work – Page 2 – The Corrigan Encore

Set them then set them again then…

August 18, 2023 John Corrigan

Welcome to Friday. If you are reading this post on the day I publish it and are not a day ahead or behind time zone wise, it is indeed Friday. If it is not Friday for you imagine that it is.

For two years now I have purchased a Legend weekly planner. The legend planner lets me create weekly goals, monthly goals, quarterly goals, and yearly goals. at the end of each work week (Friday) I take time to reflect on what goals were recorded and accomplished (in the planner these are called wins). Often my recorded goals get derailed. The goals are important and need to get done so I roll them over to next week with notes on why they weren’t accomplished.

Even if I don’t reach all my goals, I’ve gone higher than I would have if I hadn’t set any
Danielle Fotopoulis

Failure to reach goals is not a reason to abandon goals. As long as your failure is not a failure to try failure is acceptable.

The reality is: Sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose. You’re never too big to lose. You’re never too smart to lose. It happens. And it happens when it needs to happen. And you need to embrace those things.
Beyoncé

Prior to using a Legend planner I used small notebooks and even a waiters pad to write daily and weekly goals down and I have always rolled goals over to the next day or week. Sometimes my goals have changed and morphed based on my situations and the world.

My goals have changed often however I have never changed the overall goal. I have always tried to be a better me.

Kintsu.. who what?

August 10, 2023 John Corrigan

Kintsugi is an Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using gold as the material for repairing the cracks. The philosophy behind Kintsugi is very similar in nature to wabi-sabi , which is embracing the imperfect.

There is a great song written by Trains lead singer Patrick Monahan and performed by Train and Ashley Monroe called Bruises.

The song deals with embracing our flaws as part of who we are. It can be tempting to cover up imperfections but it will not work. People can spot fake people a mile away.

It’s all right to make mistakes, you’re only humanInside everybody’s hiding something.
Dido Armstrong

Its important to put forth your “real self” flaws and all to the world, especially our family and friends. If your relationships are loving ones the family and friends will not only accept you flaws and all they will celebrate you with gold, flaws and all and, if they don’t they will eventually come around.

This is by no means a recommendation to hurt someone. It is ok to celebrate your flaws however it is never ok to break another person. Never

Thanks Amazon and Apple and Planet Fitness

August 7, 2023 John Corrigan

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

My feet are moving in a pattern that can best be described as the machine I am standing on and, that is elliptical. My feet are moving in an elliptical pattern. I am not moving through the earth but my imagination is soaring. In front of me on the elliptical I am looking at the kindle app on my Ipad.

One of my favorite things to do that I have made a habit is reading. I love to read books especially fiction ones. A good story can move us from where we are to an unknown world and I love that.

Reading is good for us, it improves our memories, empathy, and communication skills. I highly recommend reading as a fun healthy habit for everyone.

Get out there and there and there

August 3, 2023 John Corrigan

Did you know that Mark Twain was part of a confederate militia? For anyone who doesn’t know the confederates were part of the confederacy in the United States. The Confederacy was a racist part of the United States that fought a civil war so that they could keep slaves.

At the end and even middle of his life Mark Twain was far from racist. Twain wrote Huck FInn.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime
Mark Twain

I encourage everyone to see all of the world they can. Humans were made to wander and explore and interact with life all over the world.

Get out there and take the world trips you have planned you will be a better person for it!

A sentient being

August 2, 2023 John Corrigan

The idea of being sentient to me has become a barometer for life. If a form of life is sentient than I believe that is life worth protecting. It was this type of thinking that caused me to change my diet. Right now my family and I are eating plant based protein because of the fact that many of the animals used for protein are sentient beings.

There are strangely enough, many situations that you may find yourself in that require the need to define life and this definition I created for my self has helped me navigate.

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Cider House Rules, is a great movie and I watched the movie but did not read the book (I know shame on me, I do intend to read the book someday). The movie is a classic and should be watched by all. In the movie a young man learns that rules written by those in charge may work in theory but not application.

You are living your life and you should learn what is right and wrong for yourself and not really on others to tell you. Learning right from wrong for yourself is called ethics and it is confusing and hard sometimes and there is nothing wrong with seeking help, however at the end of the day you must decide what is right or wrong

Where are we at?

July 6, 2023 John Corrigan

There is this great video on youtube that I cannot stop watching. The drummer of the band.

