The Corrigan Encore

Close to you

March 3, 2023 John Corrigan

Promotions are a function of proximity. My oldest son started his career during the covid pandemic. He worked for his firm for a full year without ever visiting that firms office. Now that the world is entering the endemic phase of the Covid 19 virus he has of course visited the office but his in person schedule is still a little flexible.

There are business coaches who are now encouraging young people to get back into the office even if it is optional. Putting in face time really matters. People are social and physical creatures and connections matter. I have been reading and listening to many experts weigh in on the way the current and future workspaces look and every time I hear and read about the physical office and facetime I cannot help but think about the song (They Long to Be) Close to You by the Carpenters.

I am also reminded of a movie starring Bruce Willis called Surrogates. In the movie the whole world lives in their homes and send out surrogate bodies to the physical world to work and do their business. The movie is a dark sci fi movie and you learn the importance of connection to the visceral in the movie.

No matter how much human beings try to remove themselves from other humans and the physical world the fact that we are part of community and the physical world is inescapable.

The importance of showing up is often not given as much credit as it should be.

That’s a tough one

March 2, 2023 John Corrigan

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

On the surface this question seems easy to answer. Of course I could find someone who seems to have a charmed life and choose them. I could find a loved one and choose them so that I could help them and or see how they see me. But what makes a person the person they are? What would it be like to be a different person?

a thinking, intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places
John Locke

Being a person means we can move with our imagination to different places and times. The question points to a time and place by mentioning “for a day”. The place would be the person. Every figure inhabits some position.

No to answer the tough question.. I would love to see what it would be like to be Super man. Super man is not my favorite super hero, Spider man is but I would love to have Super Mans powers if just for one day. All the physics that seem to inhibit me on earth wouldn’t exist for a day. I could fly to China in less than an hour without boarding a plane!

Ok non fiction person that I would choose or to be real.. I would probably love to be Joe Biden for just one day. I would love to get insight into what the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world is privy to. I am sort of afraid that it might be boring but what if it is not? What if the president of the United States is briefed daily on the nations and worlds secrets? Man then I would love to know all of that.

secrets are pleasant to each child of eve
Hannah Cowley

It is a fun mental exercise to change places with others but at the end of the day I am pretty happy with being myself.

All I can do is be me whoever that is
Bob Dylan

Just over Broke

February 28, 2023February 28, 2023 John Corrigan

Do you enjoy your job?

I sat in the conference room and watched the presenter write the words Just over Broke on a white board. He then told everyone that the word Job was an acronym and stood for Just over Broke. The presenter let us know that he was offering a career not a job. It was a hard sell on selling. I tried the door to door salesperson thing and it wasn’t for me. I enjoyed meeting with new people everyday I did not enjoy meeting with an agenda. The agenda was to sell.

I have worked in a few industries and each business industry has its own nuances and idiosyncrasies. I honestly have not found a favorite industry or skill in the modern workplace. I have however enjoyed almost every job I have worked at. I have tried very hard to find the silver lining with every situation and my job is no different.

The jobs that I have enjoyed the most though have all the same aspects.

I accomplish things. For jobs that I have enjoyed more than others I find that getting a sense of accomplishment is important. I get such a oxytocin high from starting my day off with a list and then crossing off the tasks as I finish them. Here is a great read about the importance of accomplishment.
I worked with people who acted compassionately and kindly Jobs that I have enjoyed included teams full of positive kind and compassionate people. Work is always a team event and good teams are made up of good team members. Having a great team makes work that much better.
I have worked in companies that have singular missions and ones that have missions that are convoluted. Singular missions seem to work better Everyone at work has there own reasons for being there and usually=y that is monetary however firms have vision statements and a reason that is not just “create profit”. Firms that have all employees working towards that vision are almost always better jobs.

Collaboration is a key part of the success of any organization, executed through a clearly defined vision and mission and based on transparency and constant communication.
Dinesh Paliwal

So I do enjoy my current job and I have no doubt it is because the workplace has me working on meaningful tasks, with great people and all of that is happening with one clear vision.

That cat was a genius

February 27, 2023 John Corrigan

There was this comic strip panel that made the rounds in the 80’s, in the panel Garfield the Cat is wearing his pajamas and is frowning and slumped over. His thought bubble reads “I hate Mondays.” When asked in a Gallup poll how people feel about Mondays, 70 % of the people polled replied to the poll that they hate Mondays. Mondays can be tough especially when coming back from long weekends.

