Tools are so (not) helpful

I'm so glad that I don't have to type this blog on a typewriter, make copies on a ditto machine, track down all of your addresses, go to the post office to buy stamps... I think you get the idea.

Tools are great, but there is a danger.  Tools can't think for us.  Just because I can type this blog on my computer and distribute it across the entire world in minutes, doesn't mean that I'm good at it.  It still takes the same amount of creative energy as it would if I were using a typewriter.  It still takes the same amount of prep work.  The only change is the implementation.

Be careful that you don't use tools as a replacement for creativity, but instead use them for what they were intended.  To get to the end result quicker... not better.

How do YOU define unacceptable?

A brilliant man once said that everything we do, we do because we want to.  I somewhat agree.

But, think about this...

Many of us get up every morning and go to work.  Is it because we want to?  Honestly, I hope that you love your job and can't wait to go to work every day.  But for others, they go to work because of what they don't want.  The alternative to going to work today may be looking for a job tomorrow... and I don't want to do that.  (For the stay-at-home mom's, using the idea of not going to work is just pitifully short-sighted of me... I know... I apologize for the poor example, but I think you get the point.)

So, we use this idea of knowing what we don't want to define what we want. Why not expand the idea and use it on a larger scale?

For anyone out there struggling with the ancient question of "what do I want to do with my life?", one way to answer that is to define what you don't want to do.  Define things around you that you see and don't like, things that are unacceptable to you.  You may just find a hidden passion of yours.

"It's unacceptable that kids in my neighborhood can't afford school shoes."

"It's unacceptable that violent crime has risen in our city by 10% over the last 2 years."

"It's unacceptable that I have to drive 20 minutes to get a good cup of coffee."

So do something about it.

This idea is not revolutionary... it's not even original.  It is, however, often forgotten.  So if you're stuck, start defining unacceptable and see where it leads you.

Are you steering?

I have to admit that I spend (or "waste", depending on your opinion) a little time every day reading through Facebook status updates.  I've recently recognized a theme that breaks my heart a little bit.  I see so many people whose attitude is a direct reflection of their current circumstances.  Unfortunately, we can't always control our circumstances.

The reason that this way of living life is hard for me to watch through the window of Facebook, is that I've been there... not so long ago.  I know the feeling of waking up every day with the anticipation of things gone wrong and the dismay that will linger throughout the day when they do.

I have good news...

I've found a better way.  I've found consistency.  My circumstances no longer drive my attitude.  My attitude now drives the way that I respond to (and create) my circumstances.  For me, this consistency is my faith.  Not the plastic faith that I pretended to cling to for so long, but a real relationship with my God.

I'm also finding inspiration in others that share a similar faith and whose circumstances do NOT define their attitude.  Check out this guy.... he amazes me every day in the way that he responds to his circumstances (I apologize if his profile is private).

So, here is the challenge.  Find a rock.  Find consistency.  "Circumstance" is a horrible driver so take the wheel back and start steering.

Stone Throwing 101

In our world of politics for the sake of politics and joining groups we "believe in" more-so because we want to fit in than because we actually believe, it gets pretty silly sometimes.  We all have disagreements and, quite frankly, the world would be a very boring place if everyone shared the same views.

One thing that I think we often miss (myself included) is that we get overly emotional when those disagreements pop up and we never take the time to ask, "why?"  "What exactly do they believe that makes them disagree with my viewpoint."  "Why is there perspective different than mine?"

By asking these few simple questions, it not only allows us to look at opposing viewpoints a little more objectively, but it also allows us to be sure that we understand our perspective.

In a world of hasty decision making, let's slow down and try to understand why the disagreement exists before we start throwing stones.

Take your time

I am fortunate enough to still have my grandfather around.  This man, who didn't go to school past the 5th grade, is the best engineer that I've ever known.  He's never held the title of "engineer," but that man solves problems.

So what is his method?

Whether we were putting on a new roof or sharpening drill bits in his garage, he seemed to move too slowly (for my taste) from one stage of a task to the next.  As I grew, I began to realize something.  I've never seen him do re-work.  How?

Because he took the time to THINK.  He had the entire problem mapped out in his head long before his calloused hands touched a tool.

