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Archive for the 'NW 'Words' of Life' Category
NW Words of Life
“Three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others, sharing with others.”
–William Arthur Ward
NW ‘Words’ of Life
There is no great genius without some touch of madness.
–Seneca
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Ninja Theory of Safety
I read Inc. Magazine every month. Entrepreneur porn, if you will. Big idea fuel. A constant stream of really good writing about one of my favorite subjects: Business start-ups.
In the current issue, there is a paragraph with parrallel significance to a subject that’s been at the very forefront of my mind this year: Safety philosophy. Winter storm paddling season always has a handful of close calls on the water with the local surfskiing crowd. Heavy winds, big waves, cold water and testosterone have added up to three Coast Guard rescues of close friends of mine.
The rescues [should] get us all thinking, even soul-searching, about how we’re approaching and handling a potentially deadly endeavor. Coming from a whitewater kayaking background where there is a concise numerical rating system for individual rapid difficulty – and therefore paddler skill and ‘readiness’ — it’s frustratingly difficult to articulate a rating for a “stormy day on the Bay.”
In the end, it’s about the paddler him or herself, and attitude, as the following quote by Inc.-interviewed inventrepreneur Saul Griffith, describes:
“There are two theories on safety,” he pronounces. “There’s the SUV model: You wear steel-toed boots and helmets and just survive the injury. Or you go naked, and you’re hyperaware of your surroundings. That’s ninja style. I’m ninja.”
Comments: Please leave a comment.Advice
“I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”
–Harry S Truman
Two Quotes That Made Me Smile This Week
“That’s what happens when a bored housemom is locked in the kitchen with gingerbread, jello, and meringue until the wee hours.”
–Anonymous
“Like my dear ol’ grandma used to say, It’s like wettin’ your pants in a cold wind: It feels good for a little while!”
–Anonymous
There’s more to life
This past week I listened to a classic Brian Tracy book-on-CD. It’s called “Eat That Frog” and it’s about spending more time and energy on high-value things in work, family, life in general, and less time and energy on low-value things. It’s not about eliminating procrastination — an inevitable behavior for everyone– just about shifting it to the right (lower value) things.
The most successful people in society aren’t necessarily “better” than anyone else, he writes. They have simply mastered the art of “procrastination shift.” A generation or two ago, I think they called it ”prioritizing.”
In the book, Brian Tracy begins by acknowledging that, now more than ever, in this fast-paced (and getting faster) world, the concept of being “caught up” is an illusion.
“You’ll never be ‘caught up’,” he says. I actually smiled when I heard that, and thought, “Ahh… thank goodness. I’m not behind… I’m normal.”
To help us swallow that truth, that law of nature, he asks a simple question that brought the concept into perfect clarity for me: “When a tight-rope walker is on a tight-rope, how often do you think he is actively balancing?”
The balancing doesn’t cease. Ever.
Yet, as a society, there is no question that we are accelerating in everything we do. We are a “now society.” We want it right freeking now or, preferably, sooner.
And yes, I’m one of the lead offenders. The most painful half-hour of my month, without question, every month, is when I visit the U.S. Post Office for a roll of stamps. I’m still trying to work out why they built the extra, always-empty 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th booths.
In the interest of learning more patience, and so I may set a good example for Hayden as he grows into this accelerating but insanely-precious, beautiful and rewarding world, I share with you this quote from our man Mahatma Ghandi, that it may dawn on us before we reach 186,000 miles per second:
“There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.”
Have a slow Sunday, all.
Comments: Please leave a comment.NW Words of Life
On Saturday morning, after an hour and a half of storm paddling with a crew of surfskiers on Bellingham Bay, I wound up at a round table discussion with a carpenter, two school teachers, an engineer and a spiritual healer.
All of us are parents, and as we sipped piping hot coffee and ate warm bread, we talked mostly about kids and, specifically, the importance of exposing them to long strings of opportunity.
The conversation took several tangents, as they do, but keyed in on 2 or 3 main points that we all agreed upon. The one I enjoyed the most was that, If a child or any person can be conditioned to accept failure as a messenger of a lesson, and then with that lesson try the thing again, ad infinitum, then that person shall have the world.
My friend Mark, one of the school teachers at the table, reminded us of a Winston Churchill quote that fit perfectly. I’m honored to share it here:
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
I hope when my own son is a little older and is spending his days at school, he becomes used to me asking him at the dinner table, “So, Hayden, any good failures today?”
Comments: Please leave a comment.Our Deepest Fear
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
– Nelson Mandela
Today at Lake Padden
If you’re like me, you read this blog in the morning. I follow about 8 to 10 blogs regularly, and I read them first thing in the morning. So if you’re reading this while drinking that first cup of coffee, you’re in luck: There’s time to plan a trip to Lake Padden today, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to try one of the coolest, and certainly the fastest-growing sport in the world right now: Stand Up Paddling.
Andy Holmes of Bellingham SUP will be there with a demo fleet of boards. Beau Whitehead will be there, as well as Heather and I, with a quiver of paddles, a rack of drysuits for you to use… everything necessary to get you on the water and try the almost surreal experience of stand up paddling. It’s like walking on water, only cooler.
And in the spirit of being on the water, today’s NW Words of Life quote is an absolute classic, and one you’ve undoubtedly heard before:
“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simple messing about in boats.”
–Kenneth Grahame, Wind in the Willows
As for the photo above, that was taken by Rob Casey at the Deception Pass exploratory run last weekend. For Rob’s full SUP photo album of that day and a few others, click HERE. To visit his blog on Stand Up Paddling tips, click HERE.
See you today at Lake Padden, east entrance, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Just bring your smile… we’ll provide everything else!
Comments: Please leave a comment.NW ‘Words’ of Life
Nestled between Halloween and Thanksgiving, four Sundays will pass, and Sundays, year round, are for wisdom. Memorable quotes = wisdom, so in the spirit of Sunday, wisdom, and quotes, consider this one:
