What you learn after you know it all that counts!

A great mentor and friend of mine used the statement above "It's what you learn after you know it all that really counts." His contention was that really important learning only takes place when you stop and evaluate what you already believe that you know. One of his biggest points to consider is What "Lens" are you using to look at life? There is a new book out by Alan Fine - "You Already Know How to Be Great" and he discusses applying new thinking to your life plus some suggestions on how to get out of your own way. It is an extremely interesting book that leads folks to self-evaluation and examination.

Fine suggests we have 3 elements that we must get right to best use the knowledge that we already have:
FAITH: Our beliefs about ourselves and our beliefs about others. An absence of FAITH could be described as insecurity.
FIRE: Our energy, passion, motivation, and commitment. An absence of FIRE could be described as indifference.
FOCUS: What we pay attention to and how we pay attention it it. The absence of FOCUS could be described as inconsistency.
Now I believe that FOCUS is the lens that provides the tool for removing distractions and thus becomes the most effective way to release FAITH and FIRE in your daily life.

Fine goes on to introduce the GROW process: This process asks:
"What is my GOAL?"
"What is REALITY?"
"What are my OPTIONS?"
"What is the best WAY Forward?"

Fine suggest using the GROW process helps reduce interference, clarify thinking, identify options, and break down the challenge into doable tasks. It also unblocks and unlocks FAITH, FIRE, and FOCUS to free people to evaluate and utilize the knowledge they already have.

Now here is the problem as I see it: What I absolutely know for certain is colored by the lens that I used to see or learn that knowledge. If I think as a sales person then everything looks like a potential sale. If I think like an accountant everything becomes a question of balancing the numbers, a Lawyer, limiting the liability, a marketing specialist, reaching the largest audience, etc, you get the picture.

So how do we clarify and balance our "LENS?" Especially after the fact that we have already learned so much without thinking much about which lens we learned it under? The "R" in GROW process - REALITY - is the key here. Ask yourself are you accurately seeing reality or or are you seeing what you want or desire it to be? A simple test helps me determine this for myself - do I listen openly to the complete opposite viewpoint and unemotionally consider what is said before I make up my mind that my opinion or view of this reality is correct? Consider when you see a picture of a mountain range at sunset. As a scientist you would see the formations and geology of the mountains, as a artist you may see the shadows and colors involved. as a pilot flying you would see and consider the altitude and flight path required as well as verify your heading to make sure you are safe. All three "lens" are correct for each person looking at the exact same picture - your job may be to blend all 3 to come with the best OPTION and WAY FORWARD in your situation.

I find myself questioning my "LENS" view of almost everything every single day now since I have learned this skill. It tends to help me stay self assured and more confident of my decisions after I have done this evaluation process. The only disadvantage I have found to this process is that it does require you to stop and think before making a decision. Is that a bad thing?

These are my thoughts on this subject, what are yours?

Lost friends

Early this morning we lost a great American man - Dr. William J. (Bill) Pharris who had been the band director at Norcross High School for many years. Bill retired the last year that any of my kids were in High School (MANY years ago now) but we have kept in touch just because Bill was such a special person. He was charged in his job description to train students in music but that was not enough for Mr P. He REQUIRED his students to be good students FIRST and then take care of band. Nobody knows for sure how many lives Bill touched, but when past students from as far back as 20+ years stay in touch with him, you know it was a huge number.
Teaching today is difficult at best, but when someone special like Bill makes a committment to teach and work with young people they must have a passion or it just doesn't last. Kids are smart, they can tell the difference in a teacher who just has a job and the "special" teacher who really cares about them and their futures.
None of my 3 children were what you would call "star" students, and because of Mr P (as they all called him) was one of the toughest teachers they all had - and all 3 love him today because of his methods of pulling the best out of them. I can remember at band camp on year Mr P yelling out in his subtle way "Rausch - you aren't in step" and all 3 yelled back, "Sorry sir but which Rausch?" - smiling Bill just said - "You know who was out of step - correct it NOW!", then he turned to me and said "I'm going to have to label them 1,2, & 3 so I don't get the wrong one anymore" - that was pure Mr P - even my wife called him Mr P - I was the only "Rausch" who was not afraid of him and felt comfortable calling him Bill.
There are many Mr P's out in the world today, thank God, and they go quietly about their passion helping improve the world one student at a time. Bill once told my son Tim and his best friend Jason, when they both said they wanted to become high school band directors, "Only do it if you want to make a difference, and then never compromise your standards". Bill NEVER compromised his standards and many young people today are much better because of his passion. Tim didn't go on to become that band director, yet he uses what Bill taught him every day of his life. Jason starts this very week as a high school band director and I absolutely KNOW he had the best training anyone could have ever had for the job ahead of him. Mr P will be watching Jason so don't compromise the standards.
Thank you Mr Pharris and I know God has you in a very special place today enjoying the rest of eternity basking in the glory and honor that you deserve. We back here on earth will miss you greatly and can't wait to catch up some day and hear your voice calling out again with encouragement to young folks. You left this world a better place than you found it and THAT is a very rich estate to leave behind.

Ever had a Nile Perch?

In our new Global economy everyone should know about the Nile Perch!
It's a huge freshwater fish, easy to catch and eat, and tempting to introduce into non-native waters. found interestingly enough in the Nile river basin and region.
And when it shows up? The Nile perch grows huge in size and it will eat everything it can and probably drive competitive smaller fish extinct. Good intentions are rewarded with plenty of Nile perch (for now) but a degraded ecosystem in the long run. Everyone in the South should be able to relate this with Kudzu, different product but same results.

Does that sound like anything else we hear about on a regular basis? Wal-Mart? Mega brand car dealerships? Big Box building supply stores? Grocery stores? The list is long and well known. Sometimes we all are dazzled by the short term lure of choosing from hundreds of items to buy, and very low prices to make it all seem right. But what about all of those smaller companies and the hundreds of folks, plus thousands of family members that the huge stores lead to extinction?

We seem to place plenty of value on instant gratification for the wants and desires of our lives and sometimes that is very nice, but what about the long term consequences of always having that available? Do we get fat and happy? Sloppy in our business or purchasing habits? I certainly remember just a few years ago when anyone could open a new business, not have much of a plan or capital, and become a big success in a short amount of time. The dot com empires came and went bust all relatively quickly from just that process. In the flooring and tile industry we saw many examples of companies, at all levels, who in spite of their poor decisions and seemly total lack of a marketing plan, made money and grew their businesses, but at the first sign of real competition and downturn of economy they withered and died quickly.

I suppose that the Nile Perch has it's advantages, but I certainly see many disadvantages also and it makes me wonder if the benefits outweigh the problems it creates.

Just my thoughts, what are yours?

Steve