Life's a Happy Blog

April 24, 2013 Check on Goals

2013-04-24T06:12:00.000-04:00

I went through and reviewed my Goals for the year 2013. I am sad to say I am not meeting very many of them. Some need to shift, as I am not in the same place as I was at the beginning of the year (Pod cast I want to listen to, Blogs I was going to read.) In these cases I don't think it is a terrible thing, I just do not spend that much time on-line. It's also a bad thing as I don't give myself that down time. Other items I need to rededicate myself to. Maintaing my weight, penance. Others I just need to revise all together as I need to see how they tie into the life I am willing to live.

A Beautiful Day

2013-02-23T08:23:00.002-05:00

It's a beautiful day full of promise. The ice and gloom from yesterday has melted away. Its a day planned with commitment. What adventure can I have come my way?

Negative Air

2012-12-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

So we made it through another election and the negativity that accompanied it. I am resolved to get the idea of negativity out of my discourse. Why have we allowed politician, corporations and government to sell us on fear. Why can't we have tangible hope and big goals be our guiding light. I am vowing to make that my drive and make that my calling. We need to explore space. We need to explore our oceans. We need to clean our environment. We don't need to carpet bomb the Middle East. We don't need to provide every meal in the country.

Internal Change

2012-12-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

I saw this image and realized how true the message is. Man/Government (right and left) solution for everything is to give a man a fish, give a man a voucher move them out of the situation but don't change them. Now of course a person's change has to come from with-in, but accepting people into society in place of forcing them out has a way of changing some of that attitude. We're not changing our failing schools we're not helping the families of the kids in these failing schools. We're giving the slums money so they can buy and trade drugs. Then our solution to fix it is to remove the best and brightest. Interesting dilemma.

Happiness

2012-11-03T08:02:00.001-04:00

So I have had a 50 hour work week and I am looking at going in this afternoon for two hours. Then I am off with my friend and our sons to a Xavier Basketball game tonight. I am searching for the happiness from this week. The nice part is absence does make the heart grow fonder. I have enjoyed trick or treating with the kids this week; seeing friends at our Halloween Party; going to see 700 carved pumpkins on pumpkin hill; and that my mother-in-law and wife have gotten our family room painted. But with all the work I have had this week everything has been at a break neck pace. I am happy I get to sit down with Wally and Mira this morning and just relax.

Rational Thought vs Intuition

2012-10-25T06:49:00.002-04:00

It's a wonderfully dark morning. I typically hate this time of year. It's dark when I wake up, it's dark when I go to bed. It dark when I head to work. It always feels dark and cold. Today it is wonderfully dark because I have woken up with some sense of purpose for the day. I have issues at work, but I have an idea of how to address the biggest one of those. That knowledge is bringing me peace. Unlike this blog post I know where I want to go today.

I have also been reading "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. I came across this amazing quote from Jobs last night about intuition. It is a rather long passage but I find it very insightful for today's busy world.

Coming back to America was, for me, much more of a cultural shock than going to India. The people in the Indian countryside don't use their intellect like we do, they use their intuition instead, and their intuition is far more developed than in the rest of the world. Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That's had a big impact on my work.
Western rational thought is not an innate human characteristic; it is learned and is the great achievement of Western civilization. In the villages of India, they never learned it. They learned something else, which is in some ways just as valuable but in other ways is not. That's the power of intuition and experiential wisdom.
Coming back after seven months in Indian villages, I saw the craziness of the Western world as well as its capacity for rational thought. If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to cal it, it only makes it worse, but overtime it does calm, and when it does, there's room to hear more subtle things--that's when you intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. YOur mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. YOu see so much more than you could see before. It's a discipline; you have to practice it.
Zen has been a deep influence in my life ever since. At one point I was thinking about going to Japan and trying to get into the Eihei-ji monastery, but my spiritual advisor urged me to stay here. He said there is nothing over there that isn't here, and he was correct. I learned the truth of the Zen saying that if you are willing to travel around the world to meet a teacher, one will appear next door."

I have been watching "The Men Who Built America" with my wife. I have enjoyed seeing how Vanderbelt, Carnegie, and Rockefeller gained their fortunes. As the show keeps stating with these men it wasn't that they lacked the ability for great rational thought. They all had the intuition to see a new service and product that they could offer.

