I am Still Thankful

I am spending the weekend at my parents house and black Friday has passed us, I didn't go shopping, just to the coffee shop, and I am still thankful. It is funny how our minds kind of turn off or slow down on breaks. I feel like I push hard all the time and when I slow down, I really slow down. After all, I'm writing today's blog post at 5 pm.

There are so many things to be thankful for. I ran 10 miles today and it was somewhat "warm" and there was no wind. My parents have a wonderful house. My van just keeps running. It really does not have to. A 20 year old vehicle with 304,000 miles is welcome to break and quit working. The fact that I get a paid day off! How cool is that! Plus, I get paid so much. Sure I want more, but I certainly don't need more. Nobody with my salary or higher needs this kind of money. My life is great.

I look at my life and there are so many advantages that I have, and have had, that billions of people do not have. For one I was born in the USA, probably the greatest country out there, despite it's flaws. I am white. While skin color obviously has no real implications on ability, from my many friends and a slew of articles I understand that being white is easier than most other skin colors, it's sad. It turns out I went to a high school in the top 5% of high schools in Kansas. I did not know that until years after I graduated. I went to a prestigious private university. I am on salary at a top 100 (top 80) brand company.  Every step of the way I have been blessed with opportunities. Sure I've had a couple missteps, like 2010, but on the whole, and especially right now I have so much to be thankful for!

Thanks again for reading! Also, for my friends, because I know most of you know me personally thank you. We might not always talk as much as I would like, but for the time we have talked, I would not trade that honesty and sincerity for billions of dollars. Seriously, I think money brings it's own set of problems, among them the honesty of those close to you. I am thankful what I do have, it is honest.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! One of the more recent holidays, only 150 official years old. Lincoln promoted it back in 1863. I am very thankful. It is important to remember our thankfulness, hopefully always, but if not than at least for a day.

Instead of making a list of 100 things that I am thankful for, like I have in the past. I thought what one thing am I most thankful for? God. Well, that was too easy. Quite seriously, everything is second to God. I am thankful for all of the blessings that I have, the family and relationships, the wealth, the jobs, the physical ability, but it all comes in second.

On a separate note, the holiday of Thanksgiving and the day after, are not rights. We may treat them as rights but we should be thankful for the days of privilege, that many of us are paid for not even showing up.

I encourage you to pay it forward. Take gratitude and thankfulness into work next week. Thank your boss for hiring you. Thank you coworker for getting all that stuff done you didn't really want to do. Thank your neighbor for plowing the extra five feet of your sidewalk.

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate the visits and page views. It's not the most personal, but for all of the in person conversations it has started, even the ones with others that I am not present for, I am thankful. Thank you!

How Much MORE STUFF Do You Need?

A major holiday is coming up, Black Friday. As good consumers everyone is expected to worship at the altar of the "SALE". 

Frankly, yes, spending your money helps keep the economy going. Without the flow of money between people and companies there would be no modern economy. And I for one like living in the 21st century. So yes, spending money helps the person receiving the money and employs people. 

That being said, how much is enough? Is anyone who will be shopping at the sales Friday really lacking anything they need? Maybe, I am sure there are examples, but what about the people in the Philippines? While they are devastated, their damage actually still pales in comparison the the Indonesian tsunami of nearly a decade ago. Personally, I struggle to enjoy stuff, but I rarely regret the experiences, even the expensive ones. Do you really want to change someone's life? Send her to Africa, to a village without clean or running water. A new handbag does not really compare. 

What is Courage?

It is a good question. Courage must be doing something difficult, but what is difficult? Courage seems to be doing the uncomfortable, so more of a mental and emotional state rather than a physical state. In other words we typically don't call football players courageous. 

I am leaving this question open today. I don't have the answer. I have a few ideas, apologizing, doing something that may result in death, doing something not normal that is uncomfortable and the right thing. Is courage a facade? Is one person's courageous act another person's weakness? What is not courageous?

I Live in Iowa: Week 133

What happened this week? While at work we saved the company over $20 million in three days of brainstorming and simple critiquing. Not bad for a group of 40 mostly young people like myself. Of course, we still have a few months, and in a couple cases years, of work to put the ideas into practice, but we generated over 1000 ideas on possible ways to reduce costs. Of course you have to take cost cutting ideas with a grain of salt, we don't want to reduce the quality of our product. It was an interesting, and long, three days.

We also learned that we would be getting a bonus this year because the company did so well. I try not to talk about my enormous wealth often because it makes Americans uncomfortable, and they are still 75% of my audience. However, there are a couple points I would like to share:

1. I never expected to get a bonus in life. I always thought engineers were paid for their work and time, but no bonus if the company did well. It's a nice perk to have.
2. I will get twice as much before taxes in my bonus in 2013 than I made in all of 2010. That's not saying much, but it is something I am incredibly thankful for and don't take for granted.

Running went great! I basically tripled my mileage to 27 miles for the week! I even doubled on Saturday. I am still maybe only 90% but my right calf pain has nearly disappeared and in no time I will be doing workouts. 

Coaching was very limited, but as always, it's like an addiction. The hope that my presence will help a couple youngsters be a little better, not just on the track but off too, keeps me motivated to keep showing up, even when I seriously question my coaching value.

What else? I logged on Facebook for an hour. That's rare enough it's newsworthy.

Thanks for reading! I haven't said that recently. I hope that sharing as much as I do helps provide real concrete advice and encouragement to do the right things in your life. The fact that people do read this keeps me posting.

My Weakness

Yesterday as I had a massage my therapist laughed when I said that I see myself as weak. She laughed because she said that the amount of pressure she was putting on me was enormous. Most people don't pay for that kind of pain. 

I run marathons and train thousands of miles in all weather. It seems I am not weak. Yet I look at myself, the things I have endured, and I see weakness. I have never starved. I have never been lethally chased, barring an incident in 2004 with a boulder. My life is and always has been easy compared to billions of others. I can't imagine any self inflicted pain equivalent to the difficultly the poor, starving, chronically sick go through every day. 

In short, no matter what pain and suffering I endure it will never be enough for me to consider myself strong. I mean, I am strong, but in the pursuit of more strength there is always weakness. 

The Future Does Not Involve Operators

Not only is the Google autonomous car changing things, semis and heavy equipment are ripe for automation. In fact back in 1997 John Deere started working on an autonomous tractor. Steadily they have been introducing features to tractors that allow a more automated tractor, and less chance for operator error. One of the most expensive parts of a tractor is the cab. Without it the whole machine would be less expensive. Cab-less vehicles also open up the possibility of true 24 hour operation. With infrared cameras to spot people and animals a cab-less tractor might not even need lights to run at night. 

Certainly, we aren't there yet. Do you want to be the guy trying to hitch an implement to an autonomous tractor backing up? What if it doesn't stop? Also, what if your kid runs out in the field in front of the tractor? Finally, how do you transport the tractor and the implement two miles to your next field?

Overall, the method of a tractor with a person driving pulling an implement has not changed in decades, it is an industry ripe for disruption.