six pack
Tonight, my 8-year-old let me know that I have a six pack...
(a little less sexy than Godin's... but I can always shave my head)
smovin'...
... on a Sunday afternoon.
(49 still available... maybe)
They might ask you to prove you're a smover. If so, give them the symbol...
the smovie
Hope it smoves you...
(if you can't see the smovie below, you can also watch it at SmileAndMove.com/video)
here's the deal
I'm sick and tired of those little chunks of dirt you feed me twice a day.
I don't care what the books tell you. I CAN taste food and it won't make me any fatter than you, @ss#ol&.
When you leave this house, I do NOT care. I will jump onto these counters and eat anything you mistakingly leave out. It's worth any wrath you could possibly dish out. I'm so sick of eating that tasteless crap... every... single... day.
All of you... constantly talking about this dish or that dish... in this fancy kitchen. I eat out of a bowl in the BATHROOM... from food that comes in 45 pound BAGS.
AM I a part of this family or not? Huh?!
I am NOT an animal.
-- Sesto
be more amazed
4 minutes to kick off the week (tgim)...
.
smile & move
Since releasing Smile & Move™ in November (my follow-up to 212), we've been having a ball creating a dictionary of words (a smictionary?). Something fun about the "sm" sound. (thanks to all our readers and smovers out there who've added to the fun)...
smove: ('smoov) verb: to smile & move (Let's smove!)
smover: ('smoo-ver) noun: one who smiles & moves (Now that guy's a smover.)
smovement: ('smoov-ment) noun: an organized effort to create a world of smovers (Obviously what's happening here is a part of a smovement.)
smoved: ('smooved) verb: 1. to be positively affected by coming into contact with a smover or experiencing a smovish act 2. past tense of smove (We were so smoved when we checked into our hotel because everyone smoved at all moments.)
smovish: ('smoo-vish) adjective: having qualities that illustrate a smile & move character or demeanor (You want to hear something really smovish?)
smoment: ('smo-ment) noun:a point in time of a smovish experience (Isn't this a beautiful smoment?)
smission: ('smi-shun) noun: a specific smovish task with which a group or person is charged (We're on a smission and nothing can stop us.)
smeltdown: ('smelt-down) noun: a breakdown of smovish characteristics by smover (She obviously had smeltdown.)
smovology: (smoov-'a-la-jee) noun: a branch of knowledge that deals with smiling & moving (Are you taking smovology this semester?)
smovoscopy: (smoo-'vas-ko-pee) noun: endoscopic examination of the heart and mind for smovish characteristics (We're a little concerned with your approach to things lately so we've scheduled a smovoscopy for you later in the week.)
smovotomy: (smoo-'va-te-me) noun: surgical severance of any smovish characteristics (What an @ss#ol&! The guy must have had a smovotomy before he left the house today) smovectomy can be substituted
smulch: ('smulch) noun: a protective covering spread or thrown over a complainer or non-smover to prevent their negative attitude from spreading (It was a great meeting. We had to throw a little smulch in one area of the room but other than that, things went very well.)
Got an idea? (comment, please)
tgim
(don't know about Smile & Move™? a quick little excerpt after the jump or you can read the whole thing online at SmileAndMove.com)
freak show
farce: 4 a : a ridiculous or empty show b: mockery
AIG received has received more than $170 billion of our money we pay out of our paychecks to the government.
AIG is paying out $165 million in bonuses to the same people who put the company in a position to need bailout money.
“We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury,” Liddy (government-appointed chair of AIG) said in a letter to Geithner (Treasury Secretary).
Bonuses will be paid to 400 employees, ranging from $1,000 to $6.5 million according to the NY Times. They say 7 people might get over $3 million in bonus money.
I don't like the idea of a bonus for poor performance regardless of the amount (maybe it was put in place by the same people who got trophies as kids just for playing) but I'm less bothered by those getting less than $10,000. I'm guessing those are the people who just did what they were told to do by the big dogs getting the big bonuses (of course, now it looks like maybe they shouldn't have).
If you're one of those big dogs, I wonder how you go to a dinner party and comfortably face your friends.
laugh & weep
A little sweet and sour video. It's got it all. (8.5 minutes)
We need to wake up. We need to be obligated to truth.
(the Beale reference at the beginning is to the 1976 Oscar winner, Network)
update: apparently this thing got big... here's Cramer being interviewed by Stewart... modern day Emperor's New Clothes
stimulus
It was the day after the State of the Union on CBS’s Early Show.
