I Can See Clearly Now

The other day, I mentioned that one of the best things that has happened to me in the last week was my wife and I cleaning the windows in the whole house, inside and out. I can't believe what a difference it makes when I look out the window next to my desk. I also realize now, what a layer of dust had built up on that window. Of course, it didn't happen all at once. As with most things, it happened so slowly that I didn't even notice that I was adjusting my expectations of what I could see through that window.

In a funny way, I guess, the window mirrors my life lately.

Many of you who know me, know that I have been working two jobs for the last ten years or so (sometimes three!). On the one hand, I've had a part- or full-time job with the University of Michigan. I've worked there since I got out of graduate school. It's always been interesting and challenging and the benefits there just couldn't be beat. On the other hand, I've had my own company, Cyber Data Solutions. I've helped out some great organizations, from the Oakland County Regional Interagency Consumer Council, to the National Institutes of Health.

The thing was, working on both meant that I couldn't really excel at either. And, because I had been doing it for so long (17 years at U of M!), I wasn't really aware that I was limiting myself. Eventually, my expectations of what I could accomplish lowered to meet the energies I could expend in two different places. Oh, I kept saying that I would give up one or the other, but I never seemed to get around to it. And, let's face it, I had gotten comfortable with the way things were.

That brings us to a point a few weeks ago. I started reading a book called "The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" by T. Harv Eker. There was a section in the book where the author maintained that poor and middle-income people "want" or "choose" to be rich. The truly wealthy "commit" to it. It was as if my mind was a super-saturated liquid into which someone had thrown a pebble. Suddenly, my intentions crystallized and in that moment I decided that I would devote my full attention to my business.

Today I met with my boss at U of M and gave him my notice. Of course I'm not going to leave him in the lurch, so I will finish out the year, but as of January 1, 2007, I will no longer be employed at the U. A new year and a new chapter as it were.

Am I a little nervous? Sure. It's a scary thing, working without a net. In reality, though, I feel like I did when I was a kid and it was the first day of summer vacation. I'm excited and feel a great anticipation of all the challenges and adventures which lie before me. Lisa is with me and is ready to support me in this endeavor no matter what. I'm a very fortunate guy.

So, when was the last time you cleaned your windows, either real or metaphorical?

56 days.

Best Things

I love chatting with the people I meet throughout the day. Cashiers, bank tellers, waiters, pretty much anyone who crosses my path (especially those who can't really run away). Anyway, lately, I've taken to asking people, "What's the best thing that's happened to you in the last week?" You'd be amazed at what people will respond and probably equally surprised at how quickly people are willing to tell you quite a bit about themselves.

Just today, Lisa and I stopped by Whole Foods to get a few staples (and to snack our way through the free samples). While we were checking out, I put the question to the young gentleman who was ringing us up. For him, it turns out, the best thing is that he recently joined the local "Y" and that they are going to let him set up some sort of apparatus which will allow him to practice his disc golf over the winter. Pretty cool, right? Then he went on to tell me that he actually plays in tournaments and that at the last one he made it to the semi-finals and that he and his girlfriend had won the mixed doubles division.

And I found out all of this in the time it took to ring up about ten items.

So, if you have problems meeting new people, I highly recommend giving this icebreaker a try. Let's face it. Anything that I consider to be "best" in any way tells you so much about me.

What, me? Well there are a couple of things I'm not ready to share yet, but strangely enough, Lisa and I spent Saturday morning cleaning all of the windows in the house, both inside and out. I'm amazed at what a difference this makes on my outlook (no pun intended).

So, what's the best thing that's happened with you in the last week?

57 days.

He Shoots! He SCOREs!

Wouldn't it be cool to work with a business advisor who was the VP of Corporate Development in a large, privately owned company (almost $500 million in sales)? How about one who founded a market research company and grew its annual sales to over $2 million? Can you imagine the wealth of knowledge that these folks would have to share? How would you like to get that advice for free?

Check out SCORE.

On Friday morning, I went in to the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce offices where our local SCORE chapter has its offices. I was meeting with Karl Hauser (the first advisor whom I described above). My goal was to take my business to the next level, but I wasn't even sure what my next steps should be. By the end of the hour, he had helped me through the beginning of the process. He had provided me with free materials about my plans. Best of all, I walked away with some specific action items for me to tackle. He really helped clear up my confusion!

If you are just starting out in business, or even if you've been doing it for a while and would just like to get some advice on how to do things better, I highly recommend that you check out your local chapter. You can go to the national SCORE site to find a chapter near you.

What? You say that there aren't any chapters nearby? No excuses! You can also get access to this same level of experience via email. And, again, it's free. Just follow the instructions on the national site and within 48 hours, you will have your answers.

So, what was the best business advice that you ever received? Did you follow it?

Aloha!

A few years ago, I took a seminar called "How to go from where you are to where you want to be." As a product of this course, our instructor helped us to create a five-year plan including all of those things that we wanted to accomplish. Amongst the many things in my story was to travel. In particular, I included three places: Disneyworld, Alaska, and Hawaii.

I was actually never very big on travel. It always seemed to be a lot of trouble and not worth the effort. Then I met my wife, Lisa. She taught me to love the adventure of seeing new places, to find the fun, even when things aren't going perfectly, and to re-order my priorities to include travel in my life.

Well, about three years ago, we went for a week at Disneyworld and in August of this year we went to Alaska for ten days. In between, we've gone to Oregon, Italy, Japan, and on a cruise through the Caribbean. Who'd have thought that I would become such a world traveler?

And now? Now, thanks to Lisa's careful planning, we're going to Hawaii, a place I've dreamed of going since I was about 7. This winter, while the wind and snow is howling around our house, we'll be enjoying the beautiful island of Kauai. I am a truly fortunate guy. Beyond the prospect of spending a week in paradise, I found someone who has helped me to reach my dreams!

So, where is your dream trip? When are you going to go?

You Are Here

One week from now I'll be attending my first regular meeting of the Leadership Ann Arbor class. I wrote a bit about our initial retreat where we learned about ourselves as leaders. Now we are going to start learning about this great city in which we live.

The November meeting is supposed to concentrate on economic development in the Ann Arbor area. To prepare ourselves, we were given a "Scavenger Hunt" which was to help us learn more about the city. OK, at first I got all sulky -- think of a put-upon teenager and you'll get the picture. Then something intriguing happened.

I got interested.

I found out about the Border to Border Trail initiative, the goal of which is to create an unbroken, non-motorized trail following the Huron River from Dexter to Ypsilanti. I was forced to reflect on the businesses I frequent in the area. I even started researching the businesses that have sprung from technologies developed at the nearby universities, colleges, and research labs -- such imaginative and creative people!

Something that is exciting me even more is to find out what the other members of my working group have found out (or knew in the first place). What are their top five restaurants? Cultural attractions? I'm sure they will come up with things of which I have never heard, but will expand my enjoyment of living and working here in Ann Arbor.

So, what cool things have you discovered about your home town? If I were to visit there, could you recommend a great vegetarian restaurant?