A quote from my role model Rocky:
It’s not about how hard you hit.
It’s about how hard you get hit.
And keep moving on.
That’s how winning is done.
Go Rocky!
And by the way, you should hit pretty (i.e. very) hard also. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I really like this…
A friend told me that when they have a really tough day, they call it:
“A Character Building Day!”
I thought that was pretty astute.
When people are up against the wall…
And they feel like they practically have their hands and legs tied…
And the world is spinning around them out of control…
And others are throwing tomatoes, darts, arrows, and all types of other sh*t their way…
– We can either just close our eyes, feel powerless, get upset and depressed, and basically give up
OR
– We can see the tough times as challenges–however great–to build our character.
Every situation is a learning and growth opportunity.
Don’t give in–Get up and fight.
What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!
Yes, many days are character building days–it doesn’t always feel good–often it feels horrible–but we can approach it with the right attitude and help shape our character and soul for the better. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I met this lady at the shopping outlets a few weeks ago.
One of the awesome brand stores was running a sale with 70% off!
Check, check–not a gimmick–we race over with the crowd already forming lined up outside the doors.
This salesperson was there to guide just a few people in at a time–I guess, so the mob wouldn’t rip the joint to sale shreds!
This lady (pictured) had something awesome about her.
Working part time in retail, I’d imagine that it’s not the job’s salary and benefits that is perking her up or “getting her out of bed in the morning.”
Yet, she had the most unbelievably great attitude.
She stopped to talk with us and tell us about her background studying and living in Israel during the year, and that she had a twin sister working in the same store for the Summer.
Her energy and enthusiasm was inspirational and I would imagine could even be contagious to many who let themselves revel in it rather than resist it.
As people waited on the line, this women offered them her umbrella to stay dry and cool.
Waiting on line is not the most fun thing, even when it’s for a 70% off sale, but this lady kept everyone smiling and sort of stress free with frequent updates and walking and talking up/down the line.
Listen, we all know people who do the same or similar jobs: one is grouchy, sullen, and is for all intensive purposes miserable all or most of the time; the other is generally smiling and happy to be there learning and contributing, and have the job.
What a difference between these 2 types of people!
And what a enormous contrast between the positive and negative impacts they have on others and on the organization.
It’s not just what you say and do, but how you go about doing it.
Yes, we all have various challenges and problems in our lives, but how do you deal with it.
This doesn’t mean you should be a phony baloney head–you need to be genuine and real to be credible and a high-functioning human being–and of course, everyone has bad days.
But an overall winning attitude goes a long way in life and towards success–for yourself and how you can influence others. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So Trump has gotten a lot of flack.
Some of it is deserved for saying the wrong things or saying them too harshly.
Some of it is because of the biased Media and the political machine that would seek to bury any opponent with truth or lies, it doesn’t really matter when it comes to power!
But with Trump, one question that people are asking–which is a fair one–is why doesn’t he soften it up now…especially since he has overcome all the odds, the media, the elite, and Hillary’s potent political machine?
Peggy Noonan asks today, why doesn’t Trump “go to a series of schools, bring the press, and speak to children, telling them that he has nothing in his heart but the desire to do good and help people”?
Others, like the editorial board of the New York Times have called for Trump to “denounce the hate…[and] unequivocally repudiate…racist, sexist, xenophobic, Anti-Semitic, and homophobic insults, threats, and attacks.”
While in my mind, I do not believe that Trump is those things–I think he has been misunderstood, mischaracterized, taken out of context, and even demonized; yet, I ask myself why doesn’t he come out and simply build on his 60-minutes interview where he told people, “Don’t be afraid. We are going to bring America back. But certainly, don’t be afraid.”
It’s a simple thing to go further from this and tell people that he is understanding and compassionate to everyone, that he harbors no ill will to anyone, and that he wants to advance the country for all our benefits.
So I am sure, the haters on the left are saying, that Trump doesn’t do this because obviously he really is all those bad things, and means bad by all those people, and therefore, he doesn’t say those coexistence and loving things, because that’s not what’s in his heart!
But I am not convinced.
I think Trump is hard, because he has learned to be hard. That’s his idea of what it takes to win. He is a fighter. He believes in winning. He doesn’t apologize or grovel. He represents as his slogan, “Peace through strength!”
In fighting, Trump will do what it takes to “Make America Great Again,”–he will take down his enemies and ours, wherever they come at us from, but I believe always with an eye on the benefits to this country and for us.
If he goes after good people (and those here legally) that would certainly be the time to call him out, and to do it in no uncertain terms.
Bias, bigotry, and hate have NO place in this country (or the world)!
The left needs to stop denouncing Trump and all his supporters as racist, deplorables, irredeemables, etc. It is simply not true; it is biased and hateful itself, and counterproductive to moving this country forward.
Crying wolf only dilutes the message of denouncing extremism, bigoty, and hate from when it is genuinely founded, and moreover, as in labeling theory, hate only begets hate.
I say give Trump a genuine chance, even though I doubt many of the extremists on the left will give him anything near as much as the endless slack it gave Obama who could essentially do no wrong, ever (and regardless of how many things were falling apart in this country and around the globe).
Still I agree that Trump should soften up–even as a fighter–he needs to show Ying and Yang and that the fight is ultimately one founded in integrity and not just winning. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Just wanted to share this beautiful Fall scene in Maryland.
