Dan In Focus http://www.dwstratton.com Where life, art and passion come into Focus Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Thank you, Lunch Lady! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/6KLmpYGm1bI/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1905 [...]]]> My son and I were discussing something he noticed the other day. He said he had been getting to the lunch line first lately and had been able to talk with the Lunch Lady while she finished setting up the line. Since he has been doing that, he has discovered she has been slipping him extra cookies and other little “bonuses”. He was puzzled and actually challenged her on it. She just smiled and told him to not worry about it. He was concerned that he was getting something he wasn’t paying for and didn’t know what he should do.

I experienced the same phenomena back in high school. I made it a point of giving my Lunch Ladies feedback when something tasted especially good or bad. I always raved when something was especially delightful. It wasn’t long before extra cookies or peanut butter treat would appear on my tray. One day, as I was tossing my tray from the potato bar in the trash, one of the Ladies saw me. She was horrified that I had chosen the potato bar over her special Chinese lunch. She had me come back into the kitchen and have another lunch, complete with almond cookie, so that I could give her my critique.

A little kindness can go a long way in this world. I have never found it wrong to smile and thank those who give me good service. The more I treat these people with respect, the greater respect I receive from them. I have found this especially true in those often unthanked positions, such as police, librarians and, of course, the Lunch Lady.

Of course, false gratitude in the attempt to gain special favor doesn’t go far. I had a friend who was jealous of my extra cookie. After explaining how I ended up with it, he went up to her, mumbled something that sounded like a compliment and then asked if he could have another cookie. It didn’t work. Faking it doesn’t cut it, folks.

Take a moment and share a smile and a heartfelt “thank you” with someone under-appreciated today. We love our Lunch Ladies!

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/feed/ 0 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/thank-you-lunch-lady/ Personal Process http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/O0YLXqAZKIw/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=457 [...]]]>

This is my Weekly Review checklist to help me focus on content, not form.

My morning routine begins the night before. I lay my robe across the end of the bed, turn my slippers around, facing away from the bed and place my iPhone in the doc with a low-light clock app running. The alarm is set for 5:00, ready to wake me to The Choir of Christ’s Church Cathedral’s rendition of Psalm 23. Upon waking, I turn off the alarm, step into my slippers and robe, quietly stumble downstairs, put the water on for my honey bush herbal tea, set the countdown timer on my iPhone and begin reading scriptures. When the timer goes off, I get the tea and begin reading my current religious book for another ten to fifteen minutes. After those tasks are done, I am then free to start my day with other things, like read the news, write a blog post or something else.

If it sounds like I am a creature of habit, it is because I am. I have learned the best way for me to accomplish something is to turn it into a routine. Once the routine is engrained, the habit is easier to maintain and improve. By profession, I am a process analyst. My job is to watch how tasks are done and find ways to improve them, saving everyone time and money, while improving quality. On the mornings I ride the bus to work, I observe many people who have their personal routines. Some read, some play games, others sleep while others watch a TV show on their iPod. I notice they rarely vary from their routine.

Why do we gravitate to personal routines, or processes? I don’t pretend to know all the reasons, but I believe some of the answers include:

  1. Greater certainty in a repeatable outcome.
  2. Comfort in habit.
  3. Ability to focus on the content instead of the form.

One of the first principles taught in process management is there is quality in process. As we repeat a task in an exact pattern, the results become more predictable. I observed this in action last week in my friend’s company. They are very careful to do everything exactly the same way. Intel lays out every new fabrication plant identically – upon entering the building, it is impossible to tell whether you are in Beaverton or Taiwan. It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. In fact, the argument is a process cannot be improved until it is first standardized. Otherwise, it is impossible to tell if the change actually has a positive or negative difference in results. Personal processes can be created so as to provide predictable results. Because my morning routine is laid out so carefully, I find it easier to get out of bed and get started. I am well into the routine before I wake up enough to think about doing otherwise.

Humans are creatures of habit. We will follow our habits, even if the habit is destructive. Once the habit is engrained, changing is extremely uncomfortable and difficult. Ask anyone who has tried to quit smoking or overeating. I often find myself staring into the depths of the refrigerator minutes after pushing back form the dinner table, not because I’m hungry, but because it is a habit. Just walking through the motions of a habit can reduce stress and anxiety.

By forming a habit, we provide our brains the opportunity to focus on other aspects of the task, For example, when I first started playing French horn again, I tried playing some of the songs I used to play. It was horrible. I had forgotten many of the basics, such as how to breath, what finger combinations produced which notes and other basics. I couldn’t even begin to concentrate on making the music sound good. I have had to start over with the basics so I can eventually concentrate on the music. It will happen just as soon as the habits take over the mechanics.

