The art and necessity of trailblazing...

Author's note up front... this is a metaphorical journey that you are about to embark on. Do not worry, this will be fun.

The beaten path

If you live in the northern hemisphere, you are probably getting a little anxious for spring to arrive, as it has been a long winter. Yesterday it was in the air; the day was sunny, the air was clear, and relatively speaking, it was a balmy - 4 Celsius. With this in mind, I found myself hiking at a local conservation area; wandered through the snow off the beaten path (I obviously didn't read the sign). It was here that it struck me I was a bit of a trailblazer. I should be clear upfront that I have hiked and scrambled over these rocks before and I know the area, but now it was covered with thick blanket of snow; fresh and new.

A trailblazer is a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness. Now in the most literal sense, I wasn't really trail blazing as many people have wandered this area before. But today, in my current situation, there was not a trail to follow and if someone came after me they would most likely walk in my footsteps. Today, I was figuratively trailblazing - Practicing the art and necessity of trailblazing.

• Trailblazers do not follow the blazes or the beaten path. It is also contextual, as one person's beaten path is an others undiscovered territory.

As I worked my way through the snow, it quickly became apparent that there were hidden boulders, branches and holes. Any of which could trip me up, delay my progress or if I wasn't careful, actually twist an ankle. Progress was slower, more thought-out, as I determined the best path to take. There were indicators, like trees, animal tracks and boulders not completely covered in snow to help find my way, and my hiking experience came in handy.

• Trail blazing requires more thought and consideration as you work through it. With the beaten trail, more often than not, you can operate on autopilot.
• Trail blazing can be an individual activity. You need to rely on your own skills and your experiences, and that may be all you have to work with.
• When you are trailing blazing, there is a good possibility you could find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. There is risk involved.

Making my way with more confidence, I came to a steep incline with boulders and deep crevasses. Stopping to assess the situation it became apparent it was definitely riskier, particularly with the snow covering much of it. After picking up a walking stick, saying "hello" to a raccoon (who had ventured outside), and accessing my progress so far, I decided to continue on my "trailblazing" ways. There was a point where I came to a crevasse that I would have to literally leap; after reviewing the options, the foot holds and my ability, I took that leap of faith - Taking me to the place where I could see the whole valley.

• Trailblazing involves constant evaluation of the situation so you can modify your approach and acquire the tools you may need.
• Believe in your abilities and convictions, sometimes there will be a "leap of faith". 
• You will see wonderful things on the way.

The return journey was not as technically challenging for my footing, but the snow had gotten deeper. The final part of my trek was just tiring, as knee high snow is a challenge to walk in but in the end, I got back to where I started. The air had refreshed me, I felt a sense of accomplishment, I saw some unexpected things and developed my hiking skills.

• Sometimes trailblazing is just tiring.
• It develops and reinforces your ability.
• You can see and experience wonderful things.
• You learn from trailblazing.

There you have it, my literal and figurative journey through the snow. As I was finding my way, I kept thinking of these words* -

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed! 

Trailblazing advocates challenging yourself with the new and different. And in that, prepares for the people who will eventually follow in your foot steps. This is the birthplace of experience and wisdom.

gpe

* From the book, "Oh, the places you'll go" by Dr Seuss.

Deadline...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

Since I began to blog, I have been able to post twice a week each Wednesday and Sunday without fail. That was until this week came along... this week is the first time I said to myself, "I'm gonna miss my Wednesday deadline!"

Why you may ask? Well... some of my reasons include the influence of Mercury in retrograde, a couple of new projects that have come my way, a school course, a long weekend that confused my routine, and various other general excuses. It was during my mental prioritization I actually said to myself, "Just miss a posting, no big deal".

 I then responded to myself, " A deadline is a deadline... so get it done". I'd like to offer some thoughts on this, if I may.

But first we should look into where the word "deadline" came from. It seems there was an infamous prisoner of war camp called Andersonville during the US Civil War, and by all accounts it was a hellish place to find yourself. The camp was surrounded by a stockade and twenty feet from the in face of the wall there was a line that was sometimes marked and sometimes not. If a prisoner crossed that line, they were summarily shot on the spot. They called it the deadline. By the 1920's, the term had evolved into a less violent form and became synonymous with a time limit or due date, particularly in the newspaper business. It has now found its way into every day life as the time something is due.

