When we look toward the future, two voices compete for our attention. Fear tells us to run away. Curiosity invites us to step forward.
Fear whispers, “It’s too much. I can’t keep up. Better to stop trying.” Curiosity responds, “I don’t understand…yet. Let’s see what happens.”
Fear closes.
Curiosity opens.
Fear imagines disaster.
Curiosity imagines possibilities.
Fear isolates.
Curiosity connects.
The world is changing quickly. The pace can feel overwhelming. Many will react with fear. A curious spirit asks questions. It wonders what could be.
Curiosity doesn’t remove uncertainty but transforms how we deal with it. When we lead with curiosity, we move from paralysis to participation. We see the unknown as a chance to grow.
“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” – Marcus Aurelius
We already have the tools we need. Curiosity and our ability to learn. What we need is the courage to use them.
Tim Ferris has a weekly newsletter – 5 Bullet Friday. In last Friday’s update, he highlighted a quote from The Way to Love, by Anthony de Mello. This post isn’t related to that quote (although it could be). It’s based on the rabbit hole I dove into, reading other parts of the book. Right out of the gate, de Mello offers a short parable that’s simple at first glance but goes deeper the longer you sit with it.
“A group of tourists sits on a bus that is passing through gorgeously beautiful country, lakes and mountains and green fields and rivers. But the shades of the bus are pulled down. They don’t have the slightest idea of what lies beyond the windows of the bus. All the time of their journey is spent in squabbling over who will have the seat of honor in the bus, who will be applauded, who will be well considered. And so they remain until the journey’s end.”
It’s not a long parable, but it says a lot.
We are each on this ride. This one journey through life. And all around us is beauty: the people we love, small joys, the smell of fresh rain, a child’s laughter, songbirds chirping right outside our window, the warmth of a good cup of coffee in the morning.
But our shades are down. We don’t see any beauty, because we’re too busy with things that don’t matter.
We’re measuring. Comparing. Ranking. Arguing about position, prestige, attention. Scrolling, reacting. Meanwhile, the scenery goes by. Gorgeous, wild, and fleeting. We barely glance out the window.
What struck me about de Mello’s story wasn’t the travelers’ arguments. It’s the view that was always there. The view never stopped being beautiful. The issue wasn’t the lack of beauty. The issue was where they were looking.
This parable is a quiet reminder to lift the shade. To let in the light. To remember that it’s not about getting the “best seat on the bus.” It’s about not missing the view.
So today, maybe take a breath. Look around. Listen a little longer. Smile at someone. Appreciate a small thing that usually passes by unnoticed.
Another of de Mello’s insights that’s in line with his parable:
“The most difficult thing in the world is to listen, to see. We don’t want to look, because if we do, we may change. We don’t want to look, because we may discover that the world is not what we thought it was.”
Sometimes the shades stay down not because we’re distracted, but because we’re afraid. If we truly see what matters, we might have to stop chasing things that don’t. We might have to let go of the version of ourselves that depends on being applauded or admired or seen in a certain way.
But what if that’s the invitation? Not to force ourselves to change, but to wake up to what’s real in our lives. To notice the world again. To feel the wonder again.
The awareness de Mello points to is freeing, like the child’s creativity in my previous post.
It’s the kind of awareness that reminds us we’re not stuck in the noise unless we choose to be. We can pull up the shade. We can look.
Because the ride is short. The view is worth seeing.
And in that beauty, we can see we are never really far from joy.
For years, we’ve heard that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will revolutionize industries. The idea is so prevalent that it’s easy to stop actively thinking about it. We acknowledge AI in headlines, in passing business conversations, and in abstract discussions about the future. Yet, much like a fish is unaware of the water surrounding it, we’ve been immersed in AI without fully recognizing its impact.
That impact is now undeniable. The question is: will we embrace it—or ignore it at our peril?
AI as the Invisible Force
AI is no longer a futuristic concept, or a background presence. It’s embedded in the tools we use every day, from the smartphones in our pockets to the chatbots handling our customer inquiries. It powers business decisions, optimizes operations, and influences nearly every industry.
Yet, because AI is so familiar, we often overlook it. The term itself has become a cliché—almost old news. Something we assume we understand. But do we? How much do we really know about its capabilities, its limitations, or its potential disruptions?
Many still view AI as a distant idea, relevant only in the future or in industries far removed from their own. This perspective is outdated.