Vice President Biden was talking about his work in heading up the oversight taskforce of the stimulus funds. (Heading it up.)
The journalists at CBS gave him a little heat over his “Web Site Blunder” at the end of his talk and for his suggestion that people with stimulus package questions call his office directly. What they didn’t really address was his more important answer to the small business owners of America.
A question from a small business owner who had to lay off most of her staff last year...
“What I'm looking for are real clear details about how is the stimulus package really going to help small businesses.”
Being a part of a ‘small business’ myself (and a taxpayer), I’m excited to listen.
Biden: Well, there's a number of ways. It depends on what your business is. I would recommend that woman call my office directly and I will be able to guide her as to how what pieces of this package would be directly helpful to her.
[Um... Really, Joe?]
For example, it may very well be that she's in a circumstance where she is not able, her customers aren't able to get to her, there's no transit capability, the bridge going across the creek to get to her business needs repair.
[A bridge… across the creek… needs repair?]
It may very well be that she's in a position where she is unable to access, her energy costs are so high, by providing smart meters, by being able to bring down the cost of her workforce, I mean the cost of operating her business.
[What?]
But most importantly, where it's mainly going to come for the business people is getting credit flowing again. She probably has trouble maintaining inventory and paying salaries and that's because we gotta get the bank credit flowing and that's a second issue that the president spoke to.
But we're going to be very very demanding of the banks as we help them. We're going to demand that they act responsibly.
[Really? You’re going to ask them to work longer hours 6 - 7 days a week (like so many small businesses do to keep going) and not hoard the cash you (we) give them? And they’re going to do it?]
But she should call me directly.
[No… she shouldn’t.]
At the end of the talk, the journalist asked…
By the way, do you know the website [where people can “follow the money”]?
Biden: You know, I'm embarrassed.
You know the website number? (he asked of someone off camera) You know, I should have it in front of me and I don't. I'm actually embarrassed.
Journalist: I'm going to call your office later and get it.
Biden: Excuse me. It’s recovery.gov.
In his Inaugural address, the president inspired me with his call for initiative and responsibility.
That’s what’ll stimulate things. You… me… digging in, working harder, caring more, creating value in the world. Truth.
(fake money and bridges over creeks aren’t the solution)
tgim
the perfect storm?
I think I need to play this one.
(update: as you might know by now, I didn't win... 5 tickets (30 numbers total)... not one number right... what are the odds of that?)
own it
A job is only a lesser job when the person doing it treats it as such.
I saw Smokey Robinson this past Saturday night at the Richmond Forum. He didn't sing -- it was more of a formal interview about his work over the last 50 years. About an hour and half that flew by with stories from his days growing up in Detroit with people like Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and all the big Motown groups (they were all neighbors -- you believe that?).
One of his primary messages seemed to be the importance of grace and humility... that one should never feel they're more important than someone else because of their job.
"If an entertainer goes away it has much less of an impact than if a garbage man goes away."
Not his exact words but that was the gist. This was from a guy who produced.
At one point he talked about the "new" singer.
"The thing about a new singer is that they're never new. If they're 15-years-old, they've been singing since they were 5. If they're 20, they've been singing since they were 10." (again, not his exact words, but the gist)
Yesterday I saw this on Twitter from Jackie Danicki...
"some of the happiest people I know are in jobs that some of the most miserable people I know would consider beneath them"
So... how do I wrap this up?
tgim
(a little more from a couple years ago)
smoving steel
Smovish piece by Bill Taylor on "delivering a bit of humanity that rises above the day-to-day routine" (on the Harvard Business blogs).
He wrote it after finding "Steeling their courage" in today's Boston Globe -- a story of how a group of ironworkers are brightening the days of some young cancer patients.
Has me wondering what hidden opportunities are in my work.
Kindness spreads.
(smovish: ('smoo - vish) - adjective: 1. having qualities that illustrate a Smile & Move character or demeanor)
oh my goodness
Love the E*TRADE babies.
Watch them. Talk about them. Blog about them.
(but I haven't opened an account with them)
Great entertainment. Keeps the name in everyone's face. Both good things. But I always wonder if all that energy (time & money) pays in the end (or couldn't be better allocated).
The truth is, I guess, it's like anything. Big awareness can eventually trickle down to a smaller active group of paying customers. I might not be a buyer but on my dime I'm putting the message in front of people.
So many great spots but these "outtakes" below kill me (especially the laughfest beginning at 0.22 and the "oh my goodness" clip at 0.55)...
invention
From my 11-year-old... The world's first tieable sock...
