The World According To Gym

"Gym class was another little brush with fascism. You line up in your squads, and you better be wearing your little gym suits. If you are not wearing the gym suit, you are not taking gym class. 'Remember, kids, exercise has no effect unless you're wearing these special suits.'

A gym teacher is a strange occupational choice. What is this job? You're walking around in shorts with a whistle all day long. You've got an office next to a shower, you're torturing and humiliating young boys all day. It's weird.

Any day that you had gym was a weird school day. It started off kind of normal. You had English, Geometry, Social Studies, and then suddenly you're in Lord of the Flies for forty minutes. You're hanging from a rope, you have hardly any clothes on. Teachers are yelling at you, 'Where's your jockstrap?!' Kids are throwing dodge balls at you, snapping towels - you're trying to survive. And then it's History, Science, Language.

There's something off in the whole flow of that day."

On Core

"A very important point: You do not 'create' or 'set' core ideology. You discover core ideology. It is not derived by looking to the external environment; you get at it by looking inside. It has to be authentic. You can't fake ideology. Nor can you just 'intellectualize' it. Do not ask 'What core values should we hold?' Ask instead: 'What core values do we actually hold?'" - Jim Collins

Is that so different from life's purpose? To some extent we can develop an enthusiasm for something. But we have natural tendencies, natural passions and talents. Perhaps we derive greatest joy from helping others. It could be raising children. For some, it's competing and winning. For me, it's teaching. What do we value? What is it that brings the happiest tear to the eye, or that we can lose ourself in for hours as if they were moments? And if we're destined to lead in life, we find ways to communicate this passion to others... our words, our scheduling, our money follows it. We don't have to be loud, just consistent, just persistent.

Product(ive) Recall

"Apparently, we can generate positive emotional feelings if we are highly practiced at it.

Happy people tend to be able to quickly recall lots of positive events, such as their child's school play, walking the dog, a productive brainstorming session at work, or the clever thing they said at a party. Depressed people, because they have a habit of focusing on the negatives of life, can easily recall recent problems, upsets, failures, and setbacks."

I don't know about you, but turning off the replay button on negative events has been the greatest personal plague to overcome for me. When we wake up in the morning we choose the tone for our day. What runs through our mind in the shower? Troubles or victories? Worries or dreams? One trick I've found to be uplifting as I head to the office is to pretend that today is my retirement day. Maybe it's because we think of things more fondly when we're about to leave them behind. Maybe it's because frets of the future are replaced with warm memories of the past. Whatever, it works. Changing our thought pattern is really such a simple choice, yet takes energetic focus to sustain until a habit is formed.

Moore Power To Us

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting with the CEO of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Charlie Moore. A self-described "purpose-driven guy" is the type of person who gets things done, and I was also glad to hear him describe consensus-building as a strength of his. He is also a fountain of ideas and told me more than once that it's a challenge for him to "shut up." He was frank with me about his perceptions of Leadership McLean County and I was glad to see his passion about it. Next year will not be "business as usual" for the program - as one example he puts priority upon clear budgets, knowledge that I think we'll all enjoy having. He does intend to be more present with LMC which has potential to be a powerful asset. While it'll take a little more time for me to determine whether or not I'll be a good team member for Charlie, the conversation conjured up the personal importance I place on listening as a leader. Sometimes the more I think I know, the more I put my foot in my mouth. Group think has its own peril, and the wise leader can tell when to tend the rudder and get things back on track, but I swelled up with satisfaction earlier this week to sit in on a couple of my team's meetings at work and listen to ideas flow with increasing excitement. High-functioning team members feel like owners, not slaves.

Had A Bawl, Thanks

I'd been in the professional work force for about a year when my supervisor called me into his office with a heated voice. If words were fire, by the end of that meeting not even my ashes would have survived! I'd like to say that my personality was strong enough to learn from it, shake it off and move on, but in truth it took me a while to recover. Whether it's being bawled out for performance issues or any other matter, whether or not it's deserved (and in my case, there was a clear performance issue that needed addressing in some fashion), life will punch us in the gut and leave us staggering from time to time. Fighters don't get embarrassed by that, it just comes with the trade. Winning fighters persevere through their own confidence - bruises heal, as long as we don't continue to beat ourselves up.

Our Meetingversary

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of the day that Dena and I met. We were introduced via blind date, so like most Americans I had almost no expectations.

This could be the jumping off point where I give a sentimental, romantic love-at-first-sight account of the whole experience, but it wasn't like that. In fact I'm glad for that, because although Dena's a beautiful person inside and out, I've been dazzled by things too quickly before that lacked the roots to really last. Our love grew gradually for two years, bloomed into marriage a year after that, and has filled us with color and life for nearly eleven wonderful years ever since.

The world needs a lot more Denas!

That's Where The Muggers Hang Out

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there." - Jalal-Ad-Din Rumi

We may not live as long as we'd like if we suspend all notion of right and wrong, but our hair will probably be a little less gray and skin less wrinkly if we head in that direction.