Back From Hiatus

Seven years ago, I made the commitment to write weekly and share the thoughts that I had been thinking about for the past week or so.  And then 2020 hit.  With the steamroller known as COVID-19, the way we think, the way we do business and the manner of everyday life changed.  For the first time in my life, everyday began to have a “sameness” to it, regardless of having the weekend which did less to break up the week than it had done previously.  September became the first month when I did not pen a single word and somehow in October, I was able to write one blog.  I often wonder what happened…part of it was due to not wanting to write more about the pandemic, as life still went on.

And then someone pointed out the benefits and abilities related to having and maintaining good habits.  The key was that good habits are at times hard to form because they involve routines which can be hard and go against the general flow around us.  Once you stop, it is easier to let them go.  Zig Ziglar, who I never had the fortune to see live, used to bring on stage an old manual water pump.  To get water from the pump, you needed to pump the handle a number of times to build up the pressure that would eventually bring the water up through the spigot.  The image, combined with the narration, was to remind us that while we do not see immediate reaction (to the pumping), having patience will bring about the required results.  The same is true with developing good habits – you have to prime the pump until the habit takes root and then continue the actions to maintain the “flow.”  However, once you stop and the water recedes, you have to put the effort in once again to start the process.

No different with me – I stopped writing and it became easier to not write.  I like writing, but the years of this one habit unwound in a few weeks.  When I began thinking about this (the weekly thought filling my head), I began to see the impact.  Writing kept me mindful of the actions around me, giving me cause to reflect, review and learn from them.  While the activities still continue, the level of awareness and opportunities lessened.  I missed the writing and the value it provided me.  It is time to get back into the swing of things and end this brief hiatus.  Writing will be like starting from scratch, but if I wish to begin again, it is time to start priming the pump.

Be The Example

I have finally done it!  Or, to put it better, I have finally done it and realized it as I woke up this morning.  Two weeks ago, I posted my 300^th blog (242^nd on LinkedIn).  The moment passed like any other moment, under the usual process and without fanfare.  How did I notice?  About a month or two ago, I noticed that I was getting close, but was more focused on the writing than the number itself.  However, a milestone is a milestone, no matter if it is accompanied with a brass band (or in my case a jam band) or tumbleweed rolling across the quiet plains.  As a weekly article, there are times where I think about throwing in the towel, but am always happy that I kept going.

Like anything we do, we have a choice to either dip our big toe into the water to test the temperature or dive in head first.  When we dip our toe in, we are hedging against ourselves prepared for the easy out if “all the conditions” do not meet our needs.  When we dive in, we are truly committed to the action and there is no other option but to move forward.  Life is filled with these choices – sometimes on a frequent basis and other times not so frequently.  We are all guilty of this. 

About 10 years ago, while looking for a way to bring in some additional money, I entered the world of Network Marketing, also known as Multi-level Marketing.  The concept interested me in that you were an independent business owner (entrepreneur) within a business.  Taking a dip or diving in?  This was a dip; I learned that “selling”, no matter what the label it was given, was not my forte and I was not willing to put my body and soul into this venture.  This was a good lesson and I did learn the importance of personal ongoing development.

Playing music is another great example.  I started with the accordion when I was nine years old.  Almost 48 years later, I might only occasionally pull out the accordion, but in that time learned the saxophone, clarinet, guitar, banjo and currently play the keyboards in two bands.  There are many people who I know and meet that tell me that they wished they still played.  For them, it was a dip, but for me and the people I play with, it was a dive.  I learned that if you enjoy something, it is far easier to keep doing it. 

Like with the previous idea, the same with reading, exercising and food choices.  The key is to be able to define what success means so that one’s goals are attainable, realistic and meaningful.  As the famous Yoda quote goes, “Do or do not, there is no try.”  After over 300 articles spanning 6 years, I guess I can say this was more than just sticking my toe in the water.  Even if this does not dent the universe, cause any great ripple in society or provide unusual pronouncements, this is something that I can point to that says if you put your mind to it, you can do it.  Sometimes being that example might provide someone else the inspiration to do, instead of to try.

Creativity on Pause?

After 297 blog posts, starting late in 2013, posting every Monday – Have I run out of new thoughts, ideas and experiences to write about?  In that time, I have missed only two weeks and that was within the last couple of months.  I like the creative outlet, the chance to share thoughts, and to journal my world.  As we went into last weekend, I did not have an article prepared.  Well, not ready would be more like it.  I had started the article, the topic was relevant (to my life), but the execution was not meaningful.  My main editor as of late (that would be Gab) asked why I did not have a backlog of articles.  There are times when I have a backlog, depending on my creative flow of thoughts. 

It would seem, at least to me, that there are times where we are engaged in certain things / activities and at some point, after years or some significant time, we want to take a step back and re-evaluate where we are at, where we are going, and the overall value of what we are doing.  I guess one way to visualize this thought is to see the way athletes’ function, who during their careers are in peak physical condition and shortly after they retire, so do their bodies.  I saw this with my grandfather – he was in the food business and had a fantastic sense of taste.  Then he decided to retire, and shortly afterwards his taste buds decided to follow the same course, as fine dining was replaced by mediocre buffets.  To maintain the same high level / standards, it requires diligence, persistence and consistency which takes energy and time. 

