Seriously, my pumpkins are SICK!

I've nearly perfected the pumpkin carving process. Check out pictures from 2009.

Who is John Galt?

Every time I travel I get to thinking. I get impatient too, and I often find myself sitting on a plane, agitated, needing to be somewhere else and doing something more. No, I’m literally stuck sitting center seat and listening my book. But there are few coincidences and I think not that my entertainment is Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged; oh how appropriate. I get to thinking about how much more I should be doing. I get to thinking about how much more we could be doing, as a company, and it frustrates me. We’re having a good year but success is a devil inside me and I can’t seem to sit back and enjoy it. It’s a sickness I know, but I love it. Although I’m not nearly finished with her book, I love Rand’s exploration of Hank Rearden, the steel tycoon, who has become such a monster for success; he cannot separate himself from it. He’s almost molten of the same liquid ore that pours the metal rails for Taggart Transcontinental. I see myself in him but I wish I was even more like him. Even as I cringe at the sad, numb assent his wife has for her husband, whom she deeply loves, I don’t care. I want it even more. But then I am alone most of the time. I imagine the truly loyal entrepreneur is alone. He must be. It’s not a good thing, but what can be changed in each of us. If I wasn’t meant to be this way then why would I feel such deep lows and precipitous highs? If one shouldn’t take business so personally then why do I derive so much pleasure from it? How many people don’t love what they do? Who is John Galt?

Great Men Always Have Too Much Canvas

Have you ever heard this, neither had I until recently, but I love it. I think there is a number of ways to interpret this statement. On the one hand, it suggests that remarkable people often have too much going on to be effective. Or it can be construed that such people are cursed with a vision that extends beyond what can be accomplished in a lifetime. Or maybe it means that a man is as great by virtue of having too much to do.

I often feel like I’ve just got too much on my plate. I also feel like there is just so much I want to do but don’t know where to begin. Sometimes I have a hard time finishing things because I’m just on to the next. I’ve also found that the more knowledge and experience I gain, the less I know. In other words when I learn something new, I’m just a novice at that thing. So my breadth of understanding widens (my canvas) but my ability to paint on that canvas is limited. How do you manage your vision?

It’s Not What I Think; It’s Not What You Think. What is it Then?

Aren’t most of us concerned about what other people think of us? I’m certainly afflicted with that character defect. But is that really my problem? Maybe not. As many times as I’ve been stopped by the fear of what others think about me I’ve come to realize what I thought they were thinking of me was entirely different than what they were actually thinking. In other words I was afraid of something that ended up not being true at all. Imagine living in constant fear of monsters in your closet. Of course most of us have grown out of that one because we now know that monsters aren’t real. So why do we let the fabrication of other peoples thoughts affect us? The truth is I don’t’ think we realize it. Since we can’t yet read minds, how then do we arrest this behavior? In my experience what I think your thinking is in fact what I’m thinking about you. In other words if I’m worried about you thinking I’m fat, or ugly, annoying, dumb, whatever, more than likely I think one of those things of you. The good news is that’s something we can control, what we think of others. If you want others to think good things about you, think good things about them.

Dog is God Spelled Backwards

I’ve never been a deeply religious person. I do believe in God, but I don’t subscribe to the idea of there being one specific God, or the picture of the flowing robes and wild gray beard. For me God is just something greater than myself. It’s a force that I can’t really explain, only that I know it’s there and I can call upon it for help whenever I wish. Unfortunately I don’t do that very often, call upon God that is. I think that may be true of many people. God is something we look to when all else has failed us. But I know some people that seek the support of a higher power in just about every situation, and in my experience I get a lot more than I ask for when I am open to it.

On Sunday nights it’s my job to take out the garbage. This ritual is much loved by my dog Lewis. No matter where he is or what he is doing, when it’s time to do this chore, he’s on point. Lewis is well trained (unlike his sister, which is another story), so I can let him outside off leash. It’s a short exercise, but he loves it.

On more than one occasion after finishing our trash duties and coming inside, I realized Lewis wasn’t around. Due to the fact that his other pastime is sleeping, it could be an hour or two before I noticed he wasn’t here. A short look around the house proved he must have never come in with me. Upon opening the door I see Lewis coiled up on the front door mat, just waiting there. No scratching to come in, no barking, no whining, just waiting there for me to open up. I guess that’s what good dogs do.

