Never lose your sense of wonder, or in other words

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

... never lose your sense of feeling surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. I was reminded of this a couple of days ago when I found myself exploring the local aquarium.

Being a land dwelling biped by definition anything under the sea is foreign, as well as curious, fascinating, different and worthy of any and all attention; if only for the astonishing way oxygen is extracted from the water to breathe. With all this wonder in front of me, as incredulous as it may seem, I actually became weary of it all... rather quickly.

Big fish, little fish, fat fish, skinny fish, flat fish, fish with teeth, fish without teeth... hey look, a shark, and another, and another; it seemed I had seen it all before - I WAS BORED. As if the universe sensed my impertinence, I turned a corner and was introduced to Chrysaora quinquecirrha. What I saw were dozens of them floating in the currents of their tank, backlit in blue. I simply stared in WONDER - And shortly after that, a small wave of humiliation washed over me.

Chrysaora quinquecirrha*

My wonder, particularly after watching a Chrysaora quinquecirrha find its way (with an awesome soundtrack added*) should be obvious, but perhaps not the reason for my humiliation - Simply stated, this small creature put me to shame for my ARROGANCE in believing I had seen it all before, knew it all, and simply wasn't savouring this amazing experience we call the human condition - I was reminded that having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance, knowledge or abilities is limiting.

It limits you with regard to - 

• stretching yourself and understanding more.
• seeing things you have not seen before.
• experiencing new things.
• moving beyond your comfort zone.
• connecting with people who look at the world differently.
• self reflection.
• experiencing the human condition to the fullest.

So with my newly minted Chrysaora quinquecirrha video, I am forever reminded to "Never lose my sense of wonder", as well as appreciate and savour the moments that come my way.

iamgpe  

* The sound track to the Chrysaora quinquecirrha is performed by The Mediaeval Baebes - Blow Northern Wind from the album The Rose.

The struggles with having a PLAN B, but not so much with burning a few ships.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

There is nothing better than a short road trip with three old friends* to generate a wide range of conversations and topics; the spectrum ranging from the benign, through the downright crass, to the "somewhat brilliant". One of these conversations brought out an idea that included the PLAN A and PLAN B that would lead to its realization. 

To this I chimed in, "In my experience many times your PLAN B becomes your PLAN A as people end up defaulting to PLAN B when things get difficult". This "self indulgent profoundness" continued when someone pointed out that invading Vikings would burn their ships, and in doing so, leave only two available options... success or death. After that, the conversations continued to ebb and flow through the spectrum but it did leave me with two nagging questions -

1. Did the Vikings really burn their ships after they invaded?
2. Why would I suggest having a PLAN B negatively impacts the effectiveness of your PLAN A when I believe it's important to have a PLAN B?

I wasn't able to definitively confirm the Vikings burned their ships, but did find references to a legend that the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés ordered the burning of the ships when he landed in the New World so his men would realize there was no chance of retreat; to be victorious, they would have to give it their all. There are also similar references throughout ancient times, so I think we can safely say at least one military leader in our storied past came up with this motivational idea. 

With the issue of the charred remains of Viking ships put to bed and the meaning tucked away, I needed to understand the issue of PLAN B becoming PLAN A by virtue of prudently having a backup plan; I was struggling with the contradiction it inherently caused because I truly believe having a PLAN B leads to a better chance of success. After a little thought and introspection, it became clear that I misspoke and was simply being loose with language that was confusing everything. Please let me explain and correct my error.

I probably should start with two simple definitions:

An objective: a thing aimed at or sought; a goal (or in the case that started these prose; an idea).

A plan: a detailed proposal for doing or achieving a goal.

Where I got myself into trouble was playing with loose language regarding the definitions of a GOAL and a PLAN and then struggled with the concept of not having a contingency plan(s) to drive success as a result. What I should have said was "In my experience many times your GOAL B becomes your GOAL A as people end up defaulting to it when things get difficult", which strangely enough brings us back to the Vikings.

