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Another year has come and gone. One might think it was pretty non-eventful if updates on this website was the barometer. Truth is, it was filled with highs and lows just like all the years that preceded it. And just like in those years I can choose to wallow in the tough times, revel in the joyous memories, or perhaps even better yet....live in this moment to better prepare myself for the year ahead.
That being said I can't help but reflect, if just for a minute, on the year that has passed. Here are just a few photos taken on trips this past spring and summer to Cancun and Barcelona. I'll try not to linger there too long as they'll be more highs and lows no doubt, but of course only one now.
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This past summer I reached that milestone every computer owner knows is coming, but hopes never arrives. My iMac stopped receiving OS updates. Yes, my trusty 2017 27’ iMac was perpetually frozen in time with Ventura as its operating system. Never again would I experience the exhilaration of discovering what new functionality Apple decided I couldn’t live without. Unless of course….
You guessed it. Buy a new computer. Which is exactly what I did. My older iMac was still functioning just fine. As a matter of fact, with a recent memory upgrade to 32gb it was still chugging along quite nicely. However, I now felt the clock was ticking and with already experiencing FOMO, it was time for an upgrade. Now the big question was, to what? Firmly planted into the Apple ecosystem it was a quick and easy choice to eliminate any type of Windows computer. That left with deciding what type of Mac computer to get. Now, for my iPhone and iPad I don’t hesitate to get the Pro models. For those form factors, I need (ok, want) the added horsepower and functionality those devices provide. It’s a little different with a desktop computer however. I use it primarily for work functions meaning the standard suite of productivity apps, video calls, etc. For me, the question really came down to an iMac vs. Mac mini. Normally, I wouldn’t have hesitated with simply going with another iMac. But the big issue for me was the smaller screen size. While just a 3 inch difference between my older model iMac and the current ones, I knew it would be noticeable. Having spent a significant portion of my corporate life with two 24 inch monitors, I valued screen real estate. And even though working on one monitor vs. two was never that big of a deal for me, every pixel matters with one less screen. I like the iMac mini a lot. As a matter of fact, given I can pick my own monitor and select whatever size I want it was indeed the smarter choice. The thing is though…the positive of selecting my own monitor was also the negative. In order to go down that road I would have to 1) research which monitor I wanted and 2) figure out the cable management for yet another piece of hardware on an already smallish workspace. While neither of those two tasks would require a huge amount of effort, they did require just enough where I didn’t want to expend the needed energy to accomplish it. At the end of the day, I just couldn’t ignore the convenience of an all inclusive setup. So here I sit in front of my silver, M3 chip iMac with 16 GB of memory and 512GB SSD hard drive and loving it. But I have to tell you…the screen is small. You will find plenty of articles and YouTube videos saying you get use to the smaller screen and hardly notice it. For me however, that is so not true. I notice it everyday. The only thing that makes it tolerable is my 12.9 inch iPad Pro which I use as a second monitor quite frequently. With Apple providing the ability to seamlessly use the iMac mouse and keyboard for both, it offers just enough relief where I don’t think my productivity is significantly compromised. It’s a little different, but not worse. If Apple ever does release a larger 27, or dare I dream, 32 inch version I’ll be the first to buy it. Until then, I’m happy with my choice. 1. Biden didn't do Harris any favors by not following the plan of being a transition President. Trump had 4 years to architect and communicate his plan and Harris was given 107 days.
2. Harris lost the popular vote which is seismic. Democrats have to figure out the reason for that. I think in part, the reasons are:
4. And finally, it occurred to me that Harris’s choice of VP may have also had an impact. While I’m not sure how many people would base a vote on the VP selected, I do think that Waltz’s “folksy charm” didn’t play as well as they had hoped. Rather, a younger, more polished VP appealing to the middle may have resonated better. Somehow, someway I managed to go the entire year of 2023 and only post 1 new item to this site! I'd like to report that was due to some exciting new business venture or lifestyle change but alas, that is not the case. As I've mentioned before sometimes "Life Gets In the Way" and that's ok.
