Pre-Ramble:  In this grand moment of revelry and reflection, I’d like to take a second to thank you for checking in on the K. blog this past year.

I hope you have been informed, entertained, or even occasionally inspired by a word or two.

My goals for the blog this coming year are to:

1. promote positivity
2. encourage personal power
3. have fun

Promoting positivity means shining a light on issues from a decidedly positive perspective, … emphasizing the dynamic of moving toward things … being “for” stuff, rather than ”against” it. (Please note that this does not rule out satire or snarkiness.)

By personal power I mean owning your gifts and stepping up, … moving personal energy forward to make positive things happen in one’s life and in the world.

As for fun, you can’t take yourself too seriously, … We know fun when we see it (example shown right) and will take it whenever and wherever we can get it — !

The Take-Away:  Sooooo, in the spirit of all of that — Cheers to uncorking a whole bunch of positive energy in your new year!  

Happy 2012!!

Pre-Ramble: So, for the past month-and-a-half I’ve been working with a client on a strategic planning project.  Strategic planning is basically creating a viable roadmap to a future vision based on the context of your current environment and capacity.

As we zero in on specific goals and strategies, it has become clear that the more focused and clearly defined these are, the more useful they will ultimately be when it comes time to put the plan into action.  Simple, straightforward, carefully-considered language that articulates key concepts paves the way to a clearly understood plan and a greater likelihood of successful implementation …

Meta-thought here … that last sentence has too many buzz-words and ideas for its own good.  The nut of that thought was, “less is more” … Communicating strategies/strategic thoughts is most effectively done using clean, pared-down language. … Efficient language leads to efficient understanding, which leads to efficient action … blah, … blah

Where am I going with all of this on a Saturday morning?  … I’m seeing a dynamic in the work world that might have a useful parallel in everyday life.  It looks like the concepts of clarity, simplification and efficiency have real bearing on our ability as individuals to focus and get things done. Researchers have found that the aging brain (like older than 30 … which in some camps is NOT considered old) is less able to tune out distractions and focus on a topic because the filter mechanisms in the brain have become frayed/less effective over time.

Huh? … Wait, I missed that point … had to check a text and fold a load of laundry.

It’s like, instead of racking in with a zoom lens, you’re working with a wide-angle … you’re taking in the bigger picture.  In a single scan of your environment, you’re getting unwashed dishes, … stacks of paperwork, … that article you’ve been meaning to read, … the dog’s water bowl is dry, … a new post on your blog is long overdue …

The problem is, your brain isn’t able to tune out this clutter of tasks and ideas. It tries to process it, which gets in the way of successfully processing the stuff you intentionally want to address.

To accomplish important life goals, you can enhance your focus and efficiency by eliminating some of the stuff that is cluttering up  your environment and your mind.  Start small and gradually bring a sense of simplicity and order to your inner and outer world. Tune out the media once in a while; … tidy up your workspace; … consider washing the windows (I’m not suggesting you actually do this grueling chore); … haul extraneous stuff out of your kids’ rooms (this is especially productive when they are out of town on summer internships); … go for a mind-clearing walk, run or bike ride; … seal off the laundry room; … Stop, drop and roll! … (Oh, wrong PSA) …

The Take-Away: The only way you are going to realize the vision you have for your life is to clear a path, physically and mentally to the heart of the desired goals. Do whatever it takes to strategically claim your fraying brain-capacity and bring focus to the things that really matter to you!

Do it now, before you get ….

Pre-Ramble:  “User Error” is currently at the top of my list of most hated words in the English language. In this era of ubiquitous technology, every man, woman and child has seen themselves in deep technological waters at one point or another.

Seriously — remember the first time you tried to ease the needle down on that glossy, twirling  Bobby Sherman album? Or, the first time you tried to slide a cassette into that slot in the dashboard? … Fast-forward to the thumb-tied act of sending your first text-message. There is definitely a learning curve on adapting to new technologies … only now, there are just so many more ways that you can screw up.

Opportunities to commit technical errors are all around us. ”User-interface” is what happens when you or I try to make our tech gadgets work. Legions of technology designers and developers are currently making careers out of building technological hardware and software that is “user-friendly.” User-friendly is code for anticipating the random stupidness of the average technology consumer. 

