Politics as usual

I really don't have much to add, we are oddly all on the same page on the current political climate. My attempted summary based on my thoughts would include:

1. What has our nation come to that so many people support such a degrading character like Donald Trump? Marc, I like the link you snuck in at the bottom from Max Lucado on decency.

2. Term limits are the only answer. Career politicians, regardless of affiliation, do not represent their constituency.

3. I will be voting for the other guy/gal if Trump wins the Republican nomination bar almost none. My only exception is if Kanye West wins the Democratic nomination.

4. The President is one of the few individuals that billions outside our country see as their frame of reference for the United States. He/she speaks for each of us, let's think about this during the electoral process.

That is all.

The problem with politicians

I'll be up front in saying that I think a lot of problems could be solved with term limits for politicians. I'm not even saying one term, but how about two?  I think that one of the very fundamental problems is that politicians make decisions based on one thing: reelection.  That's the ONLY filter.  Politics involves power and money, and if you manage to stay in office, you keep both.  So all politicians - democrats, republicans, independents, libertarians, green party, tea baggers, freedom party, modern whigs, communists, or transhumanists, they all have a single goal: STAY IN OFFICE.  And how do you do that?  Well, you lie, and you lie A LOT.  You have to tell people what they want to hear, whether it's true or not.  You can't be fiscally responsible, because sometimes that means de-funding good things, and you can't expect people to want to reelect you if you are taking money away from whatever is their special interest.  You have to keep lying, but if you can manage to stay in office, you get the perks of being a pseudo-movie star: free dinners, private planes, trips to exotic locations, people kissing your ass all the time, fancy hotels, and even the attention of real movie stars.

Trump is a train wreck.  I honestly cannot believe that there are people who still support him considering the stuff that comes out his mouth.  The latest one is claim of not wanting to condemn David Duke, an admitted racist, because he "doesn't know him."  He made the same claim for the KKK.  THIS is the guy who apparently a huge portion of America wants to be President?  I can't help but STILL believe in the depths of my soul that the nonsense will come to end in the general election.  I personally know a lot of people who have never voted anything but Republican that have said they will NOT vote from Trump.  I'm one of them.  I just won't.  It's a sad indication of our political environment when people are so divided by party that they will vote for ANY candidate from their chosen party rather than vote for someone else.  If Kim Kardashian won the Republican nomination, the hardcore Republicans would vote for her against ANY Democrat.  That's the sad state of affairs, and unfortunately (this is just my opinion) the Republicans have been getting their asses kicked for eight years (with no end in sight) so they love Trump for the sole reason that he pisses off the Democrats so much.  Is that what the standard is for a President these days?  The person who pisses off the other party the most??  It's just me, but I think that the Democrats LOVE Donald Trump, because he's going to make the general election a breeze for them.  The Republican Party is done.  It's what I honestly believe.  It's done.  I don't think it will ever recover, and you can thank Sarah Palin for that.

I'm embarrassed for our country.  I think we're the laughing stock of the world.  On a personal note, if Trump does win the Presidency, I'm not sure that I'll stick with my profession - he'll have us in four separate wars or more within three months of swearing in, and one of them might be a Southern neighbor (Mexico).  I think I'll be putting in papers to retire if he wins.

Is there no decency in our country?

Politics, God Help Us

Now I know I'm going into shark infested waters here, but this topic cannot be ignored and without some fodder. It's too big of a shit show.  So in advance I'm relying on two things to keep me from being eaten alive:

1. Only four people read this blog, so if I piss half of them off I will still have a higher approval rating than President Obama or either of the party front runners.

2. Both sides of the party line appear have 'trainwrecks' in their candidate list.  So it should be relatively easy to remain party neutral by expressing my sheer disgust and disappointment for both sides.

Can anybody be seriously excited about the next nine months in the political scene?  Anybody? I've never had so much interest in politics before which I can't exactly put my finger on (I'm getting older, I now have a child that can vote) but geez, the more you know about our political process the more grotesque and outrageously crazy it gets.  Makes any sane man or woman want to cover their eyes like a child and hope when they reopen them that it has all gone away.

Stating the obvious, this is the best America has to offer?  On both sides.  Really?  I would rather vote for my trusted neighbor or friend than any of these yahoos.  Really, I would. They aren't as experienced, definitely don't have as much money, but at least they could be trusted.  The existing political process rewards those who are rich (you have to have millions/billions to run for president), being vague (any straight answer will alienate you to some part of the voter population), lack of accountability (because the past is dissected for flaws and all that has gone wrong you need to keep your hands clean), and creating controversy and disgust about any other candidates position (being negative, and insulting all opposers). That recipe didn't work in grade school, and it doesn't work in Washington.  

