With my days of new found freedom waning as I prepare to look at Plan B for a source of income while Pattye and I develop Gathering Eggs , I have been working on a resume of my years of collective knowledge and experience. I find I am somewhere between a hard-working, team player, traditionalist whose life's work is centered around problem solving to a dreamer, an idealist, a visionary in search of Utopia.
My list of varied occupations is partly due to a long time on this earth and my desire to experience new ideas, new ventures, new pursuits. Although most of the more satisfying enterprises have revolved around the journalism arena, the more productive choices in term of dollars involved satisfying people's needs either in sales or service.
But how much is experience worth these day? Can you really put value on experience? I think you can. I know you can.
One of the most unfortunate examples of lack of experience has been happening with recent inactions and blunderings of numerous officials during the Kristina disaster.
I keep seeing time and time again so-called leaders asking "where is the help". Mayors, governors, the people in charge, each going to a higher authority asking for someone to do something.
Who have been the "do-ers" in all of this mess? Who have been the ones who have made decisions, gone into battle, saved lives. Not the diplomats, not the bean-counter MBAers with the pumped up resumes. It has been the people who have served in the trenches. The ones who have gotten their hands dirty. The ones who have been faced with a problem and made a decision and acted on it.
Heroes are just every day people who have decided that they will jump in an get the job done. Why? Because sometime in their life they were faced with decision making and they acted. They experienced a choice and they made a decision. It probably wasn't life threatening, but it was a decision that had to be made.
Mommy and Daddy wasn't there to make the choices for them. They did it on their own and they tagged it for future use. They created a place in their brain and labeled it EXPERIENCE.
So what is experience worth? I think it is priceless.
Give me someone who has life experiences. Give me someone who can make a decision and think for themselves. Give me someone who doesn't have to ask "Daddy" to bail him out.
I'm proud of the lifetime of varied careers that I can put on my resume. I have learned so much and I can offer this knowledge to the people who want results.
Experience is enlightenment. Experience is skill. Experience is a resume of your life's achievements.
That being said, let's see how well it plays in the market place!
Sep 5, 2005
"Labor Day, and the 'Millennial' Generation"
On a day that we celebrate the American worker, it is fitting that we review how the work force has evolved into a new generation filled with new ideas and ethics versus old standards and regulations.
Without being too much of a curmudgeon, I offer the following observations:
The Millennial children born to the baby-boomers, is the new driving force in America. Their values are in many instances completely opposite than mine and yet in many cases their values are very much the same.
One area that I relate to this younger generation is their use and reliance on the Internet.
I spend as many as 3-4 hours a day on the Internet, which is about half of what the Millennials spend from getting the latest news reports to writing/reading E-mail and now making an income. But if the Internet were to crash today, I would know how to not only survive, but live successfully without it. This is where we differ.
The Millenials do not know of any way other than e-mail, text messaging, camera phones or blogging to communicate. It's not their fault, it just all they have known. E-mail is now considered "snail mail", or what I used to refer to as the U.S. Postal Service. They have to have instant communication.
Writing letters isn't one of their tools of the trade. Complete, thought- out sentences are replaced with truncated wrds tht tak mr tm to decfr than it wld hv tkn to spl thm ot.
Communicating is not simply writing a statement, waiting for the reply and then replying to the reply often having to explain the first statement. Communicating is speaking/writing and reading/listening at the same time. It is not just a one-sided conversation.
Even in news gathering, it is important that one does more than simply peruse the headlines from all of the on-lines news agencies, but take the time to get more in-depth reports via newspapers, periodicals, television and most important other people's opinions.
The Internet can give you the instant news, but you have to be able to massage and interpret the message and discuss the information in order to understand what was below the surface.
And don't take the Internet as gospel. Anyone can post a white paper that can easily be picked up as the first search result in Google, and the information can be full of misinformation. When I hear, "Well, I read it on the Internet", a red flag is hoisted immediately unless I hear of another source to go along with the proclamation.
I have a lot of respect for the new generation and their willingness to be team players, their tolerance of their fellow man and their quest for success.
Their need for instant gratification however, does leave me a little worried.
I am still a believer that success comes also with hard work, sweat, and labor.
Labor has to be part of the recipe for success, and it can't be instant.
Thus that is why we celebrate Labor Day and the true meaning behind it.
Without being too much of a curmudgeon, I offer the following observations:
- Regardless of what generation you are labeled, baby-boomer, x-generation, y-generation, or echo generation, you feel that nobody does/did it better than you.
