Posts Tagged: journey

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30
Aug 10

Looking Ahead

Hi, it’s a great day for a journey.

I was listening to a very interesting interview on the radio this morning.  The person interviewed was talking about his life now compared to where he thought he would be while in high school.

He believes that we tend to see our life as a story that unfolds as we go.  Because we see it as such we routinely project the next chapters and even the ending of the story of our lives.

This came to vivid realization when a teacher in his freshman year had his class write a letter to themselves about their future.  His letter to himself outlined the events of his life.  He was going to fall in love, have kids, get a good job at one of the regional paper mills and live a good life… a life much like his father’s.

Four years later, upon graduation, the teacher sent the letters to the students.  He had noticed that his view of life had broadened and the projected events of four years earlier were forced to the edges of reality.  He had changed and had rewritten his future.

He indicated that we can rewrite what we perceive that will happen if we are willing to allow new learnings and current events to become part of the formula for our future.

Side Note: Yep, the blog entry is a bit philosophical today.  As you know, philosophical stuff can be a bit boring and tedious, but stick with me.

I can assure you that you will either read something that stretches and stirs your thinking or you will be sufficiently prepared for a quick afternoon nap by getting you all bored and relaxed.  Either way you can’t lose.

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The interview went on to explore on a deeper level this amazing ability to rewrite our future.  Humans have the unique ability to grasp the context of their life.  What I mean is that we understand that we were born and some day we die… that there is a start and a finish to our lives.  No other animal has that ability.

This knowledge makes all the difference.  Animals just live from day to day as instinct and circumstances dictate.  But because we possess this understanding, our view of life has fuller dimension and we are pulled beyond a haphazard nature of existence.

We are naturally led to the notion and question of purpose.  It forces us to ask, what am I to do with this fixed period of time that I call my life?  The grasp of this finite reality ignites the flame of infinite possibilities.

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.“

- Yogi Berra

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As all of us know, we can’t predict the future.  But there are things that increase the odds of what we want out of life.  Unfortunately far too many of us allow the unpredictability of the future to dictate our present.  If not careful, we live in our safe little world letting life just happen.

Sure, we are not guaranteed of the outcome of any positive efforts we make to impact the future.  But I can assure you of this, the future is impacted by what we don’t do.

The absence of positive action eliminates the risk of failure but assures the absence of reward.

- Me

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The future is far too important to coast.  So I think I will camp out on this topic for a while and poke at it from several angles to see what we might learn.

See you Thursday.

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23
Aug 10

Hard Headed and Hard Work

I’ve come to the conclusion that it is easy to write if you have something to say.

Now that the reunion topic has run its course I have to come up with something worthwhile to talk about… assuming what I talked about before was worthwhile. 

Coming up with something twice a week to write about requires me to exert some mental and emotional effort.   But I knew this was all part of making the commitment to write this blog.

Side Note:  I hate to be redundant, but for those who are new to my blog journey you need to know that I am not and must not write these entries for anyone but myself. 

The commitment to write is my journey of stepping beyond the comfortable world I was living and explore.  Take a look at my first blog in January (archives on the right side of your screen toward the bottom).

 

As most of you know (those who have been traveling along with me in this blog) I am pretty lazy.  I hate to admit it – but I am. 

Now for argument sake, lazy is relative.  By some people’s standards I may be considered fairly industrious.  I’m not a compete slug. 

I guess the real issue regarding laziness is how much one does or doesn’t do in regards to their capability.  I think of the kid that has natural intellect and gets straight “A’s” without really trying in comparison to the youngster that has average intellect and works hard for a “B”.  For me my admiration goes to the average kid.

I would contend that the “B” student is learning more about getting the most out of life than the kid getting “A’s”.  Life requires effort… constant effort.   I tend to believe more and more that effort is learned.  I heard someone say recently that many kids today are not taught how to work hard.  This may seem odd, but it’s true.

This is why I started my journey.  I knew that there was so much more to experience in life and that to experience it I needed to step out.  Sadly, like most things that are good, you wonder why you didn’t make the decision sooner.  I don’t know for sure why I didn’t start sooner but that is not the place to spend any energy.

“You must not let the past corrupt the future.”

                                                – Oswald Chambers

 

Although my journey isn’t perfect… it’s good.  Remember, progress not perfection.

So here I sit typing away at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning.  (As you can see, what I lack in hard work I make up for in procrastination.) 

See you Thursday.