But maybe it’s more than that. When I think about my relationship with God, I realize that he too is just waiting there for me on the doorstep. All I have to do is open the door and let him in.

One time after sharing this story with a few friends, one asked me if I knew that Dog was God spelled backwards. As someone who doesn’t believe in coincidences, I’d say that was about as good of a sign as I could ask for.

When was the last time you left the door open?

Great Filmmaking is a Subtle Foe

It was suggested to me to try and articulate the following concept so I’m going to try. I apologize in advance if it makes no sense.

There are many facets to a good movie; the acting, story, writing and so on. But there is something subtle about a truly great film. I think most people don’t realize it’s happening when it does, but it creates a subconscious connection with the audience and brings everything together. It’s delicate and fleeting but it’s there. Sometimes I see it; in fact, for me I really tune into it. I don’t know how to describe it but I’m going to try.

I’ll start with a movie that I would never have thought I would have liked. In fact, when it first came out I wasn’t at all interested and almost embargoed it. That movie is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It was of course critically acclaimed and many agreed. But there were those two that didn’t get it and found it childish. I actually understand both sides. There is one scene in that movie that not only communicated the essence of the film, but also exemplifies my point about the subtleties that make great movies.

The scene is early on when Yu Shu Lien, played by Michelle Yeoh, first realizes who the thief that stole the Green Destiny sword. The thief, who we later learn is Zhang Ziyi’s character Jen. For most people watching the movie, this scene probably just flies by. The two of them are sitting at a table talking with a member of Jen’s family. Suddenly Yu Shu Lien knocks a cup off the table knowing that Jen will instinctively reach for it and catch the cup, which of course she does. The beauty of this scene is so subtle. What’s the real point here? Well, that’s the hard part. It just felt good when I was watching it.

I’ve tried to explain to people before but people don’t see it. One of the underlying themes of the movie is about raw talent untrained and the importance of training. Jen’s character is more gifted than anyone before her, but she has had no training. Yu Shu’s character has less inherent talent, but has been thoroughly trained. Later this is proven more when she fights Jen for the first time (the second best scene in the movie for the same reasons). Yu Shu’s subtle dropping of the cup demonstrates her superiority over Jen and for the first time Jen has a sense that maybe she doesn’t know everything. In this one scene the film is told and I fell in love with it then.

This is one example. There are many others.

BSG; Nuff Said

So I don’t typically post about television (which is odd b/c I watch a lot of it), but I can’t end the weekend without talking about the grand finally of one of televisions greatest shows, Battlestar Galactica. Here’s the deal.

It’s a good time to share one of my recurring waking dreams as it relates to this final episode. I’ve had this image in my head for more than 20 years. One day I believe we discover another planet that supports life. I don’t assume there will already be life there (although I do believe there is life out there), but we will be able to inhabit it. Some people will want to explore it and others will fear leaving our planet. I am an explorer and would give up anything and everything to be part of the community that creates civilization there. I want to be involved in everything from building shelter to creating government. I want to develop barter systems and currency. I just want to be part of creating a society from scratch. The idea fascinates me.
Ok, I could go on forever on that, but let me bring back to BSG. One of the reasons why I’ve always loved this show was because of the underling and intertwined theme of a divine power. The show is based on the premise that there is something out there; something intelligent and more powerful than one species alone. This Higher Power so elegantly weaves the fabric of the universe that you are unable to believe in coincidence or that there is no plan.

The final episode of BSG brings all of this to head and leaves no loose ends. And, for me, best of all, the remaining “beings” are conveniently dumped onto a new planet that is at the beginning of evolution. Rather than bring the baggage, technology and history with them, they choose instead to start anew. They choose to be exactly what I’ve been dreaming of since being a kid. They choose to create a civilization from scratch. I just loved it.

The universe is vast and based on constructs of our own knowledge and imagination. What about what we don’t know we don’t know. There is much more out there, and I it is my fervent belief that our paths will cross and I will play a role.

Attraction Rather than Promotion

Have you ever heard this before? Attraction rather than promotion is the belief that ideas are better communicated through actions rather than suggestions. Some may know it as Gestalt Protocol or more simply, lead by example. Well, I’ve had a lot of success approaching life this way, but I forget easily. I was recently reminded of this principle and I’m trying to put it into practice.

