Law of diminishing returns

Two themes are running around my head this morning - everything is temporary and the law of diminishing returns.

In management, "we" always say one could cope with a deluge because we know it's temporary - a 24-hour journalistic piece, an event in two weeks' time, a 3-month paternity leave. The horror will end, and life goes on. We take time off to heal and refill our cup. Even that is temporary.

In comparison, one also understands the amount of effort one puts in at the beginning cannot be sustained for the long term. Indeed, a big effort at the beginning is expected to have the most impact, whereas "too much too late" is wasteful and often leaves us drained and disappointed.

There has to be a balance - of pressure and steady on routine. As you can guess, the routine is *boring* to those who think they thrive off of temporary floods, but it is the routine work what pays the bills, keeps us fit and is what actually builds legacy. One can accomplish a lot in 2 years if one has one hand steady on the wheel.

There's a saying about fishermen, from Vincent Van Gogh, the most genius of all artists.

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reasons for remaining ashore."

And furthermore, from unknown:

"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than one can see".

So, I am a writer for social change. I will not have a "manifesto": I will live my days as my testimony. I testify, I will go farther than I can see and the dangers are not sufficient reasons to stay in my comfort zone.

Remember this, is how it should be.

Occupy Sesame Street

Let's get one thing straight: I love Oscar the Grouch. And his friend Wormie. Not a fan of Big Bird at all.

One one hand I agree that PBS could be self-funded, but then so could a lot of things that are aimed at providing even-handed children's education. Reality is, when commercial interests come into play -- think Nestlé for example -- the important stuff is lost amongst the fluffy money-grabbing shallowness. Kids are easily brainwashed at this age.

I am thankful that I did grow up with PBS and Sesame Street, but I do think the preservation is a kind of nostalgia. New(ish) programmes like Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder do have an even hand between education and entertainment, I find. My niece and nephew are now too old for those shows, so I can't relate to today's toddlers. Which I am immensely thankful!

The money the US government gives to PBS and other such "old school" things (like auto manufacturer General Motors) is minuscule compared to the amount for the US military funding. Sure, you could say the military funding also funds interesting medical research on telemedicine, remote monitoring, and robust field diagnostic equipment but creating problems (i.e. conflicts) just so you can test equipment is so so very horrible and the worst kind of human experimentation. The young men and women "volunteer" for this. I say it's brainwashing to a whole different level.

Ah, those in power abusing those not. That's what it's all about. What about fighting for those who can't fight for themselves? Why aren't we protecting the disadvantaged/ disenfranchised, the minorities, the children and the elderly? What happened to liberty and justice for all?

I've been thinking a lot about the messages behind "A Few Good Men", the 1992 movie about two Marines who did something that was so "anti-Marine" because that is what their commanding officer ordered, the so-called "Code Red". Is this attitude of Col. Jessop still prevalent in the US military psyche today? I think so.

Love this part: "You can't handle the truth!"

Jack Nicholson and Oscar the Grouch in one post, eh? Quite a miracle.

"You're goddamn right I did!"

Have confidence in the Process

Some distillation today of whirling circling thoughts:

"Develop an approach" ==> A Process

"Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time... The wait is simply too long."
-- Leonard Bernstein

"Capable" ==> Confident

"My touchstones are authenticity, playfulness and audacity, and by keeping these three key words at the forefront of my mind when sitting down to write, I find that I am capable of overcoming my fear of the blank page. "
-- Amy Palko of Lives Less Ordinary and Textual Tangents. Amy is writing her thesis paper on Stephen King and has spent quite some time studying him.

"Audacity / Appearance of Confidence" ==> Strategic mindset / Control / Discipline

" 'Audacity, always audacity'-soundest principle of strategy. In practicing medicine I learned that when you are most at loss is the time when you must appear confident. In law I had learned that, when your case seems hopeless, you must impress the jury with your relaxed certainty.' "
-- Jubal, character in A Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Brave / Faith / Uncommon ==>
Sticking to the process even when faced with negative feedback / Against Odds or Statistics / Customized or Unique

None but the Brave
-- Bruce Springsteen

"Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to." Miracle on 34th Street

"Common sense is anything but common." -- Unknown.

One day at a time

It truly is a wonderful life... the writing life... sure some days setbacks are all you get, struggling to write the next word, to come up with the next idea, editing, polishing, looking forward for all those rejection slips coming back... maybe some with a glint of keep going... but mostly its all you. This is my job, and it suits me right.

It's truly wonderful that I still have the power within me to change my life to change my vision. To actually feel good about it and go confidently into this world. Everything will work out and will come into place. This power, this inner strength if you will, is the single most greatest thing, the most valuable thing, that keeps one alive and healthy. Not a change in food, sleep, or exercise alone can do that. Inner strength. The power to change I contend has to come first and be the biggest proponent that drives all other change. Bottom-Up Management.

It's snowing here. I remember one bleak grey morning, not so long ago last March, when I started writing here. I remember feeling blessed for the snow, to be able to see it and enjoy it in the warmth of my apartment. The flakes may not be as fluffy and big, but they are creating a white blanket on the roof below outside my window, the hinterhaus of my neighbor's painting studio. I watched my cats watch the snow then, and I watch them again now. It's amazing, wonderful snow.

Sometimes I struggle to find something to write about. But it is really all around me and in me. I just have to start writing and its like a river that keeps flowing. The strength I need most days is to JUST START. Audacity!

Sometimes with the struggle comes fear. I know this now, and finally at last I can do something about it. START. The initial process of re-inventing myself is over. I've done it, I've succeeded. I found the inner strength, in my thoughts, in my prayers which create my success -- now I have to tap this stream of strength each day and START.

My START UP ROUTINE:
6.30 am AWAKE! Refreshed! Think what a great day! Energize!
7:15 am Yoga, Muscles, Aerobics, Balance physical work
8:00 am Shower and Energize again, mental work, warm up hands and ready set, and...
9:00 am START writing -- up to 2000 words per day...

My Maintenance ROUTINE:
12.30 Energize, tank up positive thoughts!
13.30 Business work
16.00 Small Re-energize, go for a walk?
17.00 Continue writing / work

My Shutdown ROUTINE:
19.30 lightly energize
20.30 wind-down: reading, relaxing, nothing too exciting, no computer work
10.30 Shutdown and think "what a good day! I did everything right! In my opinion!"


Much like a computer process (of course I am not a robot!). But there's lots of flexibility built into the process. One of the wonderful things about being a freelancer is to let go and allow your self to be flexible. The bigger the company is, the more drowned in processes and rules and hierarchy it is, and there is no creativity or flexibility or allowance for "out of process" custom work. The START UP, MAINTENANCE AND SHUTDOWN procedures are highly regulated, controlled and checked by the process engineers every morning, shift change, and night... (24 hour process control! Oh love I miss that!! NOT!).

But if I think of my mind and my body and my life as 24-hr Process Control, it's easier for me somehow as some of my inner strength is in that fundamental engineering knowledge. Weird, eh? Like the snow today, I feel like I have come full circle.

One day at a time. That's all the process engineer can do, is look at the system and process, one day at a time. Doing the best that he/she can with what they've got to work with. Whether or not the process actually produces the desired outputs in specification, well, for the moment, that is not his/her problem....The quality assurance engineer takes over.... whether the desired outputs are marketable or sale-able, someone else's job too... Other engineer's hats... other days... they all do the best they can with what they have at the end of the day... so all the other minutiae don't matter. In my opinion.