It Sounds Easier Than It Was...

It's been an interesting weekend following an even more interesting week.

I guess in a way all my weeks and weekends are like that.

At work, we managed to 'clear the lot' after a busy week yet again. That's our term for completing... and, delivering, all the work in the shop. No one would be walking or struggling to make alternative arrangements for transportation because we were unable to meet or exceed wants, needs or expectations: that's a pretty big deal in my world.

Big enough for me to follow that statement with an: "It sounds easier than it is!"

The week itself included interviewing prospective job applicants; beating my way through a marketing campaign, that like bread dough with too much yeast - kept oozing out of the pan; and, just about losing it with an outside sales representative who has been serving our account for more than twenty years and through two different suppliers.

It also included the completion of two difficult... No, let me re-phrase that: Impossible! diagnostic problems that we were finally able to put to bed. The sense of accomplishment... and, relief is more than words alone can describe! And, I started working out again... in the pool, at the local "Y."

That's a really big deal, especially for me. It's that Newton/Inertia thing: A body at rest tends to stay at rest! Yadda, yadda, yadda...

I didn't make it back to the studio that night as I had planned. But, I hadn't planned to knot up a muscle in my calf either. The studio (Krav Maga) will have to wait for this coming Tuesday morning or evening. I did, however, make it back to the pool at the "Y" for some laps with my son Saturday afternoon after going to the shop, filling up the car, getting a hair cut, having brunch with my daughter and visiting my Mom at the Jewish Home for the Aging, where she currently resides.

There is something very special about doing things like that with your child or children, especially if it includes visiting a parent or parents: something profoundly inter-generational. So, if there are any fathers (Or, mothers....) out there reading this with adolescent, or even adult children; I highly recommend doing something - anything - with your kids. It's time well spent and something really special!

Ryan and I trained in Chinese Kenpo and tested for our Brown Belts together...That too, sounds easier than it was!  But, it was an incredible experience that would be hard to duplicate and harder to explain.

Currently, Ryan is training for an Iron Man in Arizona this coming November. His drive, discipline and determination are inspiring and motivated me to get off my butt. That would have probably been enough, in and of itself. But, having him guide me in the pool yesterday with form and fitness pointers was especially 'sweet.' It builds a kind of closeness I've rarely seen shared by other parents and children I've watched over the years and would be one of those things the MasterCard commercials would suggest are: Priceless.

I started today with a trip to the shop and normal weekend regimen of paperwork that I finished just before beginning this entry: four hours of payroll, metrics, documentation and planning. In between starting and finishing, we had lunch and went to the Annenberg photography exhibit in Century City with some close friends - very cool place, very cool exhibit of sports photography. I highly recommend it!

Oh, and did I mention the book I just started reading that I am now more than half way through? If I didn't, brace yourself! I'm going to be talking about it a lot over the next few weeks! The book is thoughtful, provocative and full of insights into both our culture and current economic situation. More than that, it offers a way to overcome it all.

I think there are times when it's all about cramming five quarts of whatever substance you would like to visualize into a four quart container! Impossible? I don't think so. And, if you don't believe it can be done, call me... Or, better yet, come down and I'll show you how it's done!

Now, it's off to bed so I can get up an hour earlier than I normally would to be at the "Y" when it opens. I didn't manage to drown myself last Tuesday and did lots better on Saturday thanks to my son's coaching. The water is calling me and like Ryan, my goal is to do just a little bit better with everything I do every time I do it! You can't do that without showing up!

TPMS

I just got off the phone following a twenty minute interview conducted by a Vice President at one of the nation's (The "world's," actually...) largest and most respected public relations companies. The interview was focused on our experience with TMPS - I know, it sounds like the interview was all about really 'cranky' tires. But, it was really about what you know about these highly sophisticated Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems and how what you know impacts what we do in the field: "We" being the repair community.

To tell you the truth, while interesting from a philosophical or theoretical point of view, or on the basis of the marketing program it will ultimately generate - there was nothing all that extraordinary about the interview with one small exception, and that exception was a sliver of insight I was able to garner, a glimpse of what success in our relationship should really be all about... from your perspective: the only perspective that matters.

