The Kindzia Blog

Volume Discounts Aren't Always Cheaper - November 8, 2009

A quick story to first add perspective.  I continue to make tremendous progress with my "Kindzia 2.0" project.  The theory behind Kindzia 2.0 is to re-invent myself as I turned 40. Too often I was finding myself making excuses about why I wasn't capable of learning new technology, achieving certain dreams, progressing in personal improvement, etc.  I was becoming stuck in my ways and developing more and more distortions that weren't based on reality.  It wasn't that I wasn't capable of changing.  Rather, I was refusing to put in the effort to change.

Anchoring, Distortions, and Trouble - November 4, 2009

The human brain works in funny ways.  It's hard to believe just how powerful and amazing it is.  Science has taught us much about the brain, although we still have plenty of ways to go if we really want to understand it fully.

Over the years, we are gaining a better understanding of the relationship between what we say and what we think and how that could progress into how we feel emotionally and how we evolve physically.  It's all interconnected somehow.  One field that studies these relationships is neuro-linguistic programming.  Although we may not have heard that term before or understand the details of the science, we all have done the procedures over and over again whether we realize it or not.

What we have learned is that whay we say (to others or ourselves) impacts what we think.  Likewise, what we think impacts what we in turn say.  How do people use this to their advantage?  Simply the power of positive thinking.  In sports, it could be visualization, "I am going to make this shot!" or "I will run this fast!"

But it also spills over into our daily lives which impacts everything from our work, our relationships and our happiness (or lack thereof).

Gabby - November 1, 2009

This is my niece Gabby.  Many might say, "Wow, she looks so believable in her costume."  She looks believable because that's not her costume.  She's all business.  Her outfit only legitimizes her role as executor of justice with all schoolchildren under her control and command.

Compliments are well received by the ruling party.  Criticism...not so much...Offer those at your own risk.

There's not a single picture of her that just doesn't make me laugh.
 

Four Types of Employment - November 1, 2009

I'm starting to put American workers into four types of employment.  Maybe I'll call them "buckets" although we'll discover that we may blend into shades of gray rather than be in a definitive bucket.

Let's call the four buckets;

1. Employed
2. Self-Employed
3. Self-Unemployed
4. Fun-employed

Changes - November 1, 2009

There was a crisis in the Kindzia household yesterday. 

I DIDN'T BLOG!  That's criminal.

Here's the real story.  I did write something.  I thought it was trash.  I started over and I caught myself asking the question, "Why am I stressing and so worried about this?  Why am I staying up later to re-write something that I didn't like?"

I find myself doing that a lot.  There's subtle and not so subtle differences between "Tweets", "Blogs", "Essays", "Journals", "Research Papers" and "Books".

Do You Know What You Really Want - October 30, 2009

Working in the finance field with individual investors, it's pretty common for me to hear things like, "I want to be rich," or "I want to be financially independent."

For most, these aren't intentions, they are wishes.  They wish they could be rich, or wealthy, or secure or independent no different than somebody else may wish to have six-pack abs or tone legs, or anything else that requires more than dreaming.

It's fine to dream.  Actually, it's encouraged by many.  I love dreaming.  But eventually we need to take that next important step that contributes the most if we were to really accomplish our dreams.  We need to take action and align our daily behaviors in line with our long term objectives and goals.

Sometimes we just really need to clarify what it is we really want out of life.  Do we want adventure?  Popularity?  Comfort?  Solitude?  Wealth?  Health?  What is it that we really want and are we doing the things necessary to move in that direction over a lifetime.

Greed and Risk - October 29, 2009

Over the past few days/weeks I've come across some instances where I saw greed and poor risk management.  This isn't unfamiliar turf when money is involved.

In one of the more public and notable cases, an insider trading ring was busted up that resulted in the illegal profits in the $20 million dollar range.  That all sounds like big money and worth the risk, unless of course you were one of the richest people in the world, running a hedge fund and were already worth over $1 billion buckeroo's.  I wonder what THIS GUY will think about his risk taking and greed when he ends up serving time.

