The Trouble With Dogs

Dogs are so perfect in so many ways. I love them. I never did as a child. I do now, though. I love my dog and I know he loves me. He's the first to greet me and the last to leave my side. He's special and caring and loving and awesome. The trouble with him is that he is sick. He has cancer. Not anything curable, either. Best I can do is wait it out and love that little guy with all my heart. The trouble with dogs is that we grow so attached and it is hard to let go. The trouble with dogs is that they are family. The trouble with dogs is that they just don't stick around long enough. Love you Chance. Hope that rainbow bridge doesn't come too soon...

A Return to Thought

Over 2 months since I posted anything. Whoops! Got busy. School is about to begin for the kids and some of my friends are sending theirs away to college. So great to see all the new beginnings and chapters closed and others opened. If there is one thing I might do again it would be to explore a bit more when I was younger. See more of the world. I have been fortunate to see a small section of foreign lands, however small, yet I have learned so much from such a small sampling overall. Each new surrounding is a fantastic opportunity for growth. My kids haven't seen a lot yet. I am worried sometimes they will grow up myopic by default and not learn to see how different each culture, each region, and each society are. There are dark places everywhere, and from seeing those we learn to appreciate the luxuries we engage in here in the US. How easy it is to start a business here - Not easy to succeed but easy to at least originate and start. Then again, if I were in inner Detroit 5 years ago, I might suggest otherwise. We do not always appreciate these things here in the US and take them for granted. I believe it is in our nature to become complacent, comfortable, take the easy path. Go somewhere different that is stark in contrast and perhaps a lesson, one that will stay with you, is inherent in the visit. I will take my kids to that place where they can learn that lesson. It is what I need to do, at least for my sake. This hot, dry, arid summer is turning our skies into smoke filled hazes that filter the view in way that looks like aging science class movies I remember as a kid. The lack of water in the west has forced me to think different again. Seems the comfort is lessening and the urgency great. I might suggest we all reexamine our surroundings and assess what is important. Never know when uncertainty might strike. Same goes for business. What's your disaster plan? Do you have one? Do you need one? Do you care about one?

Stress Is My Normal

So for this post, it goes without saying, stress has become a normal for too many of us. We are worried about money, careers, our kids, their kids, our parents, our pets, our clients, our bosses, our employees, and any host of other people or things that seem to weave within the fabric of our lives. Stress is our new normal. We wear it like a badge of honor. We embrace it and protect it and promote it until it is a dependent child with a short leash. We become addicted to it, and it becomes us. Three things I find to deflect the stressful stress: 1. Music. Either I play it on my guitar or I listen to it. It is an almost instant release. A must to defeat the disease of stress. 2. Exercise. I have always been relieved of this demon with a good run, long walk, or other form of exercise. Simple, effective, and always a rewarding endeavor. 3. Fishing. Yes, I know, this sounds more like evading the issue, but there is always something therapeutic in the art of fishing for me. Your activity may be knitting, drawing, or something else, but if it is a passion it will prevail and return your emotional self to balance. We can all use to eliminate some stress. Find your buttons and push them, and get to living healthier, stress-less lives.

Makers & Artisans Explode, So How About We Teach Our Youth?

It's all the rage. DIY in-house tinkering and crafting and building and making. We are, at our most primitive, innovators as humans. We find ways to improve our quality of life as often as we can or need to our of necessity. So it should come as no surprise we have identified this skill set as a proposed profession as well. While, I admit, the two are not necessarily an apples-to-apples match, they are both born out of our curiosity, will, and desire to live better. The 'Maker' movement, the 'Artisan' movement, etc. are the new terms we use for an always developing group of individuals, etc. that are spawning nationwide, and worldwide for that matter, dedicated to learning, practicing, and perfecting a craft. Every day as I walk downtown, read the paper (yes, I am old school,) or see a tweet regarding a new Maker or Artisan or Crafty-person I am reminded that we are, at the essence of our being, people that love to explore new horizons. I sincerely wish our educational system were supportive of this, rather than the K-12 institutional complex of standardized testing and trail leading to nausea-inducing Scantrons filled with #2 pencil rectangular shapes. I believe we should develop each Maker from childhood, giving each of us an introduction to our own hands-on abilities and creative instincts. This does not mean we create a society of small batch artisan crafty heads - it means we allow some instinctual capabilities to resonate internally, and somewhere along the way each child develops their own identity with what they are comfortable with, and allow them to excel if that is a path they feel good about. Why do we not teach arts and crafts? Why do we focus on STEM? Ingenuity and innovation are not limited to scientific applications, rather, I would argue they are uniquely attached to each other in advancing one another, both in the equipment and the mindset. Perhaps, this newly named movement will refocus our educational efforts and realize the value in continuing arts, trades, and skilled craftsman that may or may not need an educational path through traditional 4 year institutions. Where are the apprenticeship programs that are available to all? They rarely exist today, and that is a shame. Time to shift the mentality in this country and get away from such narrowly focused attention to mandated testing criteria.