Want to build a new personal process? Start by making a checklist of the process. Leading through each step, a routine will be built and the process will become a habit. A good example is doing a weekly review. I have struggled with them over the years. Since creating the checklist (pictured above), it has become easier and I am slowly building that habit. Having the process detailed in advance helps make sure undesired steps don’t creep in. That is how I came to put the robe at the bottom of the bed. When I had to go find it in the closet, I found something else would distract me and I would lose focus and not get started. Having the robe in place sends me down the stairs and immediately to the rest of the process. Using the countdown timer helps me, too. It makes sure I don’t spend too little or too much time on a task. I look for little tricks to help keep me in the process and not wandering off into undesired practices.

Take a look at the goals you created for the new year. Are any struggling to gain traction? Build a process around them designed to lead you through the motions. Write it out and follow it. Soon the goal will be well on its way to accomplishment. Share some of your personal processes. How to you use habits to your advantage?

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/feed/ 1 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/02/personal-process/ Never Miss an Opportunity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/apOIp0H1x3I/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1891 [...]]]> Please never miss an opportunity to do the right thing. I ran across this story today. Bill Gates wrote a letter to Steve Jobs before he died. It touched Steve so much, he kept it next to his bed to the end, according to his wife. I am glad Bill didn’t disclose what he wrote in the letter. It wasn’t for us.

I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know.

Do you have a friend feeling down, sick or just in need of a virtual hug? Write them a quick note. It doesn’t have to be much. Four short lines are more than enough to let them know you care. Who knows how much it will mean to them?

C’mon. Do it right now. I am.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/feed/ 0 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/never-miss-an-opportunity/ Turning Dust Into Diamonds http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/GK92yYDd3q0/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:11:38 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1882 [...]]]>

Not only do they make diamond drill bits, but they make colorful gem diamonds as well.

Recently, I had a most unexpected networking experience. I was invited to visit an amazing company that does some truly incredible work. Chances are they will never make it to the cover of a major magazine or be the subject of a best selling business book, but they deserve to be. While they don’t make the flashiest of products (diamond bits for deep bore drilling rigs), how they do it and what they have become because if it is the real story.

From the moment I walked in the front door, I could tell this was not the typical manufacturing company I expected. Everyone from the receptionist forward was polite, happy and eager. I met my friend, the president of the company and he started me on a tour that would leave me astounded. He first introduced me to the IT team and left me in their capable hands for a few minutes. As they showed me around their area, the pride and excitement for their jobs was evident. They understood their job wasn’t to make cool technology, but to move the company forward. While cool technology abounded, they all knew exactly how it was going to help everyone else. Everything had a purpose and nothing was overkill, which I have seen in too many IT shops over the years.

They showed me some of the cool things they were doing to bring the company closer together as it grows. In the cafeteria, they have displays mounted showing the latest performance, safety and financial results. The cafeteria, by the way, was also completely unexpected to me. This is definitely a manufacturing company, but the cafeteria would have looked at home in Google or other hot company known for their pampering of employees. I was starting to get the idea I had stumbled into something special by this point.

The IT Director and I swapped stories as he showed me his pride and joy – a state of the art data center. He was proud of every switch, cooling system and server. He told me how they had embraced virtual servers recently that had reduced the need for new servers to the point of saving an entire second row. Huge savings for the company. He then proudly told me meant to showcase their network capability, but actually started to explain why this company is special.

Recently, the whole company had been working hard to win the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. When the award was announced, my friend wanted to do something nice for everyone. The answer? iPads for everyone. Keep in mind, “everyone” was around 800 people. The IT Director’s first thought was “Awesome!” The second was “I wonder if the network can handle it?” Yes, the network could handle the influx of new attached devices. The part that interested me was the focus of shared reward.

I have read many management books and have strived for years to be a different kind of leader. I gnash my teeth at the leaders presented in popular culture, like The Office and The Devil Wears Prada. I strive to be the kind of manager whose people are all more productive because of the work I do in the background. What I found at this company was exactly what I have been trying to espouse for the last decade and a half.

It was time to talk with my friend. He wanted to show me the floor. As we walked around, everyone knew him by his first name. He knew theirs, too. He proudly showed me how they take diamond dust, a fine talc-like powder and exert the same pressure the earth uses to create diamonds. The result is a diamond drill bit. He explained how they switched from a linear factory flor to LEAN processes, grouping several tools into cells. By making small teams that do several steps of the process together, they find defects fast – hours instead of days, saving thousands of bits being wasted should a defect crept in.