The Vikings (or Hernán Cortés) had a single goal... their GOAL A if you will, that was to invade and conquer. They didn't have a GOAL B that was to invade, see how things went, and if it just wasn't working as they had hoped go somewhere else. This is what I was trying to say with my loose language but was ultimately said much better by burning a few ships - You should only have one GOAL; any more and you will surely default to the easiest and never achieve what you really want.

And with this whole issue of loose language all sorted out, having a PLAN B made more sense than ever. Achieving goals aren't always easy and the best laid plans may not always work out as expected. Having a contingency plan, a PLAN B per se, makes it easier to adapt to the situations that stand in the way of achieving your goals. 

There is also another advantage to having a PLAN B - With it's very existence it ensures you have your GOAL, have looked at the situation, and developed a PLAN A; inherently, it also indicates that potential challenges and the proverbial "wrench(s) in the machine" have been identified and that actions to address them are in place... all increasing the probability for success.

So celebrate your PLAN B! It is a nice indicator that you will succeed.

iamgpe

* Thanks to Huey, Dewey and The Duke for a great road trip, and our continued search for a great tasting bourbon. 

The "rookie attitude" for making amazing things happen, and continuing the trend.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

A number of years back I was in a meeting where a leader professed his enjoyment of working with new "rookie" employees and the excitement that came with it. I was not surprised when some in the crowd offered a contrary perspective regarding inexperience, the training burden and the "baby sitting" that needs to be done - I may be paraphrasing slightly when I use the term "baby sitting" but that's more or less what some were saying.  

The leader, after offering some thoughts on the definition of "leadership" and the apparent lack there of, pointed out that he really liked the energy someone new brings to the job and the opportunity to be involved with "all that potential". He went on to say, "Sure they make 'rookie mistakes'. But sometimes, because they don't know any better, can make amazing things happen". This has resonated with me for years.

In this context, I should point out a "rookie" refers to anyone new to an endeavour and not just the 21 year old standing on the pitching mound with the 100 mph fastball - This is probably a good point for a reminder that being a rookie is something all of us, in one role or another has been (and probably more than once)... not to mention that all of us have made that so called "rookie mistake" (and probably more than once). In my experience, this is something that tends to get forgotten along the way.... definitely the leader I spoke of earlier thought so.

Aside from cutting "rookies" some slack because we have all been there, it needs to be recognized there is a fundamental perspective that rookies have which we need to continue tapping into; something that many of us loose as our experience and achievements snowball and something we need to continue our momentum. As they say, "rookies don't know any better", but as you gain some experience and achievement under your belt it is expected that "you do know better" - Here in lies a problem and an opportunity. 

When you "don't know any better" you are forever looking to achieve and grow, whereas when you "know better" you are looking to protect what you have - In effect curtailing the drive that comes with "not knowing any better" so you can maintain what you have, forever worring about losing what you have gained:

• "I've done that before and that was a waste of time"
• "I know all about that, it is too risky"
• "I won't do that. I've worked too hard to get this far"
• "Sounds like a great opportunity but that's not where my expertise is"
• "etc"

I am not questioning the value of the experience that comes from the trials and tribulations of work and life (in fact it's crucial) , but rather suggesting rookies put it all out there and are not impacted with the considerations and doubts as a result of experience and lessons learned. It is about maintaining the balance of experience and achievements with the "rookie attitude" that allows you to continue making amazing things happen, and resist that urge to stop, maintain and protect.

Of course this is easier said than done, but here are some ideas that come to mind: 

• Remove the term "retirement" from your lexicon.
• Cultivate the "rookie attitude" by adopting new technology.
• If you are in a position to hire a "rookie" - Do it.
• Search out rookie friends and colleagues. Talk to them and listen to them - Their attitude is infectious.
• Make a point to trying something new that makes you uncomfortable.
• Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen if you do something with all the gusto of a rookie. And then weigh that against the benefits.
• Remember life is short and as the saying goes, "If not now, when?"

And lastly, the time of being a rookie is just so much fun*. That alone should be a good enough reason to strive for that "rookie attitude" and go after whatever is in front of you with gusto, no matter how much experience you have.

iamgpe

* Spend some time thinking about your "rookie" days and I will guarantee a smile comes to your face and you say to yourself, "Yes ... it was so much fun"