Here’s Why I’m Right

The title here will ruffle some feathers and simultaneously, get others to cheer.  Why?  Because, as the 1960’s psychedelic rock band The Doors summed up in one of their songs, “People are strange.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  You get the point.

So how does working seven days a week lend itself to balance?

First, the big picture intent is to NOT work seven days a week.  When the early pioneering Americans had a vison to become farmers, they spent countless hours clearing the land.  We can’t even comprehend the hardships they endured.

Every time I fly and look out the window, I imagine America, long before it was tamed – covered with trees and forests for as far as the eye can see.

What I’m doing now, working seven days a week is this:

  • Working to become a world-class professional speaker
  • Establishing processes to teach our son “life’s big four”
  • Preparing a metaphorical “hurricane disaster plan”
  • Preparing for the responsibility that comes with aging parents
  • Figuring out how to become a speaker, author, mentor of choice
  • Working to hear, “Well done”

The reason some succeed over others, is that successful people outwork the others.  This shouldn’t surprise anyone.  It’s a basic survival of the fittest, of the smartest, of the most creative, etc.

So, in summary, I’m clearing a hostile land, cutting down trees, digging up roots, making piles to burn, removing boulders, caring for sick animals, hunting for food, building shelter from the seasonally harsh climate, dealing with the emotional loss of my home state or mother country, protecting my family from wild animals and unknown diseases.

So really, if you don’t come from a lineage of hand-me-down success or riches, you have got to out work the competition.

Don’t beleive me?  Try and do it any other way.

A Reader Asks

Received an email from a jungle jeff blog reader, seeking clarification on the “Don’t Bother” blog post from last week. The reader’s email challenged my thinking, in a good and healthy way.  By the way, thank you for that.

Do you give obsessive diligent consideration to your work?

Most people, myself included, probably rush to, “Of course!”

May I audaciously suggest we (again, myself included) don’t do nearly as well as any of us think we do?   Huh?

Exactly. Huge.  Here’s what I mean.

This is simple, and also “dangerous”, because there is a human flaw in most of us. We are conditioned to judge others on what we see them do. It happens without even trying.

What’s complex, and perhaps arguable (but I argue it isn’t), is that we overwhelmingly judge ourselves on our intentions.

Huge difference here.

You see, I perceive my approach to balance as better than anyone else I observe, and yet others….

What others may think is that I preach balance, but lack balance, and therefore am a phony. This thought crosses my mind daily, “Am I a hypocrite?”

Do you ever catch yourself privately asking, “Am I a hypocrite?”

Tomorrow, maybe, I’ll dive a little deeper on this.

Fear Not, Seriously

“We are so vain that we even care for the opinion of those we don’t care for.” Marie von Ebner Eschenbach

How is it with you?  I mean, if you really gave earnest consideration, what’s your honest answer?

Well for me, it used to be true; however, reading, writing and thinking at an accelerated pace for the past nine months, has heightened an awareness that there are people who will never change. Duh, right?

Okay, so I’m stupid a little slow sometimes.

This is no secret.  But I’ve always held out hope that people would change.  Now, I’m convinced, not that they won’t change, but that it no longer matters.

And the day this epiphany came, it was glorious.

I’ve learned to move on, to be strong, and to focus on transformational personal change – not in others, but in the mirror. It’s hard as hell, of course, but I will not stop.  Doing the impossible will take everything you have.

And there are people out there, they might even be reading this now, who will think it’s crazy.  Who cares So.

Fear Not

“Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.”  Marie von Ebner Eschenbach

Early in my Fortune 100 career, there was a new assignment which required that I move and inherit an existing, high-performing team.

And even though they knew much more about how things ran, they still wanted me to help them improve. They brought dozens of creative ideas.

I was on a huge learning curve and loving every minute of it. However, you know what happened?

Nothing.

Being insanely busy, and blindly disorganized, none of their ideas moved forward. I was overwhelmed and didn’t even know it.

Crazy thing though, I thought things were actually getting better, because their ideas started to dwindle, but not because things got better.

Even crazier, they thought, “Don’t go to Jeff, he won’t do anything.”

Wished they would have argued with me, “Why aren’t you helping us?” Instead, they dodged.

And who could blame them?

But The Bigger Question Is?

Yesterday I eloquently droned on about thinking like a failure, whatever that means, right?

Well guess what else?  I’d like to drone on about what does yesterday’s post mean to you today?  Because if it meant nothing to you, guess what?

Seriously, if I have to explain this (again) to you, you may not get it.

Hey, you do know I’m only talking to myself and none of this is meant to make you feel uncomfortable (yes it is).  Having tough conversations with myself is the most effective way to push the limits of my abilities.

What do you do to push the limits of your abilities?  You do push yourself, right?