Everything Breaks Down Once in A While

"Everything breaks down once in a while

And you can't believe your eyes

Or trust a strangers smile

Everything you always thought you knew

Doesn't ring the same to you

Even your sky is faded through" - R.Bramblett/J.Slatten

     It seems like everything around me (including me!) is breaking down these days.  From my house & yard, to my cars, to my bike, to my knees.  Right after Christmas I learned that the Water Main running from the street to my house was leaking and had to be replaced. With my bank account $2000 lighter and a 'scar' that runs right up the middle of my yard, it's funny in that it reminds me of the 6 inch 'zipper' scar I have on my left knee from when I had broken cartilage removed some 25 years ago.  

     

     Today's chautauqua will explore some of those things that a hammer, wrench, screw driver, Home Depot, Roto Rooter, or a good orthopedic surgeon can't help us fix.   It's interesting to think that all you have to do is nothing and most things will run down, wear out, break, or just stop working. One thing I learned through my friendship with Mike Schwass, a quadriplegic since his senior year in high school as the result of a neck injury during a hockey game, is that the average lifespan for 'quads' is 5 years.  Incidentally, Mike beat these awful odds living for 35 years as a highly functioning and contributing member of society! There are many reasons for this, but the one that usually kills the physical body is the lack of use.  All machines need to be maintained and supplied with energy to work.  They also need to be 'tuned up' and cared for regularly.  The human body, possibly one of the most complex, intricate, and amazing machines EVER is no different.  The 'nerve center' or brain, which is also part of this organism & system also needs regular maintenance, tune-ups, exercise, stimulus, and above all challenges to remain healthy and working properly.  I'm reminded of my favorite bumper sticker:  

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open"   

      Spring is a great time to clear the clutter in our lives both physically and metaphorically.  There is a wonderful book by Brian Luke Seaward called, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart: The Taoist Path Through Stress & Spirituality where he discusses what he calls the Seasons of the Soul.  He discusses how Autumn is the Centering Process; Winter is the Emptying Process; Spring is the Grounding Process; and Summer is the Connecting Process.  Spring for me is a great time to renew many things in my life.  It corresponds conveniently with the season of Lent which adds an additional challenge for me.

     Fixing things around the house is easy, compared to the work that Lent requires.  My Christian friends are well versed with what Lent is - a time to think less about oneself, and more about their relationship with God, and those people around them.  It's about denying yourself in this life, to prepare you for the next life.  This however is not what challenges me; my struggle is more with the human beings that seem to think they can speak for God.  Nothing makes this more clear than when my parish issues the Lenten Regulations.  Hmmmm?   Regulations?  Really?  The latest and possibly biggest challenge I'm struggling with is the recent stance the Catholic church has taken on contraception.  I am finding myself fundamentally at odds with this stance.       The question I keep having to face is, how can I reconcile this hypocrisy and still remain a member of this organization? When I speak with practicing Catholics about this, they give me the standard 'party line' which is oh so unsatisfying.  It's like how they justify taking a 'pro-life' position while still supporting organizations and positions that kill people.  It may seem like I'm picking on the Catholics, but I think you could plug just about any organized religion into this discussion.
     Please don't misunderstand me, my intent is NOT to take a stance (political or religious) but rather to let you know what I'm struggling with; if I can simply get you thinking about these, and other complex issues that are important, then this was worth taking the 10 minutes to read.  My belief in God is in tact.  My belief in my fellow man is what requires some maintenance this spring.

     What are you struggling with this spring?

Sustainable Success in 2012 and Beyond

                    

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.    

An American tourist, who was a

consultant, complimented the Mexican

fisherman on the quality of his

fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and

catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch

was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta

with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,

have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a

full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help

you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell

the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger

boat."

And after that?" asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second

one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of

trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then

negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your

own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, 
Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting,"

answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big,

you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the

coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a

siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying

your friends."  - Anonymous


I love this story!  It's a great launch into today's chautauqua.  I'm calling it Sustainable Success in 2012 and Beyond.  Everyone strives for success, but just what exactly is success?  The achievement of a goal?  Sure, but who defines it?  
Can efforts that fail be successful?  
Who determines whether you succeed or fail?  
Why can this differ depending on who you ask?

I want to talk about how we determine success.  
More specifically, how we should determine success.   I've learned over the years that when I have allowed other people to create the rules of my success, I would fail just about every time.  It sounds so simple, but the trick is for you to create the rules of your success.  God has given all of us unique talents, skills, and attributes.  Just as it's possible to arrange a finite set of notes in infinite sequences to create music, the same is true with the way we use our God given talents to achieve our goals and dreams. The story of the Mexican Fisherman is a great example of this.  Both the Mexican and the American had the same goal, however each had very different ways of accomplishing it.  They also each share very different definitions of success.  


As a professional sales person one of the biggest, most important goals I strived for was being recognized as the Rep Of The Year.  Besides the plaque, money, and Rolex watch (which are ALL fabulous), the real prize is being recognized by your sales professional peers as being  #1. 
It's the equivalent of achieving an Olympic gold medal (in my opinion).  