In my experience, people don’t like to be told what to do. And the more I try to do that, the more they resist, and the more frustrated and ultimately resentful I get. If I can focus on my own behavior and take actions that are congruent with what I want to communicate to others, it rubs off. This is true in business as much as it is in my personal life. I need to focus not so much in what needs to be changed in others as what needs to be changed in me.

How Ford, GM and Chrysler can Win Back Americans and Save the Auto Industry

I often find myself day-dreaming about important business topics; I find it is a good way come up with innovative ideas. My current circumstances have me thinking about marketing a lot these days and in one such brainstorming session I began to think about our failing auto industry. I believe I have a solution to the crisis, albeit radical, one that will not only stimulate the economy, but also address the energy emergency as well. Here it is.

People are already not happy with the “big 3” because they have not stayed progressive; they have not adapted with the needs of consumers and the needs of our environment. I think everyone would agree American car manufacturers are way behind. On top of that, the American public is angry about the continued government bailouts and I believe are particularly perturbed that we now need to use tax dollars to save failing auto makers that don’t even make cars we want.

For these companies to succeed, even with the bailout money they need to win back the trust and dollars from the American people. I suggest they create a national advertising campaign and pledge to Americans that they are going to change. Ford, GM and Chrysler must promise to meet extremely aggressive timelines for new fuel efficient vehicles. Not just the same cars with slightly better efficiency, they need to take a stand on radical change. They must commit to building cars that get 50-100 MPG and that meet the needs of current and transforming consumers. They must assure the public that they will use the government money wisely and invest in this future, and share the progress openly. They need the public to see that they are making a do or die bet. If they fail to deliver on this promise, the go bankrupt and everyone loses.

In return, the car makers ask the American people to join the fight for change; ask them to make an investment in the future of our country and for energy independence. I propose the Big 3 offer them an incentive program to buy now and save later. The car makers would sell current makes and models today at fair prices where they can still make reasonable profits. In return, consumers that buy a car in the next 12 months at these prices, will get a coupon for the purchase of a car at manufacturer cost (that means below wholesale) of the future in 3-5 years. In addition, they would issue common shares of stock to these consumers so they are effectively investing in the future of the company.

This type of program would generate the much needed cash today for the automakers to invest in R&D and keep operations running while they develop the cars of the future. The key is that they actually must achieve the promised delivery dates of these new vehicles or they die. This is a marketing play into the current revival of American pride, which is being largely driven by the new government administration. In fact, there is a potential to get the government behind the program with more financial support if they actually achieve very specific milestones.

I equate the situation much like when the United States was determined to go to the moon. There was going to be no stopping us. We made an incredibly aggressive and radical commitment to achieve a goal that was almost inconceivable. The fact that American car makers traditionally sell to the middle class and the core of the country, I think they are in the best position to make an impact. To use an expression from Obama, the Big 3 represent “main street” more than any other companies. The car makers can take advantage of the human, especially American, spirit of renewal; that inherent desire to achieve greatness. They can simultaneously help fortify the economy, rally the masses and lead the way to energy independence.

It has been proven throughout history; people cause change. Rally the people and radical change will occur.

Twins! Nuff Said

UPDATE - Pictures Here!

Well it’s been a long road, but my twins arrived safely yesterday. Please welcome Dahlia Pink Solomon & Wolf Patton Solomon. I’ll post many pictures including videos of the c-section soon, but I’m at the hospital still and I don’t have my camera transfer cable. What an amazing experience. Everyone says that. It’s just very cool. It’s exciting and scary. There is so much unknown. When they popped out I checked the basics, 10 fingers, 10 toes, etc. They look fine but I’m worried about what I can’t see. I guess over time parents just get used to the feeling of not having 100% control over the kids. I have to trust that God has a plan for them and everything will work out how it is supposed. I believe that anyway.

I think of myself as a pretty accomplished guy. I don’t know everything, but most of the time I feel like I know the things I don’t know. When it comes to raising these kids, I don’t know what I don’t know. I mean just in the last 24 hours I’ve had to learn and do things I’ve never done before. Feeding and burping and keeping track of this poop and that pee. I can’t tell you how many times these nurses have showed me how to swaddle these monkeys and I just can’t get it. Show me how to us a power tool once and I’ll build a house. Show me how to wrap a baby in a blanket and watch it fall to the ground after I pick them up (more videos on that soon).

