Past to Present

I just got off of the phone with an old college friend. We hadn't spoken in about twelve years and I found out last week that my mother and his wife work at the same school in Los Angeles. He and I played phone tag for the past week and then had the chance to finally speak today. Our conversation was only about ten minutes long, but it was great to catch up with someone from my past, learn about his current life and share a bit about mine.

We all live such busy lives and rarely take the time to catch up with people from our distant past, but when we do it can be quite refreshing. Personally, I love hearing about old friends' successes and even struggles. It helps to put my own life into perspective.

The awareness for today is to embrace the opportunity to catch up with old friends, classmates or colleagues. I am not saying you should track them all down, but when the opportunity presents itself, it can be helpful to see the paths that others have taken. Some easy places to find people from your past are MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook and alumni directories.
~Paul

Transitions

While change can be scary, it can also be exciting. I am currently going through a number of transitions and they all feel quite positive; I will try to go into more detail at another time. When we are feeling good, everything around us seem to fall into place. When we are happy with ourselves and the direction we are taking, we notice and focus on the positives and this greatly improves our general outlook on life.

The awareness for today is to be open to change and transitions in our lives. If we hold on tight and struggle against them, we may miss out on tremendous opportunities.
~Paul

Extreme Efficiency

I just returned to Portland last night from a quick trip to Los Angeles. While in LA, I received a call from my brother asking me to send him some business and tax software; nothing pirated, it was his software that I had been checking out. We played some voicemail tag and I had asked him to please remind me as I was out of town and had other things on my mind. My brother often gets busy with his own work and family and he did not get around to reminding me. No big deal...even without prompting, I still remembered and upon returning home last night, I put together the package he needed (and even burned him a couple of CDs that I thought he would enjoy). This afternoon, I even had the chance to get it to the Post Office.

I called him after leaving the post office to let him know that I had gotten it out and he was quite appreciative. He even asked if I could come to Minnesota and help him and his wife get out their wedding gift thank you notes with, as he put it, my "go-get-it-ness." (My brother got married last October, but has a two and a half year old who he happily allows to occupy his "free" time.)

I have blogged about this before...I work quite efficiently and can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. This is just how my mind works. I do not fault others for not being as speedy as me, but it does allow me to complete many projects throughout a day.

The awareness for today is to recognize that we do not all function at the same speed, but we can create schedules and tasks to compensate for our natural work habits.
~Paul

Accepting Mediocrity

I am quite disappointed to observe that many people are satisfied with mediocrity. Just getting by is enough for a lot of people I speak with. I don't simply mean financially, but with their work and even career and life goals. I have always been quite ambitious and if I am going to do something, I want to do it to the best of my ability. I want to feel proud of the work I accomplish, the goals I set for myself and my personal achievements.

Too often do I see people just skating by and figuring that is enough for them. When did people stop caring about being the best they can be? Did they ever or have I lived with a false belief that people want to excel?

I guess that is enough to write today...at least it is something. (That is a joke for those of you who don't know me well.)

The awareness for today is to be the kind or person who strives for the gold, not just to simply finish the race without trying.
~Paul

Paranoia

Paranoia is a funny thing. I end up with people sending me direct comments, e-mailing or even calling me to find out if a specific blog I posted was about them. More than often it is not, but I think what is fascinating is how we can all relate to some basic topics and in turn learn from others.

I know my own paranoia sets in when I hear or read something that could possibly relate to me and it is a relief when I learn that it is not about me, however, I try to take away new knowledge from the lesson; if I didn't act or respond a certain way, I would not be paranoid on that specific subject.

The awareness for today is to learn from our, as well as others', mistakes and even if we are not responsible for something, we should always be working to improve ourselves.
~Paul

Don't Panic, Paul!

My laptop no longer appears to be recognizing my battery. Bummer. I do have an extended warranty that I bought with my computer from CompUSA. CompUSA is going out of business and will no longer accept warranty work in their stores. So, I have the warranty company mailing me a box and then I have to send in my entire computer. This is not an easy thing for me to do as I rely quite a bit on my laptop and use it for both business and personal use.

When I first learned that I would be losing my laptop for one to two weeks, I was panicked. What was I going to do???

Then I breathed. I started looking into my options and spoke with some computer guys I know. The solution for me is to back everything up (which one should do regardless) and then I will run my hard drive as an external drive on a friend's laptop that I am lucky enough to be able to borrow. What a great solution. It will take me some time to back up and ensure that I have everything I need, but it is doable.

