Life Can Be Awesome

I just finished reading a book.  It's no-longer groundbreaking that I read a book but there was a time I didn't read too much.  However, it's the book I read that made me think.  I read 'The Book of Awesome' by Neil Pasricha.  It was loaned to be. It was so good I stopped reading it a couple of times to leave some more awesome to read.


The whole book is short antidotes of the everyday things in life that are truly awesome.


Yesterday I was out flying. Those who know me are probably not too surprised. I was even flying in the glider yesterday. Including yesterday's flights I have logged 2625 glider flights. Last year consisted of 7 of those flights.  Yes, it was a single digit year. With a combination of circumstances I just didn't spend a lot of time in the glider. Flying without an engine yesterday made me realize again how much I enjoy not having to worry about an engine failure, or the batteries in the noise cancelling headset dying or watching how much fuel is in the tank.


As I was finishing The Book of Awesome this morning and reflecting on my day of flying yesterday, I started thinking about what was the most awesome flying moment in my mind.  There are some pretty cool times I have had above the ground. I have taken my parents flying. I  have flown in an open cockpit bi-plane. I have learned to land a tail-dragger. I have a lot more moments.  I also have a lot of flights that were just like the other and I really don't remember.


However, the moment that stays with me is my first solo in a glider.


There are a lot of things that made this awesome. It was the first time I left the earth by myself in any type of flying machine and returned safely. That in itself makes it awesome but that's only part of it.  I had some difficulty learning to fly. I could do everything but lacked some consistency. The weather in central Alberta in 1993 was not very conducive for glider instruction. There was a lot of time sitting on the ground waiting. It was start and stop and often there wasn't much of a horizon. The course quickly became the biggest challenge I had ever faced. Then, on the first flight of the morning for glider C-GMOG with the Chief Flying Instructor in the back seat, I finally put it all together and they let me go on my own. I remember everything. The weather was grey and damp. The tow plane signaller waved to me. I initially got a bit high on the towplane but everything settled in. I sang a bit of 'Kickstart my Heart' as I flew and I landed exactly where I was supposed to. Once I flew that flight I had no difficulty with the rest of the course, I breezed through the remaining 19 solo flights and passed the flight test.


Looking at that moment its easy to see why it should be awesome. I was 16 and flew by myself but that's not the most awesome part. What really made that moment awesome, and I realized this very quickly afterward, is I discovered that I control how well I do. It's up to me to decide if I am successful or if I fail and in that moment on August 2, 1993 I woke up way too early, rode a bus to the Innifail Airfield and would not accept myself to fail, and I didn't. 


Carrying that with me through life is AWESOME.

Fit or Food

Nothing tastes as good as looking good feels. I've heard this a few times from people who work very hard on their fitness.  I've also heard it said that if you don't enjoy what you eat, you don't enjoy life.

I'm not sure if either of these approaches are quite right. I exercise regularly and I admit I really enjoy it. The amount of stress that disappears from a good hard workout is rewarding. As well, being able to be active and enjoy myself is great. However, I don't limit everything else in my life just to be fitter. There is a balance.

Likewise, I do eat healthy for most of my meals. I try to have balanced portions that hit all the food groups.  However, from time to time, I eat something that tastes good but may not be that good for me. I don't eat very rich or high calorie food all the time, it would probably make it less enjoyable in the long run. There is a balance.

If you look at it, this situation is like so many things in life. You have to have the right amount. Too much may not be a good thing.

Case in point, The same people who say how good it feels to look great are often the ones who say they can barely move their legs because they worked so hard, or they have no energy because they are prepping for a competition. That doesn't sound like it feels so good. As well, in my opinion, a bodybuilder on competition day doesn't really look that great.  Their face looks old and their skin looks shrivelled. A week later, when they have returned to their walking around weight, they look much healthier and better.

I also understand the enjoyment of setting a goal, working hard and sacrificing to achieve it. It can be a very rewarding and positive experience. Of course, I don't want to achieve a goal, look around, and realize I'm alone.  You need some balance in your life to make the journey worthwhile.

When I look at it from where I sit, if you can find some balance between staying fit and enjoying what you eat, you may have it figured out, but like everything else in life, it can be tricky to find that balance where everything is clicking. Maybe, that's part of the fun of living day to day. 

Strong and Sensitive

An interesting opinion piece ended up in my Facebook news feed today. I bit and read it. In part of the article the author, Mark Steyn was discussing legislation that is being considered by the Government of Ontario that would require school boards to set up Gay-Straight Alliances for their students. He also argued this is a bit narrow in thinking as there are a lot of groups that get bullied and they are not being helped by this proposal.

Before anyone gets up in arms, I'm not suggesting having a Gay-Straight Alliance is a bad thing.  For me, things have evolved to the point that it doesn't matter to me which team you play for. I have friends who are gay, I work with people who are gay. It makes absolutely no difference to me. It changes my opinion of someone about as much as what soccer team they cheer for.

He was also discussing bullying, as this is the central issue to the legislation.

Legitimate bullying is not acceptable but to be the brunt of the occasional joke isn't the end of the world.  My parents wanted me to be resilient and independent. I think they were very successful on that one. Maybe a bit too successful.  I don't ask for help at times when I should and I can go a long time between phone calls home. Not because I don't want to catch up with Mom and Dad, I just get busy and don't realize a month has passed since I spoke to them. I should probably work on that.  I think because of how my parents wanted me to turn out, I'm strong enough to handle jokes about my shortcomings. Sometimes they are even funny to me. Of course this is not legitimate bullying. That's where someone is tormented and it is not good natured.

If you don't let bullying get to you it dissuades the bully. Now that's easier said than done and you have to be strong to hold that position. If your strong you also need to be sensitive that you don't hurt others. It's a balance but I think we can get there.

