I Can Do That

                                                        
Growing up, one of my favorite ballplayers was Cal Ripken Jr.  I was super pumped to get one of his rookie baseball cards.  1982 Topps.

He played for the Baltimore Orioles his entire career, mostly at shortstop which was part of the appeal for me.  I was a shortstop.

Cal didn't have a pretty swing.  In fact, it was kind of ugly.  I read that he was constantly adjusting it.  Relentless Pursuit of Excellence before I knew the phrase.  He was never "the best player in the game."  He was a solid player.

BUT, there was one thing he did better than anybody else in the game, ever.  He showed up.  In fact, he showed up for 2,632 consecutive games.  That is 502 more than the second most, Lou Gehrig.  That is 17 years in a row without missing a game about 160 games per season.  He played through sprained ankles, twisted knees, a broken nose, even a herniated disk.  These are on top of the routine wear and tear of any pro ball player.  This earned him a spot in the MLB Hall of Fame.

Cal Ripken was one of my heros growing up.  He seemed like a normal guy that just showed up and played the game.  Not flashy.  Not pretty.  Just showed up.  Every day.  I COULD DO THAT. 

I have no doubt that this consistency is what opened doors for me.  I showed up and did what I said I would day in and day out.  CFA had trust in me.  I worked with much more talented people than me.  Much smarter.  But, they weren't consistent.  They didn't get the opportunity.

There are alot of things I can't do very well but I can show up.  I CAN DO THAT.

What can you do about it?

Back in 1998 I had a conversation with a very successful businessman and during our time together I learned that he had dropped about 50 lbs and was working on a few more.  He'd adjusted his diet and gave up a couple bad habits.  (This isn't a weight management post.  It just happens to involve a person's discipline as it pertained to his weight.)

He said "Tony, I can't control what other people think.  It doesn't matter if I think it is wrong, BUT it's my observation that society discriminates against big people.  Look at who gets opportunities and they are more often not overweight.  I've built this business with discipline and hard work and I want to be in position for more opportunities down the road.  When I look around at what I can control that could impact my future opportunities, I realized that I could do something about my weight.  So, I had a choice.  I could remain as I was and disagree with people that discriminate against me, or I can control what I can control and avoid that obstacle all together.  I decided to do what I could do."

I haven't kept in contact with this person over the years but I am aware of them and see them occasionally.  He HAS been given more and bigger opportunities and is thriving.  I'm not sure if his decision to control his weight specifically played into these opportunities but I am certain that his mindset to control what he can control has been a driver of his success professionally and personally.     

Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow...

                                      

What if there really was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?  Would you try to find it?

I'm reading a book about people searching for a "lost city" on the Amazon river.  Stories include vast amounts of gold and other treasure at this city.  BUT, there is doubt that the city ever actually existed.  Hundreds of people have explored the area, many never making it back out.  The assumption is they died in their efforts.  Either from snake bites, starvation, cannibal tribes...  The "treasure" caused them to think different than most normal people.

People will go to great lengths for treasure.  Often, they will do things they've never done before.  Sometimes good.  Sometimes bad.

When I can see an opportunity but not the path to it, often I'll ask myself "if there was a million dollars (tax free) sitting at the solution to this problem, would I figure it out"?  If the answer is yes, then I ask "how would I get there"?  This usually gets me out of my routine thinking which clearly wasn't working to turn the problem at hand into an opportunity.

Who in their "right mind" goes exploring the Amazon?  Rarely do people thinking normally accomplish great things.

Tonight, look up in the sky at the moon.  Then, imagine landing there.  Somebody did that and they did it by creating their own "pot of gold" to help them think beyond their current thinking.  If you don't know the story of Apollo 13, check it out.  For them, landing on the moon was the initial opportunity but then, in the middle of the mission, simple survival became the "pot at the end of the rainbow" and it resulted in remarkable thinking and problem solving.

Today, somebody is thinking about landing on Mars.  Today, somebody is thinking about curing cancer.  Today, somebody is thinking about curing Alzheimer's.  I hope they are thinking beyond their thinking yesterday.  I hope they have a BIG pot of "treasure" in their mind to help them to keep thinking bigger.

What are you dreaming of doing?  What is the "pot of gold" that is going to help you think unlike you've ever thought before?

Passion or Purpose?

It was the summer of 1996.  I had graduated from college, played my last college baseball game and had decided on pursing the path of CFA operator.  As a result, I was working 6 days a week, averaging 60 hour weeks (for those that don't love math, that means half of the weeks were more than 60 hours).  I was on salary, making $19,000 a year (adjusting for inflation, that is $31,000 today).  I asked for more $$ or a day off.  The answer I got was NO.  Kaylyn and I were about to be engaged and I remember standing in her drive way telling her I was drained.  My tank was empty.