"I'm not sure there's a benefit to it, Samo."
"I know. But it's cool."
Alright then.
inverse action
What if we participated in reverse customer service? If we, as customers, tried to be kinder to the people serving us?
The thought has me tripping over my keyboard.
I mean, why should I be the one to work to be kinder to that person at the ticket counter (or at that gate in the airport) when s/he always treats people the way s/he does, week after week. Why should I be the one who has to be kind when I'm the customer this time?
Because...
This whole thing is not supposed to be a battle.
Several months ago, I posted about the idea of businesses being more approachable and opening a little earlier and closing a little later. Someone who runs a retail business commented...
"I certainly take care of my customers but I have found that the public is quite rude and lacks much compassion for retail businesses."
We do, don't we?
But what it really is, I think, is that the public lacks much compassion for itself. Those people serving me have an obligation to do it well but I could certainly be more helpful to their efforts -- perhaps starting the exchange with the smile I wish they'd have for me (or asking my questions humbly rather than grumbly -- something about the phonetics of "umbly" that makes me want rhyme).
All of us are on both sides of the customer service experience every day.
Maybe if we were a little more compassionate, if we looked inside ourselves to help improve the experience (rather than outside), we'd more often find what it is we wish we'd experience.
tgim
happy 2/12
Is there someone/something you can give a little extra effort to today?
(cake courtesy of The Spaniard)
validation
A great little kick off to the week -- 15 minutes on the value of being encouraging, the value of a smile, resilience, and the influence we can have on others (even when we don't realize it)...
A little longer than it needs to be, I think, but good time even so.
tgim
("When bad things happen, good people have to take what they've learned and make the world a better place..." -- Kurt Kuenne, Writer & Director of Validation and Dear Zachary -- a completely different film)
gates
A couple years ago I heard Jared Diamond talk about how societies can collapse on themselves by being self-centered. The Spaniard and I left talking about how perhaps our lives in our community were similar in a small way – inside a bubble – a bubble that takes care of itself without real care for the outside world – a kind-of gated community.
A couple weeks ago I heard a wonderful sermon at my church on relationships and yesterday, I listened to it again while running.
So many wonderful points but this thought from C.S. Lewis jumped out…
“To love at all is to be vulnerable.
Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal.
Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements, lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
For whatever reason, that talk and the Lewis thought had me flashing back to Diamond’s thoughts on societies.
Gated communities and gated hearts... both seem scary to me.
(For the sermon: Use this link or get it on iTunes using this link, then choose 3: Unresolved Conflict – Corey. Email me if you have questions and I’ll help you out. Two other favorites of mine by Corey – 55: The Subversive Power of Grace - Corey and 76: All in a Day’s Work – Corey. Great stuff.)
two 60s
Today I started my effort to work two 60-hour work weeks back-to-back -- a kind of Thoreau "went to the woods... live deliberately" thing. That, and I figure I owe it to those who got us through these tough times before.
Fortunately, I love my work (over there to the left).
I'm pretty sure I've done this before (especially in the early days of cofounding my company -- 1998 through 2000). But here's the twist... I'm doing it with a clock -- a sort of speed chess clock where I start and stop it only when I'm doing activities that contribute directly to my job.
The clock stops for "How was your weekend?" talk. It stops for bathroom visits, calls from The Spaniard (my wife), and personal web time.
60 hours of work. Two weeks straight.
Again... fortunately I love most of what I do.
Five things happened right out of the gate today...
-
One colleague excitedly asked me what they could expect from me with the additional man week of time added to the two (20 hours x 2 weeks = 40).
-
It took me about 10 hours at the office today to get the first 8 real hours (remember... no personal, web, bathroom, lunch, commuting time included).
-
I realize that I'm going to have to work 6 days to hit 60 hours (it can't be seven -- even I understand the "all work and no play" thing -- that link: daytime only - much too scary without the sun).
-
I'm giving much more deliberate attention to my time (small talkers watch out).
-
I realize how lucky I am (to be able to contribute and to have it be a choice to do this).
More to come (if I think it'll be helpful to you).
tgim
So here's what happened... I failed.
update after the jump
smoved
"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.
These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship."
Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
king on service
"If you want to be important... wonderful. If you want to be recognized... wonderful. If you want to be great... wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 – 1968)
American civil rights leader
Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Celebrating Martin Luther King Day.
tgim
From "The Drum Major Instinct." Hear it delivered by King.
