The opportunity I imagined knocked on my door last week. I didn’t exactly slam the door shut, but my sigh of relief was cosmic when it faded back into the wallpaper. Amazing! I can want something, take a few puny steps in its direction; then when it peeks its head around the corner I hesitate. Run scared.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca
It’s time to be prepared. REALLY prepared. Not just “blah, blah, blah – I’m a big talker” prepared. I can sit on my sofa and imagine big stuff – events very different from my workaday world. But I move slowly; I’m comfortable, safe. Then I get antsy; claim boredom – take a few more puny steps. Talk – talk – talk. Fear; it’s all fear. And boy did I feel it last week. What am I scared of – Failing? Succeeding? Both?
The opportunity will return. Time for my steps to be more substantial; put my money where my mouth is as “they” say. Go! Do. I’m feeling lucky.
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“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ― Paulo Coelho
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: per•spec•tive noun \pər-ˈspek-tiv\
1a – the technique or process of representing on a plane or curved surface the spatial relation of objects as they might appear to the eye; specifically : representation in a drawing or painting of parallel lines as converging in order to give the illusion of depth and distance
1b – a picture in perspective
2a – the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed <places the issues in proper perspective>; also: point of view 2b – the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance <trying to maintain my perspective>
3a – a visible scene; especially: one giving a distinctive impression of distance: vista
3b – a mental view or prospect <to gain a broader perspective on the international scene-Current Biography>
4 – the appearance to the eye of objects in respect to their relative distance and positions
Perspective can mean a lot of things. My excruciating experience with Atlanta traffic last Thursday was put into perspective when I read Sunday’s AJC; in particular definition 2b “the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.”
A woman died last Thursday; and it was gruesome. I’ll never know why she was walking on a dangerous 10-lane highway at rush hour. My personal frustration and annoyance was put into perspective. That day will soon be a lost memory for me. But for her it was tragic; a day that her loved ones will never forget.
It’s easy to be flippant sometimes; and I can be quite the smart-ass. This Sunday I was reminded that life is about where you are standing, and I only experience my view. The view from your perspective is very different.
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“It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.” ― Andrew J. Holmes, Wisdom in Small Doses
Yesterday my 30 minute commute to work took 1-hour & 45 minutes. At one point I pleaded to God “make it stop!” I ask myself – Why! Why do I do this day-after-day and chance this torture; sigh, I know why. When I finally settled in all comfy-like with my coffee – I pulled up the task du jour. Objective setting. No doubt, J.K. Rowling’s Dementors were stalking me.
Thankfully my manager and I already discussed the objectives topic and I’m not completely hosed. My Company is in the midst of change – we must be flexible as we reinvent ourselves to thrive in the new economy. We must behave differently. Our old way of doing business won’t see us into the future. My Intent is to bring a creative spark to my corner of the world; be authentic and do right work.
So let us walk our talk – as individuals; as a Company. We claim transparency; okay then … soul-sucking office-speak has got to go. When I write my 2015 Objectives let me be direct – and real; quit the gobbledygook words that don’t mean anything. In his article Where Did Soul-Sucking Office Speak Come From? James Gingell tells how a Dilbert-like world came about, and the consequences of this obfuscation (yes – I really wrote that).
“Office-speak is not language,” says Gingell. “It’s not even jargon, but more a verbal argon—inert strings of sounds or symbols used to confuse underlings, to deliberately bore them and keep them servile.” Fancy business consultants made this stuff up; “they created the new-age-techno-babble-pseudo-scientific nonsense of office-speak. (Most directly and irrefutably, management consultants are responsible for the cowardly language of mass-sackings: ” rightsizing,” “streamlining,” and “restructuring.”)” – a bullet I dodged.
The old-world way of doing business penalizes us “for not using the anti-language of office-speak; those who don’t possess the office-speaker’s loose tongue get ignored, or offend people with their transparent straight-talking, or seem reserved.” A new transparent, connected economy wants understanding. Double-speak no longer desired.
Be aware of the world we perpetuate – or beware the soul-sucking Dementors.
Traffic? You’re next!
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“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” ― Gloria Steinem
Apparently most physicists prefer to avoid philosophical discussions about the quantum enigma. Einstein called it “spooky actions;” today it’s called “entanglement.” Either way, FAPP (for all practical purposes), this unresolved mystery isn’t material to actual application of quantum mechanics. We can reap the benefits of lasers, transistors, CCDs used in semiconductor chips, and MRIs without cracking this paradox.
Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner describe the quantum enigma and how their profession treats it in their book Quantum Enigma; Physics Encounters Consciousness. They are among a growing community of physicists willing to “explore the boundary where physics meets speculative philosophy.” They want physicists to own what is called the skeleton in their closet. They don’t want to “concede the field to the purveyors of pseudoscience” – what they call “pedagogical hyperbole.” These are smart dudes, and they don’t want whackos spreading fake science just because scientists can’t, and won’t, explain it.
I cut my teeth on pseudoscience. Well nearly – (see! I’m a master exaggerator!) I gobbled up “Seth Speaks” and every new age practice I could get my hands on. Even convinced one of my Philosophy professors it was a good idea to write a paper comparing and contrasting the writings of Jane Roberts with existentialism; specifically Jean-Paul Satre! I’m drawn to the mystery; to understanding intuition, our collective unconscious – the hidden secrets. Didn’t know that physics had an enigma. What’s it all about? What IS the jumping off point “where physics meets philosophy?” No doubt I’ll have an opinion about that intersection.
Grounding myself in the basics of physics. THANK YOU, Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner. Your cool stories and non-techi language aren’t baking my brain. I appreciate the teasers about “free will” and “determinism” – very philosophical of you.
Some of my friends say they live in the real world. Me? Please no – I love my rose colored glasses. Still, their views influence me to investigate, dig – explore and understand what science has to say. Who knew everything was so murky; or as Einstein said – “spooky.”
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London
“In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole and complete.” – Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
Watching a show with my husband about a brilliant man, a sleuth; who is also an addict in recovery not going to his meetings. His best friend asks “what’s going on?” He replies “just the tediousness of maintaining my sobriety.”
His comment reminds me of Thoreau’s reflection that the mass of men live in “quiet desperation.” No doubt life can be tedious sometimes. Day after day – week after week – year after year: going to meetings, exercising, eating right, laundry, grocery, dishes; just getting up to make a living can take a toll.
Not feeling desperate – but tedious! I know boring, monotonous, tiresome and mind-numbing. Oh yeah, I know that routine. But I also know comfy, snug, secure and contented. Where’s the line? It’s got to be personal. When does my comfort zone become my prison? When is it time to push the boundaries of my secure little world? And how secure is it really? Do I need a wake-up? Or do I just need to push through “The Dip” Seth Godin writes about?
Dianne Collins (Do You QuantumThink?) invites us to wake up consciously and deliberately – if we don’t want it thrust upon us. Sherlock (the brilliant man) was thrown; his anonymity was broken. He was thrust out of his comfort zone – discombobulated! All the sudden he felt the repetitive weight of life. Some people get massive wake-ups with serious illness, or the loss of a job, a marriage, a home. Some wake-ups are itty-bitty, like the closing of my gym. However big or small; we are thrown – flung, hurled or chucked where we don’t want to be. Sometimes the quiet desperation follows.
In The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin says comfort zones originate as safety zones. But times change and safety zones move or expand – leaving our comfort zone behind. We become complacent, content with our little world. At least until our little world feels like a rut – or we get thrown. When does cozy become dreadful?
No, I may not be desperate, but man it was hard to get off my recliner and onto the treadmill Tuesday. I miss my work-out friends! I got up and did it, but that first step was a mountain, not a molehill. I keep telling myself I gotta keep on keepin’ on! Then out of the blue – one of those work-out friends asked me to join her team for a fitness challenge. Yay! Someone besides me to be accountable to! All of the sudden the mountain shrunk.
People – its people that motivate me to keep on keepin’ on! Sure I need personal drive and commitment. But without a REAL connection, a support network, it’s easy to get thrown – and not get back up. Whether it’s friends or family, a recovery group, a therapist – whatever! People that care, encourage and inspire – they help quiet the desperation; provide a hand to get up or the encouragement to push through the dip.
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“People: People who need people; are the luckiest people; in the world!” – People; Songwriters: Bob Merrill, Jule Styne
The opportunity I imagined knocked on my door last week. I didn’t exactly slam the door shut, but my sigh of relief was cosmic when it faded back into the wallpaper. Amazing! I can want something, take a few puny steps in its direction; then when it peeks its head around the corner I hesitate. Run scared.
