Geoff Steck's TGIM #284: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Thank Goodness It's Monday #284

DON’T BURN THE TOAST

ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

No big, lofty TGIM message for the wrap up to 2010. Certainly there have been highlights and low spots for each and all in the year past. But the days ahead are a blank canvas (as they always are) and the future is optimistic for those who can hold that spirit in their hearts.

So, in something like 100 hours from now, many of us will lift a glass and offer up a thought or two appropriate to the spirit of January’s namesake from Roman mythology, Janus, the god of gates, doorways, beginnings, and endings.

Janus was also the patron of concrete and abstract beginnings of the world such as religion and the gods themselves, of human life, new historical ages, and economic enterprises.

Janus is traditionally depicted as having two heads, facing opposite directions.  And in his case, being two-faced is a good thing.

The New Year connection: Because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other, he was also the figure representing time.

One head looks back at the last year while the other simultaneously looks forward to the new and so Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future … of one condition to another … of one vision to another … the growing up of young people … and of one universe to another.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: At midnight on December 31, don’t let Bacchus (the Roman god of wine) or Somnus (the Roman god of sleep) muddle your thinking if you’re inclined to acknowledge the changing year with a toast.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Be Janus-like when you give voice to your sentiments.

Here are a few well-said words, origin unknown, that you might appropriate:

Here's a toast to the future ..

A toast to the past …

And a toast to our friends, far and near.

May the future be pleasant …

The past a bright dream …

 May our friends remain faithful and dear.

But wait. There’s more. Since we strive for a sense of balance and equality in these TGIM messages …

If you are a low-key or not-at-all observer of the midnight transition between calendar years, perhaps you may want to note the poetic sentiments of –

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. She was an American author and popular poet, perhaps best known for expressing the sentiment, "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone.” The plaque that quotes and honors her in San Francisco’s Jack Kerouac Alley reads, "Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes."

In her poem The Year, published in 1910, she observes:

What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of a year.

As for me: Every New Year’s Eve when Auld Lang Syne plays (a largely backward looking sentiment that translates as “times gone by”) a different tune and meaningful words run through my head:

Turn, Turn, Turn. It’s Pete Seeger’s music and 1959 adaptation of the words from Ecclesiastes that come to mind.

To every thing there is a season,

And a time to every purpose under heaven.

And, of course, that’s just the opening line.

There’s more. Much more. Sing it to yourself and I wish you –

Happiness and Success in 2011

I swear it’s not too late.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Solstice

GIVE AND GET THE GIFT OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Today – December 21 –  is THE day for 2010.

In the northern hemisphere it’s known as the Winter Solstice. And, given the seasonal differences, it’s the Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere.

For observers in our neighborhood, this will be the day with the least hours of daylight and, therefore, the longest stretch of night.

Historically solstice celebrations have influenced the lives of many people over the centuries, through art, literature, mythology and religion. So, whether you officially “celebrate” today or not, you probably will (or recently have) observed the Winter Solstice in some way.

If you care to, you can find dogmatically neutral recaps at sites such as ReligiousTolerance.org or Beliefnet.com. There, and elsewhere, you can learn more about the wide range of solstice-related observances across time and cultures both extinct and extant around the globe.

Wikipedia lists 40+ that range from contemporary observances at science stations in Antarctica to Neolithic and Bronze Age practices in Europe and references in Western Hemisphere cultures that date back to 1800 BCE.

So, since Neolithic times, the return of the sun and the lengthening days represent the return of hope. Perhaps prehistoric man feared that the sun would keep on sinking until it went away forever.

I'm sure they knew it wouldn't. They were as intelligent as we. (They just didn't know as much). But it’s only human to fear the darkness. When the sun came back, fear receded and hope returned.

In our bit of the globe the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of brighter days after the Winter Solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing.

At the Winter Solstice we all – without confronting the conflicting tenets of particular spiritual or secular beliefs -- can trace the evolution of our seasonal celebrations to origins in ancient nature rituals. We can acknowledge the primeval link to today’s widely practiced religions, monotheistic and otherwise.