Aya (my wife) lost a lot more blood than she should have after the c-section. She ended up having to get a transfusion. That’s a little scary because we don’t really know where the blood came from. She’s also quite sore and will not be at full power for weeks. I guess parental instincts just kick in though. I’m doing what I need to and I’m really enjoying it. A friend told me that kids are the best thing that ever happens to you, and whatever is second is light years behind that. I’m a really happy dad just trying to figure it all out.

I Built a Wall and I’m Proud of It

Click the Image to View Photo Gallery

You’d probably think the title of this post is a metaphor for something; but the truth is I built a wall and I’m proud of it. My wife and I have a two bedroom house. A few years ago we decided that we could have a bigger master bedroom if we took down the wall between the two rooms, so I did just that. It was great for a long time. But, with babies on the way, we needed a second room (and then some). By the way, we are having twins in a few months if you hadn’t heard.

So a week ago I started putting back the wall. Well I love construction. I’m quite handy and I’d been itching to do a project around the house. Seeing as our room was going to shrink, I thought it would be a good time to replace our old “tube” television with a flat LCD in the bedroom. If I installed it on the wall, I would gain much more space on our dresser. And, since I was building the wall from scratch, I could run all the cables/wires/etc. in the wall so nothing would be seen. It was on!

Step by step, day by day I worked on this wall. First I framed it. Then I ran electrical. Then I worked on a conduit for the satellite, phone, network, HDMI, cables, etc. Next I put up one side of the drywall and the insulation; after that went up the other side of drywall. Then tape the seams, patch the nails and prep for painting. Finally, paint and baseboards. In about 8 days (not fulltime) it was done.

Aya photographed step by step my progress. You can check out my progress by viewing my Kodak Gallery. It turned out great, and yes, I’m very proud.

Reverse Marketing; Using Google AdWords for B2B Target Marketing

I’ve had this idea for some time now and I feel like it’s time I posted it on my blog so I can at least claim it as an original idea before Google releases it, if they ever do. The concept came to me, like most of the ideas I have, from a frustration or limitation of some other activity or product. In this case the frustration that drove the idea was marketing to other businesses using Google AdWords.

I’ve been a long time Google AdWords customer and began using the advertising method for Leads360 about 4 years ago. While I have increased my keyword list and developed different strategies that have produced incremental performance benefits, I still can’t fully target the businesses I want to reach in an effective manner.

The great thing about Google is that when a potential customer searches a relevant keyword term and click on your paid AdWord, in theory, you get highly targeted and “interested” leads. For the most part this is true, however in the world of marketing, only a small percentage of you potential prospect base is actually looking for what you have to offer. In other words, if you sell widgets and you know there are 1 million people out there that want, need, could benefit from your widgets only a small subset of that group actually knows they need or want it and only that group actually searches for widgets on Google and get’s connected with you. What about the other, let’s call 95% of that pool that doesn’t search for widgets. That’s the age old marketing challenge and why television and radio have been a medium that continues to work, at least for targeting consumers.

In the B2B world TV and radio only work if you have a huge budget, that’s one of the reasons that the internet has exploded as an advertising medium. Still, the internet and search marketing is largely dominated by B2C advertisers. This leads me to my idea.

When I think of the businesses that I’m trying to target, they are actually B2C companies. That is they target consumers for their products; whereas I am B2B and target them. My question became: how do I target the 95% of B2C businesses that are not searching for my keywords on Google. The answer I came up with is that while they may not be searching for my product, they are actually using Google AdWords to promote their own products and services. And because I can research and understand what keywords they are buying, why can’t I “reverse” market to them?

Let me give you a real world example of how Reverse AdWords Marketing could work. One of the industries that we target is Debt Settlement. If you are not familiar with this industry you will be soon or you can read about in on Wikipedia. I estimate there are about 1000 businesses of reasonable size that are in this vertical. Of those thousand, most are doing some form of marketing (you’ve probably heard the radio commercials… “if you have more than $10,000 in credit card debt call debt savers of America…”). A good portion of those companies are advertising on Google using AdWords. It’s a great channel for these companies because they are targeting a growing sector of consumers that are in debt and need help. This trend will have them start at Google searching for terms like “get out of debt” or “eliminate my credit card debt” and so on. My potential debt clients are buying these keywords on Google and seeing a great return from them. What if I could also buy those terms but instead of showing my ad when a consumer searched for them, I would show up in front of the business while they are managing their AdWords account.

