Who would you like to talk to soon?
My little boy. He’s on a road trip with his father this weekend. First boys’ trip I guess . . .
Who would you like to talk to soon?
My little boy. He’s on a road trip with his father this weekend. First boys’ trip I guess . . .
How do you feel about cold weather?
Not a fan of cold weather, snow, hail, flurries, none of it.
I have walked to work in steel-toed boots wearing 2 and 3 sets of thick socks in the dark part of the morning and I have hated it. I have squeegeed iced off the windshield of my pickup before I could leave the driveway, and before that I had to warm up the engine. Brrrrr!
I know we have hurricane season every year but suffering basically everyday for 90-100 days seems worse compared to the chance of a hurricane coming out way. To be fair, when it does come your way, it is certainly a gamble. You could get a small hammer (Irma) or an humongous axe (Andrew, Maria, Katrina, Harvey, Ian, the list, sadly, drags on . . .) There’s no telling until it’s too late and it is upon you. I will admit that.
But truly there is no perfect place to live. Every place has some natural hazard to give your pause. You have to choose your poison, the kind you can live with. Or do like the many snowbirds we have here, and run from your poison every year.
Daily Prompt: Are you a leader or a follower?
It depends what the situation calls for.
If someone tells you they are a leader in every situation, they are a boor and are definitely out of their element a good amount of time and faking it until they make it. Also, people do not like them.
In situations where I have some expertise and people look to me for answers, I will gladly step up as a leader.
In other situations, where I need guidance and I find that I need to look to someone with more experience and/or expertise I am happy to be a follower. You have to be open to learning from others. You are not always the most knowledgeable, experienced, charismatic, motivational or seasoned person in the room. There is nothing wrong with that.
I think we all have to shift in and out of leader/follower roles, day by day, sometimes hour by hour.
Leadership is a funny thing though. It’s tangled up with power, entitlement, authority, and seniority. The most qualified person is not always chosen as “the leader”. Sometimes no one wants the responsibility that comes with being a leader, and someone reluctantly takes the mantle. And sometimes, a leader is not chosen but instead emerges. And other times, a so-called leader is in place, but the real power lies elsewhere.
I have a book on my “Want to Read” list on GoodReads and it’s actually physically on my bookshelf at home: Results Without Authority: Controlling a Project When the Team Doesn’t Report to You — A Project Manager’s Guide by Tom Kendrick. Obviously, I haven’t read it yet, but I am curious about what it has to say about the roots of leadership.
I also have another book I have perused, but not finished: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. This book is old school but I believe a lot of it is true. (Alarmingly, per Wikipedia, “. . . it is popular with prison inmates and celebrities.” That should tell you a lot.)
There may be new paradigms and whatnot and a shifting balance of power in some spots here and there, but I think the ideas presented in this book are being used on each and every one of us every day so we should be aware of them so we can counter them if we choose. Same with the classic: The Prince by Machiavelli.
The Princesa: Machiavelli for Women by Harriet Rubin is a book that presented a softer way, but just as cunning as the original. Followed up by a more modern author with somewhat similar ideas, but more directly stated: Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace by Stacey Vanek Smith.
I learned about servant-leadership (through the work of Robert K. Greenleaf) when I was getting my MBA at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. I think it’s a great concept and I have seen some great examples of people who have been amazing servant-leaders. I believe in my heart they may not even know the term but are just naturally that way. We should all strive for that standard and recognize the constructs and barriers of old-style leadership.
BONUS:
Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.
Harry S. Truman
I direct your attention to the Leaders Are Readers Book Club. You should definitely check it out.
What are your favorite brands and why?
(I would like to know if in the context of this question, brands=companies. I am answering as if they do.)
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
Well this is easy.
Apples, applesauce, apple juice, apple pie . . . I love it all.
Pineapples, but mostly on pizza. Don’t @ me.
Watermelon – as a candy flavor or coupled with kiwi as a drink flavoring. I will admit to not being a fan of the fruit itself, so far.
Bananas hold within them the lesson to carpe diem. Their beauty and flavor will not reward your procrastination. I have loved bananas (as a co-star with the apple) since the Gerber baby food jars and still do today.
That’s it. End of list. I look forward to finding another fruit to enjoy but so far I don’t like any other fruits, let’s alone have another favorite fruit. Pity. I have tried!
Today’s DayOne Daily Prompt: What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?
If there is one thing I can do to improve my life I believe it is acting with INTENTION. By that, I mean acting rather than reacting. I want all of my actions to be premeditated, my words to be planned and purposeful.
I admire people who start a speech, conversation, or encounter with the end goal in mind rather than rambling and getting to the point in a roundabout way.
I am currently reading a book by the living legend Tina Turner called Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good.
In it, she introduces us to the concepts from Buddhism which have helped her lead a happier, more peaceful life.
I have gotten to the point where she first learns about chanting and meditation so I have a ways to go.
I would like to incorporate meditation in my daily routine but I am not there yet.
In the Buddhist tradition, right intention is the second teaching in the Noble Eightfold Path. It includes committing oneself to personal growth and ethical behaviour, resisting unhealthy desire, and not causing harm to oneself or others.
Moksha Mantra
Acting with intention is not easy.
If we are aware of what we are thinking and feeling, and thinking critically about what we want to do and say based on those thoughts or feelings, we are acting with intention. We are not simply walking along the path of least resistance, but creating a productive route for ourselves, and sometimes that’s challenging. It’s in that challenge we come alive.
On Being: The Role of Acting With Intention
I think its a shoot for the moons and catch a few stars situation.
Those are my musings for the day. Catch you in the next one.