Multiple people threw their careers and futures right out the window for what?  They were already wealthy.

We all encounter situations where something might look like easy money or a great solution to an immediate problem.  Typically people will assume that they will never get caught.  Further, once we cross that line, I would speculate that it would only become easier and easier to cross the line again and again in the hopes of repeated success.

Look at Madoff.  He even said himself that when he started out in his career, he was legit.  But then he cut a corner and then another corner.  And pretty soon he needed to keep it up and it just grew out of control.  And then you get to a point where there is no turning back.

It could be affairs, it could be money, it could be the pursuit of power or a number of things that could wreck our lives.  How can we just get people to ask themselves, "What is my upside here and what is my downside and is it really worth it if I get caught?"

And all this becomes really relavant if you actually have something to lose (whether it was a million dollars, a billion dollars or simply your reputation.)  It's not a case where somebody gets caught shoplifting a can of soup to feed their hungry children.  At that point, there really is a downside of not trying to cut a corner.

It doesn't seem as though many people are reading Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau this day in age.  What ever happened to a simple, clean and wholesome life where our pursuit of happiness had very little to do with the pursuit of material goods?  Then again, greed has been around just as long as man has.  And I don't think it is going away anytime soon.

Caplan and Massie - October 28, 2009

I really liked Jason Massie's comments on October 27 about balancing out race objectives and doing some events just for fun (no time goals.)  You could see his words here AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

Caplan (Jeff) also had some good words in an email that I'll share that I think is relevant to many of us.

You did nail the point from the other day – you are kind of going back and forth between quantitative performance and lifestyle participation.  There is only one point that really wasn’t captured in the blog, and that was the part about goals.  You were ok but not thrilled with IM Canada and IM Florida last year because you missed your goals.  You are very happy (but feeling torn) about MCM because you did hit your goal – turn it up, turn it down, have a great weekend, and finish healthy.  That is a helluva thing right there.  You and I have seen many folks exit endurance sports because they burned out chasing a number, and frankly I was very concerned that this would happen to you when Kona fell outside of your 5 year plan.  Re the 3 hour vs 6 hour person and who is happier – as always, it goes back to goals.  While I loved breaking 12 in Florida last year, some of my favorite races were ones in Wisconsin and Lake Placid because I was there with loved ones and close friend (um, one friend in particular for nearly 15 hours ;-).  It all depends on your perspective.

 

I’m going into Florida with the goal of having a great time with 3 good friends who are doing their first IM.  Two weeks ago I didn’t think I’d be able to do this race.  There’s a good chance that 2 of the “newbies” will beat the pants off me.  As long as we all finish with smiles on our faces, I’m a happy guy.  The potential for denial of opportunity puts a whole different perspective on goals and dreams.

Pics As Promised - October 28, 2009

A few pics from this past weekend at the Marine Corp Marathon.

Angela and I ran together through about mile 20.  At mile 19 we were still running at about 3:40 - 3:42 marathon pace.  Angela eventually called out to slow up and save her legs for Beach2Battleship Ironman in 2 weeks.  I said, "Sounds awesome" (and was thinking "thank goodness.")

I slowed up and started taking in the scenery and that was the last time I saw Angela prior to this photograph.  I looked up and she was gone.  I think it was a trick?

She finished 8 minutes ahead of me in 4:04 and I came in at 4:12 after a walking tour of the Pentagon.  So I guess she did slow up, just not as much as me.

That's my sister Stephanie on the left.  It was her very first marathon and she finished under her dream goal of 5:30.  She did great.  It wouldn't be a big event without a Kindzia wearing a Polish T-Shirt of some sort.  She's pretty good at egging on a crowd and a natural at hamming it up.  She did score free beer and pretzels at mile 21.

This was my favorite marathon race for sure and highly recommended.
 

Working On My Skillz - October 28, 2009

I was working on my new bike skillz recently;