Poking and Proding.

What is that feeling? It feels like a constant little poking in my side. Have you ever experienced it? This never ending finger jab in your back? It has been really getting to me lately and I can put a finger on what it is exactly. I know it is irritating the living crap out me. So much so that I sort of melted down today. This little annoying itch just will not leave me alone. I boiled over because of it. I lashed out. Not at anyone in particular. A friend called to chat and I just went off. I just vented on everything that had been stacking up on me. I didnt vent at him, I just used the connection as an avenue to get all this....crap..off my chest. Then later I ran into another friend and told him what happened. He said that the thing that was jabbing at me was ME. His thought was that I was being poked by something that I wanted to do or needed to do but had been brushing it aside or pretending that it didnt matter. He advised that I spent some time searching. I was flattened by his comment. I had never thought of that. Maybe he is right. No, I am sure he is right. As soon as he said it, the feeling went away. Not because I know what the thing is, but because I realized I need to look for it. Maybe a not followed dream or a habit I need to drop or an apology I need to make. Im already a little less annoyed. A little more at peace.

OK To Disagree You Know?

I have grown so much due to the folks around me that completely disagree with most of what I say. While its nice to enjoy the company of like minded people, most of my best friends often tell me how full of crap I am. It is a real asset to have such friends.
I recently had dinner with a good friend. It was intended to be a business dinner but it ended up being several good beers and a "come to Jesus". I dont think either of us expected it. It was totaly unplanned. Maybe that is what contributed to the candor and transparency. There was no arguing or anything like that. It was just a lengthy, open exchange of ideas about the problems that faced us both. Our problems are very different but I found that his thoughts on my issues where so insightfull. We are two very different people and his take on my issues helped so much. I hope he fells the same about my comments on his life.
Do yourself a favor my friends. Surround yourself with folks that you have little in common with. Let them get to know you and you do the same for them. You will find that this diverse pool of knowledge will bring so much good to you.
I hope you enjoyed checking in with me. I enjoyed you being here. Bring some friends next time.

Your Ideas are to be Protected

I heard a friend of mine tell his daughter that she should be careful what she puts on her facebook page because employers and colleges are looking at those things before they hire or allow enrollement.
This not the first I have heard of this either. Many of you have probably heard the same thing. I have learned that people have lost their jobs because they posted something on a blog page that their employers did not like. Im not talking about negative remarks about a boss or co-worker. Things like political ideas or sexual preference.
What is this world coming to? Ill tell you what it is coming to. Its becoming a place where a few people feel that their ideas need to be adopted by the whole world. So much so that they will do anything they can to keep you from wanting to have your own ideas. At the very least they are wanting to keep you from expressing them.
Dont let them have that. Dont let them do it. Express your ideas and opinions every chance you get. Get your friends, family and yes...even co-workers used to hearing things they dont agree with or like. Lets get this nation back to a place where men are free to think as they please.

Its All Over So Soon

I hope everyone is greeting the spring with as much anticipation and excitment as I am. Warmer weather has always drawn me. Ever since I was a kid growing up in south Texas, I have loved the hot sun and warm breeze of summer.
There is so much to be done and enjoyed. The beach, surfing, heading to the lake, wakeboarding, fishing, weekends on the motorcycle all lay just ahead in the coming weeks. Wow, I cant wait!
As I prepared for my day today, I was reflecting on all the wonderful days I have spent in the warmth of the sun. The Beach Boys song comes to mind I am immediately transported back to my teenage days, tearing up the town in Corpus Christi.
It dawned on me though that the best days are truly ahead. Sure, we can reflect and enjoy memories but we should not live in them. I like to say that the best weekend I ever had is NEXT weekend. Always leave yourself something to look forward to.
I hope everyone is gearing up for the best summer ever. Remember that this ride is all over so soon. Enjoy each moment of it. Live for today, live for tomorrow.