So what's it coming down to for me?  TRUST.  CHARACTER. VALUES.

Who do I trust.  Who do I feel will represent this country admirably.  And yes, there are a few political must have's when it comes to the issues.  But really, it's trust.

So who in the candidate list on either side holds up to this assessment?  None of them. Trump? Are you fricking kidding me?! Cruz? Rubio? Nope. Sanders? Clinton? Nope again.  They all take a back seat to my brothers, my neighbor and even my dog.

So what's a guy to do?

Well one thing I would like to propose is a battery of psychological and cognitive tests for all presidential candidates.  IQ, yep.  MBTI, yes. Strategic thinking, yes again.  Heck, even a lie detector test would be pretty cool.  Results would be fully disclosed to the public.  Hmmm, wouldn't that be interesting!  

Beyond that I'm not sure, but admittedly my eyes remain glued to the TV.  Why?  Because it's like a train wreck, a lesser of evils, who will do or say something stupid next! And it's the election to the most powerful position in the world!  With enough rope any of these folks will hang themselves. The one likely to be our next president is the one who can avoid that fate. Yikes.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love America.  I LOVE AMERICA. It's easy to right?  Greatest country in the world, hands down.  Ask most any American, where would you rather live and raise your family.  Crickets.  But ask others from any other foreign country.  You're likely to get the same answer. Excepting the fact that their country of origin is HOME, I suspect the answer would be AMERICA, over and over again.  In spite of all the issues, challenges, etc. we face as a country it's still the best country in the world.  So don't get me wrong, I love America and always will.  But geez, we sure are putting on a spectacle for the world to see!  And it's messy, not pretty and I'm not proud of it.

And yet, we must rely on politicians to change it.  We can't as voters and citizens of the USA.  Nope, we need to elect those who we believe want to, and can change it.  And that may be the saddest story of all.  Election and political reform can and should be at the heart of the debates, and on the hearts and minds of most Americans.  But unfortunately its taken a back seat to other issues such as fiscal policy, immigration reform, and the strengths of our military.

May God Bless America (and help us) come November ... and in the meantime I open this discussion up to more creative suggestions, debate and dialogue, and of course the fodder ... amongst our large and diverse readership.

Ok, GO!  

Turning Your Severance into a Sabbatical, or at least a productive professional gap in employment

In today’s world if haven’t been laid off or made redundant, then either you haven’t been in the workforce very long, you own your own business, or you just haven’t done enough progressive and ground-breaking work to have been put on ‘the list’. 

From my experience those who most often end up on ‘the list’ are those who are highly paid, are change agents who have worn out their welcome, have worked themselves out of a job, or are just plain jerks.  Sometimes it’s all of the above. Non-performers also sometimes end up on these lists, but I would generally say these people either get fired or quit before they get fired.  However, some companies opt to lay off poor performers rather than address non-performance head on.

So you made the list and you’ve been issued your severance.  Anywhere from a month or two to maybe twelve months, depending on position title and level.  Ok, so now what? 

Job search? Most certainly yes!

Thoughtful reflection about what you could have done differently? Maybe.

But ANXIETY about what your future holds? Yeah, heaps of it. 

After all, you’re officially unemployed and have bills to pay. The severance extended by the company, while nice, won’t last very long.  You’re thinking that your job search quite possibly could exceed the time and money you’ve been given in severance and you haven’t been as diligent as you would like to be about saving for these rainy days.  So several emotions seep in to your psyche … ANGER, DOUBT, FEAR, WORRY, and even DEPRESSION. 

I’ve been there, multiple times. 

Given this new-found ‘opportunity’ to pursue new horizons here’s my advice for staying positive and doing what you need to do, while avoiding the traps of negativity and doing what can get you in a rut, creating an avalanche and burden of damaging and destructive emotions that will keep you from landing that next great professional opportunity.

