Monthly Archives: November 2020

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Choose Happiness

Leave a comment

Sometimes I envy my friends and colleagues who are always in a bouncy and up mood whenever I encounter them.  Thinking about it though I realize they probably do not have anything that I don’t.

I understand intuitively and logically that they take pleasure in all they do and so their life is filled with joy.  It is just a choice and probably a simple one at that.  But everyone does not choose that path.

Simple but Complex

Choosing pleasure over pain, deciding it only makes sense to find the joy in everything, and behave accordingly does not seem to be the kind of thing rocket science is needed to figure out.

Yet, I find it requires effort to be happy.  Doubt, fear, worry to name just a few of the less desirable emotions seems to occur even when not desired.

This is not just a personal observation but widespread among people I regularly interact with.  It is too rare and always enjoyable to run into someone who has chosen happiness and joy.  You want to talk to them, the good feelings are contagious.

It would appear simple to choose to be in a constant state of pleasure yet, surprisingly, that does not appear to be the case for most folks.

Perspective

Each of us can choose our own particular attitude toward anything.  Our way regarding something, that is a point of view.  This is of course influenced by our environment and other people.

We need to work hard to choose the best perspective, perhaps the optimistic joyful view, when pitted against many obstacles.  This is why even though it is the logical choice we do not always choose a happy perspective.

The key is to pause and remember regardless of the circumstances, it is your choice.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

War, what is it good for?

Leave a comment

This remembrance day I had the opportunity to listen to some deep track song themes on Sirius XM radio.  A number of lyrics really caught my attention relative to a number of philosophical questions.

One interesting thought was without war there can be no peace.  Or to turn it around peace requires us to wage wars so we can reach peace.   Yikes, a scary thought, if peace is an outcome of the war then I don’t need it.

Without Soldiers

Another fascinating concept was contained in the Buffy St. Marie epic “Universal Soldier”.  The basic theme was without the soldier there can be no war.

Simply put, soldiers are the instrument of war.  If they do not exist we could not wage war.  There would be no-one to attack or defend.  Kind of along the lines of “What if we held a war and no-one came?” There would be no war.

Manufactured Goals

A further aspect highlighted during the musical theme was the focus on the objectives of the war.    The winner’s goals become righteous objectives simply because they won while losers are evil.

Without war, this arbitrary definition of right and wrong becomes a collaborative negotiation with the ultimate goals being a win-win.  That is to negotiate something that leads to good for everyone.  War does not allow for this kind of result.

So really, as highlighted by the Edwin Starr song title “War, (What is it good for?).

Remembering

Remembering those that have fallen in past conflicts is truly a noble exercise.  No life should be ended through murder (in essence soldiers are sanctioned, murderers.)

For those that have been forced to make the ultimate sacrifice, I am deeply saddened and do believe should be honoured but ultimately, the main question is why does war exist in the first place?

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Leading without Followers is not Leading

Leave a comment

Each of us has a variety of people whom we consider to be our leaders from time to time depending on the context (i.e., our group, organization, geographic region)

These leaders might be our choice or by a combination of appointment and personal selection.  Their power might have been earned by them, granted to them, or a combination of earned and granted.

Power Base

To lead you must have a power base.  This can be something you developed through your actions or perhaps you are designated the leader by dint of organization or election.

More often than not guile, wit and intellectual prowess versus physical strength are the cornerstones of effective leadership although the use of brute force has been known to be somewhat effective if not usually sustainable over long periods.

Followers

Even if you are designated as a leader, without followers you are nothing.   Typically if you disaffect your followers because of inappropriate behavior your leadership days will be numbered.

This applies whether you earn your power base or start with it by default.  If you are not able to gather and retain followers there is nothing to lead and by definition, you are no longer a leader.

Observe

Effective leaders are aware of how their followers view them and most importantly are empathetic with how their followers are feeling.

Without empathy, followers will view you as a narcissist.  This adulation will most likely be brief and accompanied by mass defection.  Leaders need to be focused on their followers not on themselves

The most effective leaders, those that both retain and build their followers observe carefully and then act accordingly.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Winning/Losing Graciously

Leave a comment

Years ago a soccer teammate of mine quipped after a close match “winners rule while losers check the rules”.   I believe the jubilation of winning clouded his judgment.

Win or lose respect for your opponents, the process, and culturally correct behavior should be the only option.  Gloating or behaving like a spoilt child should be condemned as unacceptable.

Accept Defeat

Being able to take on an opponent, put forth a credible fight, and seek to win within the context of playing field boundaries and the rules of the game is honorable in and of itself.

While winning is the goal, defeat does not make you less worthy.  Questioning the rules, cheating, and disrespecting your opponent are dishonorable behaviors.  Losing is not part of this.

Watching soon-to-be former President Trump’s behavior following his recent defeat in the US Presidential election is a classic example of how not to react to losing.

Once again he is ignoring time-honored political traditions to concede gracefully.  Dragging it out, contending when you are obviously done, and encouraging your supporters to follow you down this path disrespects us all.

Civil Behaviour

Democracy expects, no demands we behave civilly.  In this way, everyone wins.  Even with different political views, we are one society bonded together by a common belief in cultural norms, freedoms and respect.

