My Name is Principles

My name is principles. I am timeless, universal, and good. I apply in all situation and circumstances. There is no getting around me. Many will break themselves against me. Others will align themselves directly to me. Those who align will experience the untold benefit of my universal power.

Understand that I am unlimited. However, for the sake of understanding, here are two of me:

1. Personal Responsibility

Whatever you are, wherever you are, you have some wiggle room. Things may seem like they are hopeless. Things outside of you may seem to push in so forcefully that even breathing is a difficulty. The important thing to remember is that I am a principle. This is how I will I can help:
No matter what your situation, you have an actionable option. In other words, there is something you CAN do. Those who choose to do what they can do, rather than think or speak for what they cannot do, operate under the principle of personal responsibility. When one is forced to the extreme of being physically incapable of action, that person can still choose his or her own MINDSET. Those who use me align themselves with the greatest force of energy this world has ever know.

There are a few known benefits to exercising personal responsibility. Those who do what is in their power to control their own circumstance find that their degree of control grows greater and greater. Additionally, the things that previously caused many worries become outside of reach, lost, and undone. Worries no longer surface as worries, but occurrences. Worries no longer surface at all.

2. Empathy

The world is not your perception of the world. The world itself is typically much different. Knowing this is the first step towards aligning oneself with me. Empathy means understanding how another interprets the facts that are available. Under the principle of empathy "facts" becomes a loose term, as things become increasingly defined by perspectives, rather than realities.

The principle of empathy requires you to see through the eyes of another and to walk in his or her shoes. The time and labor spent in this endeavor seems burdensome. However, it will often save exponentially more time in the mid to long term range.

Empathy deals with relationships. Relationships are complicated by the underlying fact that humans are spiritual beings living in human form. The humanity of us will often deny the movement from our own personal perspective to the understanding of the perspective of another. The spirit, on the other hand, knows no difference. The spirit only knows one way, the way of unity and truth.

Empathy allows us to gather information that our own selves may never have discovered in solidarity. It allows us to form deep and enriching relationships. It allows us perspective that can ease and even alleviate the pain of our own deep rooted insecurities.

In closing, I am principles. Two of me are personal responsibility and empathy. We form what can be known as the best parts of the individuals and relationships respectively. While one builds upon another, both endure forever. Consider us your ally, if you embrace our construct. Consider us your grim reaper, if you neglect our permanence.

-Strength of GIF

The Daily Decrease

 “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”

Bruce Lee

The clarity that comes from a day of pure focus is truly enriching. I have had days like this, ones where I did not even want to sleep at night for not knowing what excitement might arise in the next few moments. I feel “on point”. It is a day like when problems to stress feel more like challenges to overcome. It is a day like when people to change feel more like people to love. These days do not come often enough, and I want to know why.  

There is nothing quite like it, living in the moment. Some even define happiness this way.

To just look around me, I see many things that represent open loops. I see tangled up headphones, unopened mail, and an unread book. These loops want to be closed somewhere deep down inside of my psyche. It may not be running in the foreground, but it is definitely in the background

Rather than close these loops right away, and give myself the proverbial fish. I would rather unveil the deeper meaning of these things, and with any luck teach myself to fish. 

The Bruce Lee quote above has not left my memory since the first day I read it. It reads, “It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” I was looking for a different quote of his when I came across this one, but it had such powerful meaning, that it effectively stuck deeper than what I had originally had in mind.

Now I need to know, I must know. What is all of this stuff?

There is stuff around me, stuff in my head, and stuff on my computer screen. Much of this stuff serves only as a reminder of a thing that still needs to be done that hasn’t been gotten to yet. If that is the sole purpose of something, why do I allow it here?  

Bruce was right. Hack away. I know what is important to me. Love is important. Understanding and ACTING in an unconditional and abundant way towards others and myself. The things that do not fall in line with this vocation of mine should be on the chopping block of the unessential.

This could mean:

·      A happy stomach that does not have to deal with junk food.

·      A happy Goodwill that gets to profit off of all my junk.

·      A happy recycle bin that gets to deal with my unessential emails.

·      A happy wallet, unburdened at the cost of the unnecessary.

·      A happy mind that is well focused on the joy and/or challenge of the moment.

But will it?

The problem is that my hacking away arm has not been in use for some time. Lack any muscle that does not get used, it has begun to atrophy. It may take some effort to donate that first item, close that first account, or give rest to that nagging thought.

I may take comfort two enduring principles.

1. If I use my muscle consistently, over time it will get stronger. Pretty soon I will be the Bruce Lee of a deeply focused life. All I need is a little consistency. Removing the clutter leaves room for focus, which leaves room for removing clutter. This is a good cycle.

2. It is easier to destroy than it is to build. Building takes time, effort, and diligence. I have rightfully chosen the difficult path of building throughout the depth and breadth of most of my life. Just look at me now, I have chosen to use the Internet as a means of communicating love instead of controversy. Controversy is much easier to stir up, but it certainly is a means of destroying. Building, rather than destroying, has been a hopeful thread in my life’s fabric.

HOWEVER, in the spirit of Bruce Lee, I believe I will give myself permission to do just the opposite. I CAN let go of the unessential, even to the tune of destroying it. I can refuse the otherwise “good” things that tend to be the enemy of what I have chosen to be the fundamental essence of my life. I will aim at this.

