Carpe Luck and Handing On the Torch

Another one of my hobbies is historical reenacting — early Indiana pioneer through Civil War.
This weekend I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Spencer County Civil War Days featuring a chance to see the The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay pass by the courthouse encampment.

The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay is designed to inspire and unify Hoosiers as one of the major commemorative events of the 2016 Bicentennial celebration. Hoosiers will symbolically “pass the torch” connecting generations to IGNITE our future (their pun, not mine — though I like it).
Patterned after the Olympic Torch Relay, Indiana’s version will pass through all 92 of the state’s counties, cover 3200 miles over a five week period, averaging 97 miles per day.

Needless to say that it was an opportunity that I wanted to to see -- that's it, I just wanted to be lucky enough to see it.

Luck isn't just about being at the right place at the right time, but also about being open to and ready for new opportunities.  As ancient saying goes, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” — Seneca

At first, our small band of reenacting brothers were assigned to a post overlooking the Ohio River. Our mission was to  fire a volley salute when the torch was being passed along to the next torchbearer.   Somewhere along the line someone had the idea to have an “official escort” for the several blocks down to the river where the torch would be passed on for the next leg of the journey. I was in period clothing, I know how to load and fire a musket (Thanks to my old friend Wayne A. for lending me his for this), and I was ready for a new opportunity.

After our salute, Rockport Mayor, Honorable Gay Ann Harney, was gracious enough to let us hold and pass the torch: “A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity.”

Luck?  For sure!  But I also believe that our willingness to volunteer our time to transmit our knowledge, learning, etc. to the succeeding generation (a.k.a. To hand on the torch) created this opportunity to literally be a part of handing on the torch.

The Carpe Diem Life Lesson:  As one of my favorite authors Barbara Sher writes: "The amount of good luck coming your way depends on your willingness to act."






I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Carpe Diem Life

Delusional Effective Disorder

I’m not going to exaggerate and say that I’m going blind; however, tri-focal glasses at 56 is not heading in a clear direction – and I still can’t seem to put everything in focus.

I was thinking about focus as I was writing yesterday’s blog on multitasking.  The consequences of my inability to focus results in some rather messy results.  This weekend, for example Suzanne and I started to tackle cleaning and organizing the office at home.  I say “started” because it was a total wreck (It was a total wreck because it’s easier for me to stack stuff than it is to focus on putting it away) and after hours of work we still have a long way to go.

While Suzanne had no problem staying on track, I was all over the place like a dog in a yard full of squirrels.  I’m sure you’ve seen people like me who suffer from Delusional Effectiveness Disorder: Confusing Persistent Activity with Achievement.  Or, maybe I’m just lazy.

Even though focus is not a precise tenant in Carpe Diem Life, I’m hoping it is one of the end results of the system:  CHOOSING the goal (i.e. cleaning the office), creating an ACTION LIST, utilizing my RESOURCES (i.e. trash bags, help from Suzanne), PERSISTENT ACTION, EVALUATING the reality of the situation, changing DIRECTION as needed, IMPROVING, ENJOYING THE PROCESS (i.e. putting on some good music to clean by), and realizing it’s MY RESPONSIBILITY.
We can do most anything as long as we have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support of our resources.  And let’s not forget IMAGINATION!

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain

Carpe Diem Life

Chasing Rabbits

I had someone at work tell me that I need to be a better “multi-tasker.”  Really?  How is that even possible when it's hard enough to do one thing well?

As read on the internet The word multitasking was originally coined because we needed another word for "unable to focus on the talk at hand."  The question begs to be asked: Is multitasking even really possible?

NO! I mean, YES!  (Wait, what was the question I was asking?  Sorry, I was checking email. Squirrel! Oh, right.  Is multitasking possible?)  The new verdict is that the belief that engaging in several tasks at once means we are more productive is a myth. Instead of saving time, multitasking not only takes longer but also makes mistakes more likely.  Have you noticed that the drive-thru lines at McDonald's are slower than ever?  Perhaps one reason is that all the nice, hardworking teenagers there are being asked to multitask in the name of efficiency. You wonder why she can't focus on getting a simple order correct the first time until you finally get to window number one and you realize it's the same girl taking orders, typing order, taking money, making change . . . .


Multitasking is, in fact, engaging in several tasks at once and doing a half-ass -- or third-ass, quarter-ass -- job at each task.  Watch a few YouTube videos of people texting while walking into walls, walking into fountains, tripping "watch your step" signs, etc. and you'll see how efficient it is (funny, not not very efficient.) 