The action in the video starts at 4 minutes 46 seconds. At 4 minutes 46 seconds the band named Sharp Dressed Band starts playing, yes they are a ZZ TOP cover band. What I love about this video is that the drummer, whose name is Steve Moore and is called the mad drummer, just goes off on the drums. The guy is mad good at being a drummer and is showing off his skills filliping his sticks and playing like he is performing in front of thousands of screaming fans, This guy brings it as a drummer. When you get the chance you should visit Steve’s website . Yes his website is www.the maddrummer.com. This guy can play and when he gets the chance he does!

We should always do the best we can no matter where we are and who we are doing it for. This can be hard but the benefits are tremendous. If you had the chance to see Steve’s website you can see that, Steve has done some pretty big gigs,and that is because Steve is an amazing drummer no matter where he is or who he is performing for Steve brings it.

Today at work whatever you are doing you should bring it. Do the best you can.

Everyone does it

June 8, 2023 John Corrigan

During the height of the Covid pandemic the United States Supreme Court held many of their oral arguments from home using Zoom software. The Supreme court of the United States is a kind of weird organization. The judges wear these robes and sit on a diesis made of mahogany and literally their decision is law enforced by one of the biggest strong arm organizations in the world. All of that decorum and seriousness was undermined or flushed away when one of the justices failed to mute their microphone while they were flushing a toilet.

The culprit has not yet confessed but this slate article does some investigation and does not disappoint (we may know who did it). It really doesn’t matter who flushed the toilet during the zoom call when the microphone was off what I think matters is the fact that it happened. The Supreme Court tries to make themselves and the institution out to be more important than any other institution but at the end of the day they are people and they are really no more or less important than any other people out here.

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.

Killing time

May 30, 2023 John Corrigan

Trauma is a rough thing for everyone. When trauma happens to a group like a family the survivors of the trauma face a lifetime of guilt.

There is a new tv series that I am in love with named Silo. The tv series is based on the book trilogy named WOOL and if you are not watching this you should start great series. In the show Silo a young girl lost her mother, and little brother. The girl escapes her life with her father to work as a mechanic. Her father finds her and asks if she is happy

Are you happy here? I start work hours before the lights cycle to day. I eat lunch standing up. And if I’m lucky, I get a half-an-hour break. Every night, I am exhausted. I fall asleep before my head hits the cot. Are you happy, Juliette? I’m happy I really don’t have time to think about Mom or Jacob.

Silo Season 1 episode 4

Work is often a way to cope and deal with trauma for many people however it does not seem to be a healthy way to deal with trauma or loss. Often times the best thing to do is get professional help when dealing with trauma or loss. The emotions surrounding trauma and loss are huge and life changing and shouldn’t be avoided or faced alone. There is no shame in reaching out for help.

Facing our feelings head on is scary but it is also healthy and good for a our mental health. Avoidance makes the trauma and loss worse and can do damage to our mental health.

Facing our demons is not easy but it is possible.

If you or someone you know needs help and live in the United States they can reach out to

https://friendsforsurvival.org/

or call

(916) 392-0664

Toll Free: (800) 646-7322

The most important thing is that they/you get help and in a healthy way work through this.

What does that mean??

May 12, 2023 John Corrigan

Daily writing prompt

Are you a leader or a follower?

View all responses

I sat in a meeting with three other managers and the director and read the document twice while the meeting went on. I could hear the Director read through the document but I was stuck on one sentence that I didn’t understand.

The manager will cultivate a leader to leader environment.

“What is a leader to leader environment?” I asked and was answered with, “I don’t know.” I left the meeting on a mission. I needed to know what leader to leader meant. I found out and my mission ended with a book that the Director had all the managers read.

The book is called “Turn the Ship Around” by David Marquet. Basically the writer outlines his experience as a leader of a submarine. He realized that he could not have a crew that would just listen and follow every order that would be dangerous and he had to cultivate leaders at every level.

So I told that story and mentioned a pretty great book (it really is good and worth reading) to say that I am a leader and a follower and everyone should be. There was this quote when I was a kid that always bugged me.

Too many chiefs

Leadership is guidance, inspiration, motivation, and leadership has to come from within. There is this concept of “buy in” that everyone on team needs to have for a project to be completely successful. Buy in is the willingness to participate in an endeavor. No one can force buy in from a team member this has to be inspired and motivated.

Leaders are needed at every level in a team and the top level should be more of a position of service for all other levels that are the leaders.

I have also heard “Lead follow or get out of the way” Lets change this to Lead yourself and help others.