The Shift from “Known” to “Obvious”
AI is a driving force that can shape how we work, compete, and innovate. Organizations that continue treating AI as an abstract concept risk being blindsided by its rapid evolution.
This shift—from AI being “known” to becoming “obvious”—is critical. The moment we stop seeing AI as some far-off development and recognize it as an immediate force, we can take meaningful action.
Make no mistake: AI will transform your organization, whether you engage with it or not. The only choice is whether you’re leading that change or struggling to catch up.
The Cost of Waiting
A passive approach to AI is no longer viable. Waiting for the “right time” to adopt AI means falling behind competitors who are already leveraging its power. Yes, AI is complex, and yes, there are risks. But the greater risk lies in hesitation.
I’m old enough to remember the early days of the internet (I’m that old). Most businesses dismissed it as a fad. Others chased the new idea with reckless abandonment and wasted tons of time and money. But a relative few (at the time) experimented, learned, made incremental changes, and ultimately thrived in their use of the new “internet-powered” approach. Not to mention all the new multi-billion (trillion) dollar businesses that were made possible by the internet.
AI is following a similar trajectory. Many are ignoring, even shunning, AI as something other people will figure out. They don’t want to be the one pushing these new ideas within their organization. It’s easier to stay in the background and wait for someone else to take the leap.
But others are already leaning in (to coin a phrase), experimenting, and learning. They are incrementally (and sometimes dramatically) shaping a new future…and remaining relevant in the process.
Learn the Basics
AI adoption doesn’t require immediate mastery. It starts with small, intentional steps.
You don’t need to be an AI expert, but understanding its core functions and business applications is essential.
Start by exploring industry-specific AI tools already in use. How did I make this list? You guessed it, I asked ChatGPT to give me a list of industry-specific AI tools in use today. Will each one be a winner? Not sure, but it’s a great list to use as a starting point:
–Retailers use Amazon Personalize and Google Recommendations AI for AI-driven product suggestions, improving customer engagement and sales.
–Marketers leverage HubSpot AI for automated email campaigns, Persado for AI-powered ad copywriting, and Seventh Sense for optimizing email send times.
–Financial analysts turn to Bloomberg Terminal AI for market insights, Kavout for AI-driven stock analysis, and Zest AI for smarter credit risk assessments.
–Healthcare professionals rely on IBM Watson Health for AI-assisted diagnostics and Olive AI for automating administrative hospital tasks.
–Manufacturers use Siemens MindSphere for AI-powered predictive maintenance and Falkonry for real-time industrial data monitoring.
–Customer service teams integrate Forethought AI for automated ticket triaging and Zendesk AI for intelligent chatbot interactions.
–HR and recruitment teams utilize HireVue AI for AI-driven candidate screening and Pymetrics for bias-free talent assessment.
Experiment with Broad-based AI Tools
Don’t wait for the perfect strategy. Start small. Generalized AI tools can improve various aspects of your business (again, I asked ChatGPT for this list):
–Conversational AI & Research: Tools like ChatGPT, Claude.ai, or Anthropic’s AI help generate content, answer complex questions, summarize reports, and assist in brainstorming sessions.
–Automation: Platforms such as Zapier AI, UiPath, and Notion AI automate workflows, streamline repetitive tasks, and generate notes and summaries.
–Data Analysis: Solutions like Tableau AI, ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter (Advanced Data Analysis), and IBM Watson process and visualize data for better decision-making.
–Customer Engagement: AI-driven tools such as Drift AI, Intercom AI, and Crystal Knows enhance customer service, lead generation, and sales profiling.
These are just a few of the many AI-powered tools available today. The landscape is constantly evolving. Exploring AI solutions that fit your specific needs is the key to personal and professional growth.
Cultivate a Growth Mindset
Learning AI is a journey, not a destination. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s actually necessary. Feeling uncomfortable is a sign of growth. The more you experiment, fail, and adjust, the more effectively you’ll integrate AI into your work. AI isn’t about instant perfection. It’s about continuous learning.
Lead from the Front
If you’re in a leadership role, set the tone. Your team will look to you for guidance. Show them that AI adoption isn’t just an IT initiative. It’s a mindset shift.
Encourage experimentation, provide resources, and support a culture of AI-driven innovation. Companies that will thrive with AI aren’t the ones waiting for a complete plan. They’re the ones embracing AI through hands-on learning and iterative improvement while incorporating these new discoveries into their future plans.