Original Thought

As our online existence continues to mature what we share with each other seems to be changing. Maybe it's just my online experience but I have noticed that a lot of what is being directed toward me from people I stay in contact with is not original.

I'm not saying there is not a lot of original content on the Internet. People are making new stuff everyday. However, it seems that my News Feed on Facebook and my Twitter feed has a lot of reposted material. A lot of it is pictures of cats, other posts have witty slogans or attempts to explain what some perceive as stupidity in the world. Some of it funny, some of it is insightful, a lot of it is lame.

I do repost things from time to time. Often it's a link to a news story I come across. It may not be important news but it is interesting to me. Back in the 90's people used to fax jokes around, as that decade wound up and email became more commonplace, much of the humor was send over the Internet. It seems the medium has moved to social media.

One of the revolutions of social media was that anyone could say what they wanted to everyone or to a controlled audience. It was easier than ever before to express yourself. It seems that for a lot of people it has become an easier way to share someone else's ideas or creations.

There are two reasons I can think of why my newsfeed is full of recycled material. They are not mutually exclusive and may both have some impact on why people post what they post.

Most people are not very creative. It may be because we live busy lives or we just can't seem to express our thoughts but most people are just not very original. They find it a lot easier to express how they are feeling or try to make you laugh with someone else's content. It is more convenient, you can't deny that. There are people who seem to have a lot of time on their hands and I'm sure they produce their share of bad content but if you make enough, you will have some good ones.

People don't want to be to honest online. If you repost someone else's content, it's their idea and you didn't say it if there is backlash. You can say how you feel but you have a veil of protection. You don't put yourself all the way out there. It feels safer.

I have no problem with people reporting others content. Some of it is really good and makes me laugh. That being said people should have the courage to put some of their own ideas out there. Let's be honest, we can only look at so many pictures of cats acting like people.

Balance

I am again traveling for my job. I'm on a layover in Toronto. As I was sitting on the plane I was thinking about how this is way too familiar. I have my earbuds in, listening to music, trying to nap. I do it a lot which must mean I'm traveling a lot. I will admit I have managed to slow down my work travel a bit but is still a reality in what I do. I understand the need for it. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any more enjoyable.

I have never been great at living a balanced life. It's not that I don't want to I just seem to put a lot importance on my job. I tend to sacrifice other areas of my life to devote more time and effort to the job. There is a definite upside to it. I managed to accumulate the skills and experiences to be promoted. I get to take on new and sometimes exciting challenges. In exchange for that I have missed family activities. I have lost track of people. Of course, this was before we could nearly live online. Ultimately there is a cost to being successful in an aspect of your life, we all pay it.

I know people who put their homelike first. It is more important to be around family than to advance in their career. This is also a choice. Like me they give up something for a benefit elsewhere.

So, I was thinking to myself, why do I default to the work position? Why do I feel the need to put the organization I work for ahead of nearly anything else?

Somewhere along the way I started to identify with what I do. This was before my current position or even my current employer. I think part of it was I like nice things and want to have more than the basic requirements. I will be honest, when you don't have to worry week to week if you are going to be able to cover the bills and you have some cash left over to do some of the things you want to, a lot of stress disappears. I don't know if it really makes you less stressed, I think it just frees up some stress tolerance to be applied toward your job. I don't feel stressed in the day to day duties but being away always adds a bit. Hoping you don't miss your connection and your ride is there when you arrive are never without some worry. Changing time zones, sleeping in strange beds, and eating at funny times wear on the body. Missed workouts make you feel sluggish. It's just the way it is.

This still doesn't really explain why I choose to have a challenging job that leads to an unbalanced life.

Part of me likes the challenge. Knowing you do something that not everyone is capable or willing to take on is rewarding. On those days when something comes together you can feel like you are on top of the world. Making it better or helping someone is definitely its own reward. Not every job has that. However, to be in a position for those things to come to pass, you have to travel, take work home, make your deadlines, make unpopular decisions, and put your job ahead of a lot.

There still must be a way to live a more balanced life.

I think part of the secret is to know what is productive and important and what is work for the sake of work. That can be difficult. What seems useless to you may produce key information for decision makers elsewhere in the organization. If there is truly no value then it should be eliminated. If it produces very little value for a lot of effort then it should be evaluated. If we can reduce workload without reducing effectiveness then it can be easier to be more balanced in life. Unfortunately, you may become even more unbalanced while you are trying to make it better and that may look like more effort than its worth. As a result, you are stuck in an unbalanced life.

I'm trying to be a bit more balanced. I'm not sure if I'm really doing a great job but, as I more forward, I hope that I can get it sorted out, even if it's just a little bit better.

Elvis Has Entered The Building

Back in December, I was in the Sunglass Hut in Rideau Centre. A friend of mine was in town and she forgot to bring sunglasses so, she was in the market. While we were there we saw Elvis. Yes, he was buying Elvis style sunglasses.

Fast forward to yesterday, I was at the Lucky Ron Show at The Laff. Now Ron doesn't let other people sing very often but there was the same guy who was buying sunglasses, and he sang a couple of songs. Yes, they were Elvis songs and he sounded like The King.

I've never really understood why some people do as much as they can to emulate Elvis. They cut their hair like he did. They dress like he did. They sing like he did. They move like he did.

Everyone, has a favourite. Whether it be a favorite musician or athlete. However, it only seems to be fans of Elvis go to such lengths to be him, at least is large numbers.

I suppose if it makes you happy to be like your favourite, I'm not one to say stop. However, I think that you should just be you. Although The King said, "Don't be cruel, to a heart that's true." So, if it's truly in your heart to channel Elvis then rock on.