Mike Vrabel Receives SG Dunce Award

Wow.  Smart people can do really stupid things.  We don’t actually know what happened yet, but the accusation is that Mike Vrabel, of Patriots football fame, stole liquor at a casino.  Whether it happened or not isn’t my point.  The point is that he put himself in the POSITION to be even accused of theft!  Now, there’s nothing illegal about being in a casino - millions of people go to casinos every year, but there isn’t exactly anyone there earning a Nobel Prize or discovering the next great cure!  Mike has a clean and positive reputation, likely well earned.  If you’re not an honest well-intentioned person, it’s hard to develop that reputation, not to mention keep it, for so many years.  But if you’re a dope, eventually that will come out.  Poor social behavior, if someone has it, will show up eventually.  

So how to explain Vrabel’s “mis-step”?  Can only be one of a few things: 2) it wasn’t actually him, it was his stunt double, 2) his “handlers” dropped the ball and weren’t watching him, or 3) he’s actually a dope who finally got caught doing something stupid.  So here’s my point: If you place a high value on reputation (and I hope you do.  Just ask Tiger Woods about the value of reputation!), don’t put yourself in a position or a place where bad things can happen.  People go to casinos to have fun and try to win money.  I, personally, don’t get it.  In reality, everyone loses (except the casinos), and people drink and get drunk.  That’s some winning formula!  VERY few good things happen in casinos, so why go?  Vrabel gambled with his reputation and lost.  Unless he has a REALLY good explanation as to how he was caught stealing, his reputation will take a good, long hit, and who knows what THAT will cost him.  Simple solution:  If you’re not AT a casino, you can’t do stupid things at a casino.  I hope he has a good, honest explanation.

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge

Staying Motivated

The easiest way to fail to achieve your goals is through lost motivation.  A busy schedule, fires that need to be put out (more pressing needs) or just having a bad day or week can disrupt your progress toward any goal.  When you reach the point where you feel the need to “refuel”, one good way may be to relax and watch a good movie.  But don’t just watch the latest version of “Jackass” (I’d rather have my fingernails pulled out - wait, probably a poor reference here!), turn to a list of great movies that’ll also leave you ready to attack your world again.  Here’s a short list of my favorites:

The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith, based on a true story

Rudy, Sean Astin, based on a true story

Invincible, Mark Wahlberg, based on a true story

Invictus, Matt Damon, based on a true story

The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock, based on a true story

The Power of One, Morgan Freeman, based on a true story

Running the Sahara, Documentary

Remember the Titans, Denzel Washington, based on a true story

Glory Road, Josh Lucas, based on a true story

Radio, Cuba Gooding, Jr., based on a true story  (see a trend here?!)

In all of them, it comes down to the second rule of SmartGeorge: Life ain’t easy!  (First rule of SmartGeorge: Life ain’t fair)  All of these movies show that reaching your goals only comes from hard work and persistence, and they’ll give you some of yours back.  

What are some of your favorite inspirational movies?  Let me know!

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

dscheerer@smartgeorge.com

Sidelines No More

“It’s easy to be brave from a safe distance.” -Aesop’s Fables

I guess I’ve been brave all my life!  Among many things, I’ve watched the Boston Marathon from a “safe distance” many times.  This year I was at the start in Hopkinton and watched as thousands of runners packed the queue and filed by anxiously awaiting their turn.  In truth, I’ve never been waiting for my turn.  Though I’ve always considered myself an athlete, (that is to say, I enjoy athletic pursuits) if it isn’t chasing a ball, I generally have no interest.  Such is the case with running - no interest whatsoever.

But I do have interest in being fit and so have dabbled in some biking over the past years as a way to get some independent exercise (no partner needed as in tennis, soccer, etc.)  But biking is challenged by weather here in the northeast in winter months, so I have made a decision - get off the sideline and jump into the fray - I’m going to try my hand at running.  

Pathetic at the start, really.  I nearly killed myself to go 1.6 miles.  Lasted slightly more than 15 minutes.  Done.  That was several weeks ago and now with nearly a dozen runs under my belt I’m making painful but steady progress.  Last night I ran farther than I ever have - four miles.  Well, after about 3.2 I walked about 50 yards, but then finished strong.  Next time I’ll eliminate the walk.  

I don’t know where this is going for me.  I have no designs on a marathon, but I feel good despite the sore legs and creaky knees.  I have signed up for a 5K (my first ever!) and now actually expect to finish.  I’ll no longer be on the sidelines, and it feels good.

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

Her Glass is Full

It was really a “Wow” moment for me.  I often talk about trying to view the world through the “glass half full” lens.  My daughter took it another step, as she always does, and I want to live in her world.

Yesterday was a cloudy, misty, rainy kind of day.  Everything wet.  I was sitting on the damp steps of our terrace contemplating what kinds of things I would do on a nice day, but left with what I could do, given the weather.  It wasn’t really raining, just sort of spitting enough to dampen many outdoor activities.  Meanwhile, my daughter was walking up from her swing set where she had spent several minutes climbing and playing, as is her “job”.  When she got up to me, she simply said, with a big smile, with all enthusiasm and sincerity, “Daddy, isn’t it a beautiful day?”  All I could do was smile, agree, and giver her a big hug.  I thought, “who else could look at the day like that?”  But she was right.  It was a beautiful day.  She was happy, I was happy, and despite all my worries of the moment (I can’t mow the lawn, no tennis today, my lawn’s red thread problem was getting worse with the rain, etc.), we were together and enjoying our time.  It WAS a beautiful day.  That memory will come in handy very often as I endeavor to look at life more like my six year old.  There is no “half” about her glass.