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12
Aug 10

Reunion Remix

In the last blog I was so busy describing the reunion that I may have given the impression that I didn’t enjoy myself.   Actually, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Fair Warning: Some of you may find this blog to be a bit pointed.  If you find it offensive then you probably needed to hear what I have to say.

I don’t intend to be intentionally offensive but I think there’s a learning here for all of us… including me.

Why did I enjoy the reunion?  I hope this doesn’t sound hokey but I had a good time because I decided to have a good time.

I have several friends who vow not go to their spouse’s reunions (class or family).  I am not trying to over simplify a complicated dynamic.  I realize there are some reunions for legitimate reasons you have no business attending.

But… there are many things we just don’t want to do because we’re selfish.

Yep…  S  – E  – L  –  F  –  I  –  S  –  H

Now this part will sound like I’m patting myself on the back.  Nope, believe me when I say that I have enough flat spots in my life that make being married to me challenging enough.  But I do believe that I handled the class reunion this past weekend correctly.

Points to Consider for Spouses

  • If the reunion is important to the person you love then make it important to you.  I knew that this reunion was important to my wife.  And I knew that she would prefer to have me go with her.

Side Note: Yes, what can I say, she only wanted me as an arm piece to show me off.  It gets tiring being eye candy for the babes.

  • If you’re going, decide to have a good attitude about it.  The crappier your attitude the more miserable you make it for yourself and your spouse.  In other words, stop whining about going.   Waaah!  Grow up.
  • Your role is to make your spouse look good
  • Look nice (wear what they want you to wear… unless it’s pink or a bit too shiny)
  • Be social, force yourself to interact
  • Stay out of the way unless you need to rescue them from a conversation
  • Go at their pace… not yours (remember, it’s not about you)

Now of course I need to find learning in all this that will help me on this journey that I have embarked upon.  The big “ah ha” for me is this, I call it a B.G.O. (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious).

How many times have I made situations a hundred times more difficult because I didn’t make a decision about my attitude?

Attitude is a Choice

I believe that statement more and more.  We choose our attitude and of course the emotions and behaviors follow.  We create the destiny of a situation before it occurs.  Scary huh?

I can’t say that I will always choose the right attitude but I am so much more aware of the benefits of doing it right.

See you Monday.

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29
Jul 10

Deeper or Higher?

I just started writing this blog entry today and I am already confused.  Now I’m sure this is not too surprising to those of you who have been strolling along with me on this blog journey for any length of time.

From the very first blog I have been referring to this blog adventure as a journey of out and up; out from behind the walls of our safe little world and up a mountain.

Now I am talking about digging a well.  Am I going up or down?

I think the reality of this dilemma is that to successfully go higher one must go deeper.

Principle I Believe: Higher and broader demands deeper

I believe this is true in all aspects of life – nature, personal, emotional, relational, business, families, organizations, etc.

Height and breadth needs depth for strength and stabilization.

An Example: (Alright stick with me; this may seem a bit boring at first but it does have relevance to both you and me.)

I happen to have the privilege to work with a lot of different kinds of companies.   One of the patterns I have seen is that many companies are very successful while they are small but struggle as they get bigger.  The first symptom of shallowness is the systems and organizational structure is inadequate to support the demands of the business.  This is a relatively simple (albeit painful) matter to solve.

If growth continues the new processes and systems can sustain the company for only a short while.

Now the heavy lifting takes place.  This is where the most difficult challenges occur and organizational character tested.  The bigger the company grows the greater the need for a defined corporate identity, clarity of organizational strategies, succinctness of priorities, simplicity of goals and commitment to values.  These are the roots that support the whole.

The big question is, so what?  What does that have to do with me?  Everything!

Think about it.  The greater the challenges in our lives the more critical it is to know who we are, what’s important, where we are going, and what we believe.

When things are going well in life we have no conscious sense of need to draw from anything beyond the moment.  But how stabile are we in the storms of life?  My guess is that most of us stand the tests of life pretty well.

But then there are times when we are shaken to the core.  It is in these times where we really learn who we are, what’s important, where we are going, and what we believe.  Not only does it tests our roots but strengthens out roots.

“The greater the complexity the simpler we need to be.”

Take off your walking shoes and put on your gloves.  It looks like we will be digging instead of walking for a few days.

See you bright and early Monday.

The Journey Beyond — 2 Comments
26
Jul 10

A Shallow Well Produces Little Water

Howdy, how are you doin’ today?  For a while I was doing terrific (the operative word is was).  But then it happened.

