Steve the Owl's Blog

Recently, I have finished one of the best books I have read on the subject of personal development in a long time: The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life by Jeff Olson. You may have recognized some of the examples that I gave in an earlier post about doing small things to make big changes, using an example of a $10,000 bank account that compounds at a daily rate of 0.3%. What amazes me is how there are so many other areas in life where this takes place, and Jeff Olson hits on so many in his book.

Health and Fitness

You may remember my efforts to get in shape for my ultimate goal in running: a mile in five minutes or less before my 40th birthday. This is a perfect example of The Slight Edge at work. I decided that I would make the effort to stay consistent in my running. While I have only had one major mile test since I started running again, I have noticed something about my daily runs. When I started running this summer, I noticed that my daily runs (where I try to run without having to breathe hard at all, and keeping my pulse at least above 140, more depending on the type of run) were 10-11 minutes per mile (or slower on some days) and my weekly long run was at 11-12 minutes per mile. However, by continuing to run and get miles in on a weekly basis, I’ve noticed that my daily runs are at about a 9 1/2 minute per mile pace, to the point where my last two runs have actually been at a per mile pace of nearly ten seconds faster than the 5K race I entered in the fall, and I was running much harder that day. As Jeff Olson reminds us, drawing from Jim Rohn

The things you need to do to succeed are easy to do. Unfortunately, they are also easy not to do.

He points out that making a daily run will not make someone healthier the first day, or even the first week, but that once the discipline kicks in, we can surprise ourselves by what we can do. However, what disappoints so many people these days is our instant gratification society where we expect things right now, but we ignore the things that we should do in the long term.

What Not to Do

In a similar idea, Stephen Covey talks about the difference between farming and school. One of the requirements for my degree is that I have to have three foreign languages: German, Greek, and French. I took German as an undergraduate, but it has been six years since my last German course. The test for proficiency is a relatively simple concept: you have a 300-word article in your field, and 90 minutes to translate it, with the use of a German-English Dictionary for words that you can’t remember immediately. The test is offered twice a semester, but life kept getting in the way (or perhaps I let it get in the way), and once I found out that I couldn’t start the Greek proficiency until next year instead of this year, thus postponing my degree another year, I lost motivation, and the next thing I knew, I realized that I hadn’t done enough studying to refresh my brain for German, so I knew that I would have to wait another semester. This is how The Slight Edge can work against you.

So, in the things that you have done in life, I am sure that you can find how this principle has both worked for you and worked against you. What are you willing to do to change your circumstances and make The Slight Edge work for you?

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There is a famous saying in politics. I don’t know how prevalent it is other places, but it usually comes up in the context of strange bedfellows on a particular issue:

Even a busted clock is right twice a day.

With this in  mind, I started to think about the question of what to do with the things that we read if we find the general tone of the book to be completely distasteful, and a lot of the information comes from an abhorrent place.

Did He Really Say That?

I first encountered this phenomenon while reading a book on what it takes to become rich. (Names will be withheld to protect the innocent, and because I don’t want to get into an argument about the merits of the book with people who like it. I simply want to explain my experience with the book.) As I read the book, I thought that there was a lot to be said for the idea that there is a necessary mindset to establish wealth that most of us simply don’t have.

However, when it came to practical advice, there were some things that I found appalling. For example, this book talked about how the author really enjoyed finding out about houses that banks were auctioning after foreclosure because that meant that he could make huge profits. Maybe it was because of the fact that I read this book while the United States is still in the midst of a financial crisis and record foreclosures, but I was surprised for two reasons: 1) It seemed to me to be woefully insensitive to lick one’s chops when finding out that a family lost its home; 2) I like the idea of making a profit by making things better for people, not by getting rich off of other people’s misery.

