Advice from a Volcano

•April 17, 2013 • Leave a Comment

Back in February, I spent twelve days in Hawaii. The agenda on the Big Island included see an active volcano with seeing active lava flowing as a bonus. Due to the high wind wind warning and associated small craft warning, none of the boats were operating to the area where the lava met the sea.

Day 5 Kilauea Volcano Caldera

This is a picture of the caldera at Kīlauea in Volcano National Park

Watch a live webcam here.

Day 5 Thurston Lava Tube

This is the walk through Thurston Lava Tube.

Wisdom is where you find it, looking or not.

This was on a long sleeve T-Shirt purchased at the gift shop.

ADVICE FROM A VOLCANO

Stay Active

Keep Your Inner Fire Burning

It’s Okay To Let Off Steam

Go With The Flow

Be Uplifiting

It’s All A Matter of Time

Have A Blast!

All very good advice and another influence to Be Better Daily.

Posted in Be Better, Photography, Quotes, Writing
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RIP Margaret Thatcher

•April 8, 2013 • Leave a Comment

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The Iron Lady has now gone to rest.

To honor her passing and remember her service to Great Britain and the World, I offer these selected quotes as a memorial to her spirit.

“I think we’ve been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it’s the government’s job to cope with it. ‘I have a problem, I’ll get a grant.’ ‘I’m homeless, the government must house me.’ They’re casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It’s our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There’s no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation,”

“There are significant differences between the American and European version of capitalism. The American traditionally emphasizes the need for limited government, light regulations, low taxes and maximum labour-market flexibility. Its success has been shown above all in the ability to create new jobs, in which it is consistently more successful than Europe.”

― Margaret Thatcher, The Path To Power

Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.
Margaret Thatcher

My policies are based not on some economics theory, but on things I and millions like me were brought up with: an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay; live within your means; put by a nest egg for a rainy day; pay your bills on time; support the police.

“Imagine a Labour canvasser talking on the doorstep to those East German families when they settle in on freedom’s side of the wall. “You want to keep more of the money you earn? I’m afraid that’s very selfish. We shall want to tax that away. You want to own shares in your firm? We can’t have that. The state has to own your firm. You want to choose where to send your children to school? That’s very divisive. You’ll send your child where we tell you.”

Posted in Be Better, HR, On Writing, Politics, Quotes, Reading, Writing
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So It Begins

•April 7, 2013 • 3 Comments

20130330-075257.jpgOne week without Social Media.

DTG: 20130407@1017

This means no Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

The purpose of this quest is to practice serenity through solitude, solitude through serenity and deliberate withdrawal from the afflicative addiction of affirmation. Spefically likes, retweets and endorsements.

This brief hiatus will be a disconnection from my network of personal friends, professional colleagues, and the public in general.

Except for this blog. I need at least one outlet. Or do I? I will find out.

What I will be working on:

  • Maine HR Convention 2013 videography assignment.
  • Today will be spent on developing my Dropbox competency and expertise. This will be used for file sharing with Heather and Jeremy for post production approval before uploading.
  • This will be followed by video editing applicaton expertise – I’m hoping to use my iPad and IMovie for video editing,
  • Then YouTube uploading – which is why YouTube is not included in the Social Media exclusion list.

Also, the following blog titles are in the works:

  • Are You Who You Say You Are
  • The Language of Problem Solving
  • Social Media at the Maine HR Convention 2013. A list of channels, hashtags and presenter blogs.
  • Sorry for the Wait

This post will be amended throughout the week to reflect on expected mind-numbing rationalizations that come with addictive withdrawal.

Oh, and, this is a test to see this blog receives any traffic (which is a form of affirmation – both with and without comment, discussion, and/or dialogue.)

Stay Tuned.

37 minutes later, so far so good.

Thursday Update: my inner photographer cracked by posting two pictures on Instagram. 20-something Likes. Still avoiding Twitter – not sure why, Facebook & Linked remain on the Do Not Look list.