People who design and develop technology products are thinking about functional requirements … stuff like:

• navigation (how will the user move through a webpage or action?)
• content (do the words/concepts make sense?)
• visual clarity (can the user tell how this works just by looking at it?)
• how many clicks it takes to do something
• transaction time (how many seconds does it take to download/accomplish something)
• processing limitations (how much band-width is required to support the expression of the information or activity?)
• the integirty of the data  (is the user going to mistakenly enter a letter into the spaces where their phone number should be?)

Well, so – anyone who has read this blog for any period of time knows that I am something of a newbie when it comes to technology (just ask my website guy … ). At some point, I will share with you the depths of my tech-unsavviness, however, trust me when I tell you that when your computer prompts you to “update this” or “synch-up that” it’s a good idea to JUST DO THAT, rather than deleting it, relegating it to the “I’ll do that later” pile, or thinking that someone else will take care of it … (that “someone” is you).

Incoming … Code Red!  Why set yourself up for the humiliation of standing at the Genius Bar with an unresponsive phone only to have Tim the Tech Associate (shown above right) politely, but patronizingly ask if you’ve been updating your software and synching up with iTunes? (Lest you think that Tim’s left hand is casually resting on the counter, note that he is actually reaching for the security button as he sees me approach the tech support area.)

The Take-Away: I’m thinking that an informed, proactive, can-do approach to technology is a stance well worth taking and one that can be applied to other areas of our lives as well. We all know about brushing and flossing, diet and exercise, sunblock, bike helmets, a good night’s sleep and strategic hand-washing … I understand that multi-tasking is now on the skill-set-non-grata list, however, it wouldn’t hurt to floss a little while we’re waiting for the iPhone to synch up.

Pre-Ramble: So, after a brief holiday break, I’m back at it here to ring out the old and bring in the new. While I don’t make a habit of swiping other bloggers’ fare, I’ve been saving this post (below) from Seth Godin’s blog to use on just this occasion.

Seth is a best-selling author, superior thinker, skilled motivator, and all around good guy (not him at right). If you’re going to reference material, Seth’s is the way to go.

The following is a post from Seth’s blog dated December 18, 2010.  As you are preparing to uncork a brand new year, take a moment to reflect on this:

What are you working on?

If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer?

I hope so. If not, you’re wasting away.

No matter what your job is, no matter where you work, there’s a way to create a project (on your own, on weekends if necessary), where the excitement is palpable, where something that might make a difference is right around the corner.

Hurry, go do that.

“If not now, … ?”   I could list a whole bunch of clichés at this point, (“Seize the day” … “No time like the present” … “Just do it” … blah, blah), but the bottom line is, you get one life to do stuff.  Here’s your chance to get out there and see what’s going on,… what you’re good at, … what you’re less good at, … what you wonder about, … what you’re kind of afraid of, … Here’s your chance to do a lot of laughing … dancing … celebrating … dressing up in weird outfits … learning about random things … dipping your toe in … snooping around … trying new foods … spitting stuff out … Here’s your chance to get in on the action!

The Take-Away:  Cheers to your New Year!

Pre-Ramble:  Every Sunday afternoon (except when it’s raining, snowing, too hot, too cold, or there’s something else happening at the same time), my husband and I play 9 holes of golf. 

In case I haven’t mentioned it, my husband is a rabid golfer. In fact, “rabid” really doesn’t cover the extent to which he embraces the game. (I won’t mention here that he collects golf rule books as a hobby, because that might be unnecessarily disclosive and embarrassing.)

Golf is life. Well, so, my golfer husband’s favorite tag line is, “Golf is life.”  As in, … there isn’t anything that life can throw at you that can’t be paralleled in the experience of playing a round of golf. 

Really?! Please!  When I hear this “Golf is life” business, I usually roll my eyes and come back with some sort of impudent response like, “Nah-ah!”  I refuse to believe that anything as frustrating and nonessential as a game of golf could actually have anything to do with the kind of weighty issues we face in our day-to-day lives. 

When in real life are we called upon to hit a small white ball over several hundred feet of tweaked up grass with a shiny stick while wearing plaid and goofy shoes … except when we’re playing golf?  Heck; it’s easy to say that “golf is life” if you’re good at golf (which golfer-hubby is). And, it’s easy to be good at golf when you play all the time (which golfer-hubby does).