Watch "I Have a Dream."
think
"Old work values give way to new ones. But the ultimate test of our American work ethic will come in how well we work to serve one another."
James Michener (1907 - 1997)
American writer
Pulitzer Prize winner
Dave Troy found an original IBM Think Pad at his parents house... a leather bound notepad with his grandfather's initials and the word "THINK" on the cover (read his enjoyable business history and thoughts on the topic here).
I loved it and went searching for one (no luck).
But now, I'm an IBM man (in spirit... like the 1950s-60s kind... well, probably not but I like the message). The sign above now sits in my living room as a reminder. It's from the 60s or 70s... laminated wood and all. I also picked up an old copy of an internal IBM publication called Think (1976 Bicentennial Issue - 200 Years of Work in America).
Some very inspiring words inside that remind me of my obligation to the people who came before me (especially now).
"Work is born in us. We take to it kindly or unkindly. The terms may be easy or harsh, but the contract is binding."
Studs Terkel (1912 - 2008)
American writer, journalist, broadcaster
Pulitzer Prize winner
tgim
(on service: Terkel, salesman Ray Beyer, and a waitress after the jump)
confused
Something I saw...
On the left bumper, a decal... Calvin (six year old cartoon character) peeing on the letters I.R.S.
On the right, it was on the word Liberals on which he did his business.
On the dashboard of the same car was a statue of who I believe was supposed to be Jesus.
I have my hypocrisies too. I'm just not as open with them.
more than 40
When I write about work, I feel obligated to encourage more... more hours, more giving, more service, more contribution, more accountability, more truth.
I do it because it's the message that needs to be pushed (and it has too few media advocates).
The 40-hour work week standard... where did it come from? Really. Why is 40 the magic number of hours?
It's my understanding the 40-hour thing was established in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. From what I can tell, it was a factory work, women, and children thing -- not a scientific-study-end-all-be-all marker for optimal productivity. And, it wasn't established for knowledge workers (people who think and process for a living).
40-hours is a minimum. I don't know what the maximum is.
But, I suggest, if you want to succeed in a big way, if you want job security, if you want to be a part of something special, if you want the recession to end, if you want to set a good example for our children... focus on how you can give more. That's where the cool kids play.
Don't ever let anyone sell you on giving less.
tgim
(and by the way, you don't really want job security... you want to make an impact... you want your life to mean something... that comes from creating value for others... and if you're lucky, people will pay you for some of that value... enough for you to live on... and if you're really lucky, they'll pay you much more than you need... and that's when the real fun begins... and you want fun... because its much more enjoyable than no fun... and i think you know that... i'm just saying)
a poem
I live
And love
I have something
To share
A pillow
A bug
or A
Pear
Sam K. (age 6)
From a colleague's son. Another good thing.
good things
A few things around the house that make me smile...
He's a night light, hangs in the hallway, and can be a little spooky if you've had one too many (and sometimes he'll say things).
Came in the mail yesterday from some friends. Perfect for the kitchen. So cool.
From the same friends (and a couple others) a few years ago for New Years. It reads...
"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good."
time and contribution
Random thoughts...
How many massively succesful people (people who've contributed to the world in a very big way) would recommend working less than a 45 to 50-hour work week?
(I agree that when we're on our deathbed, most of us will not wish we'd spent more time at the office. But, I'm also confident we'll wish we'd spent less time sitting our @ss.)
tgim
the nativity scene
Courtesy of my 11-year-old claymation man...
Apparently, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were even into the season.
And the wise men... they could play...
the dining room
The Spaniard set the table for Christmas Eve dinner this afternoon (this our holiday with my family and prep work starts early).
I was a little disappointed because that means 3 nights without the dining room. The last several months have spoiled me. Even my 8-year-old asked what the hell we were doing as we made the kitchen table up for dinner tonight (he worded it a bit differently).
I mentioned this about 6 months ago but for any new readers (or as a reminder for regulars), we've found eating together as a family in the dining room has been a wonderful change that's built on itself. More family dinners each week. Longer time at each. Better conversations and connections. There’s an occasional meltdown or times when it might be only 2 or 3 of us at the table but overall we really think it’s helped us as a family -- some dinners go over an hour (on school nights).
It seems silly to us when we share this with people as though it’s some kind of revelation but the difference for us has been big. Tells you something about our dinners before the change.
For us, we think making the table a warm environment is a big piece (candles, nice chairs, etc.). Again, even saying that makes me laugh as to how obvious it is. Also, minimizing “to do” or “schedule” talk seems helpful for us.