The Future is Now
AI is not a distant disruptor—it’s an active force shaping today’s workplace. Organizations that recognize this and take action will thrive. Those that don’t will be left behind.
It’s time to stop treating AI as a theoretical innovation and start engaging with it as a business reality.
The future isn’t waiting, and neither should you.
Photo credit: The graphic was generated by DALL-E. I asked it to generate an image of an office on the ground floor that captures the essence of the blog post I had just written.
In its first few attempts, it tossed in robots sitting amongst the office workers. I like to think of myself as a forward thinker, but I’m not quite ready to accept that reality…even though I’m sure it’s rapidly approaching. I asked DALL-E to eliminate the robots (for now).
“You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth.” – Job 5:25
This image of my granddaughter running through the tall grass lingers in my mind, a snapshot of pure joy and freedom. The grass climbs high as her shoulders, swaying in the gentle breeze as she runs, her laughter echoing across the open field.
The sun, high in the sky, casts a warm glow across the landscape, reflecting off the stalks and highlighting the strands of her long blonde hair. It’s a moment of unbridled innocence, an expression of life at its most carefree—a reminder of the potential and possibilities that lie ahead in her life.
Watching her, I’m struck by how this simple act of running, so natural and effortless, captures the essence of childhood. Children have an innate ability to live fully in the present, to see the world as a place of wonder and adventure. For them, the future is not something to be feared, but something to eagerly anticipate. Every new experience is a chance to explore, to learn, to grow. In her dash through the tall grass, we get a glimpse of how life is meant to be lived—full of energy, curiosity, and a fearless embrace of the unknown.
As the years (decades) go by, it’s easy to lose our innocence, our thirst for adventure. We may see our future with a sense of foreboding, even doom…rather than an opportunity to expand our journey. We allow the sense of adventure that once propelled us forward to be dulled by the responsibilities and challenges that life inevitably brings. Our carefree days of childhood disappear into the past.
The passage of time doesn’t have to diminish our sense of adventure. We can choose to embrace life with the same enthusiasm and curiosity that we had as children. We can still find joy in the simple pleasures, still run toward the unknown with hope in our hearts.
Life’s journey is not about avoiding the tall grass, but about diving into it, feeling the sun warm our backs and the gentle breeze cooling our faces. It’s about seeing each day as an opportunity to expand our horizons, to live fully and freely, just as my grandkids do.
The tall grass may rise like a challenge, but it is also where the most profound discoveries await. And as I step into that field, I carry with me the certainty that the journey ahead, like the path I’ve already walked, holds boundless potential.
In a field of tall grass she runs, her golden hair warmed by the sun, each step a whisper of freedom, the horizon an open invitation.
I watch her and remember— the world for me was once this wide, full of endless possibilities, before fear narrowed that view.
But the grass still sways, and I can still run, following her laughter, knowing the path ahead will bring great discoveries,
a promise of new beginnings.
p/c – My daughter, Julianne, texted this photo earlier this week of Lizzy running through the tall grass of their pasture. The moment I saw the photo, I knew the topic of my next blog post.
Life is filled with stepping stones—moments that can either define us or simply become a small part of our journey.
When faced with challenges or opportunities, we can see them as just another step or as a moment for growth and clarity. Carl Jung once said, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”
I recently re-watched a documentary about the Navy SEALs. Every Navy SEAL candidate faces grueling hardships: physical exhaustion, frigid cold water, mental strain, and the constant threat of failure.
Some candidates see each challenge as an opportunity, a chance to push beyond their perceived limits and grow stronger. They embrace the pain, keep their focus. They find strength in their determination and their fellow candidates. These candidates transform the hardships into defining moments, emerging on the other side as Navy SEALs.
Others, however, let the same hardships overwhelm them. Fear, frustration, and exhaustion cloud their resolve. The challenges, instead of being opportunities for growth, become insurmountable barriers. These candidates wash out, not because they lacked physical capability, but because they couldn’t shift their mindset to see the hardships as stepping stones rather than obstacles.
None of us are born with skills. It’s easy to watch some Youtube videos and think woodworking is totally doable. Any new woodworker can attest to the uneven cuts, the wobbly joints, and the frustrations that can come from trying this new hobby. But, by learning from the mistakes, honing skills through practice and even more failures, projects begin to go more smoothly. The final products are less uneven and wobbly…and the process becomes much more enjoyable.