For the rest of us, golf really does dish out a dizzying array of experiences – good and bad. Even a fair weather golfer like myself will tell you that there is nearly nothing better than hitting a really good golf shot. There’s a special feel and a special sound associated with a really good shot, and, of course, the ball lands somewhere amazing in relation to the cup (golf jargon for the hole that you’re trying to get the ball into). Of course, on the other end of the continuum there’s also a legendary amount of things that can go wrong in a round of golf as well.

Dang-it! Anyway, today on the ninth hole (the last one in a 9-hole round – duh) I duffed my tee-shot. This means that I hit it so poorly off of the little tee-stand thing that is just trickled like 50 feet or so into the deep grass before the fairway (not a good shot). Not wanting to end the 9-hole round on such a hideous note, I lunged for my bag to get another ball. NOTE: For those of you who are sticklers for the rules, I intended to (and did) play my poor shot through to the finish and use it in computing my final score for the round.

So, I ended up pulling a pink ball (not it above) out of my bag, teed it up and slammed it high and long into the  middle of the fairway (a super good shot).  At that moment I decided to play BOTH balls – the icky first white ball tee-shot and the second super-good pink ball tee-shot - to see which one would end up making it to the hole in the fewest shots.

I won’t bore you (too late - already have) with a tedious recount of the shot-by-shot on the two balls (btw – golfer-husband can give you the shot-by-shot on every game he’s ever played in his entire life), however I will tell you that in the end (spoiler alert!) … even though one sputtered off to a very tenuous start and the other went sailing, as though on wings, into the stratosphere – BOTH BALLS ended up getting into the hole in the EXACT SAME NUMBER OF STROKES.

This is notable for two reasons: 1) I am stunned that I could hit such a decent score (par) on a hole two times concurrently; and 2) it demonstrates the very “Golf is life” analogy that I so stridently mock/poo-poo (mock-poo?). 

The Take-Away: Never give up on things, even if they seem to be going badly.  Just when you think you’re a goner in the rough (the deep unforgiving grass outside of the fairway) … you end up spanking a 7 iron, bouncing off the cart-path and chipping onto the green (the sweet short grass within a putt-able distance from the hole) for a birdie (one under par – a good score)!

Chirp, chirp!

Pre-Ramble: So, 2010 is the 50th anniversary of the invention of Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation – a.k.a. the LASER. 

I know!! What are you going to wear?!

Yep - 50 years ago, scientists messing around with light and mirrors came up with a snazzy new way to do everything from encoding information on discs to sending information over fiber-optic cables to enticing a cat. 

As with most game-changing discoveries, the laser has its roots in the work of Albert Einstein, specifically his paper, Zur Quantentheorie der Strahlung (On the Quantum Theory of Radiation). Einstein toyed with the absorption and emission of electromagnetic radiation to arrive at the fact that highly-focused particles of light are able to accomplish amazing things. I simplify this explanation for our purposes here because there were many brilliant minds and turf-wars involved in the evolution of the laser concept and its applications, … and also because I don’t actually understand most of it.

The point (heh-heh) that I would like to build upon is that the laser gets its power from being focused. I’m thinking that there are many areas of our personal and professional lives that would benefit from a little extra intentional attention. Particularly in this age of digital technology, successful individuals and companies seem to benefit from a defined focus for their chosen career, product, service or point of view. Many effective brands use a highly effective drag-net of conventional and new social media mechanisms that bring focus to their agenda. 

My man, Sven – Even our local weather guy uses the power of focus. He builds ratings by hosting ancillary programming, writing a blog, playing front man for mobile weather applications, cheer-leading the Facebook fan page, and Twittering pithy meteorological fun facts. This nearly constant source of purposed noise serves to direct attention from many diverse angles to a single focal point — all roads lead to Sven as the go-to source for information about the weather.

Like the “narrow-wavelength electromagnetic spectrum monochromatic light” of a laser, the weather guy and his PR team have identified and established him as an expert in his subject matter area and work hard to promote that focused identity. Here, the concept of “focus” not only works to clarify or define an entity from the inside out, but it also creates a point that can be “found” by energy/attention from the outside in. Somewhere between goal setting and the “Law of Attraction,” what is defined and “put out there” into the world becomes something that “the world” can then respond to.