Dont Let it Get You Babe, Dont Let It Get to You

I think it was Tom Petty who said that. I suppose he sang that but I love to repeat it to myself on occasion. I have to admit that recently I have not done that enough.
Yes, I am guilty. I have let it get to me...babe. And how.
I have written blogs in the past to try to motivate others to do the best that they can. I suppose that the setting for my writing has most often been intended to be the workplace. Yeah, that is truly it. I like to focus on work. So much so that I have become ineffective at the work itself. I have recently become work consumed and it has caught up to me.
This week I found myself in a CT scan trying to find out what the crushing pain in my lower abdomen was. As I lay there hoping, wondering, praying and, true to form, worrying, I realized that maybe I have lost touch with what is really important. Life itself is what really matters.
It could be colon cancer, or simply constipation. It could be obstructed bowel or a kidney tumor. All of the "what ifs" entered my mind. Then I asked myself if I had done it right. Had I been living right? When I worry is it about the right thing? When I strive is it for the right thing?
I suppose that my answers are not yet clear to me. I will say this though. I am going to worry a little less. I cant, in fact, WE cant live our lives knocking ourselves out and fretting and worrying over every little aspect of our work lives. While it is important, it is not everything.
I commit to realize the things that I can influence and work on those things only. I will let the other stuff go. I will take time to relax and not feel quilty about it.
Please do the same. Things can change so quickly my friends. Quickly indeed.

You Dont Have to Be Perfect.

For the past 5 years, I have been part of the coaching staff for Stony Point High School Boy's Lacrosse. I have some players that are well over 200lbs so it is kind of hard to call them "boys" but that is for another day.
During my coaching tenure, I have heard and often repeated the phrase, "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect". After many days of practice and many days of pursuit of perfect, I have realized that neither perfect practice or perfect truly exist. They are both truly a pursuit. Perfection is a golden cup ,that for all of us will lay eternally in the future.
That is not to down play the importance of the pursuit however. In fact, it is the pursuit that separates the high performers from the status quo, rank and file. For most high performers, the goal of perfection is never attained. Even though some spectators might observe a beautiful play and call it perfection, the players will always think that something could have been better. So they go on pursuing it.
This is not a sign of obsession or some dangerous work-a-holic attitude. It is a sign of greatness. The great ones will always go on pursuing better methods and better performances. They understand that with out the pursuit, there is nothing. Only the memory of past performances and victories. The great ones always look to tomorrow for the opportunity to do better than they did today.
So don't go out and kill yourself because you did not have a perfect day. Study your technique, keep what worked and redesign what did not. Keep pursuing the goal of perfection. It is the journey that matters.

You Are You for a Good Reason.

For the last 12 years, I have had the pleasure of working for a great medical device company. My career has been challenging and rewarding. In the process of learning how to "sell", I have learned a few things about "me". While the lessons have been many, one of the most important things I have learned about myself is that I am not all that bad of a guy. In fact, I have learned to really like myself.
Now that may sound like such an obvious revelation. Wait on that thought for just a little bit. Really ask yourself if you have taken the time to really get to know yourself and like yourself. Its not always an easy thing to do. It is also difficult to recognize the some of the patterns that may indicate that you don't really know yourself at all.
With the benefit of hindsight, I eventually realized that I made a mistake very early in my career. It was the mistake of taking it for granted that I needed to change. This "changing" came in the form of believing that I needed to perfectly mimic the successful sales persons that I was being trained by.
At that time I thought I was learning to be a sales rep. What I was really learning was how to act like a sales rep. I spent so much time playing the part, I lost my own identity in the process. Also, I missed out on the true thought processes behind good selling.
Later on in my career and more and more everyday, I realize that what my customers really want is a genuine article. I remember some of my customers commenting on how formal I was when communicating with them. I have always been respectful, but for me to be described as formal was really a surprise. Outside of work, I love to be down to earth and approachable. How was it that I changed at work? Because the sales rep that I trained under was a formal type guy.
That was the model I learned. That was the role I had learned to play.
When you leave home for work, you cant leave yourself at the doorstep. That's what I am wanting to get across to my readers today. Be yourself with your customers. They will see you as a real person, just like they are. You will gain more credibility because you are genuine. Also, you wont have to remember the scripts. You just go about your day as yourself.
You are a great person with a unique personality and a variety of experiences to share and stories to tell. Take that to your customers this week. Be yourself. Its a great thing.