastered their trade and accomplished great things.  There are many, many more just waiting to explode with the next big idea or simply to make a foundational shift in their lives.

Now that I have proven without a shadow of a doubt that all of us baby boomers have the potential through extensive experience and knowhow to be innovative, why aren’t we?  Why aren’t we bursting into the boardroom with a company saving concept, or convince our spouse to move to Paris, or get that PhD we always wanted, or write that one great book that is in us?  Why? Why? Why?

Glad you asked!  Over several months, I wrote three bogs, titled “Catapult for Sale”, “Settling is for Rocks” and “Fear of Falling”.

In each, I tried to share my own reasons through personal experiences as to why I didn’t, on multiple occasions, cross that ocean of molten lava from wanting something (aka “State of Desire”) to making it happen (aka “State of Being Cycle”).   There are so many reasons and for each of us the reasons are so very personal and so very real.

In “Settling is for Rocks”, I contemplated my comfort with complacency and the usual.  In “Fear of Falling”, it was the gut wrenching, sweat drenching anxiety provoked by the unknown and potential failure.  

In “Catapult for Sale”, I shared my belief that if you do not engineer your own mechanism for change in the way you want, someone or some event may make a change for you and one that is not of your liking.

The moral of the story, according to this casual observer and “virtuoso” (Don’t laugh!!), is that experience and knowledge is only part of the equation for innovation and creation.  There needs to be that bee in your bonnet, thorn in your side, pebble in your shoe and/or burr under your saddle that makes you take the leap and begin your journey.

So, my graying friend, if you find the words “I am too old to be doing this” rolling off your tongue and passing through your lips …. think again, long and hard … while listening to your favorite tunes on your iPod!

****************************************************************************

In case you don’t believe me, here’s the link to hear Jeremy Hobson’s interview with Tom Agan.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/what-best-age-innovation.

Catapult for sale. Slightly used. Best Offer.

The toughest challenge for most is how to make the leap across the great divide separating the State of Desire to the State of “Be”ing.

The gap is a vast ocean of molten lava. It takes more then the courage to put on your asbestos underpants and jump in.

After much intensive study, it appears that a catapult might be the quickest and easiest way to vault the expanse. Picture yourself braced in the rope basket of a monstrous medieval wooden catapult in a Monty Python-esque way. There you are waiting anxiously for the thick rough rope to be severed. Once cut, the tension is released and off you go …. up and over … clear to the other side. It might not be pretty as you are hurled through the air, arms and legs flailing, screaming in horror. Nor will your landing be soft and graceful, but ….SPLAT….. although a little shaken and bruised, you are there … at long last.

I like the image of a catapult (aka “trebuchet”…according to my dear friend, Webster, is a medieval military engine for hurling missiles with great force). It’s release is sudden. The tension is let loose and things happen. Often it seems we need a catapult to force us to make dramatic changes in our lives.

It is a cataclysmic event in our ritualistic lives that calls us to action. Let’s not confuse a catapult with a catalyst. A catalyst implies a chemical reaction that causes change to occur …. bubbling and fizzing …. over a long period of time. A catalyst does facilitate and hasten change from one form to another but for real kick-in-the-ass type change, most people need a catapult.

Modern day catapults exist and are easy to recognize. It could be a job loss, divorce, heart attack or the death of someone dear.. All are life-altering moments that necessitate change in how we live the rest of our lives. Clearly in these examples, life as we knew it ceases to exist.

The truth is, instances are few when we actually have little control on what catapult we will be in and who is cutting the rope. Those situations are easy. Change is going to come, whether or not we know it, like it or want it. The real challenge, and the most common, are those times when we need to climb in the catapult of our own construct and cut the rope ourselves. These are the instances that require the most determination and emotional strength because we alone are responsible for what happens. There is time, maybe too much time, for fear, hesitation and doubt to set in. All are deal breakers if we dwell long enough, so decisive action is needed. Not impulsive or reckless, but thoughtful yet quick. It takes sound, clear thinking to build a fine catapult.

Another truth is that we often blame others, play the victim and fail to take responsibility for the catapult we wind up in. I would submit to the jury, that we are accountable for most of the baskets we claim are out of our control. Take the “has been” in the office. She doesn’t get it but others do and take action. If it happens to you, you have no choice where it takes you and the condition you land depends on how nimble and versatile you are. Most survive with long lasting wounds and some never recover.

The moral of the story? If we do not make a change ourselves, somebody might make it for us. So the trick is to build your own catapult and not be in the position where one is built for you. It seems logical, doesn't it? If you make it happen, you have control, you have choice and you can set the direction on your terms.

If you can’t buy one, build one. I’m sure somewhere on ebay, there’s a catapult with a low number of sieges, few scares from burning oil and touched up arrow gashes. Better yet, get blueprints to make your own.

Here’s a handy site to help: http://howtomakecatapult.shakshino.russia.emoneysolve.com/medievalcatapult/

Yo .... Copernicus!!!

According to my dear friend, Webster, “irony” is the incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected results.

A perfect example and one that will secure my picture next to its definition is how can a normal (maybe) guy with a love of martial arts, running and physical fitness get osteoarthritis.

As I sit on the upper level of the old 6:24 am commuter train making my daily run to Chicago, I ponder that. The A/C is masking the steamy summer heat outside leaving just the sunshine to put me in a zenish trance as the passing scenes mesmerize.

Maybe the answer to my dilemma will appear. Maybe the pain in my back and hip will miraculously disappear.

But as the reality of my rocky train ride is coming to an end, so too is the reality that my physical fix will take as much determination and persistence as earning my shodan years ago. Is this another “ah ha” moment or what?

My “wanna be” has yet to begin. My desire to return to “greatness” (now modest fitness) is still mere electrical impulses bouncing around randomly in my tiny brain. I am not even on the State of “Be”ing Cycle. I am looking in from the outside like a child wanting to hop on a spinning merry-go-round. It won’t stop but I have to somehow make the leap.

You might be wondering (or not) where Copernicus fits into this tale. Well this “ah ha” moment made me feel like an ancient astronomer discovering a new planet after justifying for years only a certain number. There is another planet that I hadn’t noticed before. It has always been but it makes sense now that the clouds are clearing.

Yo, Copernicus … that’s not dust on the telescope!!

Before we make the leap to the State of “Be”ing cycle and even grab onto that “wanna be” ring, there is a “State of Desire” out there, outside of the cycle.

Where as a “wanna be” makes a conscious decision to act, being in a State of Desire, our “wanna be” is only an image or a vision far from reality. Seemingly a subtle difference but not really. We all imagine our selves being someone or something but it takes action and often a cataclysmic event to provide the push to conviction.

A dear friend sent me this quote from an ancient Chinese philosopher (or may be he just made it up!) … “A vision without action is a daydream. Action with out a vision is a nightmare”.

Visualization is truly an important part of the self-development process. We can vividly imagine all the details of what we want and all the steps that need to take us there. However, visualization is not enough. We need to move to action and make that leap from desire to the State of “Be”ing Cycle.

See the modified “State of “Be”ing Cycle diagram and definitions with my new planet!!