Multitasking.  Perhaps that was what was bogging down Charles M. Schwab and his Bethlehem Steel Corporation in the early 20th Century.  See my blog from August 22,  FREE: A $400,000 IDEA. 

Bottom line:  I recognize my need to be more efficient; I also recognize that I need to find ways to be more present.  I need to find ways to be more focused on one project at a time.

As my wise old grandpa never said, "If you chase two rabbits, both will escape."  Or as Mozart did say, “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.”

I don't know where being present and focused falls in the Carpe Diem Life system, but one thing I do know
:  Multitasking is not part of it!

Carpe Diem Life (one task at a time)!

Carpe Blue Highways II and Gen. Grant

Yesterday I took you on a short trip up a blue highway in Tennessee.  Though we were on a road less traveled and stopping at every Eiffel Tower replica we found along the way, we were heading to a specific location:  Ft. Donelson in Dover, Tennessee – site of the Union’s first major victory of the Civil War.  One of the key players in that battle was none other than Brig. General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant, unlike most Union commanders at the time, was NOT afraid to take action!

Forts Henry, Heiman, and Donelson were devised to protect western Tennessee from Union forces using the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers as approach avenues.  It was Grant’s plan to take them.  After Henry and Heiman fell quickly to Union gunboats, Grant set his sites on the larger Donelson. 

Now, I don’t pretend to be a Civil War historian, so any facts I present would admittedly be a copy-and-paste version. I do encourage you to look it up as it is a fantastic story.  It includes ironclads, the army, some bad luck, one of the worst military blunders of the war, and finally Brig. General Ulysses S. Grant riding in with his Carpe Diem Life Map to save the day (okay, I made that last one up).  But Grant did ride in as things were looking pretty bleak for the Union Army — some historians even say disastrous.

The battles for Forts Henry, Heiman, and Donelson were not the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, but they were some of the most important.  With victory, Grant and the Union Army took control of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers which led to the fall of Nashville. 

Grant’s leadership skills included an unshakable resolve to win the battle, the ability to evaluate his environment and his resources, adapt and change direction, create an action plan and take persistent action to achieve the goal at hand.  I don’t know if he enjoyed the process, but he did have an uncanny ability to remain calm in the heat of battle. 

Grant’s philosophy:

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get to him as soon as you can.  Strike as hard as you can, and keep moving on.”

Have a goal you’d like to achieve?   Choose your goal.  Make a battle plan. Utilize all your resources. Get to it as soon as you can. Strike it as hard as you can, and keep moving on.

Carpe Diem Life

Carpe Blue Highways

Sometime right after college I first read what has been hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing: Blue Highways — William Least Heat-Moon’s travelog of his backroad travels around America.  It’s his chronicle of a three-month-long road trip that he took throughout the United States  He tells how he traveled 13,000 miles, as much as possible on secondary roads (often drawn on maps in blue), all while living out of his van with his dog.

It struck a chord with me because that’s exactly what my best friend Tim and I used to do (okay, not the living out of the van with a dog part)— first on bicycles and later in his Jeep.  Believe me, we never had reservations taking off and heading for parts unknown on those blue highways.  To this day, I still prefer the road less traveled.

That’s exactly what Suzanne and I decided to do for part of Labor Day Weekend.  We started out with one clear destination:  Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane, Tennessee.  We figured we’d get there, explore everything it had to offer, and then catch her concert Saturday night.  Upon arrival, we quickly discovered that “Miss Loretta” — as she’s affectionately called by just about everyone there — had fallen earlier in the day and that, though okay, was not going to be performing that night.
Proof that even when you think everything is completely mapped everything out, disappointments happen.  What to do when life happens?  Carpe Diem Life happens. 

We quickly focused on evaluating the reality of the situation, choosing which direction we would go next, picking a blue highway, with the mindset of enjoying the journey.  We were now on a quest for "off the beaten path" treasures.  What did we discover that we would have never found on the interstate?

Benton County, TN, The Pearl Capitol of The U.S. A

Patsy Cline's Plane Crash Site Memorial (An engraved rock marks the spot where Cline's country music career ended abruptly on March 5, 1963)

The “famous” 30 Mile Bargain Highway

And the pièce de résistance: the12th largest Eiffel Tower replica in the world in Paris, TN

All topped off by a trip to Big Top drive-in in our own hometown

So, here’s the lesson: Carpe Diem Life is not only a map to achieve clearly defined goals, it’s also a map that encourages aimless wandering.  Of course, there’s still stopping to EVALUATE where you are and CHOOSING which DIRECTION you want to go next, ENJOYING THE JOURNEY. 