That being said, let me leave you with one tip I was able to discover the other day that might help you as well. I was forever frustrated with the fact that when using the Gmail web app there would be times while viewing the new email in the reader, it would just vanish from my inbox. Not vanish from the reader mind you, but only in the inbox pane. I would have to refresh the app for it to appear again. After much fruitless googling (irony intended) I made the following updates which seems to have corrected it. While in Gmail, go to settings → see all settings → Inbox → Inbox type: default, then uncheck all the category types leaving only Primary. The theory is Gmail was trying to figure out how to categorize the new email while I was viewing it. Since I don't really care about the category types turning off the functionality isn't a problem for me. So far so good on the results! A few years ago, we found ourselves hosting the traditional family Christmas dinner. Not just my immediate family mind you, but the broader family including sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew and (gulp) in-laws! Now, there is a lot of preparation that goes into planning any dinner really, but in particular the official Christmas dinner. Unlike Thanksgiving where tradition dictates Turkey, the sky really is the limit. What perhaps receives a little less advanced planning, however, is the prayer preceding the meal.
In terms of the prayer, I couldn’t help but feeling this particular year included a bit more scrutiny as my father-in-law is a retired minister. As would be expected, I needed to say a few words before we ate but I really had no idea what they would be. For so long, we have always used the tried and true “Come Lord Jesus be our quest, and let these gifts to use be blessed” prayer because of the kids. It had become so ingrained in my thinking I wasn’t even sure how to go about offering thanks in a more meaningful way. So, in such times of uncertainty and deep philosophical questioning I did what I always do. I turned to Google. Surely, there are some fantastic prayers I could find on the internet that would fit this occasion perfectly. Apparently there are not. At least none that I could find to my satisfaction. I wanted something that was simple, but impactful. Something people could hopefully take with them and enjoy later. Spiritual leftovers if you will. Frustrated from my hours of Googling I finally decided to write something myself. Here is where you come in my friends. If you too, are searching for a Christmas dinner prayer and you aren’t quite sure what it should be, perhaps your internet search will lead you here. Feel free to use, change, or even ignore the following. Heavenly Father: Love brought Jesus to this earth, and love brings us now to this Christmas table As we bow our heads, we give thanks. We Thank you for the opportunity to gather in your name, and we thank you for the opportunity to live our lives in a way that would bring you glory and honor. But as we fall so short of taking advantage of those opportunities, we most of all give thanks for the salvation you have provided us through your Son Jesus Christ - whose birth we celebrate today. And It is through that birth we are forever reminded; “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it”. In your name we pray. Amen I’ve recently begun to make token visits back to the office over the last couple of weeks. Not because I wanted or really needed to, but rather it’s just one of those things expected of management. What immediately struck me, and still continues to, is it now feels completely foreign and uncomfortable to be sitting in my office office rather than my home office.
My, how times have changed! I feel very unproductive when I’m there. That particular and unique muscle memory is gone, and it’s going to take some time to get it back. I share this as a warning to all leaders/managers...... Your employees are going to feel the same way. Just because folks are now returning to the office in some form, that doesn’t mean they will immediately be able to fall back into that routine. Just like the struggles that surfaced when work from home began, so too will surface with return to office. So, be patient and understanding. You handled a cat walking in frame on a video call - you can handle this too! Every so often someone will ask me to recommend something good to read, watch or listen to. This was particularly true in 2020 - 2021 when we were either shut out from the majority of the world, or simply looking for a diversion from the current hardships.
Truth be told though, I’m always a little hesitant to respond to questions like that. While I feel I have some pretty poignant thoughts on leadership, customer experience or process improvement, my binge watching of “Beat Bobby Flay” might not exactly offer the same level of insights. Be that as it may, the following is my current status and thoughts around what I’m reading, watching and listening to. Reading I’ll be honest. I’ve gone an embarrassingly long time without picking up a book (and that includes the digital kind) for just the sheer enjoyment of it. It’s not that I stopped enjoying reading, or didn’t have the time. It was just that I was filling up that time with something else. Work, kids, house/yard chores all have a way of sneaking in and demanding more attention. Having recently decided to become a bit more intentional about picking up the habit again, I’m currently reading:
“Greenlights” was a gift from my wife and probably not one that would have hit my radar on its own. That being said, I do enjoy hearing McConaughey’s perspective on life and how to live it. Hygge (Danish sense of coziness and well being) has long been a topic of interest for me, and I thought it was finally time I read this well known book on the subject. Since I’ve already confessed to not having read for a long time, it won’t surprise you to learn I don’t have any current recommendations. However, there are a couple of older books that still jump out to me as excellent reads.
