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?
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
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
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
Monday, September 27, 2010
Another Season
It is time for yet another season in our world. As we move from summer to fall and then onto winter, I want to take just a moment to remind everyone that with the changing weather comes changing installation conditions. There are several important items for everyone to remember about the proper installation of ceramic tile anytime, but especially during the change of seasons.
First of all the single most ignored instruction is to bring the products and supplies to the job site early and allow them to acclimate to the building environment. Whenever there is a large difference of temperature between the warehouse and inside of a installation site this becomes critical. Without this important step materials will change and move AFTER the installation and cause serious issues for the tile assembly. Moving from warm summer type weather to cooler fall weather is when this issue is most seen in the claim reports.
Next, don't forget the proper steps in installation of a backer board panel. First and foremost step is to properly lay out the panels on the floors or walls. There is a big difference when doing a wall installation as the panels need to be butted together over the studs (still leaving an expansion gap for spacing in each corner) for nailing purposes. On floors it is MANDATORY that all backer board panels have space between each panel and ALWAYS space around the perimeter walls. ALWAYS! This space is in addition to any required expansion or movement joints that the specific job may require due to other issues. This is also the number one cause of failure in most tile installations.
On floor applications it is also necessary to provide a "leveling Bed" of setting materials under the backer board. This is due to the irregularities of the sub floor (building codes allow slight differences in height) and the entire installation depends on the board being flat and fully supported in a level plane to work properly. Almost without exception board manufacturers ask for a 1/4" x 1/4" square notched trowel to be used so that you end up fully covering subsurface irregularities.
Another important step is to use mechanical fasteners (usually screws are preferred over nails for the holding power) and proper lengths and spacing. Many people get confused here, they believe the leveling bed above is an adhesive bed and nothing further is required, but that is a false belief and leads to quick failure of the ceramic tile assembly. Most manufacturers instructions call for the screws to be no more than 4-6" apart on the edges of the panels and 6-8" apart on the center (or field) of the panel. Saving a few cents on screws or a few minutes by not using them will cost you much more in the long run with the job fails.
Final step before installing the tile is to tape all of the seams of the panels. I realize many folks ALWAYS skip this step, but those are the same folks who never understand why the grout cracked or the tile cracked on the job in the perfect pattern of the backer board panel below. Remember the purpose of a backer board is to proved a flat, FULLY supported surface to install the tile - and it cannot be fully supported if you leave a 1/4 space between each panel as required and then don't fill that using fiberglass mesh tape.
By actually reading the label and manufacturers instructions specific to the backer board panel you are installing you can follow their specific instructions and be assured of a successful and long lasting installation. Failure to do this generally leads to some type of dissatisfaction, either on the part of the installer or later on the consumer who ends up living with a poor quality installation.
Steve
First of all the single most ignored instruction is to bring the products and supplies to the job site early and allow them to acclimate to the building environment. Whenever there is a large difference of temperature between the warehouse and inside of a installation site this becomes critical. Without this important step materials will change and move AFTER the installation and cause serious issues for the tile assembly. Moving from warm summer type weather to cooler fall weather is when this issue is most seen in the claim reports.
Next, don't forget the proper steps in installation of a backer board panel. First and foremost step is to properly lay out the panels on the floors or walls. There is a big difference when doing a wall installation as the panels need to be butted together over the studs (still leaving an expansion gap for spacing in each corner) for nailing purposes. On floors it is MANDATORY that all backer board panels have space between each panel and ALWAYS space around the perimeter walls. ALWAYS! This space is in addition to any required expansion or movement joints that the specific job may require due to other issues. This is also the number one cause of failure in most tile installations.
On floor applications it is also necessary to provide a "leveling Bed" of setting materials under the backer board. This is due to the irregularities of the sub floor (building codes allow slight differences in height) and the entire installation depends on the board being flat and fully supported in a level plane to work properly. Almost without exception board manufacturers ask for a 1/4" x 1/4" square notched trowel to be used so that you end up fully covering subsurface irregularities.
Another important step is to use mechanical fasteners (usually screws are preferred over nails for the holding power) and proper lengths and spacing. Many people get confused here, they believe the leveling bed above is an adhesive bed and nothing further is required, but that is a false belief and leads to quick failure of the ceramic tile assembly. Most manufacturers instructions call for the screws to be no more than 4-6" apart on the edges of the panels and 6-8" apart on the center (or field) of the panel. Saving a few cents on screws or a few minutes by not using them will cost you much more in the long run with the job fails.
Final step before installing the tile is to tape all of the seams of the panels. I realize many folks ALWAYS skip this step, but those are the same folks who never understand why the grout cracked or the tile cracked on the job in the perfect pattern of the backer board panel below. Remember the purpose of a backer board is to proved a flat, FULLY supported surface to install the tile - and it cannot be fully supported if you leave a 1/4 space between each panel as required and then don't fill that using fiberglass mesh tape.