The Take-Away:  Whether you are drafting a college application essay, making a case for a business proposition, or setting up some personal improvement goals, the more clearly articulated these narratives or plans can be, the more likely they are to be realized. As you work to advance your goals for 2010, take a minute to consider ways that you can focus your approach to bring about a more successful outcome. (If you’re writing a blog for example, write on a topic that can support what you are doing in other areas of your life, rather than digressing around some lame anniversary of quantum radiation … I bet there wasn’t even cake.)

Pre-Ramble: In commencement addresses all across the country, graduates received variations on great words of wisdom. Speakers ranging from heads of state to actors to business executives delivered messages of perseverance and triumph mixed with a humbling measure of cautionary hope.

This past Sunday’s New York Times (6/14/09, p. A18) offered snippets from some of these messages …

• President Obama told graduates at the University of Notre Dame that they were a generation who must “find a path back to prosperity…”
• At the University of Wisconsin, buzz-kill Major League Baseball commissioner, Bud Selig lamented that this was “the most difficult economic environment since the Great Depression…”
• Her Supreme Talk Show Goddess-ness, Oprah Winfrey regaled Duke University graduates with a run down on her accomplishments, accolades, multiple homes, and private jets, reminding them that unless they have been able to “help somebody else move forward, they haven’t completed the circle of success.”

I was particularly inspired by co-founder of Google, Larry Page’s remarks to students at the University of Michigan (a fine, fine institution; see shameless plug above right):

… I had one of those dreams when I was 23. When I suddenly woke up. I was thinking, What if we could download the whole Web and just keep the links? And I grabbed a pen and started writing. Sometimes it is important to wake up and stop dreaming. I spent the middle of that night scribbling out the details and convincing myself that it would work. Soon after, I told my advisor, Terry Winograd, it would take a couple of weeks to download the Web. He nodded knowingly, fully aware it would take much longer, but wise enough to not tell me. The optimism of youth is often underrated. Amazingly, I had no thought of building a search engine. The idea wasn’t even on the radar. But, much later, we happened upon a better way of ranking Web pages to make a really great search engine, and Google was born. When a really great dream shows up, grab it.

The Take-Away: Dah! What he said!  And this advice isn’t just for the newly minted graduate, it’s for we older vintages as well. Take up residence with that “optimism of youth” … Start dreaming and, “WHEN A REALLY GREAT DREAM SHOWS UP, GRAB IT!”

Post Note: Interestingly, if you google the word “dreams” the first entry is:

An Online Guide to Dream Interpretation, Mar. 6, 2009 … Dream moods is a free online dictionary source to help you interpret the meanings to your dreams. Check out our 4000+ word dream dictionary, … www.dreammoods.com/ – Cached – Similar … Dream Moods A-Z Dictionary, Common Dreams, Teeth Dreams, Naked Dreams, Chase Dreams, Dream info, Dream Bank, Flying Dreams … More results from dreammoods.com >> …

We have to assume that Larry was able to interpret his dream as, “You will be wildly, beyond-your-wildest-dreams, a bazillion times over, incredibly, stupid, crazy successful with this idea you just dreamed here!”

Pre-Ramble:  From the title, you might think this is another iteration of the last blog, scolding the folks on Capitol Hill for rushing to judgement on President Obama’s pace of play. While I could easily muster up another several paragraphs on that, you would soon come to realize that it would just be another stall tactic. 

I want to write a book. I’ve been churning ideas around for a couple of years now. I know what I want to say, and sift through the thoughts in my head all day long. Usually, I am rescued from having to actually write the book by the onset of paying work or some other cleverly-disguised imperative - one of my clients will toss a new project over the transom, a volunteer commitment will require my attention, we’ve run out of food, or my dog will need a walk. My sock drawer has never been so organized.

