Something Positive with Little Effort

The past few weeks have been difficult ones for the people of northern Alberta in Canada.  The Fort McMurray fire has consumed thousands of acres of forest, forced thousands of people from their homes before burning many to the ground and have thousands more wondering how they are going to move forward with their lives.  There have been innumerable efforts to help those who have found their lives in the path of the fire and this is just one example.

At a hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota this past weekend more than 75 Optimists www.optimist.org came together for a leadership conference.

 

This is the region that includes the province of Alberta.  Southern Wisconsin Optimist Governor Howard Crowfoot and Dakotas, Manitoba and Minnesota Governor Ken Schulz got up and asked everyone to donate to the cause and help Fort McMurray. 

10 minutes later, the passing of the hat raised $700.  The Canadian government is matching such donations meaning 10 minutes generated $1,400 for the Red Cross and relief efforts in Fort McMurray and other areas affected by the fire.

I am certain there have been instances like this one held throughout Canada and in many parts of the United States as well.  It shows the really good side of people in what often has become a really dark world.  And it is all in the name of doing something for the less fortunate.  Maybe if more of us did something like this there would be fewer, “less fortunate,” people. 

Be well.

A Round of Golf and Community ser ice

It started with a phone call.  “Jim, I have a lead on an international club” said Optimist International www.optimist.org  President Dave Bruns.  “I’ll send you an email with the info, he’s from Thailand.” And so would begin a little more than eight-month project to establish an Optimist Club in Bangkok.

Tony ( tony@blackhatgolf.com) is with the Thailand Junior Golf Guardian Association.  The connection was made at The Optimist. It is one of the premier junior golf championships in the United States drawing competitors from countries in Europe, Asia and South America.  Past Champions include Tiger Woods, David Toms, Ernie Els and Notah Begay III.  Tony has accompanied teams from Thailand every summer for the last several years to West Palm Beach, Florida for the competition.  He wanted an Optimist presence in the “Kingdom”.   

International development is a different animal.  It takes time and usually a lot of it to go from getting the contact information to what happened May 6^th in Bangkok when via SKYPE, a new Optimist club was formed. This is especially true when all of the development was done electronically (I hope some day to visit the club) I would wait for email replies and Tony would do the same.  The 12-hour time difference had to be overcome, exchange rates had to be learned and there are always cultural considerations to take into account.  Iowa is not like Bangkok and Bangkok is not like Iowa.   Scheduling was also an issue and it turns out the effort this month was the third attempt to get everything together.  

But the positives in this instance far outweigh the occasional hiccups along the way.  It is and was a truly eye opening and exhilarating experience.  To work with people halfway around the world who share similar values through a desire to help young people is a project more of us should be involved in.  All it takes is some time…and a willingness to develop a positive relationship with someone who you may never meet in person. Those ingredients help make the final product really worthwhile. 

So much so that tackling the next projects waiting in the wings (Morocco, Great Britain, Australia, India, Senegal, Germany and Holland) means there are more exciting times ahead.  You can help the cause too by letting me know of international contacts you have who might entertain the notion of bringing the Optimists to their corner of the world.     jim.boyd@optimist.org

Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down for Airline

There was a road trip last week from Des Moines and I feel compelled to share an experience  with one of the major airlines.  I am certain these remarks will be received favorably, well, almost. 

The itinerary was from Des Moines to Denver to Spokane for a week’s worth of work for Optimist International www.optimist.orgwww.optimist.org.  The flight to Denver was uneventful on United Airlines, www.ual.com one that I have made several times on an Airbus 319.  Turns out the same plane was used on the second leg and I actually wound up in the same seat.  It’s what happened at the end of the flight that is of note.

I gathered my belongings, deplaned, got my luggage and was picked up by the shuttle  to my destination in Coeur d’ Alene.  It was then I realized, my tablet and keyboard were still in the front seat pocket of seat 10B. Panic raced through my mind for two reasons. There was a lot of important stuff on the tablet and I felt I would never see I again.  The other thought was how was I going to tell my wife back home that I was absent minded enough to be dumb enough to leave something like that on an airplane.  (I just told her, since I know she reads my blog) J

I called United, made a lost and file claim and hoped.  (Said a prayer too) I would have to wait two days before I could expect to hear anything. Turns out the tablet was found in the seat pocket of United Economy Plus by a gate agent.  I had it back in less than three days and obviously it still works fine since this was written on it.  Kudos go out to the folks from United for the system in place to find  lost or in this case, left behind items.  It’s a top notch system.

Now, remember almost?  I flew economy home and not economy plus for a reason and that’s the price. I believe the airline is getting a little greedy when it comes to pricing for the sake of an additional six inches of leg room.  When considering Economy Plus on the way home I was astounded that seats for a two hour and 14 minute flight were between $79 and $89.  (Exit row seating even higher)  Is the cost of nearly $15 per extra inch of legroom really worth it. (the exit rows were empty until people moved into them, at no cost just before takeoff.)

It’s the opinion of this frequent flier that United would probably glean more revenue if pricing for those extra inches was a little bit more reasonable. An extra 90 bucks for legroom is a bit much.

Did I mention Thailand……next time on the blog.

Adapting to Changes Little by Little

It’s been a while.  A little more than a month, if memory serves,  since there was the major and abrupt change in life.  A 35 year career in radio came to  an end and a new adventure began with Optimist International. www.optimist.org

Some observations.