And in this 21^st Century we can use all the tech and gathered wisdom and best thinking at our disposal to come to one inevitable –

SEASONAL TAKEAWAY: It’s still about the light. Beacons of hope. Moments of illumination. Glimmers of insight. The promise of brighter tomorrows.

Miracles of light and enlightenment. Whatever your traditions hold dear and celebrate and commemorate at this time of the year, we are all very much one in spirit. It IS a very small and very interconnected world after all. Daily it becomes closer still.

ACTION IDEA: Be enlightened. Know what you believe and why. Your core beliefs need to be your own, arrived at freely.

IDEA IN ACTION: Like exploring the history of solstice celebrations, look for evidence yourself. Dig down. Get back to the source as you gather facts. Make your decisions based on your informed research and insight. Decide what works for you and then --

Don’t hide your light; use it. It’s also a season for giving. And in the spirit of transitioning from darkness to light, one of the best gifts you can give at this or any time of the year is –

The gift of yourself

-- your love,

your time,

your thoughtful involvement.

This enlightened and enlightening present is something that everyone wants … one size fits all … requires no last minute shopping or trips to the mall ...  is essentially free … and, no wrapping is required.

It’s that simple. But it’s what those you care most about really want. And, when you ponder and understand the fullness of the concept, you’ll know that it’s the only gift of lasting value that you alone can give.

IDEA IN ACTION: Give the enlightened and enlightening gift of yourself, your love and your time and your involvement, unconditionally, now and throughout the New Year. You’ll soon realize this cost-free present will yield an abundance of riches for the giver and the receiver far greater than you could ever imagine.

One last cool thing about this gift: It’s a gift that’s sure to be “returned” to you in so many ways.

What more could a giver ask for?

So don’t even wait for an “official” holiday to begin.

I wish you an Enlightened Solstice … (belated) Happy Hanukkah … Merry Christmas … Joyous Kwanzaa …

“Peace toward men of good will.”

Happy holidays, one and all.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S.  “Impart as much as you can of your spiritual being to those who are on the road with you, and accept as something precious what comes back to you from them.” Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) said that.

Geoff Steck's TGIM #283: THE SIMPLICITY OF LITTLE THINGS

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY  

TGIM #283

‘TIS THE SEASON TO REMEMBER

THE SIMPLICITY OF LITTLE THINGS

Here’s an early-ish Christmas gift:  Some years ago I received a bit of everyday writing advice with a seasonal slant. I’m passing it along to you now in the hope that you can use it to improve communication in both your business and personal world.

It originated as a memo about writing memos. Typed on a typewriter and with carbon copies, if you can imagine! But the underlying wisdom it effectively communicates holds for all manner of connecting and communicating in this digital age.

If you like it, share it. Forward, blog, post, tweet and or re-tweet a link. Or print it out and post it near the office coffee pot. Or – heavens – pass it around like an old-fashioned memo.

It’s a seasonal gift for you. TGIM readers and friends have permission share and/or to adapt this (with attribution please) for their own use and distribution.

As the headline declares, it’s about –

The Simplicity Of Little Things

Things rarely “get started” anymore, especially when it comes to writing for business. Instead they’re “initiated,” “instigated,” “inaugurated,” or “activated.”

Policies are “implemented.”

Equipment is no longer “used” -- it’s “utilized.”

Managers don’t “try” something -- they “attempt” or “endeavor.”

They don’t ask you to find things out -- they want you to “ascertain.”

They don’t ask you to get things for them -- they ask you to “secure” or “obtain.”

Instead of helping, they “render assistance.”

Even when a leader with authority knows something, they’re more likely to be “cognizant of the facts.” (And speaking of facts, why is it that facts are no longer just facts but rather are usually qualified as “pertinent?”)

Things don’t even “end” anymore – they’re “finalized,” “completed,” and “concluded.”