Forget that Lee could do 50 one-handed chin-ups or multiple one fingered push-ups or eat raw vegetables (a feat difficult for most). Remember what he said. Hack away at the unessential. It is not about the increase. It just isn’t.

-Strength of GIF

CAPSIM Objectives

If you are undergoing the CAPSIM simulation, this post is specifically for you!!!

I just want to share with you some the key objectives you will need to reach to be successful in the simulation. Obviously, the goal of the simulation itself is to teach you how to create a winning strategy. I wont help you with that here. I would not want to steal any of your fun away. Rather, I will list the key metrics you need to meet while crafting your winning strategy.

In essence, I will summarize a few key points that are listed in greater detail in the CAPSIM users guide. If any additional information is needed, just leave me a comment and I will be sure to get back to you.

Here is what we will need to do:

1. We are trying to gain an increasingly larger amount of market share every round. Since there are five teams, we will all start out with 16.67% out of 100%. Capstone>Page 1 (if you have four teams, each will start with 20% market share)

2. We need to keep our contribution margin above 30%. Proformas>Income Statement. This shows that we are keeping costs down and operating efficiently as we increase our market share. Anything below 30% costs us major points on the final grade.

3.  Have the highest profit possible for each product. Proformas>Income Statement.

4. Have a positive projected cash position. Finance tab. If we do not have a positive cash flow, CAPSIM will automatically take out a loan from “Big Al” to pay for our outstanding debt. Al charges really high interest and we lose big points on the final grade.

5. Have no more than two months inventory on hand at the end of the year, and NO stock outs. Stock outs costs us BIG money!! Excess inventory costs us money too, but not as much as a stock out. Capstone>Page 4>Unit inventory

6. Meet, to the best of our ability, all customer buying criteria based on % of importance. Capstone>Pages 5-9>Customer Buying Criteria in the top left hand corner.

7. Invest in plant capacity and automation to keep our ability to produce up to par throughout all six rounds.

That is all I have time for at the moment. If there is interest generated on the topic, I will be glad to go into further detail. I wish you all good fortune in your efforts!!!!

-Strength of GIF

PS, here is some additional information on how to do your promotional budget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7is7eXFOT0

The Knowledge Worker

“The center of gravity of the work force is shifting from the manual worker to the knowledge worker.” –Peter Drucker

One of my co-workers is the “alpha hunter gatherer of our age”. She does not hunter or gather, but who really does these days? She is a spear-throwing giant who dominates the tribe. She is much different. She is an organized leader and well-disciplined knowledge worker. My compliment to her demands a little explanation.

Our human society has gone through some important growth and development:

·      As hunter gatherers, we earned our keep through the obtainment of animal and insect protein, nuts, berries, and the like. We were unstable and unsure of where the next meal might come from, or even if we might be on the menu for some other beast.

·      Later, in the agrarian age, we had the great idea to grow our food in season. By following the natural law of the harvest, we were able to obtain a more steady food supply. We could civilize, to a degree, and unite build upon a new technology.

·      Later still, we invented different types of hardware. The industrial age built on the principles of manufacturing things that made life easier. We were able to streamline food production. This opened up opportunities for something new.

·      In this brief moment, we exist in the information age. The information age has allowed us to exchange ideas and information on best practices in every industry in all parts of the world in an instant. The best minds of the world are coming together like never before, and we have only just begun to scratch the surface of our full potential.

Herein lies a particular difficulty. While cavemen, farmers, and inventors/factory workers may have characterized the workers of previous ages, the workers of our age have a different name. Peter Drucker, who has been considered the “father of modern management”, devised the term “knowledge worker”. That is what your customer service representative, bank teller, and President is…a knowledge worker. They manipulate and transfer knowledge. As some people put it, they do not actually DO anything. There is no physical manipulation of matter.

I am mostly writing this post in order to make a prediction. In the next 50 years, 90% of Americans will be knowledge workers. Yes, even your garbage man, landscaper, and janitor will be managing devices that do their respective work for them. Them will simply work the knowledge aspect of the program. Our social status will be judged, to a greater degree, on the quantity and quality of the information that we manage.

With this knowledge in mind, I am no longer inclined to feel guilt after a day at work at the computer. In fact, the further advanced knowledge of the programming, software, and hardware of my devices that I have, the greater my contribution to the work effort. The computer geeks of yesterday are the “alpha hunter gatherers” of tomorrow.

This knowledge indeed transforms the way I think about…. Everything. Fitness, spirituality, learning, and relationships all take new form as we transition our age. Many managers still manage will the rules of the industrial age. The use metrics based on quantity rather than priority. They judge processes rather than outcomes.

I am afraid the ones stuck in the past will not last another age. Let us never forget, we are always transitioning our age. Whatever is next is already at hand. Our flexibility to adapt and grow in that direction is kin to the plant that blooms in the course of the sunshine.

Our God has allowed mankind to grow increasingly brilliant. Let us lead us develop our mind, body, heart, and spirit according to his allowance. Of further importance, let us grow our families in the direction of his life giving light.

-Strength of GIF