I was typing away on my blog.  My fingers were dancing across the keyboard barely keeping up with the deluge of thoughts.  Words were frantically flying out of me like at ten year old on a sugar high.

I had written several outstanding paragraphs.  I was feeling really good with myself… until.

Side Note: No, I didn’t accidently delete my writing (which I’ve done before).  I wish it were only that simple.  In fact I intentionally deleted what I wrote.

I hate to admit it but I realized that I was plagiarizing someone… myself.  Yep, the insights I was creating started to sound awfully familiar.  I reviewed some of my earlier blogs and to my chagrin everything I was writing had been posted before.

Wow, this slap to the head stopped me in my tracks.  Talk about loosing momentum.   I sat for a long time kinda dazed wondering if this meant that I was a shallow well with nothing more to offer.

Gee, six months of writing and I’m already tapped out.

Somewhere inside I do believe that I have more to say (the operative word is somewhere).  Ugh!  I think it may mean some hard work.  Don’t get me wrong; writing the blog to date hasn’t been that easy for me.  As I mentioned in my first blog, I am not a writer.  Words have to struggle to the surface for the fingers to type.

The hard work will be in digging the well a little deeper.

“The deeper the well the fresher and purer the water.”

So I have to spend the next couple of days before Thursday’s blog digging.

See you Thursday.

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22
Jul 10

Big Arms and a Clear Head

Hi there.  Good to have you visit.

I learned something this week.  I learned that if you think you may be a writer; don’t read a book by an outstanding author.  Whoa, intimidating.

I am amazed at the art of words at the hand of a good writer.  It is one thing to create a picture using a myriad of adjectives and sentences.  It is quite another when a brilliant word artist pierces your mind with a vibrant image using a few simple words.

My first thoughts were a short lived comparison of the masterpiece I was reading and my feeble little blog.  “Jerry, you don’t want to go there.”

Now don’t go being all concerned about my damaged psyche or emotional condition.  All’s good.  But it has been interesting to discover what kind of stuff was dislodged and started tumbling around inside of me as a result of all this.  Especially being a person who tends to be pretty protective of what people think of me.

I was reminded that things that grab you by the throat and toss you around a bit won’t kill you but gets your attention and forces you to focus.  It quickly causes one to filter the clutter and grab hold of the center of the issue.

The fact that the author of the book I am reading is an outstanding writer says something about him and his talents, not about me.  I cannot be him and he cannot be me… and I think we are both happy.

“I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam!”

- Popeye

It’s a nice feeling knowing who you are.  That doesn’t mean we settle for being less than what we can be, but not be burdened by being something we weren’t intended to be.

It is amazing how much time and energy we spend in our lives trying to be something we’re not.  It is a great relief and joy to know who you are.  Just like Poyeye.

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So this blog journey I started in January is going well from my perspective.  I’m learning a lot and I continue to type away.

I may not be flowery or create great word pictures but I sure hope I make you think.

Oh, by the way, some of you may be wondering what I am reading.  It is the fiction Peace Like a River by Lief Enger.

A Review:

Leif Enger’s remarkable novel Peace Like a River quietly slipped into bookstores in September. Like the smart kid who sits at the back of the class and seldom speaks, it was very nearly overlooked during the brawling Franzen-Oprah hoopla. However, Peace Like a River is a book worthy of the loudest trumpet fanfare and showers of confetti available. Put this one right to the head of the class.

- Reviewed by David Abrams, January Magazine

Bye, see you Monday.

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12
Jul 10

Unsatisfied With My Satisfaction

Humm… I bet some of you are wondering about my title.  Me too as a matter of fact.  I am not totally sure what it means but there’s something there that rings true.

That’s what exploring is all about, following your instincts.  I have found for me that it is not good to follow stuff willie nillie.  But if I am open and sensitive, my “TRUTH” sensors are activated when there is something nearby of significance and meaning.

The key is learning to recognize the subtle signals of truth that have the ongoing challenge of piercing the noise of life to get our attention.

There is something about the title statement that is worth poking at.  We may find that there is nothing immediately to be discovered or we may uncover a real jewel hidden in the clutter.

Side Note: When searching for TRUTH no effort is in vain, even if you don’t discover anything at the moment.  I believe more and more that our heart and head collects meaningless stuff… meaningless in and of themselves.

I guess you could call it the plankton of the heart.  The ocean is full of microscopic plankton that seems insignificant in isolation but in essence form the foundation for ocean life.