The Busted Clock

However, I did see some practical advice that I felt was, let’s just say, not morally offensive to my person. Reading about tax liens, and finding out later how they really work, seemed to me something that was beneficial to everyone involved. (The difference between a tax lien and a tax deed is that the former gives the property owner time to repay the tax debt in order to keep the property while the latter transfers it automatically.) So, do I throw out everything that this person said because I find some of his ideas to be repellent? I don’t think that is a good idea. I think that there is a difference when it comes to continuing to read someone like this (Depending on what the author writes about, I will not read it if I know that it is going down that path.) but I think that there are definitely times when we can find good ideas from anyone.

For example, I am currently reading a novel on personal development where some of the book itself goes into a bizarre place, and compares people who disagree with the author to emissaries of Satan. However, there are a lot of interesting ideas in the book, and I am going to continue to read it, because I know that I can overlook that element of the story. I am reminded of what someone who has never disappointed me in the world of personal development, Jim Rohn, and something that he had to say about trying to make as much money as you can:

I didn’t say that you should make as much as possible. I said you should make as much money as possible within the proper economic time and within your moral standards. I say “within the proper economic time” because you have to balance your work with the rest of your life. I say “within your moral standards” because you have to do good in order to live good.

To borrow an analogy from another Great Teacher, when the time of harvest comes, you will know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. If something works well and it fits your moral beliefs, learn that. There really are times when we can learn from everyone.

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One of the most popular ideas in the world of online marketing is the power of the Law of Attraction. In its purest form, advocates of the Law of Attraction argue that the Law of Attraction is the notion of sending vibrations through the universe that make it so that our intentions eventually lead to us getting the things that we desire.

Where This Falls Short

The hardcore Law of Attraction people (in the Christian world, these people are also known as “name it and claim it”) sometimes think that this is all that is necessary in order to achieve our goals and the things that we are looking for in life. However, anyone who has actually had success knows that this is not the case. (I’ve noticed that there are some authors of personal development books who seem to go out of their way to use the phrase “Law of Attraction.”) While a lot of people who argue for the Law of Attraction do want to actually do the work that is necessary in order to achieve, there are some who seem to miss this part of the equation.

There is also what I consider to be one of the more dangerous arguments in works such as The Secret. There are those who argue that, taking the Law of Attraction even further, that visiting the sick (even if the disease is not a contagious disease) will only make the person visiting more susceptible to illness because of the “bad vibrations” the sick person sends, and I think that that sends the absolute wrong message. Then, there is the famous argument that “glasses are no longer necessary after a period of time” with the Law of Attraction. I’m sorry, but as someone who has worn glasses since the age of 16, and has seen my vision get worse, not better, when I went a long period of time without wearing glasses, I have to say that I am skeptical.

The Value Behind the Idea

Do I think that the Law of Attraction is all meaningless at best and harmless at worst? I do not. As a matter of fact, I have used that expression before, such as describing a rapid improvement in three weeks in my 5K time. My real argument in this blog post is not with the idea of positive thinking, or with the idea that our thoughts are powerful, but that the Law of Attraction does something different than what its biggest advocate claim that it does, and that the thing that it does is still positive.

I think that the key to the Law of Attraction as I understand it is not what it does to the universe as a whole, but what it does to the person. Using the example earlier, I had something to focus on, and this made it easier for me to meet my goal in the race. I think that affirmations work the same way. I think that the true power of affirmations is not a vibrations thing, but that the true power of affirmations comes from dealing with out subconscious mindset and attitudes. This is a very powerful thing, but I don’t think that it is the same thing that some people argue for when they advocate the Law of Attraction.

Conclusion

As I have said earlier, I think that things that are called the Law of Attraction can be used in a way that is counterproductive. However, I think that by redefining what we think of when we use techniques associated with the Law of Attraction, we can do powerful things to our subconscious that will give us the desire to do the things we want to do to achieve the things we want to achieve.

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. I don’t really want to talk about issues of war and peace, although this is something that often happens this time of year. Instead, I want to talk about what it means to me to be a veteran, and what it means to me to truly support us.