First the DO’s

• Reflect - Take time to think about what you want to do (what will make you happy), not just want you need to do or have been doing.  This ‘opportunity’ affords you the time to commit to reflection much more robustly than if you were working.
• Take care of yourself – Get a good night’s rest, eat better and exercise more regularly.  Again, you don’t have the excuse of not having the time so make sure you do better in each of these three areas.  You’ll be accomplishing something and it will keep your head where it needs to be – clear and focused thinking.
• Network/Volunteer – Invest time making contact with those who you just didn’t have time to connect with before.  Join professional groups, reach out to colleagues from previous employers, and connect with those in the community that can support you in your job/career search.  Church is a great outlet for this, so are school or community organizations you have always wanted to invest more of your time with. You gotta get out of your house and away from the computer screen.  It’s a must. 
• Keep a schedule – When you’ve got a job you have a routine and schedule.  Now that you don’t have that job, you don’t need a schedule right?  Wrong. Create a ‘to do’ list and make sure you make progress against it every day.  It’s ok if it’s a mix of professional and personal, but make sure it has professional actions that you must take to make progress in your search.
• Dress for your day – It’s easy to fall into the trap of putting on sweats, a t-shirt and a baseball hat every day.  After all, the dog doesn’t care and it’s appropriate attire for taking him on a walk.  But when you dress like you’re going to work you feel better, and you’re more likely to have appointments during the day that require work attire.  And all that’s good for you and your psyche.

Now the DON’Ts

• Spend all day on your computer – On the surface this sounds productive. Know what’s going on in your profession, checking out various job sites, applying electronically for jobs.  But the reality is that this isn’t the way most people get jobs.  Utilizing your network to identify a contact in a target company and speaking with them via phone or face to face is a much more probable way for you to get your next job.
• Keep strange hours – Going to bed late, sleeping in and keeping odd hours means you’re less connected to those who are keeping more traditional work schedules.  Keeping a normal schedule will keep you connected to those you need to be connected with.
• Isolate yourself – It’s sometimes embarrassing or awkward interacting with others when you have to share that you don’t have a job and are ‘in transition’ while everyone else is living their life.  “Oh, you’re not working?  I’m so sorry.”  No one wants this pity party, nor do they want that awkward “so what are you doing?” question to arise.  But limiting your contacts because of these uncomfortable moments is the opposite of what you really need.  Rehearsing and addressing these challenging questions is the best way to get really good at your answers, something you’ll need when talking to prospective new employers about job openings.
• Obsess about your job search – If your job search is all you think about, you’ll get emotionally tight.  You won’t be any fun to be around, and others will notice that something is different about you.  You’ll stress yourself out, your family and all those who want to help you.  Prospective employers will feel and see the desperation, and that’s not attractive.  So enjoy your weekends, take time with your family and friends, and attempt to keep the same pattern/regimen that you had when you were working. 

In full disclosure I haven’t always been able to follow my own advice.  Certainly not all of the time. But when I did follow it I was the most positive and employable, and when I didn’t follow it I was the most negative, and unemployable.  So if you strive for what I've suggested above and you fall off the wagon, pull yourself up and get back on.  That’s how it works. 

These tips are intended to help you manage the emotional swings that are inevitable when a person goes through job loss. I've found no prescription for avoiding these emotional swings all together. There are lots of other really important and practical tips for getting another job - like putting together a solid job search plan, writing a good resume, improving your interviewing skills, and business networking. 

But none of this will matter if you aren’t exuding a positive personal energy, if your head isn’t in the right place, or your emotions aren’t in check.

Be positive, and good luck during your ‘in transition’ period.  With these tips you can ensure that you'll bring to your next role the full breadth of all that is positive within you, and leave in the rear view mirror any baggage of being let go or separated from what will now just be a journal entry on your resume to professional success.  

Ed on '40 & Hobbling', and more mid-life musings

Brad, I was surprised to hear that you've had 5 surgeries on your knee, I thought it was three.  That's a lot of work done.

And I empathize with the aging process and it making you smarter but less capable of doing the things you once took for granted.  I've been in that space for what feels like at least 10 years.  Having teenage sons and seeing what they can do physically is a constant reminder of the man I used to be, what I used to be able to do.

I'm also reaching the stage of my life where people my age are passing prematurely.  Some due to illness, some due to car accidents or freak situations, but they are a lot like me.  I also had a sobering conversation with Chris Hawk about 'getting old'.  He told me that as a physician he sees premature death every day, and most (1) don't see it coming, and (2) have lots of regrets over the way they would have lived life had they seen it coming.

I think about Tim McGraw's song, "Live Like You Were Dying" which is a tribute to his father who passed away prematurely at what I believe is about my age now.  Lyrics are below.

He said I was in my early 40's,
With a lot of life before me, 
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days, lookin' at the x-rays,
Talkin' 'bout the options and talkin' 'bout sweet time.
Asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,

[Chorus]

I went sky divin', 
I went rocky mountain climbin', 
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper, 
And I spoke sweeter, 
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying, 
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

He said I was finally the husband, 
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing, 
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.

[Chorus]

Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with with it, what would I do with it.

