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The Big List

It’s what all those sticky notes were made for…the proverbial To-Do List. Countless of us have made them…daily, weekly, yearly…in notebooks, on scrap paper, in journals, on our hands. We have our tasks we MUST complete.

I was away one weekend with some friends at their cabin in upstate NY, and we came upon, in one of the many notepads and journals lying around for drawing, writing and creating, a To-Do list that Tracy had written.

It had 8 items – not extraordinarily long as lists go – but it was extraordinary in its content. This was no “pick up dry cleaning, write thank you note, call mom,” type of list – this was a wish list – honest and forthright, with no apologies.

My favorite part is the order in which her list was made – the first item being something that could possibly take a lifetime (if ever) to achieve. The second item was not necessarily something someone can “do”, and the last, was as simple and easy as walking over to the cooler.

Here goes:
Build log cabin for 8.
Win lottery.
Buy plane.
Build helioport. (an inadvertent ‘o’ inserted)
Quit job.
Retire.
Watch hummingbirds all day.
Drink beer!

The list got progressively easier as it went on (I suspect item #8 had something to do with that.) Each item was checked (Tracy isn’t quite sure why) – although I admire her determination, as if checking the items off gives a feeling of completion.

The good news is I can honestly say that I saw her achieve the last two that weekend. And as for #4 and #5, she has taken a left turn and started a new career after a stint in grad school (“retiring” in essence from an old job.) So 4 out of 8 isn’t so bad.

Now if she would only win that lottery. – BB

Do you have a Big List you would like to share?

Wise Words

The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman

An American investment banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.

The investment banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Mexican how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The banker then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican fisherman replied he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos: I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The investment banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA, and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats until eventually you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”

Then he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City where you would run your growing enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions.”

“Millions, senor? Then what?”

To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

What a hilarious and wonderful reminder that money isn’t everything and happiness is right in front of us. Pass it along. – BB

Happy Work

Here’s something to ponder this Monday morning – Happy and Work – are these two words meant to live together?

Many of us would laugh or scoff at the idea of Happiness and Work holding hands. So often, our modern workplace has become a source of stress and frustration, instead of joy and fulfillment. And why is this? Is it the work or is it us?

There’s a wonderful book I’m just beginning to crack entitled “The Art of Happiness at Work” by Howard C.Cutler, M.D. and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This book ponders the concept of work and how it contributes (or detracts) from our sense of personal happiness. Chock full of advice and thoughtful conversation, the book is nothing if not helpful in our daily battle to find meaning and satisfaction in our work.

In this passage, the Dalai Lama reminds us it is our humanity that allows for a better work environment. “I think on a basic level we are all human beings,” he continued. “We all have the capacity to relate to one another with warmth, with affection, with friendship. So, if we are discussing happiness and satisfaction at work, like in all human activities, the human factor – how we relate to those around us, our co-workers, our customers, our boss – is of prime importance. And I think if we make a special effort to cultivate good relationships with people at work, get to know the other people, and bring our basic good human qualities to the workplace, that can make a tremendous difference. Then, whatever kind of work we do, it can be a source of satisfaction. Then you look forward to going to work, and you are happier there. You think, Oh, I’m going to work to see my friends today!”

What a great attitude, right? And I agree – trying to make our work environment inviting on a human level will go a long way to helping us tolerate the less-than-perfect moments of deadlines, cutbacks and work overload. And considering many of us spend countless hours enveloped in cubicles and file cabinets, it only makes sense we embrace our co-workers with kindness and friendship. We are, after all, in “it” together.

As you enter the office vestibule, push through the doors with a warm greeting and a smile – you’ll see what a tremendous difference it can make. – BB

Coach or Cheerleader?

Life Coach. What is that exactly?

No disrespect AT ALL to Life Coaches (as Buddha Balboa too is of the same ilk) but I’ve always found the phrase a little odd. Coaches of life. One designated to coach one through one’s life.

Aren’t we all our OWN life coaches? Or better yet, shouldn’t we be?

Yes, having a mentor, a guide, a friend, a confidante, is essential in our personal journey. We need each other – to help us through the tough times, the moments of instability and fear, the persistent path of procrastination. We need someone to hold our hand, rub our back, give us advice and just plain old love us through the ups and downs. We need help.

I guess I see the whole Life Coach umbrella as a little bit of a crutch (again, no disrespect, just honest chatter.) A crutch that we lean on even though we can indeed walk on our own. Something to reach for when we are feeling unsteady…instead of just handling the wobble and knowing that we already have what it takes inside us to take that step forward.

Maybe what we need is more of a Life Cheerleader – someone who yells our praises through a megaphone, someone who jumps high in the air and claps when we are heading for the goal. We want and need someone to cheer us through – to remind us to keep going, to never give up, to have faith when we are 4th and inches.

Maybe what we really just need is someone who will shake their positive pom-pom’s at us and remind us that our true life coach is called our heart.