I have literally piles of research and notes, a line-up of three-ring binders filled with reference documents, snippets of paper covered with random thoughts, folders bulging with inspirational photos and drawings, and a shelf lined with books that capture my fancy for one reason or another. These books represent the work of some first-rate thinkers – Twyla Tharp, Guy Kawasaki, Lewis Carroll, Howard Gardner, Tom Kelly, Tim Berners-Lee, Gordon McKenzie, Barack Obama, Esther Dyson, Daniel Pink, Nina Garcia (she totally gets fashion…), Nicholas Negroponte, Julia Cameron, Allisn Fine, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Malcolm Gladwell, Anne Lamott, Thomas Friedman, Wayne Dyer, etc. - and, they inspire me to think about the world in new and different ways.

These books also taunt me daily. They thumb their spines at me – “Nah-nah, weeeee’ve written and published meaningful and highly successful books and yooooou haven’t!!”

That’s so immature.

The Take-Away:  The obvious solution here is, drop those socks and start writing. Maybe all I need is a little encouragement from the Universe,…“Come on Kath, get busy!… You go girl!… You can do it!!” … Or, maybe what I need is a reality check from the Universal Inner Saboteur, “Don’t do it!… You stop girl!… Pleeease don’t write a book… what are you thinking?… your writing totally sucks!…” 

Ha! That Inner Saboteur is a wily one. Fortunately for me, I earned a black-belt in the art of denial long ago and I have friends who are willing to lie to me, if they think that will make me happy. I guess, until the septic system backs up or I get a hang-nail or something, I’ve no alternative but to forge ahead with the book and see where it goes.

Thanks for listening.

Post Note:  The image above right is from the portfolio of illustrator John S. Dykes. I’m hoping that he will be available to do some illustrations for the book – I love his work and he clearly gets what I’m up against.

Pre-Ramble: With the inauguration of Barack Obama just a day away, I wanted to post something relevant and meaningful; something that would invoke the significance of this historic event. I’d like to be able to articulate some eloquent angle on Abraham Lincoln, or wax poetic on Yale professor, Elizabeth Alexander, who has been commissioned to compose and read a poem for the inauguration … but all I can think of is President-elect Obama going in all net on a one-handed leaner. And I am certainly not the only one thinking about this; sports writers and gym rats everywhere have been celebrating the significance of a commander-in-chief who has ”got game.” (Caution: short, white girl chucking up quasi-hip/hackneyed basketball references ahead. If I start using terms like rock, pill, brick, paint, skates, cookies, or “That’s yo aaaassss Mr. Postmaaaaannn,” just shut me down.)

The special bond shared by the weekend basketball warrior hits particularly close to home; my husband plays pick-up games at the local “Y” whenever he can. Known as “old school” by the young punks at the gym, he takes great pride in hauling himself up and down the floor with kids half his age. As he bounds out the door in his sweats, I implore him to play nice with the other kids and not to rip out his already threadbare ACL. 

As Washington dusted off its pre-inaugural high tops last week, the NY Times Style section ran the headline, “Rule No. 1: Do Not Call Him ‘Ball-Hog-in-Chief,” and our own St. Paul Pioneer Press declared incoming President Obama, “Hoopster-in-Chief,“ tagging him, “Barack Slamma Jamma Obama.”  Ok, whatever.  Actually, any individual who can demonstrate a passion for Abraham Lincoln, appoint an inaugural poet, and bust a few moves in a game of pick-up basketball has got my respect and allegiance.  As I think about it, the basketball analogy may be ideally suited to the profound and demanding challenges which will face our nation and its leader in the months ahead. Let’s face it, it is highly doubtful that W will be able to crank up a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull us out of this mess.

But here’s the thing: Barack Obama has shown that he is a principled, articulate and strategic individual, but even on his best day there is no way that he is going to be able to carry all 300 million of us on his back for the next four to eight years. We’re headed into the biggest pick-up game of our lives – picking up the pieces of the last eight years – and whether you voted for him or not, each one of us has got to bring our “A” game to the very serious issues that face our country. Former secretary of state, Colin Powell describes our call to action this way:

While government has a role to play in restoring the American dream at home and rekindling the dream that is America abroad, there are limits to its ability to restore our sense of purpose as a nation. That task falls to us. Particularly in hard times like these, we are charged with living up to our shared responsibility to one another [and to our country]. This is not a time to retreat into our homes and wait until it is safe to emerge. It is the time to give more, to step forward and serve our fellow citizens, and to reach into the reservoir of this nation’s unrivaled capacity for good… At a time when so many of our countrymen are in need, everyone has the power to help.

