The Less Needed, The Better...

1. What is the effect on a community when an individual assumes they are more valuable than they are?
2. What is the effect on that individual?
3. What is the community's duty to that individual?

These are the questions I'm wondering about now (about 10 hours before this will be posted). Consider this parable:

From the Translator's Introduction of The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Thomas Cleary)

According to an old story, a lord of ancient China once asked his physician, a member of a family of healers, which of them was the most skilled in the art. The physician, whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied, "My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house. My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood. As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords."

This is not (necessarily) a doctor story!

A member of one of my communities (a course in self-expression and leadership that I take), decided to leave the group, citing excessive demands on her time by a myriad of philanthropic obligations.

I was surprised at the spectrum of my visceral responses. They ranged from, "...who cares?..." to guilt (for not being a possibility that would inspire her to stay) to offense (that she would consider her time more valuable than the rest of the group's).

Then, I remembered this story of the Chinese physician.

In the story, the honored physician recognizes that the less is needed, the better. The best use of knowledge and strategy makes conflict (a.k.a.: treatment, hard work, etc) unnecessary.

I am afraid that my colleague has denied herself the benefit of acquiring the technology to optimize her use of knowledge and strategy in her communities and we, one of her communities, are denied the vicarious experience of her learning to add to our personal experiences. I am that her completion of the course would have given her access to even greater effectiveness and more free-time, yet, apparently, she's not coming back.

As a member of the group, I share responsibility for not being a stand for her to fulfill her commitment and live into the possibility she created for herself and for us.

Just because I didn't achieve my intent of keeping the whole group intact, doesn't mean I will give up on the cause. I just need to get better. (the 10,000 hours Malcolm Gladwell talks about in Outliers).

You know that the greatest things don't need any one individual, they need an effective, cohesive community.

How should I have been to touch. move and inspire this person to stay with the group? Keep in mind, it's not about persuasion, it's not about attachment, it's about commitment...

Has it happened to you? What did you do? What will you do next time?

Do tell!!


MSS

No Limits, Know Limits

One thing about this Blog is that it forces me to be Present in my activities of daily living. I recommend that everyone write a blog or regularly contribute to one (this one!).

You may know I have 2 businesses and they couldn't be more diametrically opposite: "No Limits" and "Know Limits".

This was brought into laser focus today, Tuesday, my "Doctor Day" as I was seeing patients in my medical office when I was asked to see a patient in a hospital for a neurosurgical/spine surgical consult.

I live a "No Limits", entrepreneur, MLM life...except when I have my "doctor hat" on...then I live a "Know Limits" life. If that's not obvious to you, imagine yourself in a jury box...

Anyway, I went to see this delightful, elderly person with an unbelievable history of at least 10 prior operations (3 of them on his neck) and who now has spinal cord compression.

I can and will fix this, but I think I could have avoided it if I had been involved from the beginning.

This got me to thinking about "No Limits" and "Know Limits" and whether or not other people ever consider this and when...

In my opinion, if life or limb are at stake, you have to "Know Limits", otherwise, I say, "No Limits".

I really want to know, what do you think. Who really needs to know their limits and who really should swing for the bleachers?

Add your comments. Invite your friends to weigh in, too.

MSS

Wish or Plan?

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan”

Eleanor Roosevelt (American United Nations Diplomat, Humanitarian and First Lady (1933-45), wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US president. 1884-1962)

I had lunch with my accountant on Monday. I really like him and I've known him for a long time. He was telling me, from his vantage point, about the misery many of his clients are experiencing now. He would never violate a confidence by revealing any names (I didn't ask, either) but what was clear is the trickle down effect and how inter-dependent we are.

This reminded me of the word, "robust."

In Hacker slang:

"Robust": Said of a system that has demonstrated an ability to recover gracefully from the whole range of exceptional inputs and situations in a given environment. One step below bulletproof. Carries the additional connotation of elegance in addition to just careful attention to detail. [Compare smart, oppose brittle.]