In our society of action and reaction, we rarely take the time to stop and think without the distractions of a cell phone, PC, iPod or people.  We need to think outside of life's chaos, possibly in the solitude of an early morning before the rest of the world is awake to whisk us away.

Try it some time.  Find at least 15 minutes that you can have with NO distractions.  It may be at a park or in the stillness of your kitchen at 5:00AM.  Focused thinking about the actions that we need to take relieves stress, makes us more effective and gives us an advantage over the rest of the high-paced non-thinkers of the world.

Let's try to find 15 minutes on our calender this week and take some time to think.  You may realize (like I did) that you're pretty rusty when it comes to focused thinking so keep practicing!

How high should I aim?

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." -Michelangelo


Why do we aim low?  Because we're afraid of failing.  Because we don't have enough confidence to aim higher.  Because it's easy.


When you aim high, you take a risk.  You may struggle financially.  You may lose a few "friends" because you tried something that they are unwilling to try.  Or... you just may succeed!


You only get one shot at this life thing.  Go for it.  Stop sitting around and waiting for the pieces to fall into place.  Get up and gather the pieces yourself.  It may be risky, but at the end of your journey, the risks you take will be your greatest memories.  And with all of those great memories to fill you up, you won't have room for regret.

Do you believe what you believe?

What do you believe?  Or, in a more grammatically incorrect way, what do you believe in?

We all believe in something.  We believe in God.  We believe in a friend.  We believe in science.  We believe that Steak 'n Shake has the best milkshakes ever.  Whatever it is, we all believe in something.

When is the last time you questioned what you believe?  Not in a cynical, self-centered kind of way, but in a brutally honest, skeptical kind of way.

We need to take a healthy approach to questioning the things we believe in.  We learn by asking questions and seeking out the answers.  So, before we discount someone's belief or blindly create our own beliefs based on someone else's, we need to take the time to question and learn.  That way we can be sure that we believe what we believe.

Don't keep quiet about this

I read this story (http://www.snopes.com/rumors/responders.asp) about the FDNY not being invited to the 9/11 Memorial this year... and, quite frankly I'm disappointed.  It made me think...

Does it feel good to be appreciated?  Of course it does.  Many studies also show that employees would sacrifice higher salaries for a feeling of being appreciated.  Yes, it's that important that we'll sacrifice money to hear someone say that we did well.

So, what stops us from showing appreciation?  We've all been in situations where someone has done something well and we neglect to thank them.  When you have a wonderful meal, do you ask your waiter to let the chef know how much you enjoyed it?  When you order a pizza in the middle of winter, do you truly thank the delivery driver that did exactly what you didn't feel like doing?  I know, I know... those are "services" that we pay for.

What about the person that does the grocery shopping in your house?  Or the one that cleans up the messes?  Or the one that goes to work every day?  Do you sincerely thank those people?

We sometimes forget the value of appreciative words and actions.  Don't be quiet about it.  Take some time to thank someone today. Sincerely tell them how much you appreciate the things that they do, big or small.

Defining failure

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain


You've failed.  Scary, right?  Did you ever stop to ask yourself why you've considered something a failure?  We often neglect to define failure.  We just feel like we failed.


We hear a lot about goal setting, but we don't often hear about failure setting.  Failure is something other than not reaching our goal.  There is a gray area between success and failure that allows us to re-adjust our path and continue forging ahead with new knowledge.


The gray area is where we remain unbroken with the ability to use that new knowledge to create new ideas, solve new problems and have a renewed sense of purpose.


There is more great news about the gray area.  It holds tremendous advantages for those brave enough to enter.  The few that do will learn things that there is no other way of learning.  So grab the cat by the tail and let's get started!

I think your method is outdated

So we have this really annoying intercom at work.  REALLY annoying.  Every few minutes you hear, "Josh Layhue call 123.  Josh Layhue... 123, please."

It's not the message that is annoying, it's the method.  It's also boring and predictable.  The next time you need to get someone's attention, be creative... be unpredictable... and don't be annoying.

If you're running a business, it can seem effective to blast your product to every person you know every time you see them.  And you may find short term results, but ultimately you're going to become that annoying intercom system that everyone despises.  You'll become predictable.

As an alternative, you may try building relationships with people.  One thing history has told us is that relationships continue to work while intercom systems have become outdated.