Why We Fight

I think that many people join the military for different reasons. One of those reasons is service for their country. For others, it is a family tradition. (By the way, one small point: I am a fourth-generation veteran. I have seen and heard several people who use the generation of veteran that they are almost as a weapon. My small point of aggravation with things like that is this: why does my great-grandfather’s status as a World War I Army veteran, my grandfather’s status as a World War II Army veteran, my dad’s status as a Vietnam War-era Air Force veteran and two uncles [plus one aunt's ex-husband] who fought in Vietnam make me any more patriotic than someone who doesn’t have that history, especially if that person doesn’t want to join the military?) For still others, it is a signing bonus or money for college.

I say this because, as veterans, we are not a monolithic group. We signed the dotted lines for different reasons, and we had many different feelings about our service once we actually signed up. However, I give my respect to people who join for many different reasons, because I feel that it is a worthy and honorable profession. I did my one tour, and I got out after my first enlistment contract was over, and I celebrated greatly when the day came two years later when I knew that I never had to go again. I wouldn’t do it over again now, but I do not regret enlisting and serving.

“Support Our Troops”

One of the things that bothers me is those magnetic “support our troops” magnetic bumper stickers. I understand the real reason why some people put them on their cars and trucks, but what bothers me is the idea of using us as a weapon. (Before I forget, “troops” is an inaccurate term. I would say “soldier,” but that betrays my history with the Army and the Army National Guard. If one is being neutral towards the branches of service, the proper term is “service members” or “servicemen and women.”) Many seem to want to use us as part of a political agenda regarding questions of war and peace, or to make themselves feel like they are doing something.

However, what are they really doing other than the bumper sticker? Sometimes, we have a tendency to do the symbolic gesture while ignoring the real deal. I was frustrated when I talked to a lot of people who told me that they supported us, but they never actually did something as simple as putting something in a care package donation box or joining a pen pal program with someone serving. This doesn’t even ignore the fact that our servicemen and women are often neglected when we return home from war. Yes, we get benefits, but there are often times when the Veterans’ Administration gets underfunded which means that we often fail to receive the care that we need. (One example is a binary treatment of PTSD, rather than acknowledging that people can and do suffer from degrees of it.) There are also categories for veterans in the VA that means that people who were in Reserve Components like me who get activated often fall to the back of the line for treatment. For example, I can only get treatment at a VA hospital for something directly related to my time in Iraq, so if it’s not my back, sinuses, or headaches, they can’t help me, whereas anyone who serves in the Regular Components, even if they only have a stateside desk job, will get covered for everything for life. Remedying this is another way to show true support for our servicemembers and veterans.

So, as you think back, thank a veteran, yes, but also thank a veteran by your actions.

Recently, I read a very interesting book about personal development and life, The Not-So Big Life, by Sarah Susanka. What made her book so fascinating to me was the way that she was able to find so many parallels between her chosen field of architecture, and the way people build a life. So, this got me thinking about the things that we do as we work to build our life and fill it with things and people in order to find meaning behind it all, and what lessons a not-so big life can teach us.

What Are We Building For?

One of the things that is so frustrating to me is the idea that people should constantly build to get bigger just for the sake of getting bigger, whether it is financial, physical, or material, there is still this attitude that too much is never enough. This leads me to one of the questions that is at the bottom of the philosophy behind the not-so big life: that getting bigger for its own sake often leads to alienation rather than making things better. After all, how many times have you moved into a bigger house or a bigger apartment, only to find out that it has a horrible empty feeling?

This is where the not-so big life comes into play. Instead of focusing on getting bigger and bigger (I have read personal development books about building wealth that actually say openly that there is no ultimate goal, and they recommend getting bigger and bigger.), why not focus on quality of life? I am not saying that we should lack ambition. However, I think that it is also important to focus on the real reason why we want to do the things that we want to in the world of business. Is there really that much of a difference between a one-million-dollar home and a two-million-dollar home? Is there really that much of a difference between a Lexus and an Infiniti? (I literally heard someone complaining that he wanted to get a free Lexus but “only got an Infiniti.”)