The awareness for today is to not panic when face with situation to that alarm us. Breathe in and out and then look at the situation as you would anything else...one step at a time.
~Paul

There is No Future! Relax, it is Okay.

I was speaking with a friend the other night regarding concerns for the future and he shared some thoughts from Chogam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939-1987). Basically he said that there is no future...and there never has been a future. That stuck with me so profoundly! I do my best to remain in the present and focus on the here and now, but recognizing that the future does not and never has existed helps me to pay attention to where I am now and what I need to deal with today.

Now let me say that this does not mean one should not plan for the future, but we cannot hold too tightly to our future "plans."

The awareness for today is to recognize there never has been a future and that we live in the present. I remember an analogy that I used while in graduate school to describe "being present." Being present is like driving on a dark highway with only your headlights lighting the way shortly in front and behind you; as you keep moving, your lighting (your present) is right there with you.
~Paul

The New Year - 2008 is Here!

Now the new year has begun and it is time to turn all of those good intentions into actions. I know this can be overwhelming and the common question I hear from people is how to even begin. There is a great quote from the Tao Te Ching that says "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." How profound! The point is that we must start somewhere and every little bit that we do will help overall.

Whether your goals and intentions for the new year are personal, business, lifestyle or project oriented, there is a beginning to each of them. Begin taking small steps in the right direction. Be easy on yourself; if your goal is to grow your business, you mostly will not have increased sales by the end of this week...but, you can complete your new sales plan by Friday.

The awareness for today is to enter 2008 with a fresh attitude and begin taking care of yourself and your needs one step at a time.
~Paul

Happy New Year!!!

Reflecting on the past year, I am amazed with how much has occurred. Looking back, the changes that have taken place were both planned and unexpected. Looking forward, I can plan my goals and intentions for the future, but I also am aware that there will be unexpected changes and events in the future, just as there have been in the past. I go into 2008 with the intention to make myself a better person and to do my part in helping the world around me.

The awareness for this New Year's Eve is to set goals and intentions for the future, but to be conscious of the reality of change and impermanence.

Wishing you and yours a fantastic end to 2007 and a prosperous and healthy 2008!

Cheers!
~Paul

Consistency is Powerful

I was told the other day that I was sure tough on specifics. Yes, it is true, I believe that consistency is extremely important in a business setting for staff. It is not fair to allow one employee a free sick day while charging another for missing the day. Therefore, rules and policies need to be set in place and followed. The more that is left up to interpretation, the higher the chances of creating problems.

I do not like that I fall into the role of the stickler, but I do it for the bigger picture in looking out for every one's interests.

The awareness for today is to appreciate those defined rules that create consistency and to recognize that while they may not always be in our favor, over time they create less confusion and a more stable environment.
~Paul

Business Intuition

Intuition is defined at dictionary.com here. The first listing is "direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension." (Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.)

Recently, I have been working on listening to and trusting my intuition. I have found that if a person rubs me the wrong way upon my first impression, even if they have done nothing overtly to cause it, I should listen to my gut...much more than often it is right. I have noticed my reaction to business ideas, potential employee interviews and even involvement with a board of directors. I cannot always explain it, but when I have not listened to my intuition, or a client has not listened, a lot more damage is done than if Paul's gut had been adhered to.

I have been working on finding a way to incorporate intuition into my business practice. While I believe we also listen to our guts, I don't believe that I do enough and would like to change that. I am going to experiment with this a bit.

The awareness for today is to trust your intuition and find a balance to see how that helps improve your business (and other) decisions.
~Paul

Calling in the Rain

Yesterday was a very rainy day here in Portland. I had a meeting in the evening and when I returned to my car, the battery was dead. I was able to get a jump from someone, but it took me standing in the rain for a short bit. That short bit was enough to soak me. Once I was back in the car, I had some calls to make and I guess my hair was wetter than I realized because it shorted out my phone.

This is the second time my phone has shorted due to the rain since I have been in Portland. I guess I am not used the rain and the ramifications of it to my electronics. I better start being more conscious around it.

The awareness for today is to notice when we have the same problems occurring over and over again and to put measures in place to prevent those cycles.
~Paul

Take Advantage of the Slower Pace

The end of the year is rapidly approaching. For me, 2007 went by in a flash. With holidays and vacations, this can be a frustrating time of year to try to finish up projects as we are often waiting on others. Strategic planning now can save you time next year. Set goals, timelines and get the research you need started while other things may be slow.