Quality is everyone’s job. Each team meets at the beginning and end of each shift to discuss how this could be improved. Everything is driven by these suggestions and rapidly implemented. I forget the number of improvements they have made at the request of the people doing the job, but it seems like it was over 10,000 suggestions. What is the result? These people make over 10,000 drill bits per day of the highest quality. That translates into a solid company that is very successful and profitable. And, you guessed it, the employees share in that profit.

I have read about companies like Toyota and Motorola who have pioneered this style of manufacturing, but I had never actually seen one before. I was simply amazed. Their systems were nothing short of amazing. The work they have put into making their product the best in class is obvious. I can see why they are so successful. I have read book after book on better process, management, leadership and alignment to create a better business. I just found a company that appears to live these principles. It actually exists! I am more motivated to take the ideals back and implement them in my own job now because I know it is possible. It has been done and I tip my hat to them. It was the most fun I have had in all my years of meeting people and companies. This is why I love networking – the chance of stumbling on a gem of a company or individual. In this case, I found a man-made diamond.

Bravo to them. Congratulations on the 2011 Shingo Prize. I hope someone writes their story one day.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/feed/ 0 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/turning-dust-into-diamonds/ Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig – Jan 2012 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/S3kBHlc3JLI/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/juggling-elephants/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1866 [...]]]>

Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done–Now!  by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig ★★★★

Ah, business training parables. I have read too many of them. I guess I am more than a little cynical when I pick one up anymore. Most are contrived stories, about 100 pages of large font type, teaching some simple concept with the care and tenderness of a treasured faberge egg. While they teach the principle in an format that is easily digested, they don’t delve into the topic enough to provide much knowledge, background or depth. They tend to be like a quick sugar hit, the Krispy Kreme of the self improvement world.

Juggling Elephants follows this same format. We are told the story of a man who takes his daughter to the circus even though he is overwhelmed with everything in his life pressing down on him. He has so much to do, he feels guilt for taking time to take his daughter out for the evening, but knows he should be spending more time with her. As “luck” would have it, he ends up sitting next to a ringmaster from another circus, there to check out how a friend’s troupe is doing. The ringmaster instantly reads him and suggests that he needs to stop “juggling elephants” and get his “circus” in order. Naturally, the ringmaster invites the man back the next day to teach him the secret of being a ringmaster.

The rest of the story lays out how a ringmaster controls the show and how it applies to managing personal lives. The man quickly adopts the practices and becomes a master of controlling everything around him, becoming hyper-productive and accomplishing all his wildest dreams. He even loses all the weight he has always wanted and improves his marriage. Amazing.

The book is filled with little “pearls” of wisdom, each on its own page with a nice picture of an elephant. Some of these include:

The result of juggling elephants is that no one, including you, is thrilled with the performance.
The ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once.
The key to the success of the circus is having quality acts in all three rings.
Every act must have a purpose.
Intermission is an essential part of creating a better circus performance.

So why did I give this short book four stars? I usually won’t give this type of parable more than two at best. Well, to my surprise, I learned a concept I find useful. I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. In order to have good performance, I should have a prioritized list of acts (multiple meanings to this word… get it?) for each ring of my life and be able to move between them with speed and ease. A ring represents an area of focus, such as career, relationships and self. GTD teaches this as well, using the weekly review as a mechanism to plan and prioritize the task lists. I like the concept of grouping the many areas of focus into three rings, though. That is a number I can keep in my head easier. Lining things up by priority puts the most important things on stage first. That is good thing to remember.

Juggling Elephants is a short read, a couple hours or so long. I think this one may be worth it.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/juggling-elephants/feed/ 1 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/juggling-elephants/ Six Sigma Memory Jogger II by Ginn, Finn, Ritter, and Brassard – Jan 2012 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/_y0YavFHOVM/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/six-sigma-memory-jogger-ii-by-ginn-finn-ritter-and-brassard-jan-2012/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1856 [...]]]>
Six Sigma Memory Jogger II: A Pocket Guide by Ginn, Finn, Ritter and Brassard ★★★★

I haven’t been formally trained in the ways of Six Sigma, but I have been around it enough to know some of the basics. We used it at SuperValu/Albertsons. I saw it accomplish some amazing savings through several projects.  Simple, small process changes that were shown to save millions of dollars because of the scale of the operation. I worked closely with a few black belts on projects and their grasp of analysis was admirable. I always wanted to be one, but never got the chance.

