 |
|||
|
Last night went to Disney with family for couple hours and rode Pirates of the Caribbean –again. And, again, for the 47th consecutive year the three jailed pirates were unsuccessful at coaxing the keys from the dog a few feet away.
A good friend with an exciting opportunity for a career change recently messaged me about the fear of making such a big change. I shared a Zen parable I heard years ago that I think exemplifies shrewdly the fear of “letting go” of something we know for something new and scary. I can’t recall the specifics of the story but this is my very paraphrased version. “A monk was being chased by a lion and to save himself had to jump of a cliff in the dark of night where he grabbed a thin limb growing on the side of the cliff. The monk, dangling for his life in the pitch black dark, waited for the sun to come up before his strength gave way and, he feared, falling to his death. But the sunrise didnt come soon enough and the monk’s arms, exhausted and numb, gave way slipping off the branch. And the monk fell 6 inches to the ground below. About that is often about as far we have to fall when making a compelling life change. Something to think about…when you feel like letting go. ===
Each day try to learn one thing that will enhance your life And….more importantly Try to unlearn one old thing that is diminishing your life Whenever I hear someone say, “It is what it is,” I am going to respond, “That’s certainly true. But let’s not forget that it’s also not what it’s not.” And then pause before adding, “Or is it? Know what I mean?” as I nod knowingly. I think this will catch on and be the perfect confident rejoinder to the “Is = Is” breakthrough formulation devised just several years ago that no one is yet sure what exactly it means but we all sense it is something profoundly insightful that we can all agree on. === A number of years ago a very wise friend of mine had this wry explanation about someone else we worked with who gave us fits but who somehow always seemed indispensable to management.
I laughed loud and hard at how right on the money my friend was with his observation. And I swore I would never work again with anyone like the person he so fittingly described. But sadly, I have discovered, there are more than just that one. A friend recommended I buy jeans at American Eagle Outfitters, a store I have never been to before. I was excited until I was browsing and was told they not only didn’t have any jeans big enough for my waist (36), they also didn’t have any with a short enough inseam either (29). And the worst part is I really liked the jeans!! I asked if they had a hybrid “Big and short section” for my size but they didn’t. To add insult to injury, the waistlines for most jeans there are 26 and 28!!
I smell gender payback all over this! Come on, guys! I am on a diet…but for a normal male waistline circa 1985. === It happens When a guy reduces his waist from 38″ to a 35.5,” he can’t help but develop a little attitude. And start asking himself if it is time to look into buying a pair of “skinny jeans.” And feels a smug superiority toward men who sport a 36″ or 37″ inch waist. What? No upselling?
Maybe the pharmacist just hadn’t completed “Customer service training” yet. Whenever I am driving our minivan and pass by a motorcycle gang I try to make eye contact as if to say to them, “Hey, I ‘get’ you guys. I was just listening the other day to Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” and I really enjoyed the movie “Easy Rider.” But the way they look back at me makes me wonder sometimes if they really understand what I am trying to communicate.
Or maybe they read my additional body language which says to them, “I’d probably join you guys except I am afraid of motorcycles” and then wondering to myself “If you ride a motorcycle for a long time in khakis, would it start to burn the inside of your legs?” I haven’t seen 12 Years a Slave yet but my favorite movie of 2013 was American Hustle. The casting is flawless; the story is corrupt but uniquely American and irresistible (and less about the con game depicted than the co…n games each of us plays with ourseleves); the acting is mesmerizing; the mood, style, ennui and chutzpah of the period–the 70’s–is captured brilliantly; the writing, dialogue and camerawork make you feel like you are personally sitting in the background of each scene watching old friends; — and then there’s the soundtrack, a soundtrack tied to the core of the characters personalities and storyline as expressed in one of the early scenes as Irving, Christian Bale, realizes he’s falling in love with Sydney, Amy Adams.
=== Kentucky Hustle? I watched American Hustle again last night and was amazed that a 22 year old (at the time) young lady from Louisville, KY dominated every scene she was in. And she is in scenes with Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and many others. Can we have a shout out for this KY star? I love the scene when there is the big meeting with the mob bosses and everyone is intimidated by them except Jennifer Lawrence’s character, who sashays toward them and takes over their conversation in a matter of seconds. That scene is emblematic of what she’s done with Hollywood, too. You go, girl! The “art” of every business deal comes down to the negotiation. Which can sometimes reach and stand-off and stare down. The key then is to introduce some new leverage against the other party. A recent personal experience shed light on a new negotiating tactic that had never occurrrd to me before.