Donal Trump is not a leader but a narcissistic dictator for whom the majority of the population has rightfully and thankfully finally defeated.

The lies, disrespect of fellow humans, and continuance of the reign of the worst President of the United States has ended, it is time to rejoice.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Get Excited, it is a choice

Leave a comment

It is not unusual to encounter periods of great uncertainty during your life. Things that we do not recognize, are unfamiliar to us, or outside the scope of our knowledge exist for everyone.

Our perspective, that is how we view the unknown, is critical to personal well being.  Allowing the unknown to create fear and anxiety is common and often the default path.

Take Control

For me what is coming, even though I don’t know what will happen is always best viewed optimistically.  The sense of foreboding is of my own creation and it is just as easy and more productive to focus on a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness (it is your choice).

We may not know what is coming in our futures, and we can easily visualize the worst.  I am not sure why the genetic predilection is toward pessimism when it comes to the unknown but my general observation, that is often the case.

Why not be excited.  Probably because this does require the ability to view the future as an opportunity and typically takes effort.  Excitement though is a much more pleasant and empowering approach.   It is well worth the effort.

Make it Real

Focusing on positive outcomes, even when factors outside of your control exist, also makes it more likely to occur.  That is not to say if you wish for something it will happen but if you don’t even consider the possibility, chance takes over.

Uncertainty is really an opportunity to get excited about the future by taking charge.  Plan to make your desires become reality.  Of course, you might not always succeed but neither will you always fail (unless of course, you don’t even try).

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Choosing Wisely

Leave a comment

The U.S. presidential election which was held yesterday (although the vote tally, law-suites, and results dispute will go on for weeks) makes me wonder about the democratic process.

For me, the key question will be is the population as a whole capable of selecting a leader in a way that shows experience, knowledge, and good judgment.  The results so far really make me think not.

Popularity Contest

These days the process of becoming elected by the general population is an expensive proposition which by its very nature limits who can be a viable candidate.

We have gone from the elected office being a noble role reserved for those that demonstrate worthiness by their actions to what is now largely a popularity contest.

Actors and reality TV stars have a better chance of being recognized and thus elected by the general population than seasoned politicians who actually can do some good for the public.

Emotions Versus Logic

Voting is a privilege that allows us to take a moment for ourselves and choose the option which best suits us.  That is,  a choice we feel good about and believe will be to our benefit.

Choosing does not require us to do rigorous analysis or think it through logically, rather it is usually easiest just to focus on what makes us happy.

Unfortunately, this methodology is prone to bad choices.  As a collective group many of us truly desire the best for everyone but when voting it is all about us and the candidates’ list, who do we like?

This concept of democratically elected officials to provide guidance to the whole population has a lot of merits but when it comes down to just the selection process it can really suck.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Finding Answers

Leave a comment

From the day we are born, humans grow, do stuff, are subject to continual change, have the opportunity to reproduce, and then die.   The meaning we create defines our purpose.

The way we live our lives is (in essence) an answer, but to what is a mystery.   The search for answers begins with questions.  Like the TV game show Jeopardy often we start with the answers spending an entire lifetime working to determine the question.

Seeking Questions to Explore

We may live our entire lives answering the unasked questions often wondering what are they?  In one context our purpose is to first define the question and then answer it.

Many of us will normally consume food each day.  Our purpose in eating is the answer to the question “Why do we eat?”  However, the answer to this question is not straightforward and contains a contextual component associated with the individual.

Working from the question we can understand better our own behavior and its purpose.   What we do in response to any questions may be different in any given situation although the question remains the same.

Questions Guide Answers

Focusing on the questions that define our goals can assist us in giving validity and meaning to our answers.  Reasoning before action is more likely to achieve positive results.

Understanding the underlying behavioral motivation (i.e., what was the question again) mapped against the context is more likely to lead to the right answer.

This is not a typical approach to living.  Act first, question later is much more common but can be a very haphazard approach often living the questions to be asked afterwards, “Why did I do that”?

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Continuous Improvement

Leave a comment

Everything is constantly changing.  Sometimes in small increments and sometimes change is very rapid and the impacts can be  of a greater magnitude.

By definition working to achieve or produce something better than it previously required a change.  This will be a change for the better (or at least that is the intent) but still, it is a change

Little Steps

Constantly getting better intuitively makes sense.  Making changes in small increments is most often better than the big bang approach.

Moving rapidly and doing everything all at once has been demonstrated through numerous studies to initially reduce productivity and quality as people worry about the impacts of the changes.

As you seek to move forward try not to step on those in front of you or leave a trail of crushed bodies behind.   Continuously improving in small increments is a solid approach to achieving better results with minimal disruption.

Often the changes can happen seamlessly relatively noticed by those impacted the most.  Ultimately better results are achieved by stealth.

Minimal Impact/ Maximum Gain

The concept of continuous improvement is associated with change management.  Rather than modifying processes, practices, and behaviors all at once  thus creating greater stress and resistance the goals are slowly progressed toward in increments.

It is important to have the overall goal in mind and even mapping out the steps fully help make sure the result is coherent and integrated but this does not mean the change needs to occur all at once.

Continuous improvement is continuous changes and thus becomes the norm so that in a way it is not really a change but rather the usual.