By actually reading the label and manufacturers instructions specific to the backer board panel you are installing you can follow their specific instructions and be assured of a successful and long lasting installation. Failure to do this generally leads to some type of dissatisfaction, either on the part of the installer or later on the consumer who ends up living with a poor quality installation.
Steve
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Don't worry, Be Happy!! or The face of a mule!!
A young boy was asked to draw what he thought a face looked like. When finished the teacher guessed it was a mule, nope replied the boy, it is my daddy's face. No, this was not my son, but it well could have been I suppose. Do we all walk around daily wearing a "mule's face?" Long, solemn, sad and unfriendly? I do understand that everyone does have sadness in their lives sometimes, but daily? Is life that bad for some folks?
I regularly call an office and when one particular person answers the phone I can always hear the smile on her face. She makes me happy that I've called that phone. I feel compelled to talk with her for just a moment so that I can enjoy her happiness and joy that she is so freely passing my way. What a great way to pass thru this life, with a huge smile on your face, so big that folks can actually HEAR your smile when you talk on the phone!!
I was recently reading an article about the biggest problems most folks face and I was totally surprised at the list. They included: Anger, Ego, Pride, Self-Centeredness, Competitive, and Addiction. Wow!! I can certainly see those in my life on a regular basis and upon quiet reflection I discovered that I was the cause of most of those problems. I quote I use on my email sometimes is this: "I am the biggest problem I encounter on most days!"
My attitude sometimes seems to forget the many Blessings that I have and feel in my life and seems to bore in on those minor "Gnat Bites" that I encounter daily. Driving in city traffic bothers me yet I forget that millions of other folks can't even afford gas, let alone owning a car, they walk everywhere. I'm willing to bet that person walking to get somewhere smiles and most likely isn't bothered with Pride, Ego or Self-Centeredness in their life. I hear people who run do it because it makes them feel so good, my question then is why aren't they smiling? When you look at the face of most runners you get to see a great "Mule Face." I suffered a blister on my heel last Saturday from walking around shopping all day, I walked around the rest of the weekend (even until last night) complaining about my pain, yet I forgot about the guy I passed riding his specially custom made bike in a 20 mile trek without any feet or legs, and yes HE was smiling! I KNOW he had to have blisters on both hands from pumping his bike that whole time.
So, what can I do about this problem today? Well, today is the first day of the rest of my life, so I just have to concentrate on changing my mind (we are the only creatures God created that can easily do that) and removing my "Mule face" to be replaced with a huge smile. If you catch me with anything but a smile on my face for the rest of this week, please call me on it and I will give you a dollar as thanks for reminding me.
Make this a great week, Smile at everyone! I suggest it will make folks wonder what you know that they don't.
Steve
I regularly call an office and when one particular person answers the phone I can always hear the smile on her face. She makes me happy that I've called that phone. I feel compelled to talk with her for just a moment so that I can enjoy her happiness and joy that she is so freely passing my way. What a great way to pass thru this life, with a huge smile on your face, so big that folks can actually HEAR your smile when you talk on the phone!!
I was recently reading an article about the biggest problems most folks face and I was totally surprised at the list. They included: Anger, Ego, Pride, Self-Centeredness, Competitive, and Addiction. Wow!! I can certainly see those in my life on a regular basis and upon quiet reflection I discovered that I was the cause of most of those problems. I quote I use on my email sometimes is this: "I am the biggest problem I encounter on most days!"
My attitude sometimes seems to forget the many Blessings that I have and feel in my life and seems to bore in on those minor "Gnat Bites" that I encounter daily. Driving in city traffic bothers me yet I forget that millions of other folks can't even afford gas, let alone owning a car, they walk everywhere. I'm willing to bet that person walking to get somewhere smiles and most likely isn't bothered with Pride, Ego or Self-Centeredness in their life. I hear people who run do it because it makes them feel so good, my question then is why aren't they smiling? When you look at the face of most runners you get to see a great "Mule Face." I suffered a blister on my heel last Saturday from walking around shopping all day, I walked around the rest of the weekend (even until last night) complaining about my pain, yet I forgot about the guy I passed riding his specially custom made bike in a 20 mile trek without any feet or legs, and yes HE was smiling! I KNOW he had to have blisters on both hands from pumping his bike that whole time.
So, what can I do about this problem today? Well, today is the first day of the rest of my life, so I just have to concentrate on changing my mind (we are the only creatures God created that can easily do that) and removing my "Mule face" to be replaced with a huge smile. If you catch me with anything but a smile on my face for the rest of this week, please call me on it and I will give you a dollar as thanks for reminding me.
Make this a great week, Smile at everyone! I suggest it will make folks wonder what you know that they don't.
Steve
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Priorities.
Priorities.
Do you have written priorities? Not just ideas floating around in your head, but cold hard written priorities. If you need a clue as to what your REAL priorities have been, look in your checkbook to see where you've been spending your money - look at your calendar to see where you've been spending your time. Those are strong clues to determine what your ACTIONS say about your priorities. Now the good and easy part comes next:
Before reading the next paragraph, please answer this question: What is the single most significant thing you could begin doing regularly that would:
1. Make you more effective at your work?
2. Create a better atmosphere for your family?
On the assumption now that you have named specific things that would make your life better, let me pose one more question: Can you defend your choice to omit any of these things from your schedule this week?