Making The Leap

Every month I am confronted by the reluctant entrepreneur regarding taking that next leap into their own business. So often the risks build an obstacle in front of them they feel too large to contend with. If you are going to be an entrepreneur, you better be comfortable with risk. The only folks that don't think some risk is agreeable are those in static coma, or bankers. You will at some point be forced to stretch your neck across that line, and hope like heck your head does not roll. But if it does roll, and most likely it will at some time, get your best needle and thread out and sew it back on. You will be wiser and more mature for your next venture outside. Take the leap of faith. You will never know if it was a good idea unless you try. I suggest weighing your own constitution first, and if it allows, go for it. If you aren't feeling it, wait. It may come later in life, or never at all, but at least you followed your instinct and made decisions you can live with. If you go to bed wondering every night 'what could have been,' you may have to force yourself to jump from the ledge. It's OK, there are many of us out there that are waiting to catch you and help you back up.

Recipes for Success

I have a friend who likes to believe he will be a success in business. I believe in him. I trust he will succeed. But I do caution him to use a recipe that will help him achieve his goals. The recipe is something like this: 1 tbsp Inspiration 1 tbsp Optimism 5 cups Perspiration 2 tbsp Failure 1 cup Persistence 1 cup Reality Sprinkle with Purpose and bake for as long as you need to succeed. I am my own worst critic. I have a bunch of shortcomings. I m not as organized as I should be. I am not as focused as needed. I like shiny stuff. All combined it makes success difficult, but it also makes it even more rewarding. Despite my obstacles internally, I still find a way to make successes out of my work even when failures appear as well. I believe, and some weird study out of a university says, that success is made up of learning lessons from continually failing. Reality hurts, but it trains us to either evolve or become extinct. In some cases, extinction is good. Look at DDT. At the time, it was the wonder powder that would save farming. Shortly (some 80 years later) there after, it was vilified and was banned for health concerns. Paul Hermann Müller developed this product and won a Nobel Prize for it. Fast forward a few years later, and he's a villain, or at least his product was... The point is that trial and error, even if over long periods of time, pushes us further to continually develop and redevelop our initiatives for the better. While at some point Mr. Müller was a genius, and rightfully so, but his work did not end there. It spawns hundreds of other young scientists to push through his work and carry on with their own. They apply the recipe and hammer out their products so we, as a community, can further challenge ourselves and our ideas as to their merit. As my friend likes to tell me, he "will be" a success. And I agree, as long as he accepts defeat during the process as a drive to further development.

Impact Washington making an Impact

So there is this lovely lady name Kristin Kautz. Kristin is a soft spoken, kind woman who 'works' for Impact Washington. I say 'work' because I do not believe she truly works at what she does, rather, she puts forth enjoyable efforts. Her demeanor, passion, and thoughtfulness are evident from the day you meet her, and while I know it is a traditional working job, she exhibits anything but typical in her outward, smiling appearance. Now, understand, her 'putting forth enjoyable effort' is a term that should be valued by all of us, and we should all be so lucky to share in such a splendid way of carrying on about our day. I do not, however, mean to diminish her work in any way, only to recognize that she is a rare person who throughout her interactions is sincerely happy to be doing what she is doing. How many of us can say that? How many of us say to ourselves everyday that we made a difference somewhere, or for someone? I truly believe she can, and I am proud to have been able to meet her and engage her with LUSB. We will be a better organization because of her, and for that, I am truly grateful... Thanks Kristin! www.impactwashington.org