Learning and growth come from our willingness to take lessons from every experience. Reflecting on each attempt, seeking feedback, and choosing to improve. It’s the decision to learn from every encounter that turns these stepping stones into personal and professional development milestones.
However, clouding our experiences with fear, frustration, anger, or other limiting emotions can lead us to ignore the growth opportunities these experiences present. When we let negative emotions dominate, we risk missing out on valuable lessons that can propel us forward.
It’s difficult, but essential, to manage our emotions and maintain a positive outlook to fully benefit from the lessons we can learn.
The stepping stones in our lives are all potential defining moments. It’s up to us to decide whether we let them pass by or seize the opportunity to let them shape us. We can turn every step into a defining part of our journey.
It’s not just about the stones we step on but how we choose to step on them that defines our path.
Fear is like that well-meaning friend who occasionally oversteps boundaries. It’s a survival instinct, a leftover trait from our ancestors who needed it to avoid becoming someone else’s lunch. It can guide us toward wise choices and help us steer clear of danger.
Our imagination, on the other hand, is a bit of a storyteller, especially when it comes to tales that can hold us back. With all our experiences and secrets tucked away in our minds, our imagination can whip up some remarkably dreadful future scenarios. And our lizard brains? They thrive on responding to fear.
Fear is undoubtedly real. The fear of failure, loss, embarrassment, injury, loneliness, helplessness, and death can have profound impacts on our thoughts and actions. However, if we recognize, understand, and confront these fears head-on, it will be like flicking on the lights in a dark room – suddenly, the monsters lose their scariness.
By acknowledging that fear is a living part of us, we can take steps toward asserting our control over it. Fear shouldn’t be in the driver’s seat.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – Psalm 23
We aren’t alone in this journey of conquering fear. We have a loving God, supportive family, and caring friends to help us face our fears. They can offer a broader perspective and lend a hand when we need it most.
Life is a rollercoaster of unknowns, and fear hates rollercoasters. Instead of fearing the unknown, befriend it. New ideas, experiences, and relationships? Embrace them as opportunities, be curious, and let the adventure unfold.
Life is rarely easy, and sometimes truly terrible things happen to us. But, fear should be the backseat driver, not our navigator.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And, when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
–Paul Atreides in the novel Dune, by Frank Herbert
Photo: Why hot air balloons? Well, taking a ride in a hot air balloon would not be possible if we let fear make the decision. I’m happy to report the balloon ride was amazing!
I have one favor to ask: If you find this information useful, please forward and recommend it to someone else. Thanks!
I remember thinking how simple it all sounded, and I was relieved to know I had a model to follow. What I didn’t know at the time is that this simple model is anything but simple…
Denial.
Anger.
Withdrawal.
Acceptance.
I first learned about these stages of grief when Grandma Anne died (over 30 years ago). My cousin, who was a newly minted police officer at the time, described how he received training on this model in the police academy.
I remember thinking how simple it all sounded, and I was relieved to know I had a model to follow. What I didn’t know at the time is that this simple model is anything but simple.
Models provide a basis for understanding a concept or an idea…and that’s helpful. Models make the complex seem simple. But models rarely capture the layers of detail or the often-gut-wrenching processes they describe.
Today, the DAWA model is a bit outdated. Additional “stages” have been added over the years to the original model. Stages like shock, bargaining, depression, and testing are layered into discussions of the grieving process nowadays.
How does all of this relate to the Coronavirus?
Thanks to Coronavirus, we are suddenly sharing a grief experience with every person on the planet, at the same time. Every single one of us has lost something extremely important because of Coronavirus.
The normal that we knew, the normal that we understood, the normal that we took for granted…died over the last 30-60 days. If you could ask all 6 billion-plus people on Earth when, exactly, normal died, their answers would vary by a few days or few weeks. But nobody would deny that their normal is gone.
When we grieve or face a major crisis in our lives, we come together with others, we gather closer to the people we love, we comfort each other with hugs and shared laughter. We cry together. We cook together. We share meals. We share stories about what we’ve lost. We might go to an inspirational concert and hold hands while we sway and sing along with tears streaming down our faces.
We love to be with people, even if we describe ourselves as introverts or “not a people person.”
Unfortunately, that part of normal has also died (at least for a while).
While it doesn’t look like it (because our beloved normal is gone), we are all grieving. Every one of us.
Make no mistake about it. Something we loved, something we treasure, and something we counted on has died. We are grieving our loss, even as events unfold in front of us that may make things worse before they get better.
