I'm a bit depressed today. Actually I'm a bit down everyday but today has just been bad. Not sure if I can really go in to it all but hopefully with some sleep I'll recover. Let's just say I'm not exactly proud or pleased with how my personal life is going. I live my life how I want and I stick very strongly to my personal set of ethics. Unlike most people I know in my life, my ruleset is not flexible. I do not bend just because I might receive a small gain or compromise what I know is right just because the other person yields a bit out of courtesy. I notice people will often just agree with someone just to be polite. To me, that's a bit disrespectful as if the person they're agreeing with is of low intelligence and simply needs to be humored like a child or some other immature psyche. So, I often wind up being unpopular amongst regular people. So be it I guess. 
Life's just too short to live half-assed I think. We could all die at any second and I want to be ready at all times that in case I'm gone but I have a moment to think, I don't want any regrets.
Also, it seems that whenever I meet someone and like them, so far if they're a guy, they usually turn out to be a good person. But whenever it's a girl, that girl always turns out to be a disappointment. Big time. It's occured to me that quite possibly it's just ME that's the problem as I'm the common element. It could be bad luck, poor judgment or simply that I act like a total asshole when I'm around someone I like. I think it's a combination of all three but the first thing, luck, I can't control. The second aspect, poor judgment, probably leads to a situation where I then am motivated to act like a jerk. So lately, I've been trying to find other ways to figure out who would make a good gal pal. Pretty much all of my newest SG gal friends are using newer methods. At heart, I'm an extremely shy person and maybe I compromise a bit when I choose who to talk to. Now I won't compromise no matter how scary or anxious I feel when I see someone on SG who I think is amazing. I'll just message and hope for the best.
(The gal pals on my current Friends List, I adore you all, none of the negativity above applies!
)
On the other hand, the only reason why I haven't just broken down today is all of the new friends that I've gotten recently on SG in the last couple weeks. You're providing me the inspriration to write, here and other places. I may eat and drink to live but I live to be inspired.
Ok, enough psychobabble for now. I just need to sleep, get some energy, get some writing done and go out and kick some ass.
I feel like this song right now. One of the very best of the 80s from one of the most relevant bands ever.
I found this the other day...just super cool. Megadeth has gone from Metallica wannabees to the most revered of thrash metal bands. And this song probably has the most beloved solo of all thrash songs.
Also, my friends and I have started a new website for the new James Cameron movie AVATAR. Please take a look and if you're feeling really generous, make a user and post for me.
AVATAR Movie Forum
This is something I wrote in about an hour while at work...thank you to an uber-frustrating job for inspiring this one...
On Leadership
The six secrets of leadership (according to Jiang T'ai Gong) all have to do with using talented people:
Find them -
A great leader has a discerning eye for talent and hungers for people who possess it like a newborn hungers for mother's milk. This requires careful observation and a completely open mind as undiscovered talent often is disguised in unexceptionally-looking individuals.
Acquire them -
This is something subtle. People swarm to a fire at night because it's cold and the fire's warmth and light protects and comforts them. Same with leaders, they must have warmth in order to attract people. She must provide shelter and exude a personal warmth so that people will want to come in and gather to get out of the harshness of the common corporate culture.
Motivate them -
While it's good to compensate well for services, especially the talented persons who would be in demand, to truly motivate someone, you must speak to their heart. Lay down a common cause. This is especially true when the job incurs some risk. The great leader goes out first and braves all of the same risks before her people and leads by pulling. A poor leader motivates by pushing, attempting to coerce people into working. In that situation, the talented people will leave, having better offers elsewhere and you'll be left with only the mediocres who are susceptible to coercion.
Make Good Application of them -
Once talented people are found, their talents identified and their hearts motivated, it then becomes very important to find the correct position for them to bloom. A good position for the most talented of people is usually to slightly over-promote them so that they can grow. Then move them up again if possible. Thus they get in to the habit of growing. And in situations where you have someone incapable of growing any further, never over-promote them as they will cause damage to your system.
Properly Reward and Discipline them -
It is extremely important to make sure there are no favorites amongst your team. A leader should be magnanimous towards all who have chosen to work for her. Also, make sure no one is promoted or demoted too many levels too quickly. Large promotions should only follow from exceptionally meritorious service. If your entire team sees that promotions only follow excellent work your team will they be motivated to work harder because the prestige that follows each promotion is very real. Also, the greater the importance of a particular job, the greater the certainty rewards and punishments should be. Only then, when rewards and punishments are appropriate and certain, will your team's hearts be certain in work purpose.
