good – The Corrigan Encore

It’s Everything

May 31, 2023 John Corrigan

My wife and I have been married for three years now, we dated for 9 years and I can honestly say I have loved every minute of it. It’s true I am very very lucky. I remember early on while we were dating and talking about our lives before we meet each other we realized that we had been at the same concerts and other venues and never ran into each other. That’s when she told me it’s all about timing.

She was right timing is very important.

Timing is everything with relationships.
Rashida Jones

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

I have lived through some stretches in life where it has felt like I have had the timing off. Just a little to soon or a tad to late however looking back even those moments where I was “off” were not wasted. I needed to fail and not get the jobs I applied for so that I could learn more and get to where I am now.

It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
Bill Gates

My failures have taught me to understand when the right moments are and that the moment that matters the most is the moment that we are all in right now.

be mindful of the future but not at the expense of the moment
Qui Gon Jinn

Make today the best day you possibly can and if it is not working out just remember… chances are high that your timing could be off.

Left.. no Right.. Ok Straight Ahead..

May 8, 2023 John Corrigan

Daily writing prompt

What gives you direction in life?

View all responses

The Apple watch has a compass app on it and the app has an amazing feature called back track. The app will trace your route as you walk/hike and then play that route back to you so that you can get back to where you started.

When I was in the US Army Global positioning Satellites were first being brought on line and used to do the same thing as the watch and the back track option. I have a very poor sense of direction and because of that I have been on some Amelia Bedelia style adventures. I have never been so lost though that I have not found my way home.

What then is home?

Home is where the Heart is
Pliny the Elder

My heart is with my loved ones, my immediate and extended family is my heart and home. We may fight and disagree but we have and I really believe will always love each other and that is what gives me direction is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.

Love is the promise that guides me
Dan Fogelberg

Dedicated to…

May 5, 2023 John Corrigan

In Europe there are many cathedrals. Buildings that are intrinsically art. Huge towering beautiful masterpieces reaching upwards and outwards. The cathedrals are religious monuments built by the community for centuries.

On our vacation my wife and I visited Duomo di Milano. The Duomo took 601 years to complete. Over 70 Architects worked on the church and countless craftsmen spent their lives building something. The church is huge,. Italy’s largest and the city of Milan basically is built around this church but, why? What would compel someone to dedicate so much time and effort and many would never see the end of the project? The easy answer is God, but more nuanced answer would be hope, faith, duty, love. So… God yes.

A question I think that deserves answering is, What is God? The answer is personal and telling of the person who answers it.

The whole community came together and built t a dedicate the monument to God. A place where people can commune worship and admire beautiful art and culture. Art, culture, science and love that has to be part of God right? If your God doesn’t have those facets what does that say about you?

I live in the United States and here there is a movement from many religious people to ban books, take away rights and freedoms of minorities and I can’t help but think that the religious folks doing this are worshipping such a small God. How can this be the actions of a God of hope and power?

God should inspire, uplift and make us build things.

More than 5 Less than 7

May 2, 2023 John Corrigan

The six word story is something I became interested in as of yesterday. The six word story is that.. a story told in just six words. For fun go ahead and Google (love how this word is now a verb or even a word at all), six word story examples. You are in for a treat my friend.

The most famous six word story is a bit of a bummer and attributed to Ernest Hemmingway, not sure if he actually wrote it but here is the story;

“For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.”

Powerful but a complete bummer, right? I tried to remember a six word story that was more up beat and I came up with a lyric from a Jay Z song;

“I came, I saw I conquered”

I like that. I hope this can be said for your day today and mine to. I tired to think of a good six word story to encourage anyone reading this and I came up with this;

“Make Today Better for everyone meet”

Look I am no Hemmingway. I found a master class on six word stories and this gem was in the class;

Google: how to inflate a liferaft!

Ha, got to love dark humor! I think I like the idea of six word story because it is making an impression in six words. Less is always more. Words are wonderful but too many words are counter productive. Action for others service is what speaks the loudest and makes the biggest difference in your own life and your communities. On that note I will leave with my most recent six word story.

“Words; less than action be more”

The last two weeks

May 1, 2023 John Corrigan

For the last two week my wife and I were on vacation. My cousin, his wife and two kids let us stay in their spare bedroom and just have a great time. Thanks Tim and Stefania you two are the best!

The vacation gave my wife and I time to rest, recharge and reconnect.

In 1926 Henry Ford used labor and the automated assembly line to build cars. While his employees worked H4enry researched it was through this research that the 40 hour work week was discovered. That is right the forty hour work seek was optimal in 1926 for auto workers to be the most efficient employees and is now being used for almost every business sector in the world in 2023. That’s pretty wild when you think about it right?

With the changes to the modern workplace there is a movement underway for a 6 hour work day and in Sweden researchers have discovered that a six hour work day boosts the employees productivity, energy and happiness when compared with an 8 hour work day.

Maybe it is time for some big names like Henry Ford to work for getting a 30 hour work week instead of 40 hour work week. This new schedule should be a win win for everyone. I am however not holding my breath. In the United States of America there is a bill for the 32 hour work week, however this bill seems to be stalled. With knowledge and some empathy this bill may make it through.

Until we do get the 32 hour work week and even after I would certainly advise that everyone take at least one two week vacation a year.