I started writing to fulfill something that I had always wanted to do, but never had a fully fleshed out an idea enough to be a book.  This shorter form, blogging, met that desire and still brings me pleasure.  OK, the creative pictures that I include also fulfill that creative notion.  Having missed a week, nobody noticed…which means that if I stop, would anyone say anything?  Truth is, I would notice.  I enjoy sharing my thoughts, I enjoy the challenge that this signifies to me and I enjoy the fact that I can point to something I have done consistently.

Jascha Heifetz, considered amongst one of the greatest violinists, is also known for saying, “If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.”  The fact that he acknowledges himself first in the list shows the integrity of his approach towards his art and ability.  While it is easy to take a break, step back or go on hiatus, it is easier to remain idle than to start up again.  The old example of a steam engine – where there is an immense amount of energy expended to start the train moving, so much so that a rock on the track could stop the entire process.  But, once in motion, that same train will crush through anything in its way while using little energy.  That is the power of momentum.  While I missed last week, it was merely a bump in the road and now it is back to doing what I enjoy.

5 Years Working at It

On November 12, 2013, I wrote a blog regarding Words, their usage and their meaning. Little did I realize that 5 years later, 263 weekly blog posting would be made on a consistent, weekly basis.  As my 5-year anniversary quietly moves by, my “Weekly Thoughts” have given me some time to reflect.

I always wanted to “try” my hand at writing.  Yes, “try” does not imply following through, providing a goal, nor giving insight to whatever the intent might be.  To rephrase, I have always wanted to write something, be it a comic book, novel, or anything.  Prior to November 12^th, I would send a couple of inspirational sentences to a team I was working with.  The objective was to present some positive thoughts that they could use to their advantage, some small lessons to be shared, or even to realize they were not alone in their thinking and daily activities. 

Then I concluded, why share my thoughts with a small group when I could share with a larger audience.  If I wanted to help inspire others, pass on a lesson or share a positive event, I would need to reach a larger audience.  My events, my thoughts, my experiences – if presented in the correct format, might touch someone who was facing something in his/her life that a positive message might be something to help.  There are some values behind my writing – most importantly, there must be a positive message or a lesson learned.  I truly believe in the saying “every cloud has a silver lining,” so positive writing would be easy…or so I thought.

We are all in this life together.  The reality is that the rose-colored glasses can taint the way we view things.  If this was the 60’s and I said that everything was “Groovy,” you would instantly question what I was on.  All our lives have positives and negatives in them – it is how we perceive them, how we determine to react to events and how we communicate that makes our lives filled with optimism or dappled with pessimism.  Our outlooks define the outcomes we desire.  I have shared the good, the bad and the ugly, but always believe that the sun will come out tomorrow.

After 5 years of writing, I still believe in the importance of the words that we use and the good that they can represent.  Someone will be listening, and someone will take what you say to heart, whether you mean what you say or not.  Use your words wisely, and you too might have a positive impact on someone else.

On a Personal Note – One Reason Why I Write

“I always wanted to write about my coming to America, where I was able to be successful.”  This quote came from an immigrant that never graduated High School and arrived here without speaking English.  By the time he made the comment above, the accent was gone and he fit into America 100% and  living the American dream.  Early in coming to America, life was hard, and when his father died a few years after arriving, he did what young men (or teens) did, went to work to support his mother and two older sisters.  A strong why, years of hard work, which included working in various industries (bookkeeping, insurance, installment business), being an entrepreneur (various) and finally sales, helped to support his family, grow a family and eventually have a house in the city and one “in the country.”  Upon retirement, he had attained financial freedom and lived the lifestyle he wanted, but never wrote his story. 

This is not a unique story, but one of many, where a legacy (not necessarily financial) is passed on as an oral history, with each successive generation passing on the family values and history through their personal filters.  Writing is not easy.  I remember writing in High School where my imaginative mind often had teachers frowning at the topics I chose.  In college, I had to write essays for history classes, one teacher understood my more creative way of explaining (via analogies) while another teacher sent a test back to me writing that I was “basically a f*@# up.  Needless to say, this did have a negative impact on my earlier life.  While I had some thoughts on writing, these (along with mediocre English grades) banished any thoughts of writing.  When Gab and Bec were little, a friend gave me a journal to write down the things we did as a family – not for myself, but to pass on to the girls when they got older.  The book sat unused on a shelf.  Many years later, as I became an active volunteer, I was asked to write a monthly article.  My creativity seeped into these writings, but now, instead of a critical, focused audience (a teacher), I had a more receptive audience that liked the digressions and creativity (made reading the article enjoyable).

Like any skill, it takes time to develop the skill, practice that skill and see how others use the skill (in my case reading).  We have all met people that say they want to do something, but do not always want to put in the effort to develop the needed skill(s).  The immigrant generations came to this country, where prior to arriving, they believed that the streets were paved with gold, meaning that the United Stated of America was the land of opportunity.  They worked very hard to provide for their families, purchase homes and become pillars in their respective communities.  The person in the story above, my grandfather, would have been 109 had he still been alive.  He was a strong willed man and had few regrets.  Even though Grandpa never wrote out his story, it has become part of our family oral history.  Maybe, by writing with consistency, besides for sharing lessons and experiences, I will be able to impart a piece of my history to our future generations, to live alongside our family oral stories.