Keep them -
Create a path within your managed system for your people to travel. Some people will want to stay on a singular horizontal path while others will want to go to a verticle one. Providing this path in your team is the key to keeping them on your path. It's much more expensive to find and train a new person in something complex than it is to keep an existing person. I often see hiring managers spend more than half their time combing resumes, calling candidates and performing interviews...and getting very little of their actual jobs done because they need to replace people.
(Rors own 7th secret!) Replicate them - When you are successful in all of the above, your team will be capable of almost anything. The most important element in sustained success is to have an eye out at all times for developing a formula for your success. Then take your experienced individuals and help execute this formula repeatedly and success can be sustained for a long time.
And the six secrets of success:
1) Never delight in small advantages or that is all you'll ever achieve. Think big and work for the big picture. Nothing great is ever built without people helping each other.
2) Always try to win with a magnanimous cause and a benevolent goal. If at all possible, accomplish your goals with with your wit and avoid destruction. A wise person can find a way to turn an opponents' strength to her own, adding it to her own rather than destroying it.
3) Explore all possibilities, keeping an eye out for the subtle and more complex aspects of every situation. Avoid rash, direct actions. Collect a lot of information from the appropriate people and properly analyze. Sun Tzu always says that good information is the key to foreknowledge in dealing with any situation and guarantees consistent success, and this foreknowledge can only come from getting that information from those in the field, those closest to the situation.
4) One should guard against periods of success and be vigilant. Almost always a once-successful team's downfall can be traced to when they were at the height of success and rather than use that situation to further strengthen their positions, they grew lax and became lazy. Constantly watch for changes in people and the environment and always have an eye for exploting those situations even when your in the midst of success.
5) Be honest with yourself and put vanity aside in judging your own weaknesses and strengths. Do the same for your opponent's and then you can find opportunities to direct your strength at the opponent's weakness for certain victory.
6) Patience is a key when choosing a time to make an aggressive move. Never attack when your opponent's morale and strength is high, no matter the provocation. Endurance of small irritations is a hallmark of a strong individual. If a leader can endure through doubts, provocations, irritations, bad advice and any other motivations not based on logic, and then only strike when he observes the opponent to be lax, that leader will accomplish great things.
- R
Life's just too short to live half-assed I think. We could all die at any second and I want to be ready at all times that in case I'm gone but I have a moment to think, I don't want any regrets.
Also, it seems that whenever I meet someone and like them, so far if they're a guy, they usually turn out to be a good person. But whenever it's a girl, that girl always turns out to be a disappointment. Big time. It's occured to me that quite possibly it's just ME that's the problem as I'm the common element. It could be bad luck, poor judgment or simply that I act like a total asshole when I'm around someone I like. I think it's a combination of all three but the first thing, luck, I can't control. The second aspect, poor judgment, probably leads to a situation where I then am motivated to act like a jerk. So lately, I've been trying to find other ways to figure out who would make a good gal pal. Pretty much all of my newest SG gal friends are using newer methods. At heart, I'm an extremely shy person and maybe I compromise a bit when I choose who to talk to. Now I won't compromise no matter how scary or anxious I feel when I see someone on SG who I think is amazing. I'll just message and hope for the best.
(The gal pals on my current Friends List, I adore you all, none of the negativity above applies!
)
On the other hand, the only reason why I haven't just broken down today is all of the new friends that I've gotten recently on SG in the last couple weeks. You're providing me the inspriration to write, here and other places. I may eat and drink to live but I live to be inspired.
Ok, enough psychobabble for now. I just need to sleep, get some energy, get some writing done and go out and kick some ass.
I feel like this song right now. One of the very best of the 80s from one of the most relevant bands ever.
I found this the other day...just super cool. Megadeth has gone from Metallica wannabees to the most revered of thrash metal bands. And this song probably has the most beloved solo of all thrash songs.
Also, my friends and I have started a new website for the new James Cameron movie AVATAR. Please take a look and if you're feeling really generous, make a user and post for me.
AVATAR Movie Forum
This is something I wrote in about an hour while at work...thank you to an uber-frustrating job for inspiring this one...