It is (painfully) clear that we all, individually, need a robust financial plan for our households. I don't think we should depend on the government to do it for us.

Ayn Rand's, The Virtue of Selfishness, touched, moved and inspired me. Have you read it?

If you have wisdom to share, share it here. If you have questions to ask, ask them here. Let's see what the community can come up with.

MSS

SCAM

That word bugs me... "scam..."

In the current state of the world economy, it's increasing apparent (at least to me) that,

"Safe" is the new "Risky".

So why is it that folks scatter as soon as ANYBODY says, "SCAM!" even before they get enough facts to reach a point of LOGICAL conclusion.

Certainly, nobody is surprised that criminals take advantage of confusion and desperation:

“Because that's where the money is.”

Attributed to William "Willie" Sutton (June 30, 1901 - November 2, 1980), a prolific U.S. bank robber.

But that's no excuse to leave one's future in the hands of someone who is repeating something to hear themselves talk.

There are scams aplenty out there. There are opportunities aplenty, too

You're bound to encounter both.

Get facts from people who really know but don't get mired in "analysis paralysis."

“A man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.”

General George S. Patton (American General in World War I and II, 1885-1945)

I cannot recommend Failing Forward by John Maxwell, strongly enough.

Who do you take your advice from, people who have tried and failed before they succeeded or people who never tried at all?

MSS

Anti-anti is NOT Pro

There is a story attributed to Mother Teresa, that she was once invited to participate in an Anti-war Rally. She reportedly declined, requesting an invitation to a Peace Rally, instead.

There are many such metaphors from a variety of sources.

Negative attachments, are still attachments and what you resist, persists.

What I've found interesting, lately, is to seek out and learn from examples of "Anti-anti" and contrast their effectiveness with "Pro."

I quickly observed that they are not confined to large issues (although they are notably represented). Some of the most instructive are relatively small yet powerful when multiplied through community.

Here are two examples from my recent experience:

I have been invited to contribute to a petition to request the administration of the University of California at Irvine to stop the Muslim Student Union and Society of Arab Students, two student organizations notorious for their anti-Israel stances, from hosting one of their regular, anti-Israel protests.

I do not agree with the anti-Israel rhetoric. I chose not to sign the petition. To my way of thinking, limiting the freedom of another is like burning down my neighbor's house to make my house look better.

“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”

Benjamin Franklin (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. 1706-1790

This is an example of a scarcity (Anti-anti) mentality. A prosperity (Pro) stance might look like this: People who disagree with the activities of the students at UCI, could offer more attractive alternatives on campus or attend a different school. What you resist, persists.

Here is another recent experience...

Last night at midnight as I was leaving Disneyland with four worn out teenage girls and thousands of other worn-out, and sleepy people, the "conductor" at the rear of the parking garage shuttle-train offered a very engaging monologue and sing-along. In 2 or 3 minutes, we sang the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song and the Slinky commercial and laughed at his comments. I don't know if he was intentional about replacing "anti-anti" with "pro" but he did. I'm willing to bet that there were people aboard who were short-tempered and whine-y and this person offered an alternative to "anti-anti" which was clearly "pro".

It was effortless and without reason, enhanced the community (of departing Disneyland guests on that shuttle, and very effective. The girls and I made a point of acknowledging him when we got to the parking lot.

Can you spot "Anti-anti" (scarcity) and "Pro" (prosperity) in your activities of daily living? Will you avoid scarcity thinking and acknowledge prosperity thinking? I look forward to finding you in action and acknowledging you.

Happy Mother's Day.

MSS

A Perfect Example

Just as I'm thinking about it, I encounter a PERFECT EXAMPLE...

... You are not going to believe this. This is one of the most extraordinary occurrences I have ever experienced...

As is typical with an obliging universe, two conferences I wanted to attend were scheduled sequentially at the San Diego Convention Center. May 1 - 3 was the I Can Do It! Conference and May 4 - 6 was the American Association of Neurosurgeons (AANS) annual conference. I decided to commute via Amtrak from Fullerton.

