Snow Messes With People's Heads

So far this fall there had been absolutely no snow in Ottawa. That all changed last night. We got a good dump of snow. Now there are the usual things that people say when it starts snowing. You what they are.


Why do people forget how to drive.


Make sure you take extra time to clean off your car.


You know the stuff, but this isn't about that.


The first snowfall messes with people's heads. Yesterday was a much colder day but people were wearing basically the same this as several days before. Once the snow falls, everyone seems to think they need to dress as Nanook of the North. I understand changing footwear. you may want more traction and to not get snow in your shoes but even though it was much warmer today people had heavy coats on and big scarves. I do understand wearing a hat. Snow in your hair can be annoying.


It just seems to flip a switch when the snow starts to fly.


It's important to make decisions based on the facts. If it is warmer than the day before, then you should dress appropriately. If its colder then put on more clothes. Don't bundle up just because its snowing.


My whole perception may be swayed by living so many years in Manitoba but if you think its cold, and you are not on the Prairies in winter, think again.

The Answers Are Out There

Since moving to Ottawa, I have not been listening to as much music as I used to. There are a couple of reasons. I walk almost everywhere I go. While I could listen to my iPod I choose not to. I like to be aware of my surroundings when I'm walking. It makes me feel safer. I don't believe I'll be mugged or stabbed but you never know if you get hit by a car. Since every sidewalk I take is directly adjacent to the street, it's a risk not worth taking.


I also don't listen to music at work. There's a long story behind it. I could use earphones but I find it a bit antisocial. I try to give the impression I'm approachable.


This summer I read Steven Tyler's biography. I'll admit it is not the easiest book to read but I got through it. However, contained within his rambling he said the answers lay out there between the notes.


He might be right.


Yesterday I was sitting on a park bench listening to some Led Zepplin. It was a nice day to be outside. The more I listened, the more I found myself thinking. I felt more creative. The problems I was pondering seemed solvable and realistic.


I'm sure there is some science that explains this phenomenon. I'm sure the egg-heads can tell us that music stimulates some part of the brain, releasing a chemical that makes creative thought easier. But, in this situation, the science doesn't matter. The important part is the music can make it happen. At least for me. It also explains why I have so many good ideas while riding the stationary bike. I'm listening to music.


I need to inject more music into my life. I need to replace the missing music. I crave it.  I will find a way to feel the raw power of Zepplin or the simple musings of Scott Nolan. All of this will improve my life and my view of the world.

The Right Answer

The right answer to a situation often is related to perspective.  The criteria that makes it right can be different for various people.  Of course, there is the fact based information but when it comes to outcome the decision making process can diverge dramatically.


I see two potential overarching guiding factors. you can make a decision that will give you the biggest potential upside or you can make a decision that will give you the least potential downside. I suppose the skilled decision maker would know when to use each perspective but lets be honest, I'm not always the best at making decisions and neither are most people.


I seem to be noticing that I am migrating from looking for the biggest upside to the least downside. I see a couple of potential reasons for this. One is I'm getting older and the other is I changed jobs about a year ago and the job change came with a perspective change on the same subject material.


If you are making decision that have the highest potential for good results you are looking for the biggest impact. You are trying to have the biggest outcome. The drawback is if you have made a bad decision you will often have more the clean up. When you are young, I think it would be easier to make a decision that has a big impact. There is a pretty good chance you haven't had to clean up too many messes, yet. They will come and you will learn. Hope fully you will make better decisions that require less clean up. There in lies the change. Now you are looking to make decisions that have the least potential for a downside.


If a decision has a limited downside, it is probably safer but also has less probability to have a significant impact. Sometimes this is the best type of decision to make but it shouldn't be the default decision.


In m employment I find that I have less control with the input of decisions I make. It is a sign of moving forward in an organization. However, it seems to make it easier to make safe decisions. Not having the control to make small corrections as things move forward, makes it difficult to take chances with decision making. That being said, it doesn't mean you should always be taking the safe way out.


All this explains a lot of why people seem to take the safe way out as they move up in an organization. Everyone says that they would do it differently of they were in charge but it rarely seems to change. It seems like you can change the people but the results remain eerily similar.


Maybe a sign of great courage is to take fearless decision making from a place where you have a lot of control to a place where you have less control. Even if you trust the people around you it is human nature to make it easier for them and ultimately you. So you opt for the safe way. Once in a while I think going with a bit of calculated risk is a good plan. It will keep you sharp and maybe make everything better, in the long run.


I'm in the middle of learning this life lesson, I have not figured it all out but acknowledging I am faced with this dilemma is the first step to learning how to step forward and find some of that creative courage I have deep down inside.

Reliability

Yesterday my big screen television stopped working. I think it is fixable but I'm not that skilled at working on electronics and since it cost more than may first car, I'm going to wait for the guy to take a look at it. Since I bought the extended warranty I might as well use it in this case.


My whole incident with my television has got me thinking about reliability. We value reliability. Up until yesterday, my TV was reliable. The Barenaked Ladies sing about how if they had a million dollars they would buy you a nice reliable automobile. But, what makes something or someone for that matter, reliable?


I think reliability comes down to a combination of two requirements, performance and timing.


To be considered reliable the item or person must perform as advertised.  It must do what it is supposed to do.  It is supposed to do it in the manner that is expected.


To be considered reliable the item or person must perform when called upon. It must meet the deadline or start the activity when demanded.


Without both components someone or something cannot be considered reliable. A car that only starts when the outside air temperature is twenty degrees Celsius, does perform as expected but not necessarily when requested and we don't consider it reliable. The whole thing is probably more important when you apply it to people. Good but late work may no longer be relevant and poor but on time work isn't much use but if you can do good work and be completed on time the world will become your oyster. Sometimes you are in the groove and sometimes you are not but if you keep working back towards being reliable, people will put up with a lot from you.


It's a bit of a surprise to me that my television not working made me think about how to be a better person but the world can be funny that way. You never know what may strike you as funny, sad, or important.

Autumn

There are a lot of things to like about fall time. There is the relief from summer heat, the return to your routine, football, the changing leaves, and so much more. I like all of that that, in fact I generally like fall. How can you not. It has a lot going for it.

Despite all that's good about fall there is one thing I really don't like about it. I seem to get sick every fall. It only last a day or two but it seems to happen every year.

I, just like everyone else, doesn't like to be sick. It really is a good way to ruin your day. Starting late yesterday, I just started to feel worse and worse. I managed to limp through the workday. I wasn't as productive as I would like to have been or really needed to be. I did get some work done but not being 100% means it will take more time to get everything done that I should. I find myself concentrating on my general discomfort instead of what I'm supposed to be doing and I have to keep fixing my own work.

I'm not sure why I seem to get an annual shot of illness as we transition to winter. I try to take care of myself, after all, I'm not 20 anymore. But almost without fail, I have a day or two where I feel like garbage.

I like autumn. It has a lot to offer but it also seems to offer a couple of off days. I guess I will just have to power through it and get back to the good stuff.