It’s pretty simple actually. When you login to AdWords to create an advertisement you must enter the keywords that you want to target. As soon as the debt company, in this example, put in one of the keywords I bought, my highly targeted ad would show up for them. Now I’m targeting the right customer while they are in marketing mode. Its not quite as good as a company searching for my keywords on Google, but it allows me to now target a bigger portion of the 95% that aren’t searching for me. Hooray!

The system works the same. I pay per click and I battle against my competitors or anyone else that wants to advertise to those companies. And, if there was pushback from advertisers not wanting to see ads when they are using the AdWords system Google could offer a small discount on the AdWords they are buying just to show the ads to them, which may just be valuable and less obtrusive than a cold call or spam email.

For Google this could represent a huge incremental and untapped revenue stream. Just my example alone I would spend an additional $5,000 per month on top of the $10,000 per month I already spend on AdWords. I would just move some of my marketing dollars from some other non-targeted method.

There are many hurdles to overcome I’m sure but when I think about it from a marketers perspective it’s a great way to advertise to a very targeted group of businesses and with my entrepreneurial hat on it seems like a pretty great way to make more money and dig deeper into the B2B internet advertising dollars.

Ok Google, run with it if you aren’t already. If you end up getting the idea here, throw me a bone.

Why Rising Gas Prices are a Good Thing

The faster and higher the price of gas goes the better. Here’s my theory. History has proven that necessity is the mother of invention. Right now we need some serious invention to get the economy on track and develop long term sustainability for our country. Enter the price of gasoline. I believe that the country is largely driven by large corporations, and corporations will always do what’s most profitable; it’s capitalism after all. So when it comes to alternative fuels or vehicles, corporations will not change heading unless they can make more money. Why would Exxon shift focus from making fuel from oil when it’s the most profitable route, they won’t. So if gasoline slowly rises, say to $10.00 in the next 5 or 10 years, they will not be incentivized to do anything about it. In fact, they will likely model out that they will make dramatically more money by dragging US consumers through the mud and slowly bleeding them with up and down fuel prices.

But, if gasoline was at $10.00 say in the next 12 months, or sooner, the economy and consumer spending would come to a screeching halt. In particular any products, services or activities that require the use of gasoline will be avoided at all costs. Therefore the more profitable route for Exxon and GM would be to embrace the need for change, put all of their money into R&D and innovate new products as quickly as possible.

The bottom line is that if we wanted to create a sustainable, environmental friendly, inexpensive and plentiful energy source or if we wanted cars that looked cool, had great features and drove 500 miles per $1.00 gallon of whatever, we could. We have the technology. It’s all about how profitable it would be to figure it out. When it becomes more profitable to figure it out for our big corporations, then they will.

So next time you go to the pump and the price has gone up yet another 25 cents, be thankful. We’re well on our way to radical innovation.
I have much more to say on this topic.

My First Urinal

I’ve been planning this post for a few months now, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Here is a picture of my first urinal. You’re probably scratching your head and wondering what gives. Well, when I was a kid, maybe 12 or 13 years old, I wanted my own urinal. I really appreciated the simplicity and function of a urinal and that as a boy, I could use one while girls could not. Perhaps it was my lack of patience (which I still work on today) that had me love the velocity at which I could use the bathroom in high school. I could rattle off a number of reasons why I like urinals. But the real reason I wanted one was this.

I saw that urinals were only in commercial environments. Nobody had a urinal in their house. I thought that owning a urinal was a sign of success. If I had a urinal in my house I would stand apart from everyone else. My desire to be special (which is more of an affliction truth be told) had me want things that others didn’t have.

This is a common curse I think and I’ve done little to escape it other than recognize when self absorption drags me down; that of course is a different post. And while I don’t actually have a urinal in my house yet, I do now have one in my office (I part own the building). When it got installed I felt nostalgic and was reminded of how much I always wanted one. So here it is.

Theory of Singularity

Something that has always fascinated me is the idea that human beings only use a small percentage of their brain power, something like 5-7%. I always marveled at the thought that all we've achieved as a race has been accomplished with a fraction of our brain potential. To me this suggests there is so much more we can do.