On Tuesday, I caught the train in San Diego for Fullerton at about 6 PM and had a whole car essentially to myself. At the first stop (30 minutes into the 2 hour 10 minute trip) a friendly sounding group of men joined me in "my" car and claimed it for the "Trainiacs".

I couldn't resist, so I asked, "What's a Trainiac?" and I came to discover that Trainiacs are a Tribe of over 170 "familiar strangers" organized over the past couple of years, for the purpose of keeping each other apprised of delays, crowding, alternative routes, carpools, etc., including occasional picnics and other group events.

The very nice man, who was explaining all this to me, gave me his card which identified him as the "CTO" - Chief Trainiac Officer! This guy is positively brilliant at leading a Tribe. Seth Godin needs to include this example in the next printing of the book.

The CTO asked me if I was a regular commuter (No) and what kind of work I was in. I said what I always say, "I teach and mentor how to start & operate a profitable non-traditional business" and after a while I invited him to read this Blog.

He asked me for the URL and I said, "DrSchnitzer.com, D-r-S-c-h..." when he interrupted and said, "Mark?" I was stunned but imagine my surprise when he told me that I had operated on his wife many years ago and that we also had a common friend and ran into each other at a party some time ago! We just talked for the rest of the trip... (about 90 minutes).

The real point of the tale is the stellar example of leadership and tribe building demonstrated by this man.

He:

1. Demonstrates integrity,
2. Comes from a background of relatedness,
3. Invents possibilities that he then
4. Presents to people as opportunity
5. They choose freely and are satisfied with their choice

It was brilliant and perfect and, were it not for my keeping a notebook and having the intention to write, the story would have been lost to the dusty, unreliable attic of my memory vault.

It is comforting to pass this skill off as rare but I submit that the rest of us are just being "reasonable" (making up a reason to let ourselves off-the-hook).

Discovering or creating a background of relatedness, creating possibility, presenting opportunity and then allowing for authentic choice is simple (not always easy).

We just have to chose to be unreasonable and choose to recognize the power of the tribe. It is the access to power and enduring self-expression. Virtually every great thing arose out of a community that was organized by a group of like-minded leaders (consider The Susan Komen Foundation for the Cure and Nancy Brinker).

The attraction of a Tribe to change the world is my intention as a leader. I was very happily motivated by the example of the man who accomplished it out of selflessness and unreasonableness.

I will continue to do it, too. It makes for a bigger game and, sometimes, size does matter!

How about you?

MSS

P.S. Make certain to read yesterday's post and add a Haiku verse (or several) to the book project.

Haiku, Here's The Game...

With seventeen syllables, there's no room for error...

Developed in Japan toward the end of the 17th century, Haiku consists of three phrases of five, seven, and five syllables. The art is framing reality in an instant and lock the poet and reader into sharing the same experience.

Haiku may have developed from an even more ancient Japanese poetic style, katauta, which was the question-and-answer play of one god with another. Katauta follows the same haiku pattern of 5-7-5 syllables, for a total of 17 syllables; "the length of one human breath".

Here's "The Game":

Add your own ORIGINAL haiku poem in the comments. Write about whatever touches, moves and inspires you (G or PG please). The goal is to create a book for publication.

Results 1:	Community reads this Blog
Measure 1:	Visit Counter
Statistic 1:	100 visits in 24 hours

Results 2:	Community is touched, moved and inspired to create haiku
Measure 2:	Number of haiku entries
Statistic 2:	100 entries

Results 3:	Poems are compiled and published with proceeds to charity
Measure 3:	Publication of compliation book
Statistic 3:	1 book

Here are three I've written:

The Game
Over there, beats here.
Everything-nothing gets dull.
Therein is the game.

Life
It's not a preview
The Feature Presentation
Why are you waiting?

Transformation
Hmmm, just what does the
butterfly remember of
the caterpillar?

On your mark, get set, ...GO!

MSS