Even the little ones

March 30, 2023 John Corrigan

Big ideas, big projects and new times. I have two ideas that today have become projects for me. Before today the projects were just ideas but I made two small steps that transformed those ideas into tangible items projects. I have a whole bunch of steps to take before the projects are fully manifested but.. I want to celebrate!

When you are involved in a project, it is important to celebrate the small steps. Small steps matter a lot. Small steps lead to bigger steps and then victory.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Lao Tzu

Here is a great article that outlines the importance of the small steps.

The Real Value of Small Steps

Know this today is the day to take the first (even if it is small) step towards starting and completing the project that you will finish. One more thing to note, when you complete and while you are completing that first step on your major project I am cheering for you from the cheap seats.

Go insert your name here! You are crushing this!!
Me (in the cheap seats)

You are Awesome!!

March 29, 2023 John Corrigan

My wife and I have been watching the new NBC tv show Quantum Leap. The show is a reboot of the older NBC property and the show is amazing! On the tv show Quantum Leap there is a core team of protagonists and one protagonist that gets the most air time is Dr. Ben Song. Ben is traveling through time changing wrongs and helping the helpless. Almost every episode has Ben giving another character a pep talk. Last nights pep talk from Ben did not disappoint.

At some point, you have to get back off the mat and learn to trust other people again — learn to trust yourself. … If you trust yourself, you can do anything.
Ben

Trust in yourself is often overlooked but a very powerful tool. Trusting yourself means looking after yourself, taking care of your own needs and safety. You have to treat yourself with love and compassion and grace. To trust yourself you have to know yourself. Here is a great psychology article on trusting yourself.

Life gets tough and you face life alone even when we have strong support structures we still are alone, but it’s ok no matter what you are facing you can do this!!

That Gorilla called to me

March 27, 2023 John Corrigan

We all need it, and when we don’t have it we suffer. I love the ocean! The ocean is where life begins and has the largest biodiversity in the world! We all need a dose of the ocean. getting out on the water helps our attitudes.

The Ocean while live giving can be brutal on the human skin. Actually it is the sun that is brutal. Sun burns are terrible and can make someone feel sick and should be avoided at all cost. The best way to avoid sunburns is by staying out of the sun but that can be hard when you are near or in the ocean. One great way to avoid sun burn is through wearing sun screen.

I was at the local sporting good store when I saw the bottle of Sun Bum and I had to have it. The bottle had the look of a wooden board with the coolest graphic on it. A gorillas face! I bought the sun block and it worked and I was hooked. It is now and has been my favorite sun block.

The podcast How I Built This did an interview with the founder of the Sun Bum company, Tom Rinks. The interview was great and if you have the chance you should give it a listen. Sam Rinks explains how the simple design for the Sun bum brand came to be and it really struck a chord with me.

Some of the most complicated sophisticated ideas, brands and technologies start off simple like the branding for Sun Bum.

The older I get the more i believe that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. If you get the chance to do it you should definitely check out this writers blog.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/civil-services-preparation/simplicity-is-the-ultimate-sophistication-29677/

That’s nice

March 14, 2023 John Corrigan

Just the other day I finished a task that was assigned to me in one of the software programs used by my team at work. After finishing each task the software plays a gif that has confetti exploding and I have to admit it makes me feel kind of good. The software we use is Monday dot com. Monday is project management software and uses project boards and to do lists. To do lists are powerful hacks that, when used properly make us very productive.

The reason that lists are considered a hack is because of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that the brain releases and makes us feel good. Dopamine helps move signals in our nervous system. A healthy happy person will have an appropriate level of dopamine in their body. When we cross off a list item and see confetti we trigger a dopamine release in our brains. Other ways to trigger the release of dopamine are, eating foods that are high in magnesium and tyrosine as well as engaging in healthy habits that make us happy like exercise meditation family time and petting a happy pet. Checking off things from a to do list is probably one of the closet things we can do at work that resembles petting a happy well behaved dog.

Besides dopamine, lists offer focus. So until we can bring our dogs to work I will stick with my to do list. No if they allow me I would bring in my four legged friend and keep the to do list.

Without them

March 8, 2023 John Corrigan

Women are the reason everyone is here on earth right now. It’s true through birth women bring human life to earth. Women rock, I was raised by a strong woman and have had the guidance and support of strong women in my family and friend group for my whole life.

Today is International Women’s day and we should of course take the time to celebrate and thank the women in our lives but we should also adhere to and promote this years IWD theme which is Embrace Equity.

Equity is fairness and impartiality. There is a major difference between equity and equality, equality provides men and woman equal pay (this is not currently happening) equity is providing every worker what they need to be successful. Often, women are the primary care care providers for families and because of this role many women may need (as well as equal pay) flexible schedules or childcare provisions and support and understanding from colleagues.

I am willing to bet that among my two readers of this post there is not a person who can change women’s pay in their workplace or their schedule however there are probably, among my tow readers, at least one person who works with a woman. As a colleague you can be a voice and an advocate and a help. For our women coworkers we should be willing to sacrifice and help bring equity to the workplace. Working around their schedules and in rare and extreme circumstances when we can sacrificing our personal time for women in the workplace.

These actions and advocacy will help influence the culture and ultimately change the workplace and maybe the nation. Do you believe it? I do, but let’s all work towards equity and see if it’s true.

Again happy IWD 23!!!