While we are about to embark on a major infrastructure spending spree to make this country great again–and we need it to fix all the rot in our roads, bridges, trains, airports, marine ports, schools, utilities, and more–at the same time, we need to keep in mind the safeguarding of the beauty of our natural outdoor spaces and resources.
I heard President-elect Trump on 60 Minutes last night speak about the $6 trillion that we have spent in the Middle East fighting terrorism since 9/11, and that with that money, we could’ve rebuilt our infrastructure twice over.
While the amount is seen on the high end, the point is that while other nations are investing in their infrastructure, people, and future, we are wasting large sums of blood and treasure in a fight that in over 15 years, we haven’t won, and many question whether we are significantly even any safer.
We need to fight smarter, spend more strategically, and take care of America first.
BTW, what did we get from the prior investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus spending of $831 billion in 2009…where did all that money go (uh, down the special interest drain)?
While the beautiful outdoors needs to stay pristine, our country needs to seriously rebuild with clear project expectations and results and at the same time wipe out the terror threats against us–no more dabbling, PC, Mr. Nice Guy (of course, we need to be nice to those that are nice to us, but also we need to fight for this country like we mean it)!
That’s a big agenda, but for under $6 trillion, we ought to be able to get some decent return on our investment please, 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This sign from yesterday reminded me of the debates last night.
Arguments, attacks, and counterpunchs between the candidates (and the parties they represent).
But in the end, the sign is pointing us in the wrong direction anyway.
While we keep hitting each other up for getting and maintaining the awesome scepter of American power, our competitors on the international stage are moving on with their personal and national agendas, and we are in seemingly perpetual gridlock.
The big problems that we face are not going away, and declaring who is the winner of the showtime debates, daily rallies, and witty sound bites, may feel good from the standpoint of whether our candidate is winning or not, but frankly is not solving any of our problems either.
A good fight is spectacular to watch, but we can be our own worst enemies as we are lost in shallow policy and rhetoric debates amidst leadership confusion, indecision, and (un)popularity contests, and even the winner may take home nothing but the rights to hoist another upside down sign.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I suppose the makers of the Powerball lottery never envisioned a $1.3 billion jackpot.
As you can see the sign only goes up to $999 million.
Yeah, stupid planning from the people that run the odds (where winning is 1 in 292 million), but they can’t figure the odds of the lottery going this high, ever.
Anyway, win it or lose it, someone stands to walk way with a lump-sum payment of $806 million, and after federal, state, and local taxes you’re looking at maybe half or less of that.
Either way, not a bad take-away from a $2 lottery ticket.
Lots of needy people to help and good deeds to do. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So there was an office discussion the other day about something having a “checkered past.”
And one of my colleagues said wisely about it, “I rather play chess!”
I though it was a smart retort, since chess is a game of strategy versus checkers, which is more a game of luck.
Checkers is by far the more one-dimensional game with each piece moving or jumping in a similar fashion, while in chess, you deploy specific types of pieces (king, queen, rook, bishop, night, or pawn) for different manuevers.
In life, when we deal with things that are especially challenging, double-edged, tricky, or plain dangerous, we need to handle it with a well-thought-out game plan and a solid strategy.
Having a plan and maintaining agility in dealing with the “facts on the ground” as they unfold is by far the better problem-solving approach than just trying to jump over the other guys pieces or block his next move.
Chess in the only way to get to checkmate 😉
(Source Photo: here with attribution to Florls Looijesteijn)
My daughter sent me this amazing picture portraying how we can “think outside the box.”
How many of us would ever have envisioned this as a possible solution to this age-old children’s game?
Important lesson learned–it’s okay to think differently, be creative, even change the rules when you can get a better result.
Groupthink drives so much–toomuch–of what we do at work, politically, and more.
Often, we can do better when we question the status quo and give things a fresh look–without the colored lens on of how things should be, have always been, or need to be done.
With the huge challenges we face as a nation and globally, we need to open ourselves to new solutions to old and emerging problems.
Like a simple tick-tac-toe game, the winning move may simply be right outside the box. 😉
(Source Photo: LOL Pics)
Good Morning America”s Play of the Day is called “Man Plays Baseball With Himself.”
In this incredible video a Japanese Astronaut on the International Space Station throws a ball, runs and picks up a bat and hits the ball he just threw, and then jumps up and catches the ball he just hit.
An impossibility in Earth environment, but a possibility in the low gravity of space.
One lesson then is that nothing is really impossible–given the right circumstances, the impossible becomes possible, so have faith in your abilities and understand that your limitations are not insurmountable.
A second lesson is that while this astronaut shows what’s it’s like to be literally a one-man team and to succeed; in the real world, there are no one man teams–we depend on each other, whether to play a game of ball or to accomplish things from major projects to minor tasks.
On Thanksgiving, a favorite pastime is watching football and the NFL has been playing on Thanksgiving since at least 1920. In general, there is a huge appreciation of team sports in America whether football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and more.
People on sports teams and in organizational settings who get ahead understand the importance of team and that collaboration and strategy is the key to success and to “winning”. Those that can’t get alone, end up on the sidelines of the game and of life.
Playing alone, especially in space, may make a great video, but working through a difficult problem with others is even a bigger challenge and feat accomplished.
Getting alone is something we try to instill in people in our society from the earliest of ages, but it does not come easy for everyone. That why we describe people in the organization who don’t get alone with others as “not playing nice in the sandbox.”
Perhaps, this Thanksgiving, we can appreciate the ability of those who are team players as well as those who may be more individualist, as long as everyone is playing for the good of team.
andyblumenthal 