Balance at the Office
Last night a friend of mine and I were doing our thrice-weekly run. Let me pause a moment by saying it is freaking hot here and by the time we are done running, I look like I’ve been swimming. Anyway, we were talking about the various things going on at our respective jobs. Nothing too major, just dealing with the normal office stuff. During the discussion I went off on a rant about not wanting the ability to access my office computer from home because that sets up the expectation that I would be available to work at any time. I’m sure my friend was smiling and nodding along with me so I wouldn’t pop a blood vessel in my head, but I think it is still a valid point. The problem is that in order to have a good chance for a promotion it is advantageous to work a lot. You have to love the modern office. Read more »
Posted: July 31st, 2008 under Balance.
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A wealthy person passed away one day and while those around were sad, the thought of how his estate would be divided up became the talk of everyone who knew him. The time came for the reading of the will and the attorney contacted all who were listed in it. They all sat inside a room, anxious to see what would be bequeathed to them. The attorney began to read the will and slowly worked his way down the list. One person, Dave, was excited when he heard what others were receiving. It seemed like everyone’s gift was very valuable. Soon only Dave was left. “And to Dave, my friend, who I promised to mention in my will: hi Dave.” 
Right now in Oklahoma the highs are in the 100 degree mark. The radio talks about “heat alerts” and “ozone alerts” which basically means, it is really freaking hot out. So it is funny to think of summer as coming to a close, but in about two weeks my little girl will be going off to First grade. New school supplies have been purchased, tags have been cut off clothes, and a new backpack complete with little hanging monkey has appeared in the house. More noticeably, we have no major plans for the remaining few weeks. So in thinking about the end of summer I realized it was a perfect time to plant a milestone here and look back at the summer. 
Like most people, I find it very easy to see where others are out of balance. Given the opportunity, I can point out where they are struggling and implement a four step plan to fix that issue. It seems so obvious to me that if they would just listen to me that I could make their life better. Years later, they’ll drop me a line that says they could never be where they are today if not for my help back then. Don’t worry about my issues; we are not here to talk about that. We are here for me to help you. Sound familiar? 
When I took Physics in high school we spent some time discussing Newton’s laws. They are basic principles of how things interact in the world and help us predict future outcomes. Newton’s first law is that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. It is one of those “Duh” laws. After all, you do not expect a rock sitting on a hill to suddenly leap up nor do you expect a ball rolling into the street to suddenly stop for no reason. What does this have to do with balance? Well what applied to rocks and balls, applies to people too.