If you do any kind of reflection activity, it always involves you thinking about the decisions you made in life and the trajectory that was created because of those choices. From interviews to journaling to meditation, we highlight the things that have influenced our lives – which college we attended, our upbringing, choice of a partner or having children, etc.
I like to spend some time thinking about the flip side of this – the choices I did not take or the moments that changed my path because of what I did not do. I wonder what would have happened if I would have taken the job in Seattle instead of St. Louis or if I had made a higher offer on a different house instead of ending up in the one I am in. I muse about what life would be like if I had not gotten married or if I had not divorced or what my health would be like now if I had accepted that first cigarette when it was offered.
My reality may be significantly impacted by consequences I did not even consciously make: did running five minutes late keep me away from an accident or choosing one seat on the plane over another prevent me from meeting a business partner? I think about the investment choices some broker in New York makes that impact my ability to retire or the regulations a politician makes that influence the air I breathe.
Our lives are an amalgamation of millions of tiny events – often far removed from us – that shape who we are and the world around us. On this Pearl Harbor Day, I think of all those who made choices that put them in peril’s way, and all those who averted disaster because of actions that had different consequences down the line.
The next time you are stressed about a decision you have to make, remember that we cannot control even a fraction of the decisions that impact us. Whether you do something or you don’t, or someone else does something that influences your life, all paths lead us to a place where we are destined to be.
I heard a heartwarming story that encapsulates the spirit of Christmas, and it seems appropriate to share on this Feast of St. Nicholas.
A mother suspected that her young son was becoming suspicious about the real Santa Claus, so she took him out for “coffee” and a serious talk. “When you know who Santa is,” she said, “it is time to BECOME Santa. You do this by providing a gift or an act of kindness without someone else knowing who did it.”
The son apparently took the message to heart and stealthily dropped off slippers on the doorstep for a neighbor who went to the mailbox without them, with the note simply saying that they were from Santa.
Whether you have known about Santa for days or decades, it is never too late to share his spirit and to become Santa this holiday season. The world needs such kindness now more than ever.
My best Black Friday deal was the movie Hidden Figures for $4 – and I was delighted to watch it again this weekend. If you don’t know the story, it is a movie about success despite obstacles, specifically for three women who manually computed trajectories for the initial NASA space missions. Set in 1953, it chronicles Katherine Johnson and two other women whose mathematical genius went unappreciated because of their gender and ethnicity.
In 2010, Margot Lee Shetterly began researching the female “computers” who worked at the Langley Space Station in Hampton, Virginia where she grew up. (At the time, computers were people, not machines.) It was an untold story that no one had pursued, but her curiosity and investigation led to the publishing of a book and then the Academy Award-nominated film. In addition to the artistic acclaim, it has resulted in recognition of Johnson and her contributions to the space program.
NASA, who initially would not allow Johnson to compute figures except from heavily redacted reports, recently dedicated the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility in her honor. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2015.
I wonder if Johnson, now age 99, would have lived her whole life without acknowledgment for her role in putting men in space had Shetterly not pursued a casual conversation with her father about his days at Langley…
…and I wonder what “Katherine Johnson” is lurking in your organization’s archives. Who was involved in the early days, maybe working behind the scenes, that has not received the recognition or accord that they are due? Do you have an untold story that needs to be shared?
Katherine’s story not only shines a light on her past, but it hopefully provides a beacon to inspire others to persist in light of challenges. Do some digging and see what figures are hidden in your organization’s history.
Photo source: Black Enterprise
As Amazon extends its reach into more and more of the buying experience, now they offer delivery inside your home. With the handy new Amazon Key, you can install a device that allows Amazon to control access to your front door lock, allowing drivers to put packages inside your home.
Amazon Key is only offered in select cities, but I don’t think I would be comfortable with this if it were to become an option for me. It’s bad enough when hackers access your social security number and financial data – I don’t need them having my front door code as well. But for some who live in higher crime areas or purchase items that shouldn’t be left out in the elements, maybe this is the solution they need.
But step back from the specific product to look at the overarching element of this – Amazon is intentionally involved in everything from the “Ask Alexa” initial ordering to delivery inside your front door. They don’t put things away in your cupboards – yet – but they have succeeded in monetizing each other aspect of the purchase – how you order, what is available for you to buy, the speed of your shipping and now in-home delivery.
What lessons can your organization take from this A to Z (pun intended) approach? Maybe you are limiting yourself to only one aspect of the entire acquisition chain when incorporating other elements could be the key to your success.
One in every 38 Americans lives in New York City. It makes the metropolis of 8.5 million people larger than more than 40 of the 50 states and twice as large as the second largest city (Los Angeles).
Yet, because it is a city, it does not receive the direct Federal funding, additional Senate representation or other benefits accorded to statehood because our system is set up to acknowledge the primary unit as a state.
Think about how your organization is structured. Do you have a “New York City” that contributes disproportionate revenue and influence without the proportionate recognition? Should you reconfigure some of your units or your infrastructure to support them in light of the uneven size differential? Would you be better off if there was increased parity instead of drastic variations in size/revenue/impact?
Or maybe your system works the way it is. Either way, it’s worth taking a moment to review and to either change it or consciously proclaim that you love your “New York.”
Source: New York City Department of City Planning, Read more fun facts about New York City’s population here.
Thanks, Meg!
If you lived on a remote island in the North Atlantic, chances are that you would need to be resourceful and to develop some hearty problem-solving skills. Such was the case with the people in the Faroe Islands, a rugged country located between Norway and Island. This small country involved their sheep (which outnumber the people!) in order to get their beautiful landscapes on Google Maps in order to draw the attention of tourists.
Frustrated by their attempts to be included in Google’s Street View option, Faroe tourist board members strapped 360-degree cameras to the backs of sheep to record the views. And it worked – Google now includes them and the number of visitors has increased since the project’s successful end.
Now the tourist bureau has moved on to addressing language barriers of these visitors – pushing to be included in Google Translate, but creating their own “Faroe Islands Translate” until that happens.
Many people would throw up their hands and claim that it was impossible for a tiny entity to influence a giant like Google, but these islanders proved otherwise. They sought alternative solutions and did much of the work themselves. If you really want something badly enough, there Is probably a way to make some version of it happen.
Read the full story here.
Thanks, Meg!
You may have heard the saying: “It isn’t over until the fat lady sings” as an implicit warning not to consider something finished until the final steps are truly complete. Many times we get over a big hurdle in the implementation process and consider ourselves “done” when there are still loose ends and follow up projects to be completed.
In a stunning example of why you shouldn’t declare victory too soon, this 15-second video clip shows the end of a soccer match in Asia where just that happened. After a miracle missed shot at the end of the game, the goalie goes wild and celebrates by running toward the middle of the field and leaving his goal. Consequently, he is not there when the ball bounces back in and is scored as a goal.
Don’t stop working prematurely. Stay on your game until the curtain closes on the fat lady’s encore.
Fox News Asia
Shared on LinkedIn by Sudhanshu C Agarwal
