If I had a "Business"

If I had a business and things were not looking good, the horizon was nowhere to be seen and the workforce lost hope, I would have to make some changes as to not lose everything and fail. If this was a company to believe in, a company with morals and purpose, a company that had helped frame lives and build faith, I would certainly want to preserve the underlying strength and mission that created its success.

I would need to root out pessimism and create a reason to push forward, a mentality of courage. I would need to create a vision to locate the core principles that helped create the level of integrity and success the business once had. I would need to bring in courageous leaders who believed in our mission and risked their lives in carrying out what they knew was more important than themselves. I would need to have a practice of discipline and moderation, strength, and encouragement.

As it goes without saying, I wouldn’t deal with venders or contractors that didn’t offer suitable services that met our needs. I wouldn’t invest capital into non performing assets. I wouldn’t create more debt to fund non essential divisions. I would seek out investors who willingly believed in our mission and purpose and stood by us by their own volition. I would not force anyone to believe in my agenda; rather I would invest in those that believed in the agenda set forth by the founders of the company and hold true to the principles that once made us successful and prosperous.

For it is courage to make the difficult choices. It is honor to stay true to your beliefs.

Purpose and Direction

Getting lost in the wilderness whether it’s the mountains, the seas, the forests or the swamps can be very trying, physically and emotionally. It has been said that the body can endure a lot of mistreatment but the mind is truly fragile. Getting lost can be prevented by simple preparation. Let’s discuss the simple yet effective device that has assisted lost adventurers for centuries; that device is the compass.

A compass is a magnetic device, typically a pointer that indicates, using the planet’s magnetosphere, north. The compass is typically a surefire way to locate north. The only problem with the Compass is that it’s completely useless unless you know where you’re trying to go. Knowing where north is won’t do any good unless you know what direction you should be headed.

Using the example of a hiker who was lost in the Uintah Mountains in 2008 we can find some valuable information. The adventurous hiker, with years of hiking behind him had gotten lost in unfamiliar territory. Given his experience in hiking he was well prepared for the journey to the summit but he lacked any type of direction on his descent given his unfamiliarity with the area. His compass worked fine but his knowledge of the land or where the meeting point was didn’t exist. After becoming separated from his group he ended up miles from the meeting point. Night came and he had to prepare a makeshift bed and blind to be protected from the cold winds that were to come. The man luckily survived two nights in the mountains and was rescued because of a talented, experienced search and rescue team. Unlike this hiker, there have been many who have lost their lives seeking for direction home only to feel as if they are walking in circles.

Having a compass is important to a hiker in that assists them in knowing the direction to find their way; but it becomes useful if and only if the direction to where they should be headed is known. There are many of us that are like the hiker; we may have the tools to find our way but we don’t know where we should be headed.

Success can be found in knowing where you want to be and then using the tools you have to get there. All the tools in the world are of no use unless you know how to use them or why you should use them. Look at your mind as your compass; it’s a powerful instrument that if used correctly can achieve monumental results. Locking into your true potential is accomplished when you understand your purpose and direction. You must know where you want to go to get there. In addition to knowing your direction and purpose, like the rescue team finding the lost hiker, those that are prepared and know their direction will have great joy and purpose when assisting in the rescuing of others that may have become lost.

Learn by Doing

I can remember in my basement room 14 years ago holding my “new to me” black and red, little Sigma guitar. I distinctly recall having the craving to rip out an emotional rendition of “Only in Dreams” but reality was I didn’t have a clue how to play. I began the arduous journey of learning Nirvana power chords; I was spending 10 hours some days sitting there playing “Come as You Are” over and over again. Pretty soon, after a few months of feeling rhythmic and memorizing finger placement I was a rock star. Not really, but I really loved to play. A few months after picking up my black beauty I began to start experimenting with my own songs and herein began a passion.

Now, I didn’t have YouTube (yet to be created) but I did have Dean O Raja, a friend who was always one step ahead on the guitar. He was able to teach me new tricks and songs. Learning by whatever means without doing is learning the WHAT. In this example the WHAT is playing guitar. It was not until I learned the HOW, by DOING. You see listening and doing are connected, sure but not until I started PRACTICING the WHAT did I learn how to play! What to do and how to do it are two different kinds of knowledge and it's tough telling them apart at times.

WHAT TO DO is considered something you may have intellectual knowledge about.

HOW TO DO IT = Instinct or maybe even habit.

When learning how to play guitar my instructions by Death Master Dean were informative and helpful. However, not until I started practicing did my knowledge turn to skill and the excitement of progress started to create a true conversion and instinct. Using the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.”

Making a powerful statement and one in which I sincerely believe in I implore your serious contemplation in this eternal truth: our purpose is to learn by doing. Learn humility by being humble. Learn patience by practicing patience. Learn love by loving.

Get Up and Do More!

The setting brings us to the year 1809 in a small Kentucky cabin, born here was a baby boy with little chance of success or prosperity. This child would not have much of an opportunity in the way of becoming great as he would be self-educated and would come from humble beginnings. Little did his parents or family know that that young baby born into this humble backdrop would become the 16^th President of these United States and achieve monumental results as a leader in our great Nation. This former store clerk, rail-splitter and eventual lawyer was none other than Abraham Lincoln, the creator of the Emancipation Proclamation and one of the finest examples of a leader in our country’s history.

Honest Abe could have easily melded into society and proceeded to a life of inconsequential actions and minimal prosperity. Though he came from common confines his was not a life left to chance. He was able to discern the thoughts in his mind, evaluate through study and the instruction available, and then act on the promptings received.

Every man women and child alive today has been given authority over their actions and choice. We have a similar opportunity as the 16^th President of the United States did, make a choice from learning, evaluating the data, and then acting according to our comprehension. Results are typically achieved by the effort being expelled. At times it may seem as if we know little or the trail seems too steep and ominous. Dealing with these apprehensive aspects can be overcome by a bolstering feat of confidence by knowing that we too have a defined purpose. Only by our actions will we understand and then accomplish our purpose. If any person becomes passive about activity they will need to expect they will not reach the height designed for them. Happy and content is the person who does. It becomes expedient that we get up, get out, and do to reach our maximum potential and happiness.