Monday is a change of sleep pattern and pace. Some of us are still in “weekend mode” and Monday morning requires exiting weekend mode and getting into “work mode”. Usually I am a big fan of Monday mornings. Monday is the beginning of something new. Everything that happened last week is over and now we have new opportunities and challenges. Sometimes though it takes a while for me to get out of “weekend mode”, and on those days it takes me a little longer to get started. On those days I have to find ways to start my week.

A good strategy for me is to start Mondays with a last week wrap up and begin to write out work tasks for this new week. Once my tasks are written I find one “easy win” task and try to accomplish this one first. The win helps motivate me and gets my Monday morning started.

Strategies can help us when dealing with the Monday Blahs. Whatever your startegyuis I know that you can do it! Good luck and have a great week and Monday!

That smell or ….

February 24, 2023 John Corrigan

The lobby of a movie theater, the airport concourse, a train station, and the snack bar at a ball game. These are places as a child and an adult that give me an energy from smell and sight and feel that is almost indescribable. I love the feeling while I am in these places. I get excited.

Watching a movie or play is an event. The audience gets to join the actors in an hour and half on a escapist treat for the mind and the senses. Taking a trip to a different place is an event, the passengers of the train plane or automobile will soon be at a new geographic destination. A sporting event involves watching athletes perform and a huge amount of escapism. before and during events like these there is a nervous energy and an excitement that feels and smells different than everyday activities.

Doing new and exciting things in a safe environment is healthy and needed for growth.

Did you feel the excitement of the ride to come? If so, then you have felt potential energy.
unknown

Generating that excitement comes from learning and trying new things and it is hard to describe or bottle up but it is enjoyable. There is a smell and feeling to it and I wish this for everyone everyday. Never be to afraid to do something that gives you this feeling. Make today awesome

It’s a toss up

February 23, 2023 John Corrigan

What is your favorite drink?

When I read this question I immediately thought of this book. The book is titled The History of The World in Six Glasses, in the book Tom Standage goes through the history of the world using the worlds most popular drinks. The book begins with beer and ends now in the modern era with water. The book was a great read and I suggest it to everyone when they are talking about drinking. I really enjoyed this book.

You heard right the book begins with beer, Beer was recorded in ancient Mesopotamia and used as a form of currency. Workers were paid with beer rations in the form of chits. Beer ran the ancient economy and is one of my favorite drinks.

Today there are over 100 different types of beer and I would love to try them all. micro breweries seem to be popping up all over the world and developing their own take on beer. Big breweries are also joining suite and developing different flavors.

There are basically 2 types of beer out there, maybe 100 flavors but they all fall in lager or stout. I really couldn’t tell you which one of the two beers or the 100’s of flavors is my favorite. I really enjoy a lot of the IPA styles however I am also enjoying the hard ciders (many say that the hard ciders are not beers at all).

Another drink I enjoy is coffee. I drink it every morning and sometimes in the afternoons. Coffee like beer also comes in 100’s of flavors and variations. Maybe it is the variations and differences that make me enjoy coffee and beer so much..

I t is important to embrace change as often as we can and why should my favorite drinks be any different?

Buy Amazon stock

February 22, 2023 John Corrigan

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Ever since Robert Zemeckis brought the world Back to teh Future in 1985 I cannot help but imagine teenagers and adults all over the world have wondered what they would do if they could jump in the DeLorean and meet their past selves.

What would we warn our past selves off? That one bad relationship that we have scars from? The job we took right after university that had the boss from hell? If you have lived enough you are going to make missteps’.

We learn from failure not from success
Bram Stoker

The mental exercise has been done again and again. The more I consider my past the more I realize that the past has made us who we are today., not really the past but how we react and process the past has made us who we are today and I am not sure that I would want to change anything simply because I am happy now.

One thing I would of course want more of is money or maybe wealth not money. I would love to have the stability and luxury that comes with wealth. In the current pay to play system of the world money provides people security, and control of their time. I would if I could change anything get that security and control.