Over time in our search, the details and clutter of thoughts and information feed larger ideas and concepts.  So let’s take a gulp of plankton and see what happens.

Unsatisfied With My Satisfaction

On the surface if sounds incongruent.  It is sort of like saying that I am unhappy with my happiness.  But exploring requires me to take it a part and examine the elements.

What is, to satisfy?  You can satisfy a hunger, craving, debt, question, requirement, objection, doubt, offense, etc.

Everyone wants to be satisfied and typically want to satisfy those individuals and things around us that need (not want) satisfying.

According to the dictionary it is a verb that means “to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs or demands; give full contentment to:  The hearty meal satisfied his hunger.”

But what is the Truth I need to take from this?  As I poke at this a couple of thoughts come to mind that may have implications for me.

Side Note: The Truths about this topic that jump out for me may not be things for you.  I in no way want to put any of my baggage on you.  I’m sure you have enough of your own.

A couple of points I believe I need to continually keep in mind.

  1. Not every point of dissatisfaction needs (nor should) to be satisfied.
  2. Every good and noble need within my span of control should be satisfied.
  3. Satisfaction, if not challenged, can cause complacency and trap you in a safe cocoon of mediocrity… no venturing beyond into the risky world where you might get bitten.
  4. Satisfaction in your cocoon naturally manifests itself into only doing “just enough” in the lives of those around you.  The tendency to never take things to the next level… Status quo.  You end up doing just enough as a spouse, parent, employee, etc.  You and those around you are bereft from the joy and risks of beyond.

Hopefully I have stirred a bit of dissatisfaction in myself… and you.

See you Thursday.

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8
Jul 10

Uncomfortable with Comfort

Bonjour… as you can see I’m feeling a little international today.  There’s no particular reason, it just popped into my head.  Yes, I know, there is medication to help people that have weird things going on in their heads.  But here’s what I say to that, “Je ne veux pas prendre des médicaments pour les choses qui se passent dans ma tête, j’aime la façon dont je pense maintenant.”

Side Note: If you want to know what I said you can go to this link and get it translated.  Just cut the above statement and paste it at http://translate.google.com

For those who are first time visitors I hope I haven’t weirded you out too much.  I just get caught up in the moment.

For those that are regulars they know that I get side tracked pretty easily and they, for better or for worse, end up being dragged along with me to my “happy place.”

This whole blog thing is a journey for me and I have invited anyone to join me who wants to be challenged to step beyond where they are now and explore the possibilities of things outside of our comfort zone… our safe little world.

Exploration can be dangerous business.  It’s risky to put yourself out there for possible failure, criticism and pressure from others to get back in the box they are use to us being in.

There are lots of people who are intrigued by what’s beyond the walls of comfort.  They will occasionally peek over the fence to get a quick glimpse and then quickly retreat back to comfort.

Yesterday I found something I wrote twelve years ago in a journal.  It fits nicely with what I am talking about today.

Journal Entry – July 7, 1998

Human nature leans toward ease.  Difficulty and unpleasant things are to be avoided.  But ease is a deceiver.  Ease robs us of the grander things available to us.

Those of ease who are unwilling to enter in the realm of endurance and perseverance never experience the sweet fruit of overcoming, the satisfaction of accomplishment and experience the strength of endurance. Ease focuses on the moment and traps the unsuspecting from grander things.

We are not taught the discipline of endurance without the reality of discomfort and the inconvenience of “pushing through.”

Our commitment must be toward those things that rest beyond our sight and touch, and not be lulled by the ease of the immediate.

For me, and probably for you, it took a while before I took these words seriously enough to take the larger, riskier steps outside my safe walls.  But over the years I became more aware of the possibilities and joys that await the explorer.

As I said in an earlier blog, awareness is like hugging a porcupine… the closer you get the more uncomfortable you are.  As someone who didn’t like to fail or look bad I became more uncomfortable with my comfort and unsatisfied with my satisfaction.

So as you can see I am on the trail of exploration and discovery.  It’s not been all fun and games but it sure beats sitting in the confines of my old self.

See you Monday

The Journey Beyond — 2 Comments
5
Jul 10

Individual or Independent

Welcome, I see you survived the festivities of the Fourth of July fireworks and feasting.

I have some acquaintances that recently moved here from the UK for work.  I am anxious to ask them how they felt about the massive celebration of independence from their home country.  It will be an interesting conversation.