We probably don’t think we have time right now to grieve. But, we’re each somewhere on the DAWA continuum of denial, anger, withdrawal, or acceptance. In fact, we’re bouncing around on that continuum today.
We’ve lost our normal, and we’re being forced to live in a new normal. This new normal will probably give way to yet another new normal a few months from now. None of us know what any of this will look like. That mystery is an unfortunate part of our new normal (as crazy as it may sound).
It’s normal to be in denial. It’s normal to be angry. It’s normal to withdraw or try to escape. It’s also normal, and necessary, to find acceptance.
Acceptance doesn’t mean giving up. It means that the energy we’ve been using to fight the new normal can be channeled toward making the best of what’s in front of us.
Sure, we all miss our beloved normal from the past. We’d prefer to have our old normal back in our lives. But we must find a way to accept, to allow ourselves to rest, and let go of our longing.
The good news is that we’ve each had normal die before. We’ve had to adjust to new normals throughout our life and we’re generally pretty good at it:
Moving from one school to another and making new friends
Graduating high school or college
Starting our first “real” job
Leaving our first job
Starting our second job
Meeting the person of our dreams that we plan to spend the rest of our life with
Divorcing that person
Experiencing the death of a loved one
Becoming a parent (or a grandparent)
Starting your own business
Selling that business
Losing a house and everything we own in a fire
The knee injury that forced you to stop playing your favorite game
Having your house destroyed in a tornado
These are all examples of events in our lives that require us to let go of the old normal and embrace the new normal. Sometimes the new normal is because of something amazingly good, and other times it’s caused by something amazingly bad.
I’m not sure I’ve reached the acceptance stage in my own grieving process. I tell myself that I’m there, but I know it’s not always true. As I work through the process and prepare myself for what lies ahead, I like to keep this list of ideas in mind:
Take things one day at a time
Prayer is your instant connection to someone who loves you completely
Celebrate your victories, no matter how small
Give yourself a break
Be grateful and enjoy what you have
Forgive yourself for not knowing exactly what to do (none of us know, which is true a lot more than we’d like to admit)
Only allow yourself to worry about the future for a few minutes each day and move on. I’d say to stop worrying completely since worrying is a non-productive use of energy, but I know it’s not possible to eliminate it completely.
Check-in once each day for the news on Coronavirus, and what the latest government directions are (social distancing, masks or no masks, etc.). By now, you know the symptoms, what you’re supposed to be doing to prevent the spread, and what you’re supposed to do if you or someone close to you become symptomatic. The rest is probably not super useful, and you can catch-up on all of it during your once-a-day check in.
Be kind to others. Your kindness will go a long way and may lead to more kindness in your “downstream.” Even a smile to a stranger letting them know we’re all in this together is helpful. By the way, your eyes show your smile, even if your mask doesn’t.
Realize that you are grieving, and so is everyone else. We will each have good days and bad days in our grief journey.
Take time to gather with your friends and family members by phone, video conference, or even a nice email note. These are your people. Embrace them remotely.
We are living through future history. The events happening around us and to us today will be discussed, debated, and written about for decades to come. Our lives are forever changed, and the changes are continuing to unfold.
We can use our energy to reach back to the past with all that we have, searching for the normal that’s gone.
Or, we can channel our energy to reach toward the future, creating the best possible new normal for ourselves and our loved ones.
While I grieve for the past, I choose to reach for the future.
There isn’t a human being on this planet who can carry an entire organization themselves…
Whether you run a Fortune 500 company or a one-person shop, your ability to delegate will be the difference between success and failure. Delegation may be to an employee or a trusted vendor.
Delegation allows you to multiply yourself. It also provides an opportunity for your direct reports to grow within your company.
Right about now, you should be nodding and saying, “Obviously, Bob, tell me something I don’t know!”
So, you understand the importance of delegating. Awesome!
Consider these questions about what you’re delegating, based on the way some managers and company owners I’ve worked with over the past 35 years view the topic:
When you delegate, are you focusing on your schedule, or on your direct reports’ growth?
Do you view delegation as the art of offloading tasks you don’t want to do, or tasks that are better suited to the expertise of one or more of your direct reports?
Do your direct reports own a specific role or job that’s critical to your organization, or are they merely one of your assistants, waiting for a list of today’s tasks to come from you?
If you draw a flowchart of how your organization functions, how many of the process lines route through your head where some type of decision or approval takes place before the process can move to its next step?