If my experience has taught me nothing else, it has taught me that the only way you can make anything automotive 'relevant' to a vehicle owner is to demonstrate that it is 'meaningful.' The interview I just completed helped me clarify that; perhaps, even quantify it more than anything I've ever done: especially, when it comes to anything even remotely 'technical.'

It's really all a matter of three questions, maybe four. The first question should be the most obvious: What does 'it,' whatever 'it' might be, mean? And, that should translate to: What does it mean... to me! How will it impact me: economically, from the standpoint of safety, as a matter of inconvenience, et al.

If this is relating to a warning lamp, noise or a potential  mechanical problem, the second question is or should be: How will I know? That question is really all about how to tell if there is something going wrong before it actually fails and really goes wrong.

The third question is really a two part question: What do I do about 'it:' whatever 'it' might be? And/or, what do I do to avoid 'it' altogether.

The fourth questionis, if there really is a fourth question, is: How will all or any of this impact me (meaning you)?

I'll be exploring these and other questions over the next month or so if for no other reason than to help me find better, more appropriate, more meaningful, more relevant ways to help you.

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to let me know. Like the computer in your car or truck, this will work better if the communication is bi-directional. But, we can talk about that later!

Have A Good Day!

How many times a day do you do you catch yourself directing someone you know or perhaps even a few people you don't, to "Have a good day!"

It's become a reflex, hasn't it... A smile. A wave. And, a friendly, thoughtless edict.

Meaningless.

What does it mean when something becomes meaningless, especially if it is a 'something' you yourself  are guilty of doing countless times a day! I know I just said it a few hours ago when the last person to pick up a vehicle before we closed paid their bill and started toward the door: "Thank You. Have a good day!"

Absurd!

No matter how you determine what a 'normal' day is, at 6:15 in the evening that day is just about over. There certainly isn't a lot of time left for something 'good' to happen. So, why bother suggesting it?

I could understand wishing someone a "good day" if we could all agree on what a good day looked or felt like. But, that hasn't happened... Has it? If it has, I must have missed it and I don't think I did. And, if that's the case, now might be a good time for us to give it a shot. What have we got to lose? Directing someone to have a great day would certainly be a lot more meaningful if everyone could agree on what it really meant to have one.

My son called this morning after he ran in the rain for an hour-and-a-half, and with his best John Wayne, declared that "A day without training is like a day without sunshine, Pilgrim!" 

Does that mean a day with training is a "good day," or at least the start of one? I'll bet it does.

If you are in business, is a good day a profitable day: a day where you have somehow managed to make a little more than you spent? It certainly would be "good day" in this economy! Is it enough to define a "good day" simply as one that hasn't managed to become a bad one? What do you think? I've experienced more than my share of days like that: days where just having nothing bad happen looked and felt pretty damned good by the end of the day! But, is that really enough?

I'll bet most of us have had enough bad days to recognize a good one if we came across one. It would probably have a lot more to do with content than with meaningless activity. It would be filled with more laughter than tears, more satisfaction than frustration. I'm sure there would be a sense of service thrown in for good measure. There would be at least a little appreciation, some recognition and maybe even the sense you actually managed to accomplish something that day floating around as well.

Maybe, that's what we're really trying to say. And, if it is, then we should just say what we mean...

Thank you! And, have a meaningful day! Thank you! And, have a rewarding day! Have a day filled with satisfaction and accomplishment, a day filled with love and respect! Have a day filled with people who make you laugh and smile, people you are genuinely glad to see and be around!

Now, that would be a "great day," wouldn't it! And, if you think about it, I'll bet it was!

Drowning In Your Sorrows...

If you ever want to know just how out of shape you are just head for the pool. I don't mean one of those rinky-dink pools in a backyard somewhere. I'm talking about a serious pool. One of those fifteen or twenty-five-yarders! Then, dement yourself into believing you can actually do laps: as in more than one.