One project I knew began with an idle comment from a vendor that the company purchased more small item shipping bins than anyone they knew. This was a huge expense each year. Why were the bins disappearing? That was the answer the Six Sigma team was tasked to find. Using several analysis tools, they quickly discovered the root cause was no process or procedure for returning the bins from the stores to the distribution centers. The bins were stacking up at the stores until the manager got tired of having them in the way and tossing them in the trash. A simple process change later and the bins were flowing back to the distribution centers on the empty trucks to be reused hundreds of times.

The Six Sigma Memory Jogger was recommended to me by my manager. It contains an alphabetical listing of all the tools and tricks the Six Sigma black belts use to do their work. Each tool and method is laid out in a concise discussion of what it is, why it is useful and how to employ it. It even includes a few examples of each. It is short, just 266 pages, but it has one of the most complete listings of analysis tools I have seen. Now that I have read through it, I can draw upon the multitude of tools, except for a few intense statistical functions that were beyond my brain. The rest, however, are useful in all sorts of settings. Having this handy reference close at hand means I don’t have to remember everything, but can do a quick review and get the results I need quickly. I have used several over the years in different situations and have found them invaluable. I

If you have to do any kind of analysis of business process in your job, this book is a great one to have in your toolbox. Recommended.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/six-sigma-memory-jogger-ii-by-ginn-finn-ritter-and-brassard-jan-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/six-sigma-memory-jogger-ii-by-ginn-finn-ritter-and-brassard-jan-2012/ Are You Ready? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/6jG3WWrs-V0/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1844 [...]]]> I have very little time this morning. Remember last week, when I said we need to have a resume ready at all times? Not only that, we need to be ready for an interview at a moment’s notice. Yesterday afternoon, I received a request for an interview for today. The job I had heard about materialized and events are moving quickly. Since receiving the job description yesterday, I have been analyzing it, preparing answers to potential questions, thinking of questions I want to ask and developing a 90 day plan. That is a lot of work to do in 24 hours.

I will probably go into these topics deeper in future posts, but the point today is the importance of being ready. My resume is up to date. I just finished printing a fresh copy for every member of the interview team, plus a few extra in case more are needed. Fortunately, I have a box of resume paper ready. I built the 90 day transition plan, just in case the question comes up. I developed that between dinner and choir practice last night. I still have my white shirt and suit pants to iron, shoes to shine and questions to develop. Somewhere on my hard drive, I have a list of answers to common interview questions I wrote out years ago. I need to find and review those as well.

Is all this necessary for an internal interview with my current director and his team? Absolutely! The competition is stiff and the only way I believe I can get a chance at this position is to nail the interview. I’m counting on the preparation I have made weeks and months ago to pay off at this short notice.

Always be ready.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/feed/ 1 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/are-you-ready/ The Intelligent Entrepreneur by Bill Murphy – Apr 2011 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/e7s1JDNEQiQ/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-intelligent-entrepreneur-by-bill-murphy-apr-2011/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=968 [...]]]>
The Intelligent Entrepreneur: How Three Harvard Business School Graduates Learned the 10 Rules of Successful Entrepreneurship by Bill Murphy  ★★★

For the college entrepreneur, being accepted to the the Harvard or Stanford Business Schools is the Holy Grail of Opportunity. Each year, thousands apply and only a few are accepted into these elite programs. The graduates are assured lucrative job offers and contacts for which others would kill. This book follows three HBS graduates who chose another popular route, entrepreneurship. These three turned down the six figure salaries for the opportunity of making something big on their own.

I picked up this book in the hopes of gleaning some information to feed my desire of someday having my own company. What I came away with was unexpected discouragement. I am sure this wasn’t what the author went for, but after tracing the route of these three Harvard graduates, I got the distinct impression a) I could only make it if I attended the Harvard Business School and b) if I didn’t create a multimillion dollar company in three years, I wouldn’t be a successful entrepreneur. The stories were interesting, the advice pertinent, but the loftiness unattainable.

The three chosen subjects each started Internet companies: The Ladders, Military.com and Bluemercury (an online cosmetics retailer). Each were successful through the tenacity and strength of their founders. Each survived through their contacts made at HBS. In fact, one of the lessons I learned from the book, intentional or not, is the value of high-powered contacts, both for advice and cash. It is discouraging to anyone who hasn’t gone to the elite schools to ever hope of meeting these kinds of players.

The chronicle of their respective business startups was very educational and interesting. The book is very engaging, the stories very well written. It is obvious Murphy is a reporter. His style and experience shows through – I cared about their problems and successes. I cheered inwardly as Marla made the shift from sinking online retailer to successful brick-and-mortar boutique. I applaud the success they achieved and grumbled at the poor people management decisions and bad behaviors.