I've often theorized about how the human brain was really just a super powerful computer though computers have the ability to calculate mathematics faster than we can, computers have none of the real "intelligence" that humans have. There has been much written on the topic of artificial intelligence and the idea that someday computers will become smarter than humans. Ray Kurzwell is one such prominent author, thinker and inventor. His vision of singularity suggests that super-human intelligence will be achieved in the next 30 years. He has a great article in Wired on singularity this month that got me re-engaged in this topic.

My theory, albeit based on nothing more than intuition, which I also refer to as singularity, suggests something a bit different than Kurzwell. I believe there will be a convergence of artificial intelligence with human intelligence. I believe that because we only use a very small percentage of our intelligence that we have the capacity to meet the processing power of a computer. If you subscribe to Moore's law, which would lend credibility to the idea that computers are charging toward super-human consciousness, then you should also believe that it may be relative. That is to say other things in the universe may be expanding at an exponential rate.

Could it be possible that the human brain works the same way? My theory is that as computers become exponentially more intelligent we are learning how to unlock the potential of our own minds. I see artificial intelligence not distinct from human intelligence, rather a means to understand our own intelligence. The "human" artificial intelligence becomes, the more artificial our human intelligence becomes. This to me is singularity. It's the convergence of human and artificial.

Taking it one step further, I don't see AI as something mechanical. In other words I don't think of super-human AI as wires and microchips; I believe that as the technology expands it becomes more human. Eventually we don't build computers, we build brains. The progress in the bio-medical sciences converges at the same time. Ultimately we come to fully understand the construction of the human brain, enough to simply unlock the full potential effectively becoming what we think of today as super-human AI. It's really just super-human intelligence.

I don't know if this all makes sense. It's something I've been thinking about for more than a decade. Lately though I've felt a yearning toward understanding and explaining my thoughts. This recent article by Kurzwell got me thinking about it.

Happiness is a Warm Gun

I've recently rediscovered The Beatles and have fallen in love with this song. Of course I'd heard it a number of times before, but this band never ceases to surprise me. I don't know if others of my generation have found this to be the case with them, but it's not the first time I've found something new in something old.

What I love about this song and about The Beatles in general, is the complex hidden inside the seemingly simple. Many of the Beatles songs are just so simple it's almost frustrating. My Mom once told me (who was fortunate enough to see them in concert once) that the boys could have written a song w/ lyrics that went "poo, poo, poo, poo, and more poo" and it would have been a hit. Ironically, my point here is that they didn't do that. Yes, some of the tunes we're downright insulting, but mixed with sophisticated and thought provoking words, The Beatles left their indelible mark, on me at least.

I bring this up because of this song in particular. I just love the visual here; "Happiness is a Warm Gun". On the surface if you fear violence then happiness is a warm gun. But if you have more faith then it's a false hope. Everyone wants the protection and care of something warm; everyone can identify with the powerful image. In the end, this song leaves me deep in thought; I love that.

Too Many Teachers and Not Enough Educators

What is it?
I used to think that education was about the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and wisdom. This is in fact the definition of learning, not education. I've recently learned that education actually means 'to draw out', facilitating realization of self-potential and latent talents of an individual.

To me, education is the catalyst for progress, and progress is driven by the impact we make. To educate is to draw out the impact we want to make on the world. People make the biggest impact when we're passionate about somthing. That passion comes from the inside and it takes education to draw it out.

Education takes many forms; ironically, I think we find it least in our schools. When I was in school, espeically pre-college, the cirriculum was designed around teaching me the things I should know. Really, I only learned the things that interested me. And the few times I was passionate about somthing, that topic had an impact on me and coincidentally I made an impact on the world. At those times I recieved an education, every other time I got a lesson. So, if impact is the product of education and passion is the root of impact, then its all about finding what we're passionate about. I think education is the process of identifying and drawing out of our passions.

Maybe we have too many 'teachers' and not enough 'educators'.

When do I do it?
I’m an educator whenever I’m inspired by something. When I see, hear, learn or come to understand something new that has an impact on me, positive or negative, I want to share that experience others.

When others are coachable, willing and open to new experiences or growth I want to be someone who facilitates that. When I see people that have a burning desire to grow or to express themselves, I want to help.

When there are no instructions, or when I or others don’t want to follow the provided instructions but rather create our own from the inside, I want to be a part of it. When there may be another way of doing something, as wild and unproven, I’m eager to follow the trail.