How many employees do you have waiting to talk to you? Do you feel empowered by how long the line out your door is each day?
When faced with a crisis, or a short-term deadline, do you pull back all that you’ve delegated so you can do everything yourself to make sure it’s right?
When you delegate the responsibility for a task to an employee, do you trust them enough to also delegate the authority they need to own that task? If not, why not?
I worked with a manager many years ago who told me how great it was that he had a line of people waiting to see him every time he came back to his office. He said it was the first time he had felt important in his life. Wrong answer, Mr. Important Guy!
I worked with another who told me that, “These people (referring to pretty much everyone in his department) don’t work well under pressure. Whenever we have a tight deadline on a deliverable, I usually stay late and get it done myself. That way I know it’s right.” Wrong answer, Mr. Martyr!
There isn’t a human being on this planet who can carry an entire organization themselves…even though many try. Sometimes, they even fool themselves (and others) into thinking they do it successfully.
The power of any organization comes from its ability to properly delegate, multiply its talent, and foster employee growth. By the way, sometimes the cost of that growth is allowing your employees to make mistakes, or to successfully complete a task in a different way than you would have.
Get delegation right, and everyone wins. Get it wrong, and your employees will stop learning. Their motivation will wane and your organization will ultimately fail.
The easiest approach is to prematurely judge, declare failure and decide who to blame…
Should a new home construction project be judged when only its blueprint exists? How about when the site has been prepared? What about when the materials like wood, rebar, and electrical conduit are delivered?
Should we wait to judge the home build until the framing is complete? Should we wait until the walls and roof are added? Or, wait until all the windows are installed? What about the paint and other finishing touches on the house? Should you wait for those to be completed?
Can you judge the success of the home build before it’s finished?
When making chocolate chip cookies, do you judge the success of the cookies while mixing the ingredients? How about when the chocolate chips are poured into the batter?
What if the recipe called for real butter, but you only have that non-diary butter substitute that’s supposed to be healthier than butter? Are your cookies doomed at that point? Should you call-off the project and declare it a failure?
Assuming you’ve made it past the butter/non-dairy butter issue, is it right to judge the cookies after they’re spooned out onto the cookie sheet, but not yet baked?
Just before placing those filled cookie sheets into the preheated oven, is that the time to re-evaluate the entire cookie-making process to determine if it’s failing? Should you call a meeting to discuss whether the cooking temperature listed in the recipe is the correct one for your cookies?
Houses and cookies are obvious examples of “projects” that have a lot of moving parts. They build from a set of raw ingredients, mixed with time and effort, into a completed item.
What about less obvious events in our lives? When’s the right time to judge these for success or failure (using whatever measures you’ve chosen)?
new job
new business
new business strategy
new information system
new software development project
new friends
new marriage
new workout regimen
new hobby
new home
The easiest approach is to prematurely judge, declare failure and decide who to blame. Failure is comforting. The status quo is easy.
The new thing is never easy. Creating something new is almost always uncomfortable.
When we judge too early, failure soon follows.
By the way, the cookies were amazing, but not until they came out of the oven.
“If you get your ego in your way, you will only look to other people and circumstances to blame.” –Jocko Willink
Here’s a thought experiment…
Looking back over the past few weeks (or months, or years), how many times did you blame:
someone
some thing
traffic
an injury
a disability
the weather
the economy
the government
your boss
your employee
social media
a company
a bad memory
anything but yourself?
No matter the subject, there are plenty of candidates for our blame…as long as we can aim it outward.
Our ego prefers blaming “the other” rather than accepting responsibility. Life’s easier that way.
Blame doesn’t just apply to things that happened in the past. Blame is most powerful (and crippling) when it prevents something from happening in the future:
I won’t be able to make it out there tomorrow. The traffic is just too crazy at that time.
I hate this job, but I don’t have time to learn a new trade.
I’d love to help you move, but with my bad back, I wouldn’t be very helpful.
There’s no way I’d ever start my own business in this economy. Besides, who needs all the government regulations and hassle?
It’s way too cold out there to go for a walk today.
I’d love to travel more, but there’s no way my boss would ever give me the time off.
How many times have you used blame to avoid doing something new, or something that could fail?
Blame is useful when it establishes a foundation for improvement. When it represents a first step toward identifying root causes that can be solved.
Beyond that, blame has very little value, except stroking our ego (and keeping us nice and warm in our cacoon of status quo).
Grandpa Bob Encouraging Leadership 
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