If you really want to torment yourself, meet one of your clients there... someone you've known for decades, someone who can swim laps until you get tired of watching, and then get in the water with him! Oh, and then break your glasses just to add insult to injury.

That's what I did this morning and despite the fact that I am sore: my body, and bruised: my ego, I'll probably do it again tomorrow morning because I'm certain there can be only one of two possible outcomes. Either I will drown and have nothing to worry about. Or, I will eventually build up enough stamina (and, wind) to get better. Now, before I go any further, I don't have any illusions about what 'better' means. To me, it means just a hair better than today. No unrealistic expectations here, just a profound respect for my son who managed to swim intervals for twenty-five hundred yards the other day.

I'll do it because I really liked the way I felt after I got out of the pool. Particularly, the fact that no one had to pull me off the bottom. Although, my body was sore and my lungs were burning - I felt pretty good: good because the endorphins were lying to my central nervous system and good because I actually dragged myself out of bed at 0:Dark:30 in the morning and was at the "Y" at 5:50 A.M., ten minutes before they opened. Now, all I've got to do is create a string of mornings like this.

My attitude is simple... If the kid can do it: I can do it. And, if it isn't this it will be something else. In fact, I think I'll go home and change and head for Krav tonight just to see if I can survive that... again!

Life Cycling...

I know I've mentioned that my son is a triathelete currently training for an ironman. A lot of that training is cycling related and much of that training has to do with spin classes.

I've been working out for years, but sadly I have to admit I've never taken a spin class. I probably will at some point as my son has just about convinced me it is essential if I ever get serious about straddling a bicycle again.

I just got home from visiting our local hospital. I was visiting a friend of my Mom's who is in the Intensive Care Unit. I could tell you just how special this lady is: how strong, how good, how grounded... I could tell you how good she was to my mother, or how nice it was to have her here for the holidays for the few years they lived in the same retirement community, but I'm not sure that is central to what I need to share here.

You see she is in "transition," the current medical euphemism for "checking out," heading to that "Big Garage in the Sky," or just plain dieing.

This lady was diagnosed with stomach cancer a little over a year ago and at eighty-nine decided against conventional treatment. Her rationale was simple: quality over quantity. For the most part, it was a great choice. Health-wise, the last year was a good one overall. Now, however, the consequences of that decision had become clear. The family decided to honor her wishes and withhold "heroic measures."

We're all going to check out eventually. That's about the only thing we can be sure of. How we do it, however, is a choice we can make if we take the initiative have the courage to follow through. After leaving the hospital, it occurred to me that we should probably train for this just as much and just as hard as we would if we were running a marathon or preparing for an ironman. From where I'm sitting, it like takes at least the same courage, discipline and determination.

So, maybe there ought to be a "Life-Cycling Class" just like there is a "Spin-Cycling Class:" something to prepare your mind, your body and your spirit for perhaps the most difficult test of all. It wouldn't necessarily have to focused on just the 'bad' stuff either. It could help us train for births and confirmations, Communions and Bar Mitzvahs, weddings and even divorces, if necessary. And, it could certainly help us prepare for the hollow, empty, difficult moments when we realize that either we or someone we care deeply about is moving to the next level.

I think my mother's friend took such a class... She confided to a mutual friend that her mother had told her that if you lived a good life you would probably have a good death.

Maybe we should all start training now...

Re-dedication, But To What...

I just got moving and I'm already tired...

Not from anything I've done; the most exhausting thing I've done this morning is eat some oatmeal, fire up the computer... and, then read my son's blog (theironmadman.blogspot.com). Just following his regimen on the blog as a voyeur is enough to wipe anyone out.

Although we talk about it a lot, I'm still not sure how he's doing it. I just know he is, and I am in awe... And, a little embarrassed. I haven't worked out in months: a combination of the demands of owning your own business, industry responsibilities associated with the writing I do and the normal kinds of family "stuff" most of us have had to deal with from time to time.