I just read that passage last night. I am going to work to implement intuitional experiences onto my day. My Dad once told me he knew I was going to be a good engineer because my intuition was there. I don't think I had an appreciation for that like I do know. Thanks Dad.

Half a day off

2012-10-08T21:52:00.002-04:00

Ok I did something that sounds stupid. I went in to work on my day off. Why would I do that? Well I had felt stressed that I did not get enough done when I left on Thursday to make it all the way to Wednesday this week. Going in worked out. I felt less stress and I was able to come home to my wife and take a lovely hike this afternoon. It was a wonderful experience of choosing to work when I wanted to. Now the original stress to go in was fear based. But, it also was stress based on not having a plan for my time off. I was originally going to ride from my house to the Ohio River with some friends. With my Broken neck I could not ride. No plan to take it's place.

Broken Neck and Break Neck Soccer

2012-10-03T22:49:00.002-04:00

Well it has been almost a month since I have blogged about anything. Amazingly because it has not been for lack of content to blog about.

September 1st I fell down the stairs and broke the spinous process on my T1 vertebrae. I am extremely luck that I didn't break anything worse. I spent Labor Day weekend in the hospital. I was running a fever and ended up passing out twice at the top of the stairs. The picture shows the broken process.

I am not to play basketball until December. That seems to be the biggest downside I have at the moment.

Not playing basketball has given my extra time to read. I've recently read "Delivering Happiness". Which is a book about the founding and running of Zappos.com. It is a great read and stresses the importance of working for a higher purpose.

I am trying to join the Happiness movement. (see the twitter link below. I am going to blog about I am happy about.

Up first. Arsenal won!

Make the world a happier place! Join me
and @DHMovement in
#deliveringhappiness.
http://bit.ly/bICYyJ

DalaiLama and Momentum

2012-09-29T07:27:00.000-04:00

I read this tweet from the Dali Lama. I think of it kind of amplifies Dave Ramesey's Momentum Theorem to me. (Focused Intensity / Time) x God = Momentum.

Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama)
8/27/12 5:31 AM
Since universal compassion involves gradually expanding one's circle of concern to the whole of humanity, it needs constant cultivation.

Soccer

2012-08-31T07:04:00.002-04:00

I have now coached 3 soccer games. My record is 0-2-1. We got our first goal last night. We were leading going into half-time and then gave up a goal being overly aggressive. I have enjoyed every minute of coaching in games.

I need to stress shorter passes and not trying to run around everyone. I have fast players, but a really short bench. They send the ball long and then try to chase after it. Then they are worn out. I am going to have a practice working on the short passes again. And looking to put it into free space for their teammates. I also need to work on goal kicks. We are not controlling the ball well enough.

A 5 year olds worth...Priceless?

2012-08-17T07:00:00.003-04:00

So I got copied on this e-mail from my wife the other day.

-----Original Message-----
From: Penny Timmer [
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 10:09 AM
To: Martin Kelly
Cc: Donald H. Timmer
Subject: tell me....

why my child thinks this is her worth? ;). Mira just brought me those animals and told me that was how much she cost.

Sent from my iPad

We had a joint garage sale with Mike (real name Martin) at another friend's house in June. My kids played with some of the labels and stuck them to themselves. Mike wrote one on Mirabelle that was 2 donkey's and a camel. A zebra must be worth 2 Donkey's.

Parish Council and Evangelization

2012-08-14T06:10:00.000-04:00

Last night was a parish council social. The new members met with both St. Albert the Great's priest to get to know everyone. I have to say I am excited. Father Tom pointed out that there are many challenges that the parish needs to take on this year. I am excited. Of all things I am excited about Evangelization. All of the books I have read in the last 6th months have me looking forward to apply the knowledge I've gained from them. You never would have convinced me a year ago that I would be excited about Evangelization.

I am attempting to implement the Traveler's Gift in my life. If you get the chance check out the book. I have not read "Mastering the Seven Decision", yet. I plan to before the end of the year.

I have just read parts of Paul Krugman's "End this Depression Now!". I have a hard time not reading a book cover to cover. I don't understand why he couldn't state his case for how to end the depression at the beginning of the book and then spend the book reinforcing it. His whole point is there needs to be massive government spending to pump money into the economy. Fortunately he doesn't want that money put into Austerity programs. With that I can agree with him.

