Crawl Before You Ball? More Like Saul Before You Paul.

I learned something from Paul last weekend.

No, not this Paul -- although I think he's hilarious.

I mean the Paul who was Saul before he was Paul.  That guy in the Bible, Book of Acts (and several other books also).

I was listening to the start of a sermon, mentally preparing myself for a pretty typical message about the stark 180 degree change of direction that happened when Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus.  If, like an old school comedian, the Pastor would have said, "stop me if you've heard this one," I'd have raised my hand.

But as I was settling in and mentally unwinding, a new perspective met me that changed the way I think about Paul and, as a result, the way I think about myself.

Are We In This Together?

It's interesting that many entrepreneurs begin their career as an employee. They exchange time and effort for a salary and experience, meanwhile perfecting a vision, plan, and resources. Then, at some point, the budding capitalist decides to launch out on his or her own venture. The entrepreneur chooses personal best interests over the employer's best interests.

Hopefully, after a successful launch and a period of growth, the entrepreneur looks around the workplace to find a bunch of really talented employees. Employees who were carefully vetted and hired based on what they could bring to the company and how they can contribute to the company's interests.

As cynical as it may be, the economy is just a huge group of people making choices in the best interest of themselves. A boss can talk about being a team, having each others' backs, and being in it together. In truth, in it together is just a matter of convenience where everyone's what's best for me is mutually beneficial.

Manage your company towards the sweet spot that optimizes the interests of your clients, your capital, AND your employees. Making decisions in the best interest of your employees might start paying dividends towards the best interests of your customers and capital.

Give Me Discontent

Give me discontent.
Give me uneasiness.
May it sting, burn, and tear me apart.

Give me dissatisfaction.
Give me restlessness.
May a yearning for something uncertain take residence in my heart.

Take my appetite.
Take my comfort.
May a disruption of my routine refine my desires and provide clarity of mind.

Let it launch me forward.
Let it increase my faith.
Now is the time to learn, to grow, to seek, and to find.

Go With The Flow

A professional athlete hoists the league championship trophy and proclaims, "I just went with the flow and look where it took me!"

The entrepreneur after the closing bell of IPO day says, "I never really had to do anything out of the ordinary during my career, I just sort of went with the flow and here we are!"

God tells us through scripture that he knit us together in our mother's womb. I suppose it's logical that He just slaps a "go with the flow" label on about 95% of his human widget inventory.

I suppose God only desires that maybe 3 to 5% of the humans He creates are actually implanted with a dream that they should chase and achieve.

I suppose it's God's design that most of the population simply blend in and ride the current, not making any waves.

Yeah, I bet God hates the wake created by people motoring toward His calling.

A Top Ten Guide to Setting New Year's Resolutions

Top Ten: Guide for Making New Year's Resolutions

10.  Reach for the stars, set your goals as high as you can dream.  If you can actually accomplish your resolutions, did you really even try?

9.   Weight loss goals seem SUPER easy.  Pick a number of pounds (pronounced "ell-bees"), sign up for a gym membership, work out for about five and a half weeks, and then stop going to the gym around mid-February.  It's apparently working for everyone else, it HAS to work for you too!

Economy: Change For The Long Term

No President can fix America's economy.

No piece of legislation passing the House or Senate can rescue America's economy.

No amount of fiscal easing or tightening can put this country's economy on solid footing.

We need to stop expecting these people to come up with answers.  None of their actions or opinions can create long term prosperity.

Everyone's Greatest Healthcare Fear

We've all worked some place that had "that" employee.  The guy or gal that you just wanted to ask the Office Space question to: "wh-what would you say... you DO here?"

None of us understand how health insurance works and truthfully we don't want to.  But our biggest fear over Obamacare is that it will soon be our only option and when we need it to come through most we'll call the 800 number and we're going to get "that" employee.  They'll have no idea how to helps us and we'll have no idea where to turn.

16 Too Young to Drive?

Per Rasmussen Reports, 56% think 16 is too young to drive.  I'd be interested to see know what the urban/suburban/rural breakout is on the group, but wow.... Don't get me wrong, idiot kids texting while swerving down I-235 in Des Moines make want to agree with the majority of poll respondents.  But, at the same time I remember driving tractors, cars, and trucks starting around 12 or 13.  A handful of kids in my grade started driving well before I did.

Just my ignorant opinion, but if kids are becoming less responsible with important things, might a solution be to...

A Better Way Than Shutdown

What's the goal of government today?  What are they trying to achieve?  What is #1 on the list?

Washington is in gridlock because the parties are holding Obamacare, short term funding of the government, long-term budget balancing, AND the world economy in gridlock.  Both sides have a hand on every area, it is a bipartisan effort to achieve nothing.

The reason they can't move forward is that without a stated #1 priority goal, NOTHING can proceed in a sustainable way.  You have four major issues that cannot be solved unless one of them is chosen as the first priority.

Why do you have to pick just one?  Because a rope pulled two ways breaks and a bar pushed on each end bends on itself.

The Day My Brain Checked Out

Today is Thursday, September 19, 2013 and I have been seizure free for one month.

Relative to the 28 years that I've been alive, a month is nothing.  Relative to the most unusual moment within those 28 years, a month is a lifetime.

My co-workers and I had just finished our takeout burritos.  It was that time of day when you start comparing all of the ways you could spend an afternoon to the way you're about to.

Fearing the post-lunch food coma, I sauntered back to my desk began clearing unread emails.  After opening a three word email, I realized that I wasn't making sense of the words.  To shake out the cobwebs I got up and took a quick walk across the office.  Arriving back at my desk, feeling the victor, I picked up on emails again.

That's when it happened: my brain checked out and everything went dark.