So, I have some thoughts that may be counterintuitive, but may help us find meaning to our goals in business and in life. What is your income goal, either monthly or annually? Why is that your goal? What do you want to do with that income? I know what my goals are, and I know why I am seeking those levels. It may not make me a “guru” in the business, but I believe that the goals that I have set, if realized, will help me to realize a level of success that will help me to lead the kind of quality life that I want to live and it means that I am helping other people meet the same goals.

What are your goals in the world of business and life, and why are they your goals?

I have read from both Brian Tracy and Jeff Olson about the need for small changes in order to improve our lives in big way. One of the examples is the story called “The Choice.” Long story short, when given the choice between a million dollars in cash, or a penny that will double every day for a month, take the penny. Anyway, this got me thinking about the nature of improvement.

Big Leaps or Small Steps

I read a statistic that shocked me recently. It said that 15% of all Americans are actually using the lottery as their retirement plan. As someone who owns a (small but growing) share in a Roth IRA, this is something that is very shocking to me. However, I think that this is because of this notion that we have to get the “one big score.” One of the greatest TV shows ever made, The Honeymooners, focused on one man’s search for his big score. (Spoiler alert: in all 39 episodes, it never happens.) Why is this such a prevalent idea? I think that it’s because something like hitting it big is just so dramatic that what success usually looks like doesn’t really work on a movie or television screen.

What Small Change Looks Like

However, there is an interesting dynamic. With the power of compound interest, each incremental improvement is slightly bigger than the last. For example, if someone improves by only three-tenths of one percent a year, every day for one year, that is an improvement of 198.4%, meaning that someone has nearly tripled in productivity. Taking one day off every week, this is still an improvement of 154.6%, and taking weekends off leads to an improvement of 117.9%, still more than doubling within one year’s time.

Why does this happen? Let’s take the first two numbers. If we start at $10,000, for the simple purpose of round numbers, and we build by 0.3% in one day, we have made $30, making our total $10,030. What would the yield be on day two at the same rate? If you guessed $30 again, you would be wrong. Why is that? What are we adding the 0.3% to? We are adding to the $10,030, not $10,000, so that means that the second day, we would earn a yield of $30.09. It is a small change, but it is still a nine-cent difference. However, let’s look at the next day. It the yield going to be $30.09 again? No, it’s not. This time, because the principal is $10,060.09, the yield is $30.18, leaving you with $10,090.27. It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to see where this going.

Using our three examples for one year (every day, taking one day off a week, taking weekends off), this is what happens on the last day:

Every Day (365th day): $29,753.61 at the beginning of the day, $89.26 yield, $29,842.87 at the end of the day

One Day Off (312th Day): $25,385.76 at the beginning of the day, $76.16 yield, $25,461.92 at the end of the day

Weekends Off (260th Day): $21,724.09 at the beginning of the day, $65.18 yield, $21,789.27 at the end of the day

No matter how you slice it, the fact that the yield keeps growing by a tiny amount means that there is a big change by the end. I think that we can all agree that even $65.18, the lowest of the three yields, is a lot more than $30. So, how do you build a little bit each day? Try reading positive uplifting books that tell you how to build your business or find success. It doesn’t matter the field: I think that every single one of us can find an improvement of three out of one thousand in a day. If you can do that, you can do it again.

How are you going to find your small step each day?

The World Series came to an end on Monday, with the San Francisco Giants upsetting the heavily-favored Texas Rangers four games to one for their tenth World Series title (equalling the St. Louis Cardinals for second all time), and the first since 1954, when they were still the New York Giants, and a team led by Willie Mays’ famous catch in Game One propelled them to an upset of the Cleveland Indians, winners of 111 games in the regular season, in four straight games.