It's easy not to do something. The universe and all the laws of physics are calling at you to remain at rest and depending upon how creative you are, excuses abound almost everywhere! Ask me, I'm an expert (When I want or need to be!).

Not working out and then getting angry, frustrated, upset, guilt-ridden or agitated about it is at the very least counter-productive. It accomplishes nothing. In fact, all it really does is drive you deeper  the  kind of unpleasant blue funk most of us are all too familiar with. Nevertheless, it's something I think most of us have been guilty of at some point in our lives. Right now, I keep trying to figure out why I'm not more motivated than I am.

It's not like I hate working out. Depending upon the nature of the working out, I'm one of those people who actually enjoys it.

Don't get me wrong, I hate getting up early and going to the gym! I don't generally turn in until my wife has had a chance to to spend a little time with Fritz Coleman, the late night, Channel 4 weather-guy, in Los Angeles. So, five-thirty comes along 'mighty quick.' And, working out after work - which feels too much like working out too often, is even more difficult. But, once I'm there doing whatever it is I'm doing for me, I really enjoy it. That's why it bothers me  that I'm having so much trouble making it happen. The only thing I can think of is the absence of community.

I know, right about now you're going, "What? What the hell is he talking about?" But, think about it for a minute. Don't you find that most of the things you really enjoy doing, especially those things that involve significant effort: physical, mental or emotional, involve a core group of people you really enjoy being with? A community of sorts... Don't you feel a sense of responsibility to these other folks that helps drive you? And, don't a lot of them seem to feel the same way about you?

Every time I've been involved in something where there has been this sense of community: someone to call just to make sure everything was OK when you didn't show up that morning, someone to push you farther than you knew you were capable of going, someone to convince you that you could do something (like my son's ironman preparation) everyone else was sure was impossible, you made the commitment and got it done.

I had that level of commitment... and, community, all the years I made it to the gym before five-thirty in the morning and started my day pushing more weight around than I ever thought I could. I had it at every martial arts studio I've ever attended, when the people and the program were "right." And, I guess I am desperately searching for it right now. Which, I'm sorry to say, demands that I stop writing, get dressed and get moving. Because, the one thing I am sure of is that I'm not going to find what I'm looking for here!

T'was the night before Christmas... Or, was that the night before New Year's?

I feel as if I've been unfaithful... hanging out someplace else with someone else when I should have been here all along.

I have an excuse, though! Lots of them, actually. There are always excuses!

Last week was the week of New Year's Eve: the week before New Year's Eve, and it was a tough week. It always is. I was on deadline for the publishing company I write for...

Have I mentioned that I write before? Well, I do... In addition to my responsibilities running our automotive service business - I'm a professional automotive repair technician and that's where the "Captain CarFix" comes from: an old CB Radio Handle, I am also a Senior Contributing Editor for Babcox Publications: the leading publisher in the automotive service aftermarket. Being "on" deadline is all about the eighteen hundred words I must stitch together for one publication and the five (never just five...) hundred to eight hundred words I have to put together for another every month.

It's a lot to do and the magazines come first.

There was a lot to do at the shop as well. The holidays are no holiday for us! Not in the automotive service business. All most people care about is our having their vehicle ready when promised, which can loosely be translated as before we close for the holiday. That would be OK if everyone understood the role they must play if that is to happen successfully.

Unfortunately, everyone - translate as: motorists - waits until the last possible moment to bring their vehicles in and then can't understand why or how that might be contributing to the system breaking down. Our goal has always been to "clear the lot" at week's end. We don't want anyone walking or without transportation if we can avoid it, and avoiding it generally results in a Herculean effort toward the end of the week.

Holiday weeks are almost always short weeks: think stuffing five quarts of anything in a four quart container!

Two holiday weeks back to back are brutal: mind numbing! And, that's why I've been elsewhere doing other things... or, more appropriately, doing no-things!

I'd love to say I'm back, fully recovered; but, I'm not! The fact that I am back at all will just have to be enough. In the meantime, I'll be thinking about you. Hope you'll be doing the same.