Fear the Lord

2012-08-14T05:25:00.002-04:00

I started this Post on August 6th. I did not get around to publishing it for a week.

I read the 1st chapter of Sirach this morning. The verse stressed the wisdom of "Fear of the Lord". I struggled at first reading this idea of fear again. Are we to stand up to our fears with the Lord at our side. Even though fear of the Lord is a common theme throughout the bible, I was taking fear very literally when I read the passage. Then as I discussed the passage with my wife I realized the fear is the same fear I have of her. I should fear of disappointing the Lord, even more than I fear disappointing my wife.

Keep the commandments and live in God's love. Have the same fear of the Lord that you have of you parents or your spouse. Fear you'll disappoint the Lord and you never will. Always know the Lord is there for you to come back to.

Fail

2012-08-03T22:10:00.003-04:00

Wow it has been a long week for me. I worked Saturday to get a project ready to be checked on Monday. I then spent the rest of the week rushing in early to work to get as much done as I could before 5 p.m. as Wally had Soccer Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday I held my first practice as a coach with Katie's soccer team. Then I went to OMPBA (Old Man Pool Ball Association). Where 5 grown men over 30 beat on each other for 4 grueling games of 21 tip-in at the pool. Thursday and Friday I was up at 5 a.m. and heading in to work for 9 hour days. I should be in bed but I figured I would type a little of this.

This is not how I want my life to be. 51 hours this week at work. Why was this week jam packed. My failure. My failure to seek the counsel of others earlier. My failure to delegate.

I am working on the habit of seeking council. I can't do it alone and I need to stop trying.

4 Days on the Bike

2012-07-25T06:57:00.000-04:00

Saturday and Sunday were family bike rides on the bike trail to Riverscape in Dayton. Both rides were 3 mile in and out. We let the kids play in the fountain at Riverscape both days.

Monday and Tuesday I got to spend time riding with Mira on the back of my Bike while Katie and Wally were at soccer camp. She has a Wee Rider tandem bike. This is a single wheel trailer that attaches to the back of Penny or my seat. Over all she got in 16 miles in the past 4 days.

The Hunger Games, Batman and The Lorax

2012-07-23T05:40:00.002-04:00

The news out of Colorado is obviously on my mind. My prayers go out to the victims, their families and the killer's parents.

I pray the family of the victims keep in mind that per reports there is only one person responsible and he has been caught. Thankfully, James Holmes will not be breaking back out to act like the Joker. The theater and the responders are not to blame. Both the right and left side of the media are jumping on a tragedy like this and calling for more gun control, or blaming Obama and the economic situation. It was Holmes.

This tragedy also is not a sign that we live in an age where people are capable or more violent. The Bath School disaster which took place in May 1927 in Bath Township, Clinton County Michigan Near to Lansing. Here was a case where a man killed 38 3rd and 4th graders. We hear about tragedy much sooner and we learn about tragedy from far off places much quicker. Be sad, be tearful, and be engaging when you are out in public. Engage with people as just saying something to someone can change what a person is doing.

After getting rained on Thursday at Kings Island my wife and I took our oldest daughter to the Hunger Games. We are happy we read the book as the movie was good, but it left many gaps that we were only able to fill in with the knowledge we had from the book.

We took all 3 kids to see the Lorax Friday morning. It was a nice spin on Suess's classic tale. I came away with the fact the Onceler was not set up to handle his success in that movie. He finally sold his thneed and it was a hit. His mother comes in and says harvesting the tufts is taking to long. Lets break your promise and cut tree's down. The Onceler was already successful. He was sustainably making thneeds. In the race for more he left his principle's behind and his company followed. On a journey it is just as important to define where your going as planning how you will get there, and then enjoy and celebrate when you get there.