In a nutshell: When you unnecessarily use big words to express a simple thought, you waste your time and the reader’s.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Consider the simple directness of this note to Santa:

Dear Santa,

Here’s what I want for Christmas.

   Xbox

   Basketball

   Ice skates

   Two-wheel bike.

When you come on Christmas Eve, I will leave milk and cookies for you and a carrot for the reindeer.

Your friend,

Bobby Brown

Bobby’s reason for writing is to communicate an idea and get some action. The writing is clear and direct. It’s free from big words, fancy language, long sentences, and passive verbs.

He talks right to the reader. He refers to himself as “I” and to Santa Claus as “you.” Although he gets to the point quickly and ends when he has said all he has to say, the letter has a friendly tone.

But all too soon: Bobby will grow up … finish school … rise to a position of prominence in business and the community. He’ll develop his vocabulary and pick up a lot of strange ideas about writing.

He’ll learn to protect himself by hedging. He’ll learn to bulk up his writing with meaningless, roundabout phrases that look impressive but say very little.

If he was 20 years older when he wrote his note to Santa, it would probably read like this:

Mr. Santa Claus

Gift Fulfillment Section

Candy Cane Lane

North Pole

Dear Mr. Claus:

It has recently come to my attention that you are currently planning your annual visitation to those sectors of the planet heretofore serviced by your organization.

Please be advised that I would appreciate your presence in this vicinity at your earliest convenience, at which time I would like to requisition the following items from your extensive stock, namely:

ITEM                                                                     QUANTITY

Game console and controller                                                   1

   Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect Sensor         

Basketball                                                                                  1

  Wilson NCAA Solution Official

  Composite Indoor Game ball

Skates, ice                                                                                 1 pair

   Riedell Ice skates 121 RS

   in black - Topaz blade

Bicycle                                                                                        1

  Toy Story 3 Bike (16-Inch Wheels)

   by Huffy

In the event that one or more of the aforementioned selection are unavailable at this time, kindly substitute merchandise of like quality and value.

Thanking you in advance for your kind attention to the above, I remain,

Respectfully yours,

 Robert S. Brown

Robert S. Brown

P.S. Suitable refreshments will be provided for the duration of your visit.

That finalizes – oops! I mean “ends” – the most straightforward self-improvement part of this TGIM.

But, since “’tis the season,” I’d like to take the opportunity to share one more seasonally related thought.

It’s not all about the presents

It’s probably safe to observe, without delving too deeply into the religious aspects of the holiday, that every child (and the child in every one of us) should understand that the getting of “presents” isn’t why Christmas and other wintertime holidays are widely observed and celebrated.

Undoubtedly you and yours share in your particular traditions at this winter-solstice time of the year, the darkest in our hemisphere. The parameters of celebrating may range widely. But like Bobby’s letter to Santa, I think it’s important to –

Honor the simple things

TGIM ACTION IDEA: The true meaning of Christmas season is not about getting presents, but more about giving to others … making them happy … and celebrating how much they mean to you.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Let the people in your life, small and big, know that and you give them – and, interestingly, yourself -- the best gift of all.

All wrapped up.

And tied with a bow.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8 Depot Square, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  “Who can be insensible to the outpourings of good feeling, and the honest interchange of affectionate attachment, which abound at this season of the year?... There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas. Petty jealousies and discords are forgotten; social feelings are awakened, in bosoms to which they have long been strangers; father and son, or brother and sister, who have met and passed with averted gaze, or a look of cold recognition, for months before, proffer and return the cordial embrace, and bury their past animosities in their present happiness. Kindly hearts that have yearned towards each other, but have been withheld by false notions of pride and self-dignity, are again reunited, and all is kindness and benevolence! Would that Christmas lasted the whole year through (as it ought), and that the prejudices and passions which deform our better nature were never called into action among those to whom they should ever be strangers!” From Charles Dickens’ first Christmas short story, “A Christmas Dinner,” first published in 1835 in Bell's Life of London.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.