- Hard work (Labor) = Success.
- Success is not measured by the size of your house, the length of your boat or the emblem on your car.
- Anyone can be a success in America.
One area that I relate to this younger generation is their use and reliance on the Internet.
I spend as many as 3-4 hours a day on the Internet, which is about half of what the Millennials spend from getting the latest news reports to writing/reading E-mail and now making an income. But if the Internet were to crash today, I would know how to not only survive, but live successfully without it. This is where we differ.
The Millenials do not know of any way other than e-mail, text messaging, camera phones or blogging to communicate. It's not their fault, it just all they have known. E-mail is now considered "snail mail", or what I used to refer to as the U.S. Postal Service. They have to have instant communication.
Writing letters isn't one of their tools of the trade. Complete, thought- out sentences are replaced with truncated wrds tht tak mr tm to decfr than it wld hv tkn to spl thm ot.
Communicating is not simply writing a statement, waiting for the reply and then replying to the reply often having to explain the first statement. Communicating is speaking/writing and reading/listening at the same time. It is not just a one-sided conversation.
Even in news gathering, it is important that one does more than simply peruse the headlines from all of the on-lines news agencies, but take the time to get more in-depth reports via newspapers, periodicals, television and most important other people's opinions.
The Internet can give you the instant news, but you have to be able to massage and interpret the message and discuss the information in order to understand what was below the surface.
And don't take the Internet as gospel. Anyone can post a white paper that can easily be picked up as the first search result in Google, and the information can be full of misinformation. When I hear, "Well, I read it on the Internet", a red flag is hoisted immediately unless I hear of another source to go along with the proclamation.
I have a lot of respect for the new generation and their willingness to be team players, their tolerance of their fellow man and their quest for success.
Their need for instant gratification however, does leave me a little worried.
I am still a believer that success comes also with hard work, sweat, and labor.
Labor has to be part of the recipe for success, and it can't be instant.
Thus that is why we celebrate Labor Day and the true meaning behind it.
Sep 2, 2005
"The Journey Begins......Day 1"
In staying with my new format, here is a song that should get your blood pumping as you read along. Click here for Music
Well, I did pretty good. I slept in until about 4:30 a.m., well kind of. I did wake up at 12:00 midnight, my normal time for the last umpteen years, but I rolled over and went back to sleep until about 2:00 a.m. and then got some coffee and then went back to sleep for a couple of more hours. It felt good. It felt real good, except I am definitely going to have to retrain by bladder, it's not used to such extended neglect.
You know, early morning is really the best time of day. There are just no interruptions. No phones ringing, no clogged cable connections, no sounds other than the occasional mockingbird (my arch enemy : see Mockingbird).
I dashed off a ton of e-mail to friends who have responded to our new journey. Completed a couple of surveys that have been gathering dust on my desk. Backed-up my hard drive. Deleted hundreds of old e-mails, well, deleted them from the deleted file. (I know that is a redundant system, but why do I have to reread the deleted items again after I deleted them the first time). Got my calendar/planner organized. Organized my CDs. Worked on my new blog format. Wrote a blog. Read on-line news. And then, it was only 6:00 a.m. Hmmmm, looks like this new found freedom is going to need a little adjustment.
We did have a chance to enjoy the sunrise though without a "beeper" going off telling us that someone didn't get their friggin crossword puzzle in their newspaper.
A couple of years ago we put in a water garden and I have never really taken the time to enjoy the truly relaxing setting but yesterday was different. I think I really relaxed.
The next couple of hours were spent makings lists of lists. You know you have your lists, but then you have to list those lists in order to get them in the correct priority.
Numero uno on the list is to get Pattye setup for full-time Gathering Eggs. We have dedicated 1/2 of the garage for her workshop. This meant going to my favorite store in the whole world, Home Depot, and buying supplies to make room for her.
Started cleaning out several boxes of "stuff" and found something that brought tears to my eyes. No, it wasn't my Honorable Discharge from the Air Force, or pictures that my kids had drawn for me. It was some old credit card receipts from 1978. One was for gasoline that showed that I had purchased 14.0 gallons for $8.40. If my math is correct that is $.60 a gallon. Whoa!!
This morning (at 3:00 a.m. I might add) I filled up for $2.95 a gallon and across the street it was $3.09 a gallon. Folks, it is going to get worse.
Well, the garage/workshop still needs a couple of more hours of work to get it finished and then I will move on to the next item on the list, which is, huh?, I already forgot.
After all that during Day 1, we still went to bed around 7:00 p.m. I guess this new time adjustment is going to take a little longer than I thought.