In order to commemorate the World Series, a read an excellent book by Ron White, the famed motivational speaker and memory coach, 22 Success Lessons from Baseball. After reading this excellent book (which is pretty short, and can be knocked out in less than two hours), I thought of some lessons from baseball that I didn’t see in the book that I thought I would share with you.

Never Too Late

There is some allusion in the book to the fact that one thing that sets baseball apart from just about every other sport is that there is no clock. One of the quotes in the book states that this means that it is impossible to stall and play keep-away, because every team gets its fair turn to score. I saw this in evidence in Game One of this year’s American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. The Yankees sent their top pitcher, CC Sebathia, to the mound against the high-powered Texas offense. He left the game early, and the Yankees trailed the game 5-0 after seven innings. However, the Yankees have the best relief pitching in baseball, and they shut out the Rangers after Sebathia left. Then, the Rangers’ bullpen imploded and the Yankees scored six runs in the eighth inning to take a 6-5 lead, which they turned over to the greatest closer in the history of the game, Mariano Rivera, and the score held. This shows that it is never too late to enjoy success, as long as we never give up.

Know Your Teammate’s Roles

One of the more interesting displays in the playoffs came in Game Four of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies. In that game, knowing that he had a pretty depleted bullpen, Charlie Manuel, the Phillies manager, called upon Roy Oswalt, the Number Two starting pitcher in the rotation, to pitch the ninth inning with the game tied at 5-5, hoping to turn the ball over to Brad Lidge, the closer, in the tenth inning if the Phillies could score in the top of the tenth. Oswalt managed to get two outs, but the second out was a sacrifice fly, allowing the winning run to score, and the Giants to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. This happened because of the difference between a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher. This is nothing against Oswalt, who pitched brilliantly in a Game Two win and a Game Six no-decision. However, a starting pitcher uses more pitches and often settles into a game as he sees a batter several times. A closer uses only one or two pitches, and has to come out of the gate with his best stuff. Because he was used to settling into a game, Oswalt had difficulty with his first two batters, and that was enough. If Manuel would have used Oswalt in the eighth inning, and used Ryan Madson, who normally acted as the set-up man (the relief pitcher who usually pitches in the seventh and/or eighth inning as a bridge between the starter and closer in close games if the starter pitches seven innings or less) for Lidge, the results might have been different. In our own teams, we each have players who have their own roles, and putting people in the wrong role is often a recipe for disaster.

Know the Fundamentals

The reason the Texas Rangers were so heavily favored in this year’s World Series was their offense. It is true that they also had Cliff Lee, the best postseason pitcher of 2009, who dominated in the American League playoffs as well, but the Giants were a team that relied almost exclusively on its pitching, as attested by their .238 team batting average, far and away the lowest of any of the eight teams that qualified for the playoffs. However, I went against the grain and picked the Giants because of their excellent pitching. I did so because great pitching almost always beats great hitting in the World Series. The Giants knew this as well, and they built their team around the most important foundation, and this gave them the edge that was hard to see on highlight reels, but one that was enough. How many times are you building your first priority first?

The Paradox of Baseball

This is one of my all-time favorite baseball statistics. Did you know that the same pitcher has the record for wins and losses? Cy Young won 511 games in his career (Walter Johnson is second at 417, and the two pitchers tied for third, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Christy Mathewson, are at 373, a full 138 games behind Young) and he lost 316. To put that number in perspective, only sixteen pitchers have won that many games, including Young. Also, the career strikeout leader, Nolan Ryan (5714) has far and away more walks than any other pitcher (2795). This is because these records were earned by people who worked hard and went out there over and over again. It was their dedication to be the best and do the hard work required that gave their managers the faith to put them on the mound in the rotation year in and year out, and they succeeded in ways that may never be equalled. (Because of the fact that most starting pitchers these days only get 30-35 starts a year, I think it is safe to say that the win record will probably never be broken.)