Intrinsic Motivation

2012-07-15T13:16:00.000-04:00

There was a wonderful TED Talk (Technology Entertainment and Design) discussing motivation in business. It was given by Dan Pink who was Al Gore's speech writer. All I could think at the start of the speech was great a Democrat talking business. But as I listened there were the same idea's that Dave Ramsey has presented in Entreleadership. People are not motivated by money. People want money to survive. People are motivated by the thought of doing something greater that matches up with their values. Now the one activity where this did not hold true was mechanical mind numbing task in Dan Pink's speech. But as Dave points out in Entreleadership researchers who had people come dig a hole and fill it up paying them more each day eventually had no one show up. There was no perceived value in the task even though there was more money for them each day. I am embedding the video here.

Financial Peace Testimonial

2012-07-14T14:49:00.001-04:00

So I have been hitting the "Inspirational" reading/podcast really hard. It started In January when Penny and I started Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University". We are working on becoming "Debt Free" Baby Step #2 on Dave Ramsey 7 Baby Steps to Financial Peace . We have a Home Equity Loan left to pay off for baby step #2. Once we get that paid off we are going to work on saving a 6 month emergency fund for Baby step #3.

Sadly we had this money. We were debt free except for our mortgage. But then we started spending the money we had without a plan. We bought our dream house (that needed a lot of work) in our dream neighborhood. I don't feel we were ready for the work. We didn't have a set plan we followed and when problems arose we financed them and moved on. We got to the point we were living paycheck to paycheck and didn't have any more financing we wanted to get. We could have increased the spending limits on our credit cards but we knew that was just going to continue the spiral. In 4 months after starting Financial Peace University we paid off the credit card debt, and have budgeted our money well enough that we are not waiting for the next paycheck to be deposited so we can pay our bills, or buy food.

We had been told about Financial Peace by my Cousin and Her Husband many year before we actually attended. One thing they warned us about was not to be trying to diet or starting an exercise program while we were going through the course. I understand where that advice had come from, but it could not have been more wrong. Amazingly I have also lost 30 lbs since January with out being on a diet. I am eating smaller portions but I am not limiting what type of food I eat. I am exercising the same that I have been for the last 3 years. 2 nights of basketball a week and soccer on Sunday's (spring and fall). Setting a budget has helped my weight loss as we are eating out less and not over eating. I have tipped the scales under 230lbs for the first time since college, I can't be more excited about this. I attribute it to the principle set forth by Dan Miller that winning in one area of life leads to winning in other area's of life.

At my Brother's wedding Nov 2011

At the pool July 4th (See I am still eating and I am thinner)

So my life has been better than I deserve since starting this process in January. I am truly inspired by "Life's a Happy Song" from the movie "The Muppets". As I have my family by my side and we are moving in the same direction.

2012-07-10T00:04:00.002-04:00

Some musings after a night of a swim meet:

Track and swimming are difficult spectator sports as a parent. I think swimming is worse as it's hot. There's water right there. But you can't get in.

Hat's off to my kids for completing a successful swim season. My kid's aren't speed demon's in the pool (which means I won't go to the semi-finals this year). But they have learned to swim and they are strong swimmers. Our 5 year old went from not even swimming a stroke 3 feet between her mother and myself, to going off the diving board on her own. She swam her whole 42 foot race on her own tonight. I believe it goes to prove you toss the kid into the water and they'll learn to swim right quick. My older 2 are going to attempt the mile swim with the team this Wednesday.

I listened to an interesting Podcast today about the Future of Cities. It was a TED talk Podcast from NPR by Robert Neuwirth on Shadow cities In Mumbia, Rio, Istanbul, and Narobi. It talked about how a squatter's camp/shanty town is better for the people living there than living out in a small village.

Also Jon Acuff had a great tweet tonight as well

People on the sidelines never catch a lucky break. They catch foul balls. http://dld.bz/b8htS

Of course this Blog is my attempt to get out there a bit more. Send any comments along.

2012-07-08T21:34:00.003-04:00

Father Ned had a great sermon today. Though he cursed in the middle of it. I am hoping he doesn't get to much grief for it. But as he pointed out today, it is his sin to bear.

2012-07-08T21:19:00.002-04:00

Sunday dinner's at the pool are nice and relaxing. I didn't even swim tonight. My wife made up meatball and bacon calzones that I grilled at the pool. My five year old continued trying to master the belly flop off of the diving board. Hopefully back to normal this week.

We'll see if any surprises are waiting at work.

Hopefully we'll get a couple of combined heat and power projects off the ground.