I think Mr. Heat-Moon would say, “Well done! Carpe Blue Highways!”

A Wheelbarrow Full of Imagination

Now, parked motionless
Days before: The Grand Carriage
For Annabeth Sage

I love spending time with my family; it's no secret that spending time with my two grandchildren certainly brings out the child in me. 

Mr. Owen is 14 months old and loves playing peekaboo and basically getting into everything -- with Grandpa’s help, of course!

Little Annabeth is 4 years old; what a magical age.  Take a moment to watch her at play and you’ll experience first hand the magic that comes from her imagination. It’s so exciting see and experience the magical world that emerges from her wonderfully creative mind and the enchanting way she transforms ordinary objects into extraordinary things. 

Take for example the other day when Annabeth peered into the cluttered garden shed.  “Wow,” noticing a rusty old wheelbarrow.  Only she didn’t see a rusty old wheelbarrow.  She saw a royal carriage worthy of a princess.  And guess who she saw as the old horse that was going to push her through her backyard kingdom?  Grandpa!  And I loved being part of every second of it.

Taking a moment to view the world through Annabeth’s and Owen’s eyes always sparks the joy that imagination brings. 

Last night as I was putting some things away in the shed, I saw that old wheelbarrow — just like I’ve seen a hundred times before.  Only this time was very different. This time I heard the laughter of a little child screaming, “Giddy-up. Go faster Grandpa!”  It was enough to bring back the joy and wonder that all children’s imaginations bring to world.  How amazing would it be be to seize that on a day-to-day basis?

Have a magical Labor Day Weekend,

                       Carpe Diem Life

Bowling II -- I suck!

While Carpe Diem Life a goal-setting tool, you might also think of it as a system.

What the difference?

Let’s take more more look at the sport of bowling.  My goal might be to become a championship bowler.  My system is what I do at research and practice to reach that goal.

Here the interesting question:  If I completely ignore my goal and just work the system, will I still improve and someday reach I goal?

I think I would.  In fact, I might get even better results by forgetting the goal and focusing only on the system. 

Which leads me to a principle that is part of MY RESPONSIBILITY:  Teachability.

John C. Maxwell defines teachability as:  possessing the intentional attitude and behavior to keep learning and growing thought life.   If you want to be successful tomorrow, then you must be teachable today.

I’ve been told my whole life that I’m not much of a student.  in fact, I’ve been told I’m not even teachable in many areas. I sure that the two out of four readers of this who are teacher (that’s close to 45%) notice all my grammer errors mispellings.

When I started bowling I SUCKED. 

I’ll never forget the first time I bowled.  My friend Bill who owns a center in my hometown invited me to join his team.   The first night I grabbed a ball and shoes and headed down to the lanes for a few practice throws before we started.  I figured, “How hard can it be?”  I was immediately humbled throwing back-to-back gutter balls.  Embarrassed and dejected, I took off my shoes and told him I couldn’t do it.  I quit.     

The next day I called him and told him that I would try again, but ONLY if he coached me.  He accepted the challenge.  After reading everything I could get my hands on, watching videos, and getting some invaluable one-on-one time with Bill, I IMPROVED enough to give it another go.

The next week I confidently walked up to the line. Trying to remember everything I had learned and practiced, I proceeded to throw… my first one in the gutter and the second one just barely clipped a 7 Pin.  I muttered to Bill as I walked past him, “I can’t get much worse.” 

In his “tough love” manner and trying not to laugh too hard he said, “Technically, you can!” 

But this time I didn’t quit.  Between frames he’d do his best to teach me what I was doing wrong (EVALUATION) and what I I was doing my best to correct it (TEACHABILITY & DIRECTION).  The most important thing he taught me was not to take myself too seriously and ENJOY it.  In other words, work on all the small steps of the system, and don’t worry about the end goal.

Don’t get me wrong, I still set high goals for myself, but I broke them down into manageable steps.
I’m never been perfect — no 300 games — but I try my best to focus on each step of the system, evaluate, change direction as needed… and ENJOY!  Every once in a while, when you're relaxing and just having fun, amazing things happen.  Like one night in 2009:

Thanks Bill.

Carpe Diem Life!