I came away from the book with a fresh look at the hyper-charged life of the successful big entrepreneur, with multimillion dollar investments and even larger payoffs. What I didn’t find was much value for the small entrepreneur. It felt that the message was “if you want to be successful, you better go to Harvard or Stanford”. That just isn’t an option for me, so I was left wondering if I had any business even considering starting my own business. That wasn’t what I was hoping to find.

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-intelligent-entrepreneur-by-bill-murphy-apr-2011/feed/ 2 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/the-intelligent-entrepreneur-by-bill-murphy-apr-2011/ Blueprints To Success http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/IMQS9N7wP94/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:57:59 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1833 [...]]]> The alarm went off at 5:20 this morning and for a minute or two, I lay in bethinking through my morning routine. I wanted to have a picture in my mind of what I was going to accomplish. I knew if I had that picture, it would more readily be achieved. So, I walked through my morning scripture study and then turned my thoughts to what I wanted to write here.

Last night, I had sat for nearly 20 minutes, trying to think of something to write. Nothing came. I wasn’t interested in anything. I gave up and read a book instead. That was a good decision. For me, writing is something I can’t force. However, this morning, laying there, I thought of this post and laid it all out in my mind in about 15 seconds. Then, I got up and got started.

Why was it so much easier this morning? Aside from being more rested and ready, I spent time away from the keyboard, designing what I wanted to write. Houses are blueprints long before the first nail is hammered into wood. Jumbo jets are blueprints long before the first piece of aluminum is bent. Software programs are sketched out before the first line of code is written.

For a successful creation experience, spend some time planning. Those few minutes of planning can save hours of struggle. Subsequent decisions are rendered easier, once the final product is determined. Each step on the course becomes more evident.

I glanced through my email prior to beginning writing. Once again, Michael Hyatt beat me to the punch. His post this morning, Why Vision Is More Important Than Strategy, was exactly what I wanted to say.

If you have a clear vision, you will eventually attract the right strategy. If you don’t have a clear vision, no strategy will save you.

Read the rest of his post. It is very good. I would like to quote the entire article.

Spend time, as he suggests, writing up your vision. I plan on doing this step very soon. I believe this is what is missing in my life. I have dabbled at parts of the vision, writing my goals and such, but haven’t spent time writing the entire scope of m life vision. Instead, I let the strategy fears take over whenever I start. I haven’t a clue how I am going to accomplish all that I dream for myself. I have big dreams. Too big, at times. Why not dream big and let the strategy take care of itself?

]]> http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/feed/ 2 http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/blueprints-to-success/ Shaping Steel http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DanInFocus/~3/4wbv0-05ie4/ http://www.dwstratton.com/2012/01/steel-quote/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000 Dan http://www.dwstratton.com/?p=1823 [...]]]>

Steel can be any shape you want if you are skilled enough, and any shape but the one you want if you are not.
- Robert M. Pirsig

I saw this quote yesterday and was struck by the relevancy. Are you skilled at shaping yourself? Do you know how to discipline yourself into new, productive habits? Or are you stuck in good intentions, not becoming anything like the hopes you have for yourself?

Once we discipline ourselves into making small changes to ourselves, we can learn to make bigger changes. As children, we began with the small things, like combing our hair, doing homework right after school or cleaning our rooms. After mastering these items, we move up to more difficult challenges and learn to shape ourselves into what we want to be.

The person who doesn’t understand the basics of changing habits and has little willpower finds it extremely difficult to mold themselves into the desired character. They have to learn to master the small stuff, even it is means returning to the child-like tasks. It takes practice to obtain a skill. Repetition is what provides the ability to truly mold ourselves into what we want to become.

Struggling with a goal or a resolution? Take the time to think it through. What is it you really want to become? Don’t just define the milestone (I want to weight 180 pounds by July 4). Also add the traits necessary to adopt in your life (I eat healthy foods in appropriate portions and exercise regularly). After all, the end goal isn’t achievable in a day, but the trait is. Today, I ate the correct foods and I spent 30 minutes at lunch on the Stairmaster. Today, I have mastered those traits that lead to the ultimate goal. Tomorrow I have to start over again on mastering the skill, but I will have the residual strength gained today.

Today, my steel is closer to the shape I desire. The closer I get to that desired shape, the more resilient it is to mistakes or accidents. I found it much easier today to turn down the fresh, hot scones with chocolate sauce at work than a year ago. Last year I would have had at least three. Perhaps four. It’s no wonder I was in the shape I was last year at this time.

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