Values trump goals
For as long as I can remember, I have had goals. At the end of a goal (successful or not) the question is always the same: What now? For a long time, the answer was another goal. This has been a treadmill to nowhere. When I started asking the question of where do the goals … Continue reading Values trump goals
Remember Martin: Fight for understanding not the win.
Wining is overrated. Sumner Redstone died yesterday. The media called him a “fighter”. He said himself, “I like to win.” He won over $4B for himself. All that fighting and winning: still dead. Yesterday I crushed the hillclimb on my bike ride and “won” the leader board. I felt elated by the win! Coming in … Continue reading Remember Martin: Fight for understanding not the win.
I can’t find my keys
Yesterday I had to drive to the store and couldn’t find my keys. Of course, I used the Next Right Action worksheet to find them, but this note to myself is about a subset of the problem solving: the “call a friend” part. In this case, ask my wife, Jen. How to ask for help … Continue reading I can’t find my keys
Glossary: Consolidation
I woke up this morning with an idea totally clear in my mind. It was a problem I had been wrestling with for a couple of days and overnight my subconscious (likely in REM), connected the dots and I woke up with the answer. I call this a consolidation. Synthesizing data and wisdom from different … Continue reading Glossary: Consolidation
Remember Martin: Be the Red thread
Long before Enzo Ferarri made red famous or Morpheus presented his red pill, Paconius Agrippinus advised us to “be the red thread“. While Enzo used red to feed the ego, Morpheus used it to free the mind. “Agrippinus was a highly regarded Roman statesman and Stoic philosopher who was known for his ability to do … Continue reading Remember Martin: Be the Red thread
New Research project: Send me your problem statements
Feedback on the Next Right Action worksheet has been very helpful so far, thank you. As a sucker for punishment, I want to test the model at scale, so for the next 1,000 people who send me a problem, I will think it through with the worksheet and send it back to you. This is … Continue reading New Research project: Send me your problem statements
DO THIS: Practice resets the default mode
Ok, I am a nerd so computer science metaphors really work for me and “default mode” is a real doozy. When a computer system is powered on and not doing anything it is in the “default mode.” Just sitting there waiting for something to do. It has all its resources memory, hard drives, processors, programs, … Continue reading DO THIS: Practice resets the default mode
Glossary: Idiopathic
This one totally tilts the Gunning – Fox index. Medicine is full of big words for simple concepts. In this case “we have no fucking idea.” An “idiopathic” disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparent spontaneous origin. The Greek roots are “idios”, or “ones’ own” and “pathos”, or “suffering”. Basically … Continue reading Glossary: Idiopathic
TEDFAV: Play through life
Ok, so this is not a TED talk, but it is an idea. An idea I have been circling from many different angles. Alan Watts challenges the “journey” metaphor for life here pointing out that a journey presumes a destination, a goal, a finish. I ofter remind myself that to travel is better than to … Continue reading TEDFAV: Play through life
Send me your problem worksheets
I have thought through over 1,000 problems for CEOs, investors, friends and myself using the Next Right Action Worksheet. One of the mantra’s that drive me is “have hard problems to solve every day”, so, yea, I love thinking through problems. I also love helping people. So once you have filled out your own Worksheet, … Continue reading Send me your problem worksheets
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