fishing

I had the great pleasure a few weeks ago to visit my faux-favorite place on the planet: the fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Florida. Now, I say faux-favorite because my actual favorite place is the fishing pier just down the road at Pensacola Beach; however, the pier on Okaloosa is a nice substitute when I can't make the real pilgrimage.

I should state up front that I don't fish. So why is the pier my zen spot? Simple: emotional memory. It was a first, of sorts, for me. I have never been able to put my finger on the exact 'why', but I have an attachment to that place that exceeds all others.

Visiting the pier got me thinking about other attachments that I have, and more interestingly, those that I don't. We build attachments to many of our firsts: our first car, our first home, the first kiss. However, this phenomenon does not seem to apply to technology, and that was an epiphany that I was not expecting.

• First internet experience: AOL, and I had no clue what to do.
• First cell phone: cannot even recall the look or make.
• First web page: a geocities mess with spinning graphics and a list of some of my favorite things.
• Even my first Tweet (only 1100 ago) totally escapes me.

Contrast those to:

• My first car: red Nissan Maxima, and I can still smell it.
• First book I ever loved: Watership Down (in 7^th grade)
• First song I ever obsessed over: "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago; at times, it still gets to me.
• First room of my own: Rast Hall dorm room, and I could draw every inch by memory.
• First love: well...let's leave that alone.

So is there a Truth here? Do you find the same pattern in your life? Do you have attachments to the digital world that are as strong (or even less strong, but present) as those in the physical? I do not.

Unlike the fishing pier, I do not have a resting place online. Sure, I have sites that I like, sites that educate and inform me, sites that provide me with a service I appreciate. But when life needs respite, it's the real world that I run to.

If I ever go missing, rest assured that I will not be browsing the web, searching for pictures of a pier; instead, I will be found standing on one, far away from land. And I will have found the piece/peace that I need.

shanti,
mjh

breaking

One of the things that drives me crazy about my 3yo, and also one of the things I admire most about her, is her immense curiosity for physical boundaries. In other words, she likes to break stuff. Give her a CD, and she'll bend it 'til it snaps; if she happens upon a magazine, she'll tear it seven different ways; a new toy rarely lasts. It's the beauty of childhood, right? Nothing is taken at face value, and everything must be tested.

It's one of the many child-like qualities that we should emulate in business.

Now, I would not suggest running around breaking things just for the experience. We already know most of the physical boundaries of our workspaces; but is there room to push these boundaries?

Perhaps today would be a good day to test some limits, question the rules of a relationship, poke outside the lines, just to see what happens.

Sure, you might not find what you are looking for, and sure, some things might get broken in the process; however, at least you will know and understand the bounds a little better.

And who knows? Perhaps there is treasure just beyond the lines. Someone has to find the pearls; it might as well be you.

shanti,
mjh

medium

"There ought to be clowns"
"Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone"
"She tells herself it's research for her next and greatest role"
"I wrote to ask if we could maybe meet again before the spring"
"God"

It's hard for me to separate these lyrics from the music that accompanies them. 99% of the time, they do not appear alone. There are instruments; there is passion; there is context, both in narration and inflection. They are part of a story, not only in the original composition but also in my personal narrative. And the moments appear in numerous other narratives as well: at live events, on physical media, school dances, within movies, perhaps at your lowest or highest times, etc.

As stand-alone statements, I'm just not sure of their impact. Perhaps the last, though inflection and context would still be everything. The point, however, is that every one of these (and many, many more) phrases mean a great deal to me; they make me feel; they *work*, and they *work* precisely because of the medium through which I encouter them.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I struggle with repurposing Twitter posts on Facebook, posting status updates through Foursquare, encountering art on the street vs. in a gallery. The medium and the message are inextricably linked. (Sure, we've heard that "the medium is the message," but the 5th quote up there proves that wrong...at least for me)

This is nothing profound or groundbreaking, but it is something that we all should remember now and again. In these days of multi-channel communication, where we encounter and pass along information through every sense and at every turn, take a moment to make completely sure that the message you are broadcasting *works* via your chosen platform.

Sure, we want a universal message. Just remember that the universe is only unified in name. Once you begin exploring, you might just find that Twitter hashtags on Facebook, rough humor on LinkedIn, sarcasm in print, etc. is actually quite alienating.

shanti,
mjh

p.s.--10 points for anyone who can place the lyrics. Points only, though, b/c Google kinda 
ruins the fun

p.s.--that last one's totally not fair, but take a stab at it anyways. There could be some interesting answers.

4.leaves

If there is one four-leaf clover in a patch the size of a basketball court, I can find it. Sounds bold, but it is true. I have found one four-leafer a day every day for the past week (and one with 5 leaves...that one kinda scared me) ; it's a skill I have mastered over the past decade or so. And I think it is time to put it on my resume.

You see, finding the unique among the common requires concentration, attention to detail, patience, a little bit of luck, persistence, and a gut feeling. Sure, I can try and show these qualities by listing jobs that I have had, the qualities required to do certain tasks in those positions, random corporate projects that showcased one or the other; however, the truth is that I can find four-leaf clovers with the best of them. And there is something of value there.

So, what off-the-beaten path skill do you have? What human trick puts you in a league unto yourself? What can you do that I can't? Figure that out and leverage your talent. Put it on your resume, your personal development plan, heck, even your email signature.

We live in an age where 'job skills' are not strictly defined by what degree you have, what positions you have filled, or what titles you can claim.

If you can solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded, can spot a typo from 50 feet away, have perfect pitch, know every artistic period, can balance on a chair without touching the ground, can calm a difficult child...we might need you. Regardless, we need to know about you.

It's time to change the corporate 'you' that exists on paper. Let me know what sets you apart from the pack. What makes you a four-leaf clover in your company? Since you are here, I am claiming that I have already found you.

shanti,
mjh

EAVB_DFEHXATFNB

socks.revisited

i.love.socks. Irony? Contradiction? See my earlier blog post and you can decide. Regardless of my NN-rant back in January, I recently discovered a brilliant utility for these coverings of the feet. Their ability to refresh, change, and reset.

While traveling recently, I was in a funk. I was back at the airport, about to board yet another flight. Though I had found my recent travels to be fun, enlightening, and socially healthy, the constant change of cabin pressure can funkify someone rather quickly. While sitting on a bench, just past security, I noticed two business traveler types who had unzipped their bags and were in the process of changing their socks. Always one to be a first follower (at least of those who seem to have the right experience/viewpoint), I decided to do the same.

It was quite transcendental.

Turns out that the simple act of donning new, clean socks can radically shift your current situation.

Literally, it's a simple action. On the larger scale, however, it's a much more difficult process. When you find yourself weighted down at work, stressed, or just blue, it is unlikely that you have the capacity to change the larger issues. Emails, meetings, presentations, experiments, red tape, 'the matrix': all of these have the dual role of maintaining order and, at times, ensuring that you keep your socks on, however uncomfortable they might be.

However, we are all aware that it's the little things that get us through the day; it's the actions and environment that you do have control over that will shape your day; sometimes, it's a simple change that can radically shift the place that you are in.

You might not have the ability to change the structure (i.e., wardrobe) of your current team, but those socks you are wearing, those are yours. Why not change them? You might be surprised at how you feel.

shanti,
mjh