Well, I did pretty good. I slept in until about 4:30 a.m., well kind of. I did wake up at 12:00 midnight, my normal time for the last umpteen years, but I rolled over and went back to sleep until about 2:00 a.m. and then got some coffee and then went back to sleep for a couple of more hours. It felt good. It felt real good, except I am definitely going to have to retrain by bladder, it's not used to such extended neglect.
You know, early morning is really the best time of day. There are just no interruptions. No phones ringing, no clogged cable connections, no sounds other than the occasional mockingbird (my arch enemy : see Mockingbird).
I dashed off a ton of e-mail to friends who have responded to our new journey. Completed a couple of surveys that have been gathering dust on my desk. Backed-up my hard drive. Deleted hundreds of old e-mails, well, deleted them from the deleted file. (I know that is a redundant system, but why do I have to reread the deleted items again after I deleted them the first time). Got my calendar/planner organized. Organized my CDs. Worked on my new blog format. Wrote a blog. Read on-line news. And then, it was only 6:00 a.m. Hmmmm, looks like this new found freedom is going to need a little adjustment.
We did have a chance to enjoy the sunrise though without a "beeper" going off telling us that someone didn't get their friggin crossword puzzle in their newspaper.
A couple of years ago we put in a water garden and I have never really taken the time to enjoy the truly relaxing setting but yesterday was different. I think I really relaxed.
The next couple of hours were spent makings lists of lists. You know you have your lists, but then you have to list those lists in order to get them in the correct priority.
Numero uno on the list is to get Pattye setup for full-time Gathering Eggs. We have dedicated 1/2 of the garage for her workshop. This meant going to my favorite store in the whole world, Home Depot, and buying supplies to make room for her.
Started cleaning out several boxes of "stuff" and found something that brought tears to my eyes. No, it wasn't my Honorable Discharge from the Air Force, or pictures that my kids had drawn for me. It was some old credit card receipts from 1978. One was for gasoline that showed that I had purchased 14.0 gallons for $8.40. If my math is correct that is $.60 a gallon. Whoa!!
This morning (at 3:00 a.m. I might add) I filled up for $2.95 a gallon and across the street it was $3.09 a gallon. Folks, it is going to get worse.
Well, the garage/workshop still needs a couple of more hours of work to get it finished and then I will move on to the next item on the list, which is, huh?, I already forgot.
After all that during Day 1, we still went to bed around 7:00 p.m. I guess this new time adjustment is going to take a little longer than I thought.
Sep 1, 2005
"I cried last night"
I cried again last night for the poor souls who are suffering on the Gulf Coast. I cried and I prayed. God help them, God help us all.
Aug 30, 2005
I'm energized, rejuvenated, and just feeling happy"
O.K. Kids. Time to start playing again. And one thing that I am doing for all of you is now playing some great music for you as you read my blog. Hopefully, each blog will come with a new tune.
At the present time I don't have the storage capacity to keep the tunes when they are moved into the archive section, but I am working on that also.
If you have Real Player installed click here , Real Player will start streaming the audio onto your computer within seconds.
If you have Windows Media Player installed click here, and the audio will start streaming as well.
If necessary, minimize the windows and then continue reading the blog. I mean that's the reason you came here in the first place. Oh yeah, don't forget to turn up your speakers. Geez, do I have to tell you everything!
And, if you can't do any of that then just hum while you read my blog.
So anyway, here's one of my favorites artists, Willie Nelson, as he sings an appropriate song as we finish up our countdown and "get on the road again.
One quick note.
I want to say thanks to everyone who has stuck with us over the last couple of months while we have been going through some difficult times.
We really appreciate your friendship.
Now on with the show!!
At the present time I don't have the storage capacity to keep the tunes when they are moved into the archive section, but I am working on that also.
If you have Real Player installed click here , Real Player will start streaming the audio onto your computer within seconds.
If you have Windows Media Player installed click here, and the audio will start streaming as well.
If necessary, minimize the windows and then continue reading the blog. I mean that's the reason you came here in the first place. Oh yeah, don't forget to turn up your speakers. Geez, do I have to tell you everything!
And, if you can't do any of that then just hum while you read my blog.
So anyway, here's one of my favorites artists, Willie Nelson, as he sings an appropriate song as we finish up our countdown and "get on the road again.
One quick note.
I want to say thanks to everyone who has stuck with us over the last couple of months while we have been going through some difficult times.
We really appreciate your friendship.
Now on with the show!!
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