I educate when I see opportunity; when I see that the opportunity for progress in myself, another person, or the world around me I cannot extinguish a growing passion to do something.

How do I do it?
As I start to understand what it means to be an educator, I realize that it has been a subtle passion. In the rare cases where students have asked for education I have given and been visibly inspired by the process. However I regularly make an impact on others in more subtle ways. In fact, people often wonder what it is I have or why people want what I’ve got to give.

I think education happens when I do the things move me. I’m passionate when I share experiences. I tell stories. I create outlines. I write procedures. I come up with business ideas. I design products. I invent. I build. I organize things. I daydream. I align my thoughts. I improve what’s already alright. I think outside of the box. I lead the way. I trust myself. And I take risks. When I do those things I think I might be educating.

Why do I do it?
It makes me feel good when people experience or make an impact. It makes me feel great when I’m the catalyst impact. And because I believe impact leads to progress I get inspired by the process. I love when I hear stories about people who have caused change or inspired progress. I want to be in their shoes. So when I think about education on the individual level, such as a teacher/student relationship, perhaps what really inspires me is the larger impact we will have when there is growth on the individual level. In other words, it seems the biggest global impact comes from more frequent victories within ourselves. I guess I think it’s true when people say one person can make a difference. If everyone actually thought that way, then one person would equal many. That’s how we affect change.

I educate because I love progress. Progress is evolution and I believe evolution is not limited to our biology; it is the inescapable force that it inspires our continuous movement toward improvement.

Describe Your God

I’m not religious, but I’ve always believed in some type of higer power. Recently someone asked me to describe my God. How does He play a role in my life. I started thinking about it and here’s what I came up with. For me, God is always there; giving me enough guidance so I don’t crash and burn, but enough freedom to make my own choices. I equate it to the Autopia ride at Disneyland. The race cars are on a track, but there is enough play on each side of the rail to make the turns. If you’re doing it right, then it’s a smooth ride. But if you are not quite on your game… BAM, you’ve slammed into the track. It can get pretty bumpy as you go from side to side trying to get your bearings. But you always know that you’ll make it to the finish line with nothing more than a headache.

That’s how God works in my life. He’s there. He makes sure I don’t crash and burn; but He gives me the freedom to steer the car. Sometimes that means I’m slamming into the rail… back and forth. But sometimes it’s smooth sailing; as if God’s actually driving and I’m just sitting back and enjoying the ride. I guess that’s the whole idea of letting go. The more I try to control the outcome, the rougher the ride is. Maybe it’s time to let go of the steering wheel for a while and trust God. Hell, it’s been a pretty bumpy road lately.

Normalizing Theory

We are always trying to put more technology in rather than use what always exists. There is much research related to integration of technology into our brains. The purpose of this thinking makes sense to me. I believe it is in our nature to try to learn more about our brains and to develop more sophisticated ways to use them. Frequently research related to this topic is done to help people with disabilities. For people that can’t hear, scientists are working on implanting electrodes into the brain for sensing audible impulses. For those that can’t speak researchers are developing brain implants that reproduce words from thoughts.

The prevailing thinking is that we need to “implant” our man made technology into the brain in order to connect or communicate with it. While this makes obvious sense, I propose we look at the human body, and in particular, the brain, as part of the same system we think of as “man made”. Essentially what I’m suggesting is that we don’t need to build new technology to integrate into our bodies, we need to discover how to use the tools the body has already given us.

Nature and nurture are from the same cloth. That is to say that whatever we build or the theories we conceive are all based on the same laws of the universe. Why then do we think of nature, the body, the brain, etc. as separate from computers, internet, electricity, etc. It is all the same. If we look at the universe in such a way, then much more is possible. Thus the basis of my theory.

The normalizing theory is this; our mind already has everything we think we must build to achieve the goals we want. We don’t need to insert a wire into our brain to transfer data back and forth with it. We don’t need to connect our minds to the internet to have them communicate with each other. We don’t need to attach a hard drive to get more memory, or a calculator to do complex computations. The mind can already do all of this. What we need to do is figure out how to access these aspects of our mind.