The problem is that there are so many sales people who are better than I am at so many things and there is NO way I can beat them. After years of beating my head against the wall and intense disappointment, I decided to hell with this and just do what I do best. 


This is where the sustainable part comes in.  
I simply couldn't keep up the incredible and stressful sales effort, month after month, year after year, so I came up with ways to make the day to day grind more manageable and even enjoyable.  This allowed me to tolerate the long hours and mind numbing detail work.  It took me 11 years, and when I least expected it, I did finally achieve Rep Of The Year in 1996.  I am going on 28 years of working this crazy job with all it's unreasonable and often mind numbing travel and nonsense, but I've been able to sustain a level of performance that allows me to be a sales leader in my industry.  


When people ask me what my secret is, I tell them something no one wants to hear.  That being there is no secret.  Just sustaining a reasonable effort over a long period of time, making small and incremental changes regularly.  It's my opinion that greatness is not about winning the race every time. It's about finishing it - time after time, after time. Because what you'll find is that with each race, fewer and fewer people will finish. Excellence therefore is sustainable effort.  The simple test is to place this powerful adjective before any aspect of your life, and see if it is indeed true.

Just to put this into some perspective, I have been jogging since I was 16 and although I was never very fast, I was consistent.  As the years went on I got slower, covered fewer miles and skipped many days.  I conservatively estimate that I have been able to sustain a very modest record of jogging between 2 to 3 miles, 3 or 4 days a week over these 34 years. If you were to average this to say, 9 miles a week, x 52 weeks a year (468 miles a year).  Then multiply this by 34 years you get a total of 15,912 miles jogged.  That’s more than three quarters of the earth’s surface!  Think about it this way, it’s like running from Chicago to Beijing China, and back. Oh yea, then to Costa Rica for some beach time and rest.

Little changes sustained over a long period make a profound difference.   Who are you going to let define your success in 2012?   Let 2012 be the year that each of us introduces the power of sustainability to the important aspects of our lives. 

May you find sustainable peace, Love, friendship, good health, and prosperity in the new year.  

Some Christmas Thoughts for 2011

     As Christmas 2011 descends upon us, I would like to follow up my previous post of the Rule of Three.  In case you missed it, this was the thoughtful and excellent homily on the three types of friends in your life by Bishop TD Jakes.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV6Ki_sau7g

     In the 27 years I have been a professional sales person, I can count the number of times I have missed my sales target on one hand.  After this disappointing and challenging year, I won’t be able to say that again.  This has left my head in a bad place where, like December, the days are short on sunlight, and the nights are cold, wet, long, and dark.  

     Like most of the U.S.A. recently, we have also had some unseasonably warm weather for December so I went for a long run yesterday.  As I was enjoying the fresh air and invigorating feeling of my muscles working and blood pumping, I had the overwhelming feeling of how great it is to be alive and healthy.  Like any 51 year old, I have my share of aches and pains, but for the most part I’m healthy.  My mind quickly went to thinking about friends and loved ones who are either no longer with us, or are struggling mightily with significant life threatening illnesses.  

     When I was 16, I watched in horror as my brothers best friend broke his neck in a hockey game, becoming paralyzed from the neck down.  Four years ago I helplessly sat by my mom’s side while she died from diabetes related heart disease.  Less than two years ago I carried the casket containing my closest and dearest friend from my childhood, who also succumbed to diabetes related heart disease.  Just this past year I witnessed my uncle, who at 70, was the fittest and healthiest person I know suddenly contract a deadly form of blood cancer which has racked his kidneys, leaving him depending on dialysis three days a week while he battles for his life. 

     My point is simply this (and no one struggles with this as much as I do!):  Intellectually I know how fortunate I am to have my health, however I continue to let the fact I missed my sales target this year bum me out.  How many of us let money, material things, and petty arguments obscure what is truly important to us?  I know we all have to have money to live, but you can’t live if you aren’t healthy.  Money won’t buy back your health (think Steve Jobs).  

     Christmas and the beginning of a new year is a great time to look back at how fortunate we all are for all that we have, and all that we have achieved.  The birth of Jesus gives us the hope for a new, brighter tomorrow.  Let’s all try and transcend our intellectual understanding of what’s important to an emotional and spiritual one.  Since our experience on this earth is a physical one, let’s start by taking better care of our human bodies so that we can free our minds and souls to pursue the limitless potential of the human experience, never forgetting that there are others who are not as fortunate as us. 

     I'll leave you with a couple of verses from the Red Hayes/Jack Rhodes tune,

 "A Satisfied Mind"

'How many times have you heard someone say'

'if I had his money, I'd do things my way?'

'But little they know that it's so hard to find'

'one rich man in 10, with a satisfied mind'

'Money won't buy back your youth when you're old'

'A friend when you're lonely, or peace to your soul'

'The wealthiest person is a pauper at times'

'Compared to the man, with a satisfied mind'

     This holiday season, count your blessings, hug your family & friends, stay safe, and eat more fruits and vegetables!

Peace & Love,

Mark-