[Chorus]
Sky divin', 
I went rocky mountain climbin', 
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper, 
And I spoke sweeter, 
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

We've all expressed our views in the past on this blog about whether you would want to know your last day if you could know.  And how you would live your life differently.  Most would definitely change some things, many would change many things.  Money in the bank means nothing when facing death, nor does the accolades of a life in pursuit of material things ... it all comes back to people, relationships, family, and memories. These are the grand pursuits of those facing death.

So shouldn't these be our pursuits all the time? Why am I so hell bent on pursuit of professional accomplishment and financial success?  And why do I still carry a traditional view of retirement (work until you're 65, save money, retire and live out whatever days you have left according to how much money you have in the bank) when this traditional view of retirement is fading fast in today's world?

Why shouldn't I retire now?  Take advantage of my bank account balance and available time, and invest it in people, relationships, family and memories - rather than hope that I'm in a healthy and able position to do so in 15-20 years?

For traditionalists, our parents, and our parent's generation that's CRAZY TALK.  But for me, it's real.  One huge advantage of being 'in transition' professionally is the time to be able to reflect, take account of the path you've been on, and challenge whether it's the path you should be on and want to be on.  Am I doing this right?

At the end of the day no one can tell you what the right thing is to do.  You have to decide for yourself.  Sure, consult with your spouse and perhaps a few people who you are very close to, but at the end of the day it's your decision.

I've told several people that I have a lot better idea of what I don't want to do than what I do want to do.  And, that I'm seriously contemplating whether the path I've been on for the last 25 years is the right path.  No firm decisions yet, but I have reached a stage in my life where I am rejecting the notion of a traditional retirement.  For me, for my generation and for all generations that follow.

Work for 40-50 years, draw upon a pension, hopefully save some money, and live out the rest of your days based on how much money you've accumulated is too large of a risk.  Because for so many, they aren't blessed to have that opportunity as their time is cut short by unexpected life events - hoping and wishing that they would have lived their life differently.

I don't want to be one of those people.

40 & hobbling

I recently had my 5th knee surgery on my left knee. It has been a long road since first injuring playing basketball in 1992. An ACL reconstruction in 1998 was the big fix, also induced by basketball. Since then I've had a few cleanups/cleanouts for various "minor" injuries. Of all the things you don't know when you are young, the impact of this injury was nothing I would have understood at the tender age of 16.

The punchline is pretty simple: when you have a big joint injury such as an ACL, it forever accelerates the joint deterioration even if the fix is successful (which mine was very successful). Despite the strength or my repaired ACL my knee has been progressively deteriorating. This has certainly been a factor in my need for further intervention to be able to stay active. As impactful as this progression is at 40, I'm very anxious about what it will mean at 60.

So what do I do about it now? That's the struggle I'm navigating. Solutions:

1. I gave up basketball 5+ years ago which was a great decision. I miss it a little, but there is no way to justify the risk. Similar cutting, twisting, change of direction sports are a seldom to never.

2. After my surgery in December I was told it would be a bad idea for me to continue to run. That was really difficult to hear. In the past 10 years I've typically run 15-20 miles per week, 30+ per week when I'm training. But with a lower margin of error and an already deteriorating knee I just can't pound my joints like I have in the past. I'm thankful that my physical therapist is a bit more realistic about telling a runner to stop running. We settled on not exceeding 10 miles per week. Still enough to run a bit, but not the frequency of the past.

3. Considering my activity restriction this solution will be the hardest: I've got to manage my weight more carefully. Over the last year since I hurt my knee (playing in the snow with my girls BTW) I haven't been able to do cardio exercise consistently. The result: As of 1/1/15 I was 15 pounds heavier than a year prior. Running has always been my weight management solution, but I can't "outrun a fork" going 10 miles a week. I've got to buckle down on my diet while diversifying my cardio exercise to keep my weight in a reasonable range. 5,10,20,30 extra pounds on every single step is absolutely horrible for joints. I've got to keep my weight down and lessen the impact of gravity on my knee.

Its frustrating to try to maintain my activity and level of adventure when faced with increasing restrictions on what I can do. I think that's aging. I'd love to be able to behave as carefree (or careless) as I could and have in my 20's and 30's, but if I continue that path my 60's and 70's aren't looking the way I want. Had I needed to make these changes at 25 it would have been really tough. The good news is at 40 I'm smarter. I know how to listen to my body, I know how to diversify my activity and enjoy it, and I know how to eat to fuel my body and not eat stupidly. Now if I can exercise the discipline and execute on what I know I'll be fine. And that's the challenge.