Dan Scheerer 

SmartGeorge

An Expert's World

You’ve just been informed you’re being sued.  The transmission blows in your car.  You have mind-numbing pain in a tooth.  You’ve just been told you have a rare form of cancer.  Your child is suffering from autism.  

These are circumstances, of varying degrees of seriousness, which we all hope to avoid.  None are fun and a couple are downright scary.  But when these things occur (and they do to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day), who do people call?  Experts.  They want to find the person with the highest qualifications to help deal with the challenging circumstance in which they find themselves.  Most often people are more than willing to bare the higher cost of that expert care.  Think about it.  Much of our world is intricate and complicated and most of us have neither the knowledge or skills to deal with the challenges ourselves.  But we want the BEST results.  

So who do we call?  Oh, we have choices.  Lots of choices.  How many mechanics are out there?  How many dentists?  Doctors?  Do we turn to the internet for the answer, or the yellow pages?  DEFINITELY not the latter!  Typically we look to friends who we think will know who the “best” is, or we ask experts who should already know who the “best” is and where to find them.  We all tend to trust a reference because that person referring us already has some knowledge or, more importantly, the experience to know.  Because experience matters.  I guarantee that when you are told you have cancer, you won’t be looking for just anyone recently out of medical school.  You will look for someone with many years of expertise in your particular kind of cancer.

But this is an extreme example.  Every day we need help from others and we always hope we are getting a qualified expert, whether it is to repair the dishwasher or treat your sick dog.  And generally speaking, those with greater knowledge and skill charge higher fees, get more referrals and have more successful outcomes.  Where would you like to be on that scale?

The strange thing is, EVERYONE is an expert in something.  If nothing else, at least in themselves.  Nobody is more expert in you, than you.  But what you become expert in depends very much on what you spend your time doing.  An expert mechanic doesn’t get to be so from spending his days in front of the TV.  If he did, he’d be an “expert” in TV programming, not repairing cars or dishwashers.  (and last I checked, there’s not much call for experts in TV watching!)  Over the course of your life, you WILL become expert in something, maybe even several things, but you can CHOOSE in what area(s) you’ll become expert.  Choose something productive and rewarding.  Find something you enjoy doing that means something.  Become an expert by doing it a lot.  The more other people value your knowledge and skill, the better you will be compensated.  Do it better than ANYONE else, and you will be VERY well compensated.  Just remember, experts become so only through hard work, perseverance and incremental improvement over time, but they all started where you are today.

In what will you become expert?

Dan Scheerer, SmartGeorge

Living Life's Priorities (from The Octopus Solution)

Sometimes I come across pieces that just need to be forwarded.  The following piece was in an email blog from The Octopus Solution, so the best way to forward it out to SmartGeorge was to copy it into my blog.  It’s a quick read with a great message.  It seems to me I’ve heard it before, but I was glad to find it in print (the formatting did some funny things, but it’s mostly clear):

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee!

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: your family, your children, your health and your favorite passions, and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life; if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee!

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge

Learn to Communicate!

More than almost anything else, communication can set you apart from your peers.  Your communication skills will either help you get that job, or into that school or training program, or it will keep you in line with everyone else continuing to look.  If you REALLY want to excel beyond your peers, take communication seriously.  Listen CAREFULLY to your friends: how frequently, within ONE sentence, do you hear “like..., ummm..., ya know...” etc?  The power of speech - oratory, is not appreciated by most, but the people who understand it’s power, and ACT to learn and develop the skill go farther.  It’s everyday habit.  It isn’t a switch you can turn on and off.  Make it who you are.

Let me be practical here.  To be hired for a supervisory role, a management role, a leadership role, you must be able to communicate directly and concisely.  Listen to those in charge at your school or other organizations where you are involved.  How do they speak?  How do they write?  If they communicate well, it is because they took it seriously and learned.  They studied.  They practiced. They implemented.  If they SOUND educated, it is because they ARE educated, at least about communicating.  In fact, you can hide lots of faults if you communicate well!  

How can you improve your spoken and written communication skills?  Make it a goal!  Go to your english teacher for extra help.  Find a tutoring program.  Read books, both educational in nature on communication, as well as everything else.  Pay attention to how good writers form their sentences.  Pay attention to their grammar, their vocabulary.  Learn to expand yours!  But most of all, PRACTICE! When you write anything, go back over it and re-read it.  Does it say what you intended?  Will it make the reader want to read it, and more?  Did you take any lazy shortcuts?  Could you use fewer words to get the idea across? 

Today, everyone writes in their own personal “shorthand”.  Email use (and texting, instant messaging, etc.) is destroying language skills because it is (wrongly) assumed that one doesn’t need to meet basic standards when writing email messages.  Make yourself stand out!  Use proper english when writing emails.  Use punctuation, vocabulary, and grammar that your english teacher would approve of, or perhaps even respect!  Don’t be lazy - make the extra effort and it will become a habit that will serve you the rest of your life.  Maybe it will even help you get that next job up the ladder!

Dan Scheerer

SmartGeorge