Wisdom Without Zealotry - Lack of Awarness of Surroundings

There are a few steps to bettering yourself:
1. Knowing yourself;
2. Knowing your goal;
3. Knowing where you are at now compared to your goal;
4. Knowing what you need to achieve your goal; and
5. Moving to your goal.

I have realised over time, and particular during the holiday season, that many people have no idea about the special asterisk in steps three above: awareness of their surroundings. It is the key to not being an ass in life. You see a great example of this when shopping. People know they want the things on a list, acknowledge that is the goal, know where they are, how to get to the places they need to get to and go to them. They do not see beyond the pinprick circle of vision they have in front of them. They do not know that they are blocking the isle with their cart. They do not know that they are blocking traffic. Don't acknowledge the world around them.

It irks me because part of any journey to a destination is the journey itself. Sure the end goal is important but how you get there is as, if not more, important. Its how you made the decisions, the sweat, the learning and helping along the way. People can be so focused on the goal that they miss that and therefore miss the lessons along the way that can improve yourself.

When travelling with my spouse or on my own, I generally have an itinerary and try to stick to it. I also incorporate a little fudge factor. This is not to exclusively be ready for any difficulties that may arise but also to look around as I'm getting to the next place. To live in the moment and see what can be seen. Experience the wonderful world around me.

Therefore, the next time you are heading to your goal, try to be more aware of your surroundings. Not only will those around you be more appreciative as you go on your journey but you will also learn and experience more. You might just be suprised what you see.

Teamwork In Mission Impossible

After watching the first season of Mission Impossible, from 1966-67, I was impressed by the format and solid stories. It dealt with fears and dangers of the time: Biological/nuclear warfare, dictators, Nazi resurgence, cold war, organised crime...etc. They did reuse sets from film and television and sometimes redressed the same sets for several episodes, with different set dressing. Each episode has at least two things that do not go according to plan. Overall it was great fun with some standout episodes.

The thing I liked a lot about the series was the teamwork between the characters and this is the focus of this post. So here are things I've learned (or already know but was reinforced) about teamwork from Mission Impossible:

1. Everyone has their part to play that contributes. No matter the seemingly insignificant act of what some of the characters do, it adds to the team's success. It could be turning on a recording, driving a car, impersonating someone on the other end of a phone, swapping an object for another one...it all contributes.
2. Nothing is impossible with the right people, but you have to know your people. The main leader of the group has a portfolio of agents that he can call upon. His main crew are his standbys, the ones who have their specialities but also are quick studies. He also has others for their particular talents or skills. The reason he can come up with a plan is that he knows what everyone can do and not do. Knowing your team means knowing your capabilities and making the seemingly impossible, possible.
3. Plans are useless but planning is indispensable: This quote by General Eisenhower during WW2 was to illustrate how plans never survive first contact with the real world. Planning, however, means you have backups in case the original plan goes awry. The team in mission impossible stack the deck on their side by orchestrating situations and circumstances based on what they know of their target and people in general. With these setups they can accuratly predict the outcome. They use many of the confidence tricks that scammers and scheisters have used for millenia. Things do go sideways in the show but each character has a backup story or action that gets them out of trouble and still contributes to team success. This comes from going over a plan and thinking of all the ways it could go wrong, something they hint at in the show. Going over plans also builds teamwork and reinforces team goals.
4. You are never alone in a team: Often members of a team are operating independently from one another but each of them know their other teammates have got their back. There is never any doubt or hesitancy. That comes from having confidence in each others abilities and the plan. It comes from everyone knowing the plan.

So there are a few things I've learned or was reinforced, from watching classic Mission Impossible season one.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 16 Dec 2016

Questions to Ask Before Giving Up: Stressed or depressed? Follow some of these helpful hints

Map of Ancient Rome: An excellent map of ancient Rome and its colonies.

How Blood is Manufactured Redefined: I love science and how it continues to explore and rediscover how things work...like blood in this article.

18 Things Mentally Stong People Do: Totally agree and I have to make a few tweeks in my own life.

Google Hints: Some ways to refine your searches when using Google.

Illustrated Guide to Law: Basic and clever explanation of law. Its USA based but still covers the fundamentals well.

Kitchen Conversions: Excellent way of illustrating what is equivalent to what for cooking.

Alter Ego Brown Butter Chocolate

I like really good chocolate and try to buy fair trade chocolate as much as I can. When I saw this flavor, I had to get it...Alter Ego's Brown Butter dark salted organic chocolate.

It was wonderfully delicious. Their chocolate is very creamy and well churned. The brown butter taste kicks in once it starts melting in the mouth. I also like great chocolate like this becaus eyou only need one or two squares and you are satisfied. I'd buy it again.