There is no doubt anymore that we are creatures of habit and most comfortable in a routine. It took almost three weeks to develop a new method of operation  after discarding the old one which had morphed  into a mundane existence. This was complicated by working at home.  I had become a “bunny slipper” employee who was able to roll out of bed, make a cup of cinnamon orange tea, turn on a computer and be at the office. It can be fairly easy to slack off and I had actually worried some about having a lot less structure in my work day as opposed to a life which had been dictated by the second hand of a clock for so long,

Lessons Learned.  It’s actually easy to develop the new routine if you focus on it for a week.  Make notes of when you open email,  tackle a project, get up to go to the bathroom, and in my case, walk the dog. (Maggie looks forward to 11:30 every morning)  You should be able to find a comfort zone for completing these and other tasks on a daily basis and before the week is over the new method of operation has come into focus. 

People exposure is another issue.  Working at home means its just me and the dog.  I counselor friend of mine told me once you have to purposely get out and see people or you’ll go batty, not to mention lose your interaction skills.  A simple, short errand or two during the day has taken care of this issue.  If they take longer than the traditional lunch hour so be it.  Working from home doesn’t even come close to clock punching and since there’s no commute it easy to work late if the need arises.  Besides at Optimist International, www.optimist.org  conference calls in the evening and weekend meetings with some of the 90 thousand volunteers who make up the organization are the norm. 

Change is normal.  It happens every day.  The last month of so has shown, though, that fear can be the biggest stumbling block to working through change.  I contend we all can cast fear aside and, in a sometimes methodical fashion, easily overcome it.  It also helps to know, through faith, that someone else has your back.

It is good to be back on the blog.   Be well. 

Time to Move On

35 years is a long time.  Nearly 40 years is even longer.   That’s the length of time I’ve dedicated in my life to a career in radio and all but four of those 40 have been as a broadcast journalist. 

But there is always a possibility for change, a new adventure and a new challenge and so a couple of weeks ago I decided to retire from radio.  My last day at WHO in Des Moines is February 12, 2016.

I am not retiring from the workforce,just radio.  I have accepted a position as the Director for Strategic Growth for Optimist International.  www.optimist.org .  When I begin those duties later this month, I will be charged with developing strategies for increasing the membership of the organization.  This will take me all over the country in an effort to stimulate development in areas where the Optimist presence is lacking.  It will also allow me to continue a passion developed more than a decade ago when I caught the “new club” bug after completing my first project in Waukee, Iowa. I am remaining in Urbandale as far as the place for an office is concerned.

The departure from radio is coming at the right time.  Times have changed.  It’s rare these days to find someone running a news operation who learned the trade by running a daily news beat, produced stories on a manual typewriter and edited audio content using a razor blade and tape.  The industry evolved with the onset of computer technology, social media and cross media partnerships that were never imagined 35 years ago.

Still, I can’t imagine having done anything else.  There is still a small thrill every time the newscast introduction music plays and I punch a button so that people all over the state of Iowa can hear my voice not to mention nearly two thirds of the country at night.  But the combination of all of the changes in the industry and the opportunity presented by Optimist International indicated the time for a change had arrived.  Some people have already called me lucky because I am leaving something I have loved doing for three plus decades and am going to something I have been passionate about as a volunteer...but now with a pay check to boot.

The blog will continue with posts about improving ourselves and the successes and occasional setbacks at the new gig.  But first a short break as my wife Judy and I spend a little time this month where there are palm trees. It’s a good place to be when its February in Iowa. J

Be Well.

$ 1.6 billion (give or take a few million)

There is something to be said about what is happening today.  For certain, you will be unable to turn on the radio or television, or check your favorite on line news site , without being told about the Powerball.  The jackpot for Wednesday night should be about $1.6 billion dollars since it has increased by $100 million every day since the initial figure of $1.3 billion was set last weekend.

There will be countless stories about what people would do with that kind of money, how it would change their lives and what steps should be taken if late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning you discover that you are holding a winning ticket.

CNBC put together “10 steps to take” after you win the Powerball.  It has some whimsical suggestions and some serious ones.   If advice is what you need to have then maybe this New York Times article will be helpful. 

What would I do with $1.6 billion?  I would get into the practice of being philanthropic. The winnings would be more than I would ever need and I am certain it is more than anyone really needs.  But there are so many aspects of society where the need is great and after some careful consideration, there would be many areas would benefit because of the good fortune and pure luck that came my way.

So have fun buying your tickets.  There will be all kinds of time to play if you are holding the winning, or one of the winning tickets.  But the gift you will be receiving will be much greater than anything money can buy if you share the gift with those who would need it the most

Getting Better at the Productivity Game

There are times when someone else says what you have been thinking or trying to practice.  And it seems many of those times what is being said is a real simple approach to a dilemma.

The topic of time management has been broached before here. There are some things that we need and should do to make life a little easier, whether at home or the office and to make it more productive at the home or the office.   Making lists, setting priorities and limiting distractions all seem like good suggestions for attaining the aforementioned goals but they are easier said than done. 

This is the week we tend to return to what some people call normal.  Most of us  are back in the office, the work we put off because of the holidays is still there and must be dealt with and we all know that more is on the way.  Our regular schedules away from the office also  kick back into high gear after a one or two week hiatus and sooner than we would want, we will find ourselves with that feeling of being overwhelmed or at the very least the belief that there are not enough hours in the day.

This http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248866 was one of those additional “click through” results after getting a weekly email I had signed up for from Entrepreneur.  But it seems appropriate as we start the New Year to at least pass it along.  My guess is you may already be doing some of these.  If you are, you have a leg up on others.  But the seven suggestions and their simple nature may be worth at least trying, just like we are trying to “exercise more and lose weight” in the New Year.

Numbers two and three are my weak points.  I am looking forward to doing more of number seven in 2016

Be well.