Coaching Tip: Without trivializing this very significant moment, what we need here is the ultimate “alley-oop.”  The alley-oop is an offensive play in which a player throws the ball near the hoop to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air, and scores a basket, usually with a slam dunk (think North Carolina State in the 1983 national championship).  The alley-oop combines elements of teamwork, passing, timing, and dunking – perfect for meeting the challenges we will face in the weeks, months, and years ahead. And I’m sure we can all think of some folks on the national political scene who could use a good dunking.

The Take-Away: President-elect Obama has appointed many high-quality players to his cabinet, but ultimately, we are the national dream team that he will need to drive meaningful change. Unlike a scrappy pick-up game, there’s no room for cheap shots and trash-talk - we need to suit up and step up. It’s game time.

Pre-Ramble: It’s the New Year, time for fresh starts,  self-examination and the ubiquitous “New Year’s resolution.” I  just have to weigh in on this…

According to wikipedia, my favorite factoid resource, a “resolution” is a commitment or pledge that an individual makes to an undertaking, often to curb some kind of unwanted behavior. A resolution remains in play until it is accomplished or abandoned. 

It will come as no surprise that the top New Year’s resolution for 2009 (and every year) is to “lose weight.”  This week’s People Magazine cover story (in a special double-wide issue) is “Half Their Size: How They Lost 437 lbs!”  And, what discussion of weight control would be complete without a nod to Oprah Winfrey whose public battle with weight is legendary. The January issue of “O” Magazine  features our beloved, now 200 pound star, as she chronicles her lamentable journey from fit to fat. I admire Oprah for many reasons, but I question the logic of her role as a model of fitness and weight loss - if a fabulously wealthy, high-profile gal with a personal chef and trainer can’t make a go of it, what hope do we have up here in the fly-over zone with a dog-eared volume of Cooking Light and a membership at the local Y? It should come as no surprise that just 12 percent of  resolutions set at the New Year are actually realized. 

Here’s the skinny:  It’s not about weight. The basic dynamics of nutrition and exercise can be learned in 10 minutes; it’s anxiety, denial, expectations, motivation and warm sourdough bread with butter that are less easily conquered. Issues with weight - gaining it or losing it - can function as a distraction from things that are out of whack somewhere else in your life. For some, mucking around with diet regimens and dreaming about the way things will be “when I lose the weight,” is far easier than facing the more difficult aspects of life, like finding a more satisfying job or getting out of a bad relationship. 

When you’re looking down the barrel of a loaded Coney dog, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that life is lived in the moment - the only place where you actually have an opportunity to face challenges and make things happen. Sure, nobody wants to go through life hauling around extra pounds, but ultimately it’s not about whether you’re fat or skinny, it’s about what you are doing with your life. If you’re excited about the real things going on - exploring new hobbies, going to interesting places, visiting with fun people - you won’t even have time to think about Entenmann’s.

Try this on for size:  Instead of making a New Year’s resolution, now’s the time to amp it up and go for the full-blown New Year’s “revolution.”  From the Latin “revolutio” meaning “a turn around,” a revolution is a fundamental change in power or structure that takes place in a relatively short period of time. What better way to characterize the kind of paradigm shift that can bring real and meaningful change to your life? Think of all the valuable resources that are consumed in the cumbersome process of food management; what else could you have been doing with all that time and energy? And even if you’re thin… Great… So what?  What kind of a life is it, if all you’ve done is ration french fries and run yourself ragged at the gym? 

Seriously. Just because the human body needs to eat a few times per day to keep healthy doesn’t mean that you have to make food and eating a 24 hour exercise. Unless you’re a chef or a cow, (a ruminant animal that consumes over 100 pounds of feed and a bathtub full of water each day), you can make your daily interface with food the necessary, albeit pleasurable, but secondary part of your life that it is intended to be. 

The Take-Away: Revolutionize your thinking!  There’s a reason those Nike athletes are so ripped – back away from that pasta bar and scope out new things to go/be/do! Get off that same old psychological  treadmill and switch your focus from weight to living. By reframing your thinking, you can bring a new focus and energy to the real underlying personal challenges you want to lick and roll out a super-size pack of awesome new goals for ’09!