[Today, I’m waxing philosophical. If you want to wax along with me, then keep on reading. If not, then please peruse my other posts instead.]
Category: Philosophy
Thoughts on the philosophy of business and life
Quoting from his speech on August 28, 1963, King stated, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!”
We all make New Year’s resolutions. "I’ll do this or that!” Then January 5th rolls around and, well, you get the idea.
[Today, I’m waxing philosophical. If you want to wax along with me, then keep on reading. If not, then please peruse my other posts instead.]
[Today, I’m waxing philosophical. If you want to wax along with me, then keep on reading. If not, then please peruse my other posts instead.]
This post, an annual classic, was originally written and published on September 5, 2016, Labor Day in the U.S.
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Originally proposed by union leaders, Labor Day commemorates American workers. Just as unions have mostly outlived their usefulness to all but union leaders, Labor Day has become a day for barbecues, family gatherings, and just plain old fun.
Some claim that there is a thing called “work-life balance.” My opinion is that we have only one life (I’m not betting on reincarnation) and that work is an essential part of it. It’s a main driver in why we’re here. Work gives us a purpose in life.
I’ve often heard people say things akin to “I have four years left,” in reference to the time until they “retire.” I shake my head in wonder, both because it seems to me as if they’re talking about a prison sentence (i.e., four years until parole) and because it seems as if they believe that work is getting in the way of some idealistic “life” that hasn’t yet begun.
I’m certainly not advocating that you work, work, work and have no fun, for what is life without fun. I believe that we should approach work and non-work as building blocks for your day. You not only have to work smarter (do the right thing) but there’s no getting around the fact that you also have to work harder.
I can almost guaranty that your competitors are not just sitting around the pool today, they’re also doing some thinking about how they can snatch away your opportunities. Even if I’m wrong and they’re all floating around on inner tubes, it’s even more of a reason for you to outwork them into the ground.
I took some time off this morning. Now I’m about to get back to work preparing for a meeting. After all, it’s Labor Day.
Comment or contact me if you’d like to discuss this post.
Mark F. Weiss
It’s getting darker. Well, not actually. But tomorrow, Monday, August 21, 2017, it will. And, not just at night, but because of a total solar eclipse.
Darkness. Where fear lurks in nursery tales, vampire movies, and film noir. Pretend.
Yet darkness of another sort, of the refusal to look, of the refusal to see, of the refusal to acknowledge, causes actual damage. It’s not from wolves, the undead, or lurking, fedora-wearing spies smoking Gauloises and speaking in uncertain Slovakian accents.
Instead, it’s from heading eyes closed into the future with no heed paid to the truth of the present or to the risk of the disproportionally large impact of a nonlinear event.
It’s the shortcut taken today that can lead to crushing lawsuits and compliance hell. It’s the sole hospital-based group. It’s the not fully thought out contract that leads to potential allegations of kickbacks and false claims act risk.
We didn’t plan for it. We didn’t budget for it. How could we know?
Excepting life near the poles, day is light and night is dark.
Except just once in a while, when it isn’t.
Comment or contact me if you’d like to discuss this post.
Mark F. Weiss
If you're selling medical services but collecting only peanuts (or even hot dogs) let me know. You need a better agent.
[Today, I’m waxing philosophical. If you want to wax along with me, then keep on reading. If not, then please peruse my other posts instead.]
I’m writing this today, September 5, 2016, Labor Day here in the U.S.
Originally proposed by union leaders, Labor Day commemorates American workers. Just as unions have mostly outlived their usefulness to all but union leaders, Labor Day has become a day for barbecues, family gatherings, and just plain old fun.
Some claim that there is a thing called “work-life balance.” My opinion is that we have only one life (I’m not betting on reincarnation) and that work is an essential part of it. It’s a main driver in why we’re here. Work gives us a purpose in life.
I’ve often heard people say things akin to “I have four years left,” in reference to the time until they “retire.” I shake my head in wonder, both because it seems to me as if they’re talking about a prison sentence (i.e., four years until parole) and because it seems as if they believe that work is getting in the way of some idealistic “life” that hasn’t yet begun.
I’m certainly not advocating that you work, work, work and have no fun, for what is life without fun. I believe that we should approach work and non-work as building blocks for your day. You not only have to work smarter (do the right thing) but there’s no getting around the fact that you also have to work harder.
I can almost guaranty that your competitors are not just sitting around the pool today, they’re also doing some thinking about how they can snatch away your opportunities. Even if I’m wrong and they’re all floating around on inner tubes, it’s even more of a reason for you to outwork them into the ground.
I took some time off this morning. Now I’m about to get back to work preparing for a meeting. After all, it’s Labor Day.
Comment or contact me if you’d like to discuss this post.
Mark F. Weiss
July 4th, Independence Day in the United States, celebrates the original 13 colonies’ declaration, in 1776, of their independence from Great Britain.
But July 4th wasn’t the day of actual separation: The separation came into effect on July 2nd, 1776, the date on which the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution declaring the “united States of America” as free and independent states.
In fact, historians believe that the Declaration of Independence wasn’t fully signed on July 4th. Some signatures were apparently obtained on July 2nd and there is a record of a signing ceremony in August 1776.
But the exact date doesn’t matter. It’s the construct that counts, the construct of independence.
Independence, and its antipode, dependence, are constructs equally applicable to your business, and to yourself.
Independence is a break, a fresh start. A fresh start in terms of leaving a prior arrangement or relationship and beginning one anew. A fresh start in terms of business strategy. A fresh start in terms of redoubling efforts. A fresh start at tackling problems or setting new goals. And so on.
Every year people around the world celebrate January 1, New Years Day, as a fresh start. For our country, July 4th celebrates its new start. But it easily could have been July 2nd or some date in August.
You, too, are free to choose your own independence day, or even a few of them, as a time to renew and reflect and restart.
Hot dogs, parades, and the red, white and blue are all a part of our nation’s Independence Day. You get to choose what’s a part of yours.
Comment or contact me if you’d like to discuss this post.
Mark F. Weiss