So, where would I find time to refuel?  Well, I was also playing baseball on a local mens team around metro Atlanta because baseball was my passion.  Most games were Sunday afternoons.  I was working 6 days, going to church and then playing baseball on the 7th day.  As the summer wore on, I began to realize something.  Baseball wasn't my future.  It was my passion, but it wasn't my purpose.  I had 3 things taking my time and leaving no room for restoration.  CFA, Kaylyn, baseball.  I knew that the path to operator required my commitment to CFA.  I knew Kaylyn was going to be my wife.  That left baseball as simply a passion with no purpose.

I called the coach up and told him I couldn't continue.  To this day, it's the only role I've ever quit prematurely.  That was my last time playing in a baseball game.  It was a hard decision.  I love baseball and I hate quiting.   And, it was the right decision.

The world says "follow your passion".  There is some value there BUT it becomes destructive when your passion and your purpose conflict.  The key is to find where passion and purpose overlap.

That's when CFA became my next sport.  It turns out that while I do enjoy throwing and hitting the ball, what I really enjoy is team competition.  I wasn't going to make a living in baseball.  At that moment in her driveway, I wasn't passionate about CFA.  I had to bring those together so that I could make a living doing something I'm passionate about.  It was a decision that changed my life.

Passion alone can take you down the wrong path.  Purpose alone can be draining.  Find your purpose and bring your passion into it.     

A/C switch

                                      

My second car was a 1990 blue Honda Accord with a sun roof.  I really enjoyed that car.  It was quick, handled well and it had a sunroof!  It also had 90,000 miles when I got it...

A while after I got it, the dial for the A/C control broke and I was left with a little metal knob that I needed pliers to adjust anytime I wanted to adjust my climate control in the car.  I drove it like this for well over a year.



My mom asked me why I wasn't getting a new plastic cover so that I could adjust the temperature like most people and I told her I didn't want to spend the $$.  I don't remember the cost but lets go with $25.  She then asked me if I thought I would get a knob before selling the car and I told her YES.  Then she asked if I had $25 I could spend to get the new one and I told her YES.  Then she asked why would I intentionally deal with the difficulty for so long if I knew how to fix it and had the $$ to do so...?  If I was going to spend the $25 eventually, why not go ahead and do it now and enjoy the benefit going forward?

People tend to do this with their homes, too.  It's not uncommon for people to decide to sell their house, do the repairs/remodels to make it sell better and then realize they like their house so much more after the repairs/remodels.  Why did they wait to spend the??  They could have done it a year ago and enjoyed the investments but they waited.  Same $$.  Less benefit.     

What is broken in your day that you are choosing to deal with the hard way when the solution is available now?  What are you waiting for?     

   

My (leadership) Fitness Pal

In January, some of us at CFAROX began a fitness challenge.  Every day since that kick-off event I've tracked my calories and exercise.  Every day, I've gone to bed knowing how I did in my pursuit of being more physically fit.  Some days have been better than others.

I didn't learn anything new.  I had all the same knowledge prior to committing to tracking my behavior.

I've had a nice dinner at Angus Barn.  I've had lots of good free food at our annual seminar.  I've enjoyed Super Bowl snacks.  I've had one of the best meals I've ever had at a restaurant in California.  And, I've tracked it.  By tracking it, I've learned to prepare.  That Angus Barn dinner...  I still ended the day within my target AND enjoyed the dinner.

The result is that my belt is not as tight.  I've run further than I have in 3.5 years.  I've run faster than I have in 2 years.  No new knowledge.  The only thing I've paid for is a new pair of running shoes.

I simply committed to tracking my calories in and out daily.

What fitness goal do you have?  Physical fitness?  Relational Fitness?  Mental Fitness?  Spiritual Fitness?  Are you tracking it?  Daily?

I can tell you for certain, if I stop tracking my fitness, I will go back to my old behavior and get the results that got me out of shape to begin with.

What are you tracking?  Are you tracking the things you say you want to accomplish? 

Say It, Do It.

He's a good....

Sometime near my 10th year as operator we had some folks from CFA visiting the store and one introduced me as a "really good numbers operator".  They meant it as a compliment but that comment stuck with me and not in a good way.  Why did they qualify their statement with "numbers"?  Why not just "really good operator"?  I began studying what it would mean to be a good, well rounded, operator and committed to growing into that.

Fast forward to last week.  At our CFA gathering in California I was talking with a couple people and one introduced me as "a really good operator".  I immediately recalled that introduction 10+ years ago and the comment stuck with me...  and not in a good way.

A "good operator" runs a complete business.  Culture, numbers, results...  But, why did they qualify the statement with "operator"?  I'm sure they meant well.  But, I know operators that when I introduce them I wouldn't limit their introduction to "operator".  He is a great person.  A tremendous influence.  A caring person.  An impactful leader.  A good and faithful servant.  Sure they are also a "good operator" but that's not even close to capturing who they are. 

10 years ago I was introduced as a "good numbers operator".  Last week I was introduced as a "good operator".  Tomorrow I hope to be introduced as a good and faithful servant.