Getting up to Single Speed

hard work.

Many of you who frequently visit this site have asked what the heck I’ve been up to lately.  I must admit, I’ve been spotty (at best) in posting over the past year or so.  It surprises me that those who have found this blog wonder what it is that I’m up to whenever I don’t post for weeks.  Honestly, this site is a written window into my world—meaning that those of you who have found me here already know me outside of the web. 

I like that for the most part, but it really isn’t what I intended this site to be.  I can’t change the history—though I can certainly begin from this point…and that might be the best explanation as to what I’ve been up to lately.

At the beginning of this year, I made a goal for myself to read at least two books each month.  I knew that this was a lofty goal for me, but I was pretty determined (and still am) to make that happen.  Interestingly, of the first four that I’ve read, two of them were intended to be more of a workbook instead of a read.  What I wanted to do was finish the book so I could go on to another, applying the knowledge as I acquired it.

Something dawned on me after I finished the second of these reflective books.  (Perhaps it’s where I’m at in life right now.)  I came to the conclusion that I just had to put the quota of reading two books each month aside, so that I could work through a book that might help determine an overall direction for how I want to live.

Heavy, right?  Well, let me just say that “The Path” by Laurie Beth Jones intrigued me in such a way that I felt compelled to work through it.  And that, ladies and gentleman, is what I’ve been up to this past month.  After I read through the entire book, I came to the conclusion that I needed to be able to work with others so that I could create a personal mission statement.  The exercises in “The Path” were ones in which I could do myself, but ones in which I personally needed feedback from.  So I did what I thought was somewhat a selfish thing for me and potentially helpful thing for others—I created a book club, with our first piece being “The Path”.

It’s been a month of hard work.  I got a group together, and during our initial meeting, we picked partners to work with.  The idea was to get together with these partners whenever time fit, working through the chapters.  We set a date and time to regroup as a whole to talk about our experiences.  My partner has been great.  Our time that we’ve spent together has been a weekly blessing.  We hold each other accountable to the reading, and we’ve been able to share insights that have proven helpful for each of us.  I’m not really sure how this format has worked with the others in the overall group, but I’ll be finding out tomorrow, when we’ll be meeting for the second time.

So far, I’ve come up with a rough draft of a mission statement, and its revision.  Originally, I clung onto the value that ‘everyone deserves the right for a chance’ and tried to incorporate that phrasing into the formula Laurie Beth Jones provides.  The vagueness of this phrase made it difficult to move on.  After another week of thought, I changed the phrase to “dreams”.  Though it’s still vague, I’m feeling good about the overall direction.

My challenge is to somehow clarify this current draft of a mission statement.  I invite you to write your comments, questions or insights.  Here goes:

My personal mission statement is to venture,  illuminate, and enliven dreams with and among people.

I’ll let you know how the club is doing, and what I feel have been the helpful points as well as drawbacks in this process.  Thanks in advance for your comments!

i needed the analogy.

A pot of filtered water put on the stove, and turn up the heat.
Wait.
Watch as the water turns cloudy, then clear—bubbles appear.
Add the two bags of tea.

A pitcher placed in the sink, pour some sugar in.
Hands turn cold, as you add ice to the brim.
Remove the bags, squeezing the liquid out before throwing them away.

Hot liquid melts the ice, and the sugar dissolves.
A wooden spoon swirls the liquid in the pitcher in circles.
Watch as the liquid continues after the spoon is removed.

I’m agitated tonite.  A few run-ins with unexpected rude behavior has soured my mood.  The worst part is that I can’t seem to settle down—at least not yet.  Like good sweet tea, I must wait until everything stops, so I can rest.  Eventually, things will be clear again.

part II.

We’re stuck in the wheel.

There is so much in the world today for us to consume.  I’m not just talking about things that we can eat.  If you think about it, we are bombarded with advertisements that ask us to watch, listen, purchase, believe, and give.  Ever since I watched this video, I’ve taken an interest in how people influence others into consuming whatever it is they’d like us to consume.  It’s amazing how people collaborate together, in order to persuade others.  Sometimes the tactics are humorous.  Sometimes the tactics are through fear.  And still other times, the tactics play on those with compassionate hearts.  I’m fascinated at the amount of effort and energy spent on trying to figure out who and what ways will work in persuading the masses.