On Leadership
The six secrets of leadership (according to Jiang T'ai Gong) all have to do with using talented people:
Find them -
A great leader has a discerning eye for talent and hungers for people who possess it like a newborn hungers for mother's milk. This requires careful observation and a completely open mind as undiscovered talent often is disguised in unexceptionally-looking individuals.
Acquire them -
This is something subtle. People swarm to a fire at night because it's cold and the fire's warmth and light protects and comforts them. Same with leaders, they must have warmth in order to attract people. She must provide shelter and exude a personal warmth so that people will want to come in and gather to get out of the harshness of the common corporate culture.
Motivate them -
While it's good to compensate well for services, especially the talented persons who would be in demand, to truly motivate someone, you must speak to their heart. Lay down a common cause. This is especially true when the job incurs some risk. The great leader goes out first and braves all of the same risks before her people and leads by pulling. A poor leader motivates by pushing, attempting to coerce people into working. In that situation, the talented people will leave, having better offers elsewhere and you'll be left with only the mediocres who are susceptible to coercion.
Make Good Application of them -
Once talented people are found, their talents identified and their hearts motivated, it then becomes very important to find the correct position for them to bloom. A good position for the most talented of people is usually to slightly over-promote them so that they can grow. Then move them up again if possible. Thus they get in to the habit of growing. And in situations where you have someone incapable of growing any further, never over-promote them as they will cause damage to your system.
Properly Reward and Discipline them -
It is extremely important to make sure there are no favorites amongst your team. A leader should be magnanimous towards all who have chosen to work for her. Also, make sure no one is promoted or demoted too many levels too quickly. Large promotions should only follow from exceptionally meritorious service. If your entire team sees that promotions only follow excellent work your team will they be motivated to work harder because the prestige that follows each promotion is very real. Also, the greater the importance of a particular job, the greater the certainty rewards and punishments should be. Only then, when rewards and punishments are appropriate and certain, will your team's hearts be certain in work purpose.
Keep them -
Create a path within your managed system for your people to travel. Some people will want to stay on a singular horizontal path while others will want to go to a verticle one. Providing this path in your team is the key to keeping them on your path. It's much more expensive to find and train a new person in something complex than it is to keep an existing person. I often see hiring managers spend more than half their time combing resumes, calling candidates and performing interviews...and getting very little of their actual jobs done because they need to replace people.
(Rors own 7th secret!) Replicate them - When you are successful in all of the above, your team will be capable of almost anything. The most important element in sustained success is to have an eye out at all times for developing a formula for your success. Then take your experienced individuals and help execute this formula repeatedly and success can be sustained for a long time.
And the six secrets of success:
1) Never delight in small advantages or that is all you'll ever achieve. Think big and work for the big picture. Nothing great is ever built without people helping each other.
2) Always try to win with a magnanimous cause and a benevolent goal. If at all possible, accomplish your goals with with your wit and avoid destruction. A wise person can find a way to turn an opponents' strength to her own, adding it to her own rather than destroying it.
3) Explore all possibilities, keeping an eye out for the subtle and more complex aspects of every situation. Avoid rash, direct actions. Collect a lot of information from the appropriate people and properly analyze. Sun Tzu always says that good information is the key to foreknowledge in dealing with any situation and guarantees consistent success, and this foreknowledge can only come from getting that information from those in the field, those closest to the situation.
4) One should guard against periods of success and be vigilant. Almost always a once-successful team's downfall can be traced to when they were at the height of success and rather than use that situation to further strengthen their positions, they grew lax and became lazy. Constantly watch for changes in people and the environment and always have an eye for exploting those situations even when your in the midst of success.
5) Be honest with yourself and put vanity aside in judging your own weaknesses and strengths. Do the same for your opponent's and then you can find opportunities to direct your strength at the opponent's weakness for certain victory.
6) Patience is a key when choosing a time to make an aggressive move. Never attack when your opponent's morale and strength is high, no matter the provocation. Endurance of small irritations is a hallmark of a strong individual. If a leader can endure through doubts, provocations, irritations, bad advice and any other motivations not based on logic, and then only strike when he observes the opponent to be lax, that leader will accomplish great things.
- R
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
amelia:
no but I bet you have reasons why I should
nene:
Thank you so much for the lovely compliment! Actually I love being "unusual" 