Being a World War II buff “Unbroken” was a must read for me. It’s the amazing true life story of Louie Zamperini written by Hillenbrand who also authored “Seabiscuit” (another great book). If you’ve ever pondered Heaven or God, “The Shack” does an excellent job of addressing the how’s and why’s that inevitabley surface with that kind of exploration. The book moved me like none other. Watching Unlike what my reading track record produced, my what to watch list is top rate! While most of these are pretty common and won’t necessarily surprise you, they all are definitely binge-worthy (a skill I honed over the last 2 years). Two series that I loved and recently rewatched are:
I was surprised to learned that rewatching was at least AS enjoyable as the first time, and perhaps even MORE so. There were some subtleties that I just missed the first time around, and discovering them later on was so much fun! I imagine the same is true for books. In no particular order, you can’t go wrong watching the following series. Some were specific to the pandemic lockdown, and others more recent.
Listening Like so many others, since 2020 I’ve been working from home and that looks to remain for the foreseeable future. As a result, my Spotify subscription gets a heavy workout. During the day, you’ll find me listening to low-fi chill music. The “Workday Lounge” playlist curated by Spotify is usually my go too. Others like “Chill Tracks” and “Chillhop” are in the rotation as well. During the previous two summers my wife and I would grab a bottle of wine and sit on our back deck for some Parisian cafe vibes. Playlists like “French Cafe Lounge” would help set the mood. All other times I’m usually listening to my personal “Liked” playlist. Unfortunately, it’s not natively shareable. Truman Miller: December 17, 1924 - August 4, 2021
I’ve spent my entire life visiting my Uncle Truman and Aunt Roxie in southern Missouri. As a kid, my Dad and I would come down every year to quail hunt, and Truman would walk with us (as chores allowed!) over this good creation. Later, I would bring my own family down to share in the love and warmth offered by Truman and Roxie. I’ve always felt the Ozarks were in my blood – Truman is a big reason why. Faith and Family. That’s what Truman lived every single day, and that’s what he has inspired in me. All my love, Bart I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by The Sweet Setup describing my workspace and some of the tools I use. See the full article with pics here.
Have you ever noticed a lot of the productivity experts who say "it’s ok to say no", and "you need to create margin in your work day", are self-employed?
Um….I’m playing catch up here, but with no boss (or bosses) isn't that a whole lot easier to do? What about the rest of us who have senior management asking us to chase after a variety of shiny objects, and personnel we are trying to support through the latest flu outbreak? The fact is, it’s really hard to say no (or even career limiting) even though the benefits it would bring are undeniable. We can’t control when a boss, or customer, will come to us with a problem or request. The good news though, is we can control what we do from that moment on. The chaos and disruption that occurs around us doesn’t have to influence how we respond to it. As a matter of fact, it can’t. Our health and welfare depends upon it. To be our best selves doesn’t mean to drop everything and jump on the latest emergency that has been tossed into our lap. It does mean to focus on what matters at that moment, and have a system by which you can capture and process new items in an effective and efficient manner. There are many ways to do this, and even more people offering advice. Here is the routine that works for me: Morning
Lunch Here is when I take a bit of a break and recharge a little. I almost always have brought my lunch in so I’ll eat in my office, and wrap up any loose ends from the morning work. After that, I’ll go outside, or somewhere nearby, to walk and clear my mind. Afternoon
Before I walk out the door I take another look at my email, voicemail etc. to ensure nothing has slipped through the cracks. It is at this time I make a list of the top 3 issues I want to address in the morning. This allows me to not waste time tomorrow determining where to begin. So let's be honest. This routine doesn’t prevent the shiny object chase or any of the other thousands of interruptions which could and will occur. Things happen which require changes to be made, and new priorities to be established. What I have found though, is while this system doesn’t prevent the craziness it prevents me from becoming crazy right along with it. There is a sense of calm and order knowing I’ve got a game plan and general structure to see me through the day. One last piece of advise. Coffee. Always coffee. Side notes that make the system work:
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