Several books that I’ve read have focused on individuals influencing others.  Statistically speaking, this is probably the most powerful and cost-effective way in persuading others.  (i.e. if a friend of yours tells you to try something, you’re more likely to do it, than if a general announcement is made over the radio.)  I thought I had the general idea of how the masses are influenced, and I thought I’d only be interested in the different ways individuals would persuade others.  As usual, I missed the bigger picture, and I was reminded that in one statement that I heard today:

“The corporate mentality has permeated the way people interact and deal with each other.”  My co-worker went on to explain that “Businesses and corporations used to be in check with the government—but now they’re bigger and more powerful than government.”  He stated that maybe 5 or 6 corporations are in charge of 90% of the products/services we buy.  That’s pretty scary if it’s true.

Welcome to the new age.  I’d heard that line before when talking with another friend of mine a couple of years ago.  When asked who the new “super-power” of the world would be, he explained that it wasn’t a country—it was going to be corporations.  I remember being interested in the statement, but also not really sure of what he meant.

We’re constantly updated on the GDP in our county.  The sense is that the higher our GDP is, the better our economy is, and vice-versa.  I imagine that many people are either relieved or experience anxiety at how strong the GDP measures.  In turn, I wonder if more people will spend with more ease when the GDP is up, and save more when the GDP is down.  This tool for measuring our economy has become almost like a report card, where everyone receives his/her grade.  I wonder if our fascination with the GDP is just a sign of what most of our daily lives have become about.

In today’s world of a corporate mentality, it seems easier for us to practice corporate methods so that we can make more, do more, and constantly upgrade.  a better price at the mega-store?  Shop there and forget the locals who have served your “needs” for years.    Don’t like what your kid is learning in school?  Transfer her to another one with a better reputation.  Find Not happy with where you live?  Move and forget the community you’ve been apart of for years.  Do you like your worshiping community but question whether or no you are getting enough out of that sermon?  See if you can replace him/her.  If not, try out several others that fit your needs.

These days, it seems that loyalty is dead—at least when it comes to relationships.  Instead, it’s become much easier to break ties and go somewhere else, or worse yet, replace the person who isn’t living up to his value.

Then.

Here’s Part I of something that’s fascinating me this week…

My father and I grew up in different eras (obviously).  One of the things that I’ve noticed recently is his view on businesses.  I believe that when my father began working, it was pretty common to see workers stay with the company until they retired (or were fired.)  There wasn’t this whole jumping from job-to-job.  There wasn’t a whole lot of people jumping from industry to industry.  You did what you did for and with the company you worked for.  I imagine that many in my father’s era defined themselves in a big part, by which company they worked for.  In return, companies took care of their employees through various means (i.e. longer vacations, promotions, raises).  As long as you worked hard and the company made a profit, you would be taken care of.  Loyalty from both the employer and employee seemed to be at an all time high.

40 years later, we’re living in a different age.  Corporations choose where they’d like to do business based on where they could make the most profit.  Don’t like some of the rules & regulations in a country?  Then go ahead and outsource to another country!  And people—they do the same these days by jumping from job to job in and out of different industries for greater profit, or more convenient life-styles.  Loyalty seems to be at an all time low—especially in an era where a steady job is like finding a needle in a haystack.

I once asked my father about what he thought about a company that had built a HUGE building and parking lot.  14 years later, they’d closed that store and moved to a bigger site farther away.  I was disturbed at the vacant building as it has since become an eye-sore.  I was also disturbed at all the other smaller businesses that had closed during those 14 years because the bigger store drove them out.  After expressing my hurt feelings, he simply shrugged and said something along the lines of, “You can’t fault them for trying to make money.”

I understand that in the goal of business, the rule is usually to make the most amount of profit.  You can do this in many different ways—but the goal doesn’t ever seem to be met.  If you meet a certain level one year, the bar is raised.  The company’s goal is to beat the level before.  Should you fall short of that goal, it’s considered a failure, and new tactics are used to meet next year’s goal.  Overall, it seems as though corporations are constantly on a hamster-wheel—running and running and running, exerting more and more effort and energy—but not really going anywhere.