The proof is in the freaks. From time to time we see the savants, these people that can do seemingly amazing things with their minds. Some can do complex calculations instantly and others can memorize gigabytes of data in an instant; not much unlike a computer. These freaks demonstrate that human beings can do a lot more with their minds; for some reason they’ve been granted access to these parts of the mind.

I will figure it out; I just have no idea how.

Come Around

I have this concept called “come around”; I think I’ve mentioned it before. Charles, my business partner frequently exercises this quality. Sometime I get stubborn and ironically have a tough time coming around. The most significant and long lasting instance of this is with regard to the whole Mac vs. PC argument. I’ve always been a staunch supporter of PC’s; in particular, I love Microsoft. I really like the vision, albeit fleeting, of integrated systems. So forever I’ve played that card; no Mac for me. But I found myself saying to a die hard Mac guy last night that I might, in fact, be coming around.

I also love brand, identity, packaging, style, progress, etc. Mac, to me, embodies those things. Ironically, I deprive myself of the very concepts and principles I seek (now that’s not a new idea, humans have been doing that since day 1). So maybe I’ll give a Mac a try; because I believe I can have both. I think Mark Twain said something about holding two competing ideas in mind at the same time; I can do that.

What I Want

I want to write a book, build a house, invent something, or two; produce a record; be inspired; trust the plan and follow the leader. I want to sell a company and buy one too; I want to lead the charge and run the show. I want to take orders, listen, learn, walk the moon and see the stars. Seriously, I want go into space; to be a pilgrim, colonize the planets, write a law, run for office and make a change. I would do anything to be liked, appreciated, loved and held. I could run a marathon, but I’m not a runner. I want to be respected, more than once; I want to see through someone elses eyes, do what they do, have what they have; but most of all, I want to want what I’ve already got. I want to be grateful and be gracious, a friend to my foes, a father, a mentor, a companion. I want to be of use in this world, and I want adventure. Imagine what I could have if I got what I wanted. That’s a life worth wanting.

Resentments affect me, not you...

Resentments affect me, not them
It is said that resentments lead only to futility and unhappiness; in my experience this is all too true. It is also my experience that resentments are all too common. Recently a mentor of mine opened my eyes to five key steps to resentment remedy.

First, we realize that people who wronged us are perhaps sick. Second, we ask for strength to show them the same tolerance we would show a sick friend. Next we see our own mistakes and look for where we had been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and fearful. When we saw our faults we listed them; and finally, we admitted our wrongs and were willing to set these matters right.

It’s a simple process for a complicated person; but when I do the steps, things get better.

Whatever the Mind of Man Can Conceive, it can Achieve

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve.”
If this is true, and history does seem to demonstrate that, then oh… what a wonderful thought. My mind is full of conception. Imagine, even the most “out there” idea, no matter how unbelievable, if this quote were true, would be possible. I love that concept. I love that my mind is part of an infinite universe of possibilities.

Today I’m going to open myself to this infinite universe. I’m going to make myself available and receptive to everything I want; starting with this: I want to make a speech to 10,000 people on something that I am passionate about. I don’t know what that will be, or how I will get there. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “take the first step in faith you don’t have to see the whole staircase just take the first step.” Maybe a little blind faith isn’t so bad.

Coincidence is no Accident

I think I’ve always believed this, but now more than ever I know it to be true. The frequency at which I see proof of this is increasing at an exponential velocity. Lately I’ve been seeing coincidence coincide with coincidence. That is to say a coincidental occurrence happens within that of another coincidence.

Someone was telling me today about a movie; The Secret; that two people had told her about today. Coincidentally, a third person told us that she had hosted a premier party for the movie and had the movie for us to watch that day. During the film, a quote was presented “the more you resist, the more it persists”… coincidentally I had written a blog post last night with the same title. How does that happen? How does the universe deliver, so frequently, exactly what we need, and in many cases what we ask for directly? I love it!

The more you resist; the more it persists

If you think about it you’ll realize, like I do, it’s all too true, and too common. Just about every day this rings true for me. I find myself fighting an uphill battle, often it’s just going on in my mind. As soon as I stop resisting, things fall into place. Like the Chinese handcuffs, stop pulling and they fall right off. That’s the great irony; and it’s part of what I love so much about the universe; that ironic and so simple way of the world. You might call it God, or science, or love or whatever.

When I just pause, listen to the universe just speaking to me, let go and let life unfold, things work just as they are supposed to. Easier said than done I guess.