Deadlines can be man-made or created by mother-nature and influenced by many factors including those of our own making. In writing this blog, I want to focus on the deadlines we create, not necessarily deadlines that require getting off the volcano before it explores (although there is a certain motivation that comes with it). 

Let's look at the spirit of what the deadline is for a moment. In a very practical sense, deadlines are needed to get things done and are particularly important if there are a sequential number of activities that are dependent on the previous one - Deadlines are the natural check and balance to ensure that we in fact get things done. The deadline also serves another very important purpose - It develops urgency and inspires. Nolan Bushnell* happened to say, "The ultimate inspiration is the deadline" and this has become a motivational quote making its way around the Internet.

The trick with deadlines however, is to ensure that they are realistic but also set in such a way that they stretch a person or a team to complete the project as quickly as possible. Poor deadline setting, result in constantly pushing the deadline back from its original date or doesn't create an environment of urgency and inspiration to make the impossible, you know, possible. This is where the need for good leadership to strike the balance comes into play.

So if we look back to my blog situation that started these prose, I think it's fair to say that the goal of twice a week is realistic, as I have been able to do it to date. Ultimately I had to get creative by altering my process and resetting some priorities to ensure that I was able to meet the expectations of a Wednesday post. So me saying, " a deadline is a deadline... so get it done", is completely appropriate and achievable. In its simplest form, I had to get inspired to figure it out - Having a deadline achieved that.

About now, I should emphatically point something out that is very important. None of your core principles should be compromised to meet a deadline; be it quality, integrity, or anything you hold sacred. For me, at the core, I want to ensure that what I write is an improvement over what I previous wrote, be it grammar, content, or what people think.

With my deadline on the horizon, I want to mention one last thing; when you get a deadline that is End of Day (EOD) or End of Business (EOB), please remember that the business day officially ends when you fall asleep.

gpe

*Nolan Bushnell is an American engineer and entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain. 

Valentine's Day is coming...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

Courtly love... the romance of knights and princesses.

Various legends, good PR and time, has suggested that the first Valentine's Day card was written by Valentine himself. He wrote it to the daughter of his jailer, who was no longer blind due to Valentine's divine intervention and signed it, "Your Valentine." The next day they executed him. It seems back in the day there were a number of martyrs named Valentine, and through their trails and tribulations, February 14th became a special day. 

Romantic and courtly love started to take hold and by the 18th century February 14th had evolved into a day for the sharing of flowers, candies and hand written cards (called valentines) with those you loved. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the mass production of greeting cards, modern Valentine's Day was born. 

Fast forward to the 21st century and Valentine's Day has now evolved into a commercialized venture with roses at $15 a piece and overly priced restaurant meals; with this, year after year, a counter revolution to this sacred day has been growing (in light of those thrown to the lions). While part of this is the result of higher than usual pricing, there is also those who do not have a "love" at the moment or "are not a couple" and this day comes across as a condescending slap in the face. We have all known heartbreak, a love lost or a love never realized and it can be painful... quite a lot actually. We just don't need the Valentine's Day industrial complex reminding us.

So it is an interesting situation we have here, as love and the recognition of love is a very noble endeavour but it has evolved in such a way that we want to "stab it" in the proverbial heart with cupid's arrow. What are we to do? As with all problems, it requires a different perspective to help us understand the situation; and this is where wise mentors or just down right smart people come into play (this is my subtle business commentary in an obviously social, lighthearted, blog)*. In the case of this Valentine's Day situation, I turned to the master Louis Armstrong or as we like to call him, 'Satchmo". For those of you who are not familiar with Louis Armstrong, he was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and arguably the most influential figure in jazz music. It was Satchmo who introduced me to the song "What a Wonderful World" and a new perspective on Valentine's Day; the song is a bit of an anthem for me and it goes like this:

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed the day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
But they're really saying is I love you.

I hear baby's crying and I watched them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I look at Valentine's Day not in the limiting context of a couple staring into each other's eyes**, but more as to how Louis Armstrong sang of this wonderful world. It is the line, "I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do, but what they're really saying is I love you", that gives me a new perspective of what Valentine's Day should mean (and does mean). So go shake someone's hand or give them a big hug, as frankly, it's more meaningful than a $15 rose. I think it's how many of those Valentines would have wanted it.

So here's to this wonderful world, particularly on Valentine's Day.

gpe

*Do you have your "go to list" of experts and wise council that you can refer to? You should.

**Couples staring into each other's eyes, is one of the top ten things a couple can do together, maybe even the top three.