Independence is the center of our cultural DNA and it permeates our society.  It’s who we are and we don’t want anyone to control our destiny.  The only thing that makes my ears perk and cock my head is the nagging notion that any and all strengths, if carried too far, becomes a negative… even potentially fatal if not kept in proper confines.

In my last blog entry I mentioned that freedom is to and from and one is always dominant.  As a country we sought freedom from oppression and unfair restriction.  If the mother country had not maintained its oppressive stance we no doubt would be flying a flag with at least a portion being the Union Jack, driving on the left side of the road and having our afternoon tea.

But the oppression forced our desire to get away from which opened the door to allow us to go to.

The release from the restrictions unleashed a risk taking group of pioneers to pursue possibilities of individual growth, success and opportunity.

Side Note: Don’t worry, this is not going to be a history lesson.  Although its interesting there’s too much here for us as individuals that we must explore.  Remember we are on an exploration journey.

Rugged individualism became the hallmark of our cultural psyche.  The beautiful gift of opportunity allowed individuals to step beyond the barriers of history (class, culture, restrictive government, etc.) and pursue it to the extent of the person’s ability, desire and willingness to work.

Historically this individual pursuit rested on the unified commitment of the masses to protect the tenants that perpetuate the ability for personal growth and gain.  In essence we must have unity but not uniformity.  Unity in our belief and commitment to the core tenants but individual diversity in their own personal pursuits.

The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion. – JFK

Here’s my concern.  Over the past several years it feels like to me the Rugged Individualism that has made us great has morphed into Rugged Independence.

On the surface that may not seem so bad.  But to me it feels like the fabric of who we are is being dangerously pulled to threads by individuals demanding individual rights at the expense of the whole.  That individual demands and wants supersede and undermine the foundation of beliefs that historically unified the whole.

This is a topic of sufficient sophistication and complexity that it requires a mind greater than mine to do it justice.  Although I am not capable of taking the topic much further I can, and must, focus the issue where it has the most impact… ME and you.

I long for and strive to be an individual.  I want to think for myself and be unique in who and what I am.  I like being different at times.  But individualism that has morphed into independence causes one to believe that they stand beyond and separate from the whole.

The need for control and self expression overrides common courtesy and civility.  The individual knows that they are a part of something greater.  The independent person only accommodates the greater when it happens to coincide with their wants.  Independence breeds isolation.

The question of individualism vs. independence is something I personally continue to periodically test to make sure I have not morphed into an isolated self-serving person.

See you Thursday.

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17
Jun 10

Too Far To Turn Back

Howdy.  It’s me again… I survived full disclosure from the last blog. 

The only thing that I am concerned about is if any friends of mine who read the blog wondered if I thought they were boring.  Not at all.  It’s my friends who don’t read my blog who are boring.

But opening up about something that makes me look bad isn’t something I typically do.  But I’m on a journey beyond where I am.  I know that it seems odd to some who read this blog… especially people who know me.  Actually, I have a great life, I am very fulfilled and by the standards of many people pretty successful.

How well you are doing isn’t the proper measuring rod.  It is how much are you capable of?  And how much more there is that you are letting slip through your fingers? 

I am determined not to take the easy way.  I have had several people say that they admired the fact that I am writing a blog (especially writing two entries a week).  I am very appreciative and thankful for their kind words.  But if there is something a person is called to do (and I truly believe I am to write this blog) then there can be no other option but do it. 

The compelling quiet whisper that invaded my heart and head is relentless in its firm gentle way.  It is the quiet whisper that is calling me to venture beyond my comfortable world into the risky business of the unknown.

So I continue to press on… and let me say… it has made life much more of an adventure.   The final verses of Robert Frost’s Road Less Traveled are right on.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.
…Robert Frost

 

Traveling the path into the unknown and unfamiliar is risky, time consuming and demands investment.  It takes a lot of effort to start and effort to maintain momentum, but the ongoing investment is eventually transformed into passion.

“At some point, turning back is not an option.”

 

When is the last time you tried something for the first time?  Is there something stirring from within that demands attention? 

Hopefully this little blog is challenging you to lean in closely to the voice trying to get your attention.  Life is too short to ignore the “what if”. 

I am sorry if I am sounding a little preachy… I don’t mean to be.  I do want to encourage.  

What is the one small thing that you think you are to do that you’re not doing?  Is there a call you need to make, letter to write, a person you need to forgive, to let go of the failure you hang on too, read that book, go to that church, write that song, or release the rock that you have carried for too long.

For me it was to take that first step beyond the safe wall of self and write this blog.  Thank God I have.

See you Monday

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