I know if someone had done this to me I would have signed anything put in front of me during that 2 day period if I thought it would help. Me (without a kidney stone) can out-negotiate Donald Trump with a kidney stone. And you can too. By all accounts the gathering of grassroots conservatives for the American Conservative Union’s CPAC event in Prince George’s County, Maryland offered the right mix of hot rhetoric and new faces; reflection and assessment. CPAC is often a good way to get a sense of the state of the conservative movement but more important, the state of its relationship with the Republican Party. For many conservatives, that’s a tenuous relationship on a good day. As Erick Erickson, co-founder of RedState.com, noted, “I think CPAC is really RPAC these days and is as much, if not more, lobbyist oriented than grass-roots oriented. It is like church homecoming for the Republican Party.” As the weekend proceedings wrapped up with a rousing call-to-arms by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, some basic questions remain for a movement in transition: Coming into the 2014 elections, are conservatives gaining strength or treading water? And how does any of this really translate to the rest of the country? Polls show political conservatism is still very healthy despite liberal wailing to the contrary. In terms of electoral politics the conservative base and liberal base basically cancel each other out, with each side striving to reach enough independents in the political center to win nationwide or statewide elections. So, for the most part, it’s a draw. But some of the polling of the CPAC attendees also reveals some interesting challenges and opportunities for conservatives. For example 41 percent believe marijuana should be legalized and taxed for recreational and medical use (21 percent believe marijuana should be legalized only for medical purposes when prescribed by a doctor) while 31 percent say it should remain illegal.
While themes of freedom, faith and family were echoed throughout the weekend, speaker after speaker seem to have in mind those changing demographics inside and outside the hall as they came repeatedly back to strategy and what it will take to win in 2014. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich cautioned “we must stop being the opposition movement, and we must become the alternative government movement that will help make the life of every American better so that they understand what we would do that would be right, not just what the left is doing that is wrong.” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx), a Tea Party favorite, urged conservatives to stick with core beliefs to win elections. “They say if you stand for principles, you lose elections. That is a false dichotomy.” Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.), insisted conservatives embrace a governing agenda that would help Republicans succeed this November and beyond. “We don’t get to govern if we don’t win. So please, let us come out of here resolved not only to stand for our principles, but let’s come out of this conference resolved to win elections again.” And it is winning elections that has proven elusive since 2011. The lack of a cohesive message to voters, struggles over the “conservative brand” with its Tea Party base and the poor standing of the Republican-controlled Congress have all taken their toll (for example, 51 percent of CPAC attendees disapprove of the Republican Congress). But many conservatives, like Sen. Cruz, feel in the end the failure of 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to effectively draw stark contrasts between his governing policies and the Obama agenda stands as an example of watered-down conservatism. As the Senator would make clear in his speech, “All of us remember President Dole and President McCain and President Romney — now look, those are good men, they’re decent men, but when you don’t stand and draw a clear distinction, when you don’t stand for principle, Democrats celebrate.” But it would be another Tea Party favorite, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), who would warn against purging centrist Republicans, saying, “we as conservatives have got to be far more engaged in finding converts than in discarding heretics.” Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) drove the point even deeper. “You may think I am talking about electing a Republican. I am not,” Sen. Paul said. “I am talking about electing lovers of liberty. It isn’t good enough to pick the lesser of two evils. We must elect men and women of principle, and conviction and action that will lead us back to greatness.” Senators Lee and Paul are closer to the truth for both conservatives and the Republican Party: It is a false choice we sometimes make between core principles and good governance. But many conservatives stand on the precipice of conservatism, ready to throw each other off because of such false choices; feeling they have lost their grip on what conservatism means and who is best positioned to articulate it. As conservatives and Republicans assess their leadership, their strategy and ultimately the impact they will have on American politics in 2014 and beyond, they would be wise to heed the advice of the late conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr.: “Nominate the most conservative candidate who is electable.” I switched and what the “switch” meant to me
After switching from a PC to a Macbook Pro, I have made other changes in my life Instead of wearing a blue blazer and khaki pants, I put on a camel hair jacket and dress jeans. I wear tasseled loafers instead of dockers I use a larger screen Samsung Note phone instead a smaller screen iPhone I drink lemonade instead of diet Coke–because I like lemonade better I buy art that stands out rather than art that blends in I say what I really believe more often instead of saying what I think the other person wants to hear.
But switching to an Apple Macbook isn’t really about switching computers. It’s also not about making some hip lifestyle change. And isnt even about Apple –or having to use an Apple product. It is instead about turning on the light switch in the dark room upstairs where you can be who you really are. And being able to walk out of the room and mentally leave the light switched turned on. |
| ||
| Copyright © 2024 The Recovering Politician - All Rights Reserved | |||