Some of you may not be experiencing the lull in activity due to the need to have projects completed before the end of the year. If that is the case, wrap up the year and take time at the beginning of next year to do your planning.

The awareness for today is to take advantage of the slower pace (if it exists for you) and put in some time to plan for next year.
~Paul

Happy Thanksgiving

For those of you who celebrate the holiday, I wish you a very, very happy Thanksgiving! For those of you who don't celebrate it, I wish you a fantastic Thursday!

The awareness for today is to appreciate family, friends and loved ones and to be grateful for that which we have.

Cheers to all!
~Paul

Cultural Tolerance

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday here in the US. With that being said, many of my US associates are traveling this week or simply taking time off to be with their families or friends; I myself will take a half day on Wednesday and take off work on Thursday and Friday. Because of this, the weeks pacing is quite off. I have received very few calls thus far this week, but I have been very busy with e-mail, mostly the e-mail is international.

While thinking about this, I realized that there have been times when I have contacted associates of mine who were unavailable due to their own traditions even though I needed to get work completed. I am okay with this.

The awareness for today is simply to be tolerant of other cultures' and countries' traditions and holidays.
~Paul

Underperformance

We always strive to work with the best people. We want to hire employees that impress us and who have fantastic recommendations. The problem is that even the "best" people have off days and situations that arise which are out of their control.

A company that I am working with is struggling with one specific department. The department was launched with the best of intentions and a fantastic action plan. Partially due to outside events, the department has not performed as well as expected; I believe that the department was not as well staffed as believed to begin with. At this stage, it is a rush to remedy the situation and possibly hire replacement staff.

The awareness for today is that every business can have unforeseen situations pop up even when strategic planning has been done from the onset. Go with it and do the best that you can when you are put in a situation you cannot control (which really is most situations; you can help shape a situation, but you can't really control it).
~Paul

Busy Day, Good Day

I know there is an old saying out there that is along the lines of "if you have something that needs to get done, give it to the busiest person." Logically, that doesn't make sense...one would think that you would give it to the least busy person. However, once someone is busy working and they have found their groove, they can generally accomplish quite a bit more than they normally do.

I am having a day where I feel swamped, but I know that I am accomplishing quite a bit. The work keeps getting piled on and I keep completing it. It is definitely satisfying.

The awareness for today is to first remember to breath when you get overloaded with work. Then focus and complete what you need to accomplish. It is that simple.
~Paul

Great Blog Comments

A friend of mine from Boulder, "Jennie," is a regular reader of my blog and is also great at providing comments. Her comments generally illustrate the timeliness of my posts in relation to her life and she shares her own experiences related to the posts. Thank you "Jennie!" Please check back and read some of her comments if you have not done so.

I know that I have quite a bit more readers out there (I can actually track how man people read my blog). I would love to hear from you. Please share your experiences with me and let me know if you would like me to discuss a specific subject.

The awareness for today is to give. We often get stuck on taking, but giving is equally important. Look for areas in your life where you feel you can give more.
~Paul

Communicating Responsibilities

Working with a start-up company can be fun as well as frustrating. One thing to think about is that staff often wear many hats. When this happens, there may be different staff members who have responsibility or authority over the same or similar areas.

We recently came across a situation with a fulfillment house we are working with. The fulfillment house wanted clarification as to who could approve orders and who they should be confirming with. There was a simple solution; I created a memo outlining staff roles and responsibilities around the fulfillment house. The memo was shared with all staff and even with the fulfillment house (I know, memos are for internal, not external, communication). The fulfillment house was quite appreciative of the memo as they then knew who to contact and who had authority over different areas.

The awareness for today is that not all solutions need to be complicated, sometimes all we need to do is write out some basic parameters and make sure everyone is on the same page.
~Paul

Good Intentions

I really appreciate good intentions. However, they must be taken with a grain of salt, as good follow-through is more important than good intentions.

I know many people who want to do good, but they set goals and make promises that they cannot keep. Everyone is allowed a certain amount of leeway, but after a few missed deadlines or broken promises, it is difficult to take someone at their word regardless of their intentions.

The awareness for today is to be someone who follows through with his or her promises. Strive to do that which you commit to doing.
~Paul