All of us have urgent things that will have to be attended to before this day ends -- phone calls, appointments, sales calls, deadlines, interruptions, etc. But some of us will also do our versions of the things you named earlier -- like planning next week's big presentation or making three extra calls, telling someone "I love you" or helping children with homework, or taking time to read the Bible and pray for a few minutes.
The difference in people who tend to life's really important things and those of us who simply react to whatever happens in a day and live the scripts others write for us is called discernment. Maybe you prefer to call it setting priorities or putting first things first.
Is your movement in the direction of some worthy goal?
It is absurdly easy to fall into the activity trap. That's when you think that being busy is the same thing as being productive. We humans can equate having done huge amounts of unimportant things with having done something that is actually significant. They simply aren't the same.
Moving quickly and efficiently is important only if your movement is in the direction of some worthy goal. Since you took the time at the start of this piece to name three specific steps toward noble ends, why not take some time now to figure out how to include them in today's schedule for yourself?
You may need to cut out some waste and cancel some unimportant things, but you will be better for it. You will have started to practice discernment between the things in life that really matter and all the second-rate distractions we let get in the way of doing them.
Many of you likely know the writings of Stephen Covey. His "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" has sold widely and helped many people toward a clearer view of career, family, and personal life. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule," insists Covey, "but to schedule your priorities."
Do you have written priorities? Not just ideas floating around in your head, but cold hard written priorities. If you need a clue as to what your REAL priorities have been, look in your checkbook to see where you've been spending your money - look at your calendar to see where you've been spending your time. Those are strong clues to determine what your ACTIONS say about your priorities. Now the good and easy part comes next:
Before reading the next paragraph, please answer this question: What is the single most significant thing you could begin doing regularly that would:
1. Make you more effective at your work?
2. Create a better atmosphere for your family?
On the assumption now that you have named specific things that would make your life better, let me pose one more question: Can you defend your choice to omit any of these things from your schedule this week?
All of us have urgent things that will have to be attended to before this day ends -- phone calls, appointments, sales calls, deadlines, interruptions, etc. But some of us will also do our versions of the things you named earlier -- like planning next week's big presentation or making three extra calls, telling someone "I love you" or helping children with homework, or taking time to read the Bible and pray for a few minutes.
The difference in people who tend to life's really important things and those of us who simply react to whatever happens in a day and live the scripts others write for us is called discernment. Maybe you prefer to call it setting priorities or putting first things first.
Is your movement in the direction of some worthy goal?
It is absurdly easy to fall into the activity trap. That's when you think that being busy is the same thing as being productive. We humans can equate having done huge amounts of unimportant things with having done something that is actually significant. They simply aren't the same.
Moving quickly and efficiently is important only if your movement is in the direction of some worthy goal. Since you took the time at the start of this piece to name three specific steps toward noble ends, why not take some time now to figure out how to include them in today's schedule for yourself?
You may need to cut out some waste and cancel some unimportant things, but you will be better for it. You will have started to practice discernment between the things in life that really matter and all the second-rate distractions we let get in the way of doing them.
Many of you likely know the writings of Stephen Covey. His "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" has sold widely and helped many people toward a clearer view of career, family, and personal life. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule," insists Covey, "but to schedule your priorities."
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Media Stars
Thinking about how our media makes folks into "stars" I was reminded of two completely opposites, both from the airplane world. Cpt. Sully versus Attendant Slater. The media turned both into overnight stars, yet one will surely have lasting power as an example of how to stay cool and calm and due your role under pressure, while the other shows how blowing up does indeed have consequences that may not be favorable.
As a pilot I have been able to learn much from Sully as I examine myself and my flying skills and I suppose I can learn what not to do from Slater, but I personally prefer the positive examples instead of the negative ones. We see this media working daily in today's fast paced world, someone, somewhere, seems to decide what "everyone" should be interested in (or not concerned with) and pushes this agenda on the public. In politics we tend to use a polite term of "spin" but in reality it is all just the media using the system to get their views across.
All of this reminds me of what my grandfather used to say: Everyone brightens up a room, some do it when they arrive, and some when they leave.
As with most everything else, the choice to choose is yours! Make today a great day.
Steve
As a pilot I have been able to learn much from Sully as I examine myself and my flying skills and I suppose I can learn what not to do from Slater, but I personally prefer the positive examples instead of the negative ones. We see this media working daily in today's fast paced world, someone, somewhere, seems to decide what "everyone" should be interested in (or not concerned with) and pushes this agenda on the public. In politics we tend to use a polite term of "spin" but in reality it is all just the media using the system to get their views across.
All of this reminds me of what my grandfather used to say: Everyone brightens up a room, some do it when they arrive, and some when they leave.
As with most everything else, the choice to choose is yours! Make today a great day.
Steve
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