So if I had to tell my past self anything it would be to buy Amazon stock. as much Amazon stock as I could afford and hold onto it. Amazon opened at 97 cents per share and as of this post the stock was selling at 95 dollars a share. The Amazon stock has split 4 tines as well.

If I bought 100 shares for a little less than 1000 in 1997 I would have just over 2 million dollars! I did not buy that stock so for now I have to get back to work.

What Now?

February 21, 2023 John Corrigan

He was the king of Corinth and a brilliant man. In the Iliad Homer described the king as “the most cunning of men” (Iliad, 6:153). Sisyphus was so cunning that he cheated death twice. Sisyphus tricked Hades and Thanatos. Sisyphus got his comeuppance at the hands of Zeus though and was condemned to push a boulder up a hill for all eternity. Every time Sisyphus neared the end of his task the boulder will and does roll back down hill. Today any task that feels like it will never end or is stuck is often described as a Sisyphean.

We have all been there. The project is rolling along swiftly we are making our deadlines and then we hit a brick wall. There is one task or part that seems to never end. What do we do now? How can we handle a task that seems to never end or what do we do when we are stuck?

When you feel stuck it is important to understand what you are stuck on and why. Not why you are stuck but why the project is taking place. What business problem are you addressing? Often the answer will change the direction of a project sometimes it will not. Sometimes it will reinforce the importance of the project. The most important thing that why does with projects and life is refocus.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Write down. When you write something down you use the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain for movement, reasoning, judgement, planning and problem solving.

Talk about it. When you speak you also use the frontal lobe. Speaking and writing will help with problem solving and reasoning.

Finally reach out for help. Sisyphus didn’t have the support structures that many of us have today. Friends, family and colleagues are often looking for ways to help and want to help we just often do not ask. Never be afraid to swallow your pride and reach out for help.

Relax it’s a joke

February 17, 2023 John Corrigan

Trevor Noah just recently stepped down as the host for the daily show. In the place of Trevor there have been some guest hosts and currently the most recent host is the comedian Sarah Silverman. I have been a huge Sarah Silverman fan since the 90’s. I love her stand up however many of the right wing news folks are not big fans of Sarah Silverman.

The daily show is an amazing program written using satire. A lot of comedians use satire. Satire is a tool that exposes and criticizes peoples stupidity, vices and hypocrisies. The right wing establishment has no shortage of stupid, evil or hypocritical people and policies.

Here in the United States the Right wing political party is full of some pretty awful folks and policies. The right wing political party has an awful record especially when dealing with humans rights. If you are a human or a living being the right wing party in the United States probably will violate your rights within your lifetime.

When we begin to find some major issues with a comedian who specializes in satire a growth minded person will look inward for answers. Why am I getting so offended by this satire? What stupidity, vice or hypocrisy has this person exposed?

Going inward. That’s the real work. The solutions are not outside of us. Get to know who you really are, because as you search for the hero within, you inevitably become one
Emma Tiebens

It was legal

February 16, 2023 John Corrigan

I was in the movie theater with my favorite person in the world. Before the trailers for other movies we get treated to a barrage of commercials. One commercial makes an impact on me and sends me down a rabbit hole. The commercial has images of women, men and children doing everyday things, going grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, yard work. The same folks are later seen in the commercial being arrested or hospitalized. Then in bold black letters the words Opioid addiction affects everyone.

The rabbit hole was opioids and the United States. Opioids have been in use in the United States since 1860 when soldiers were prescribed opioids for pain from war injuries. The civil war was going on and injuries were common. The injuries were painful and opioids numbed the pain. Opioids worked well but were and are highly addictive. Opioids naturally come from the poppy seeds and required fields and crops to produce. The difficulty in agriculture was a barrier to entry for production of opioids.

Over the years drug companies that were more concerned with profits than health found ways to synthetically create opioids.

Capitalism created, morphine, heroine, OxyContin and now fentanyl. All these opioids were and are extremely addictive and one of them, the last one is very deadly. Fentanyl has some of the highest rates of use and highest overdose numbers.

The more I read bout opioids and really any drug epidemic in the United States the more I see capitalism at work. Pure capitalism is profits above all and that is exactly what the drug business, legal and illegal, does.

People and corporations should not work for a profit. Profits should be side affects of building and supporting a healthy community.

Until humanity puts people over profit the world will not advance.