Money
Adaptation
Balance
Before I die
Perception
Praise
Lemons
So say the crowd?
“Creatures of habit” is a phrase that can exist in many living things. Some habits are created because of necessity. Some habits are established by culture. Even some habits are there because, it is just easier to follow than to lead. To lead, you have to go down paths where the results may not be present. Dark tunnels where you have to slide your hand slowly to find the light switch. It is hard work and as the phrase goes “someone has to do it.” Habit can easily become a comfort. Comfort can become complacency. Complacency takes away far more than it provides when it comes to leadership. If you look at this picture, it can be assumed these turtles are taking part in just being part of the family. They are learning how to be on their own. As much as they are together, you can see some of them are starting to venture off. They will find their own food, make their own path. For some of us, finding a way to explore the great undiscovered country is out of habit. We win, we lose, but we keep moving toward something. The “something” that puts a sparkle in our eyes and fire in our belly. Will you just maintain being in the comfort of the crowd or will you go out beyond the bounds of safety to reach a new hill? A habit is something one does on a regular basis. It has to come from starting somewhere.
Run for your lives! Squirrels are eating pizza!!!!!
How do you not look at a picture like this and think at various levels? The logical thinker in us may wonder about the entire physics aspect of this. How heavy is the slice of pizza? How much does a squirrel weigh? What is the lifting ratio of the squirrel to its size? Then you have the free-thinker. What a smart squirrel. Wonder what other things the squirrel would consider as resources of food. Is the squirrel just taking advantage of a situation or did someone feed him? Lastly, you have the conspiracy thinkers who are wondering why a squirrel is eating pizza. Not just eating pizza, but a pepperoni pizza. Is this the first generation of some Government Mutant Carnivore Squirrels? As much as I do worry about carnivore squirrels running around, I side with the Free-Thinker. This squirrel to me, sees what it had to work with, and used it effectively. It is not a normal source of food. However, it is food. It will keep the squirrel going and nourished. We often will block out the idea of using a shopping cart as a wheelbarrow, a nail as a cotter pin, a 9V battery and steel wool as a fire source (try it). Why? Because…, we are always taught to use the proper tools in the proper application for the best result. If I am in need to create a solution, would not anything and everything then become available as a possible effective tool? The limitation of our resources might very well hamper a result, especially in a desperate or emergency based situation. How many of you keep a roll of duct tape in the car? Show me a roll of duct tape in a trunk, and I will show you a free-thinker just waiting to take action. Add a bunch of rope and a shovel and I might look at you with caution, but still. Many of us have a subconscious addition to the off the shelf things so readily available in our daily lives. As a result, we may have forgotten the core element of “adaptation.” True, it may not be possible for everyone to be a modern day McGuyver. But I do not want to be so confirming that I do not see how many different tools are around me, even if they are not intended to be used in a particular manner. More people have achieved success by wondering “What If?” over asking “Where can I Get?..”
To Boldly Go….
The effects of television in modern society send powerful messages. We will and are constantly influenced by the combination of visual and audio communication. Both television and the movies can take you on many adventures. The drama, places, events, and actions may detract you from your everyday life, if only for a short period of time. For a prime example, we can look at a show that became famous from being canceled, the world of Star Trek. This show in all of its parts, spin-off’s, movies, and conventions has been an amazing testament to the public demand for it which at one time the networks did not see any value supporting. To make a quick comparison to prove a point, we will take the famous introduction of the show. In the original show, the intro begins with a famous monologue from its captain ending in the statement, “…To boldly go where no man has gone before.” OK, makes sense, humans were exploring deeper and deeper into space. Decades later a new version of Star Trek was created taking the same story but advancing it even further into the future. Taking some of the same elements, the new captain shares a similar monologue at show start but has a minor (yet super significant) change. “…To boldly go where NO ONE has gone before.” Now, if this statement is true, how to they keep running into people in their travels? Certainly they are not always running into humans, however, NO ONE is inclusive to all. How does this tie into a small business blog? Simple. Many of us may feel alone in what we are facing. We might feel our business is so new or so unique, we are in uncharted territory. Our efforts to solve matters, do not have to be alone. Pride needs to be pushed aside to collaboration. Protectiveness of your thoughts may restrict the openness of mind required to create the best solution. Think if Henry Ford just kept the whole idea to himself until he could make an entire car and not source others to create with him. This undiscovered country (yes one of the Star Trek movie titles), has often had some explorer at least go part of the way you are going. Seek them out, learn from their stories. You are reading this from one of the leading places to find such explorers, Linkedin. Sites such as Linkedin or Facebook allow you to connect with the world, once an unimaginable process. You are bound to find someone out there who may connect in some way to your idea. This sharing of ideas and observations will show you your universe is far greater than you can imagine. The efforts of collaboration draw knowledge from all aspects of business life. Use them wisely. The core of human behavior is all about sharing.