In Time

Jen and I saw the movie In Time last night. I thought it was fascinating. I'm grateful that we don't know when we will die. The notion of always watching the clock does my head in. The film did get me thinking. How might I prioritize my time if I was working against the clock? What would I change? Would I start doing the things I wanted to do instead of the things that others wanted me to? The questions abound.

I have a long list of things I want to do in my head. I've read that you need to make a list. I've made lists, but I have always been poor at setting deadlines. I'm more of a "live in the moment" kind of guy. But lately, I've become more conscious that by living in the moment I allow the urgent to press out the important. So for fun, I've set up my own countdown clock. I've given myself five years. If I finish everything on my list before then I'll give myself a bit more time and add a few more things to the list. Life is short. We just don't know how short. So let's make the most of every day that we've got, even if we aren't guaranteed tomorrow (James 4:14-17). I don't want to waste any more time. 

Whatever you think, think the opposite

I've been teaching international students for almost two years now and I've struggled in this time to get the students to recognize the opportunity that they've been given to study in New Zealand. Many students are told by their agents that all they'll have to do to succeed is pay the fees, show up to class, and they'll pass. I've been working hard to break this notion among my students. I'm a firm believer that in order for learning to take place our thinking needs to change. We need to see things differently. I've set out not only to teach the learning objectives of my leadership and management courses, but to also to challenge and change the minds of this generation.

Over the last few weeks I've been sharing excerpts of Paul Arden's fascinating book, Whatever you think, think the opposite. This has been part of my ongoing attempts to get my students to think for themselves. Many of them come from countries where rote learning is the norm. The right answer is whatever the teacher says it is. But in my classes, I encourage my students to challenge their notions about how the world works and operates. Paul's little book is filled with great stories and quotes to encourage us to think differently than everyone else.

My students have enjoyed Arden's book. So it was with some excitement that I shared with them today another writer's thoughts about finding success in thinking the opposite. Scott Edinger wrote a post last month for the HBR Blog  pointing out George Costanza's success when he decided to do the opposite of what he normally does. 

Maybe we should all think the opposite for a while. What would happen if today you decided to do the opposite of what you normally do? Are you up for a bit of an experiment? Let me know how you go. 

Grassroots change

America is in trouble.  From where I sit, the President and Congress have lost the ability to make the fundamental changes required to restore stability to the America.  Too much political will and influence has been squandered on saving face, jockeying for position, and trying to capture (or re-capture) the White House in 2012.  Wake up folks.  The prize isn't the White House.  The prize is a country that continues to function responsibly.  If America misses the present opportunities to show real leadership, I fear it will be a long time before the balance of political and economic power sways back its way.  If there isn't a sense of urgency about this among the American people then a huge opportunity is going to be lost.  Throughout history, major change was accomplished, not by the ruling class, but by small groups of discontented citizenry.  Although a corrupted form of capitalism has seemingly trumped democracy in America, the majority still holds more voting power than the ruling elite does.  Americans at the grassroots can still make a difference in this present situation.  In fact, making a deference isn't optional.   

John Kotter (2008) argues that for any change to take place a sense of urgency needs to exist.  To the Baby Boomers who hold a tremendous amount of power and influence, I urge you to use these assets to make sure that there's an America for the next generation.  For the X, Y, and Millennials, we need to work with the Boomers to face the challenge that few generations have faced before - the restructuring of a society and culture.  In 1862, Abraham Lincoln said to Congress:

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate for the stormy present.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, we must think anew, and act anew.  We must disenthrall (set free) ourselves, and then we shall save our country."  

Those words were spoken in the middle of the American Civil War.  The country was divided over philosophical and moral differences about where the country should go.  The country is again divided over philosophical and moral differences.  This time, the war isn't being fought with guns but with money.  The country is struggling over where it will go in the future.  No country has ever survived for long with out a robust middle class.  When the divide between rich and poor becomes too great, the country disintegrates.  This is a defining moment for America.  The middle class has been gutted.  It seems that they are waiting for a political saviour to rescue them.  Guess what?  That's not going to happen.  The Tea Party cannot fix this issue, nor can the President or the Republicans and Democrats in Congress.  It's an issue that needs to be sorted out at the grassroots.  I think Lincoln's words provide us with some good advice on what we should do.  We need to think and act anew. 

Vote everyone out of Congress

This is a radical and revolutionary idea.  Kotter (2008) suggests that first tactic to bring about needed change is to bring the outside in.  The present Congress has shown that their experience counts for nothing.  They have been unable to call upon what they know because they learned it in a world that is vastly different from the one in which we now live.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty and it requires us to think and act in new ways.  We don't need experience in Congress; we need people who can think for themselves and for their constituency.  Elected officials are not there to build a career and lifestyle for themselves.  They are there to represent your interests.  If the American people can call and write to their elected officials in record numbers and still have Congress do the opposite - then its time for them to be shown the door.  I saw a billboard on the CNN website that said: "You can't fix stupid, but you can vote them out of office."  The current Congress doesn't know what to do because their experience has them trapped in the past.  What worked yesterday isn't going to work today.  

Identify someone YOU know to run for the office

The current political system requires those who run for office to receive an endorsement from the party.  This endorsement usually means that the person has jumped through all proper hoops; they've put in their time.  But a person who has spent this much time trying to impress the king makers is hardly going bit the hand that puts them in office.  From the grassroots levels, we need to start identifying people we know and trust.  People who love the country and want to see things change for the better.  This isn't about Republican or Democrat; but about finding Americans who will serve their country out of a sense of duty.  These people will be hard to find, but they're out there.  It's not impossible.  Their primary ambitions shouldn't be to become life long politicians, or to win re-election.  They should be dedicated to rescuing America from its current crisis - or to die trying.  These people should not only think differently, they should act differently.  

Do something - ANYTHING!

Apathy isn't going to change anything.  Neither will giving up on doing good and making a difference locally.  The system may be broken but it can be fixed.  Too many have been distracted by the consumerist lifestyle.  We're busy trying to pay the bills and keep on top of the everyday things of life.  We're too busy to get involved.  We need to make it a priority to save the democracies in which we live.  If we've enjoyed the life we've had in the land of the free, we need to ensure that future generations can continue to do the same.  I recently read two quotes in Tom Peters, The Little Big Things (2006).  

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - G.B. Shaw, Man and Superman

Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission." - Peter Drucker

Don't adapt to the world any longer.  Stop doing things just because that's what others do.  Moreover, get a mission for your life.  If you don't know what your purpose is, find it!  

Works Cited

Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency. Boston: Harvard Business Press. (Amazon)

Peters, T. (2006). The little big things: 163 ways to pursue excellence. New York: Harper Studio. (Amazon)