Stay Tuned.

Posted in Be Better, On Writing, Reading, Writing
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The Things We Carry

•March 31, 2013 • Leave a Comment

The Things We Carry

A Glass of Water

From Facebook – Dealing with Depression

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I ho…for the rest of the story, click the link.

The things we carry that weigh us down.

  • Yesterday.
  • Last Week.
  • Last Month.
  • Last Year.
  • Last Decade.

These lasts become today’s lost time.

Even toxic radioactivity has a half-life.

What are you carrying?

How long are you carrying?

When will the lesson be learned so that you can move on with a lighter load?

 More importantly, how will you empty your glass to lessen your legacy load?

 One way is to burn these searing symbolic vile memories into ashes. Write them down on paper. (This is a physical activity – somehow, doing this on the computer and then deleting them seems falsely soft.) Then burn that paper into ashes. Or, Enter The Haggis – Bury My Demons.

Ashes to ashes,

dust to dust,

today becomes tomorrow.

 

Posted in Be Better, HR, Quotes, Reading
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Interruptions

•March 30, 2013 • Leave a Comment

20130330-075257.jpg

Stay Tuned.

Posted in Be Better

Unlock Your Creativity

•March 24, 2013 • Leave a Comment

Day 348-1

Steal Like an Artist By Austin Kleon

Published by Workman Publishing~New York

I found this book in an art gallery in Historic Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii.  Second one on the right after the first one I visited?  Amy Lauren’s? Perhaps Angela Headley-Fine Art?

Roseanne Cash’s quote “Brilliant and real and true.”, captured my eye and interest.  My first thought was of The List, “Released in 2009, The List is Rosanne’s first album of cover songs. The selections and the album’s title derive from the list of 100 Essential Country Songs that her father had compiled for her and instructed her to learn when she joined his road show after high school graduation. (Download The List Bio)

NOTE: The numbered line was written by Austin Kleon. The next comment is my own reflective response.

  1. Steal like an artist

Everyone has role models and influences.

 

  1. Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started

Discovery takes forever – sort of a until death until your departure kind of deal

 

  1. Write the book you want to read

Need a good opening and closing line, then fill in the details

 

  1. Use your hands

For something more real than typing. Live through your 3 H’s – Head, heart & hands.

 

  1. Side projects and hobbies are important

Hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing – expend some energy through the consumption of oxygen.

 

  1. The Secret: Do good work and share it with people

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Blogs

 

  1. Geography is no longer our master

Go to new places anyways

 

  1. Be nice (the world is a small town)

Endlessly safeguard your reputation through quarrel avoidance

 

  1. Be boring (it’s the only way to get work done)

Deliberate disciplined focus

 

  1. Creativity is subtraction

The path to failure is through trying to be all things to all people

 

“A photograph can be an instant of life

captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you.”

~Brigitte Bardot~

Posted in Be Better, Books Read, On Writing, Photography, Quotes, Writing
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Snow Day

•March 19, 2013 • Leave a Comment

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Snow Day

Nature has blessed Maine with an end of winter snow storm. Unlike many others, I am neither tired of winter or hoping for an early spring. Each season comes along to serve its proper time then moves beyond.

Disclaimer, I did spend two weeks in Hawaii so my fatigue factor may not a fair benchmark. This tropic vacation was bookmarked by pre- and post snowshoeing hikes.

The snow day culture is strong here in the Northeast. Many grew up enjoying the day off from K-12 school. This expectation extends now into and impacts reliable attendance at work. Six storm day call outs. I do get it, who wouldn’t want a day off? But now these days are chargeable PTO days. Lost innocence.

The question now is to remove the snow by blowing or let it go to let it melt? It’s always fun to snowblow but at what expense of undue equipment wear & tear. The forecast is for 5 – 8 inches of more snow. Perhaps I will get up at 4 am to at least cleanse the driveway. Time will tell what needs to be told.

Let it snow.

Posted in HR, Maine, Writing
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