The PPP #76
Flea's Idea of the Art of Art. Peace Vs Serenity. Best Commencement Speech Ever
Happy Phriday
Every year at this time I am going to post a link to the best commencement speech ever. It was given by David Foster Wallace. DFW taught literature right here at ISU and is the author of Infinite Jest.
Quotes I am Considering
I have been guilty of working hard to make it perfect instead of working hard to make it art. The two are not the same.
"It became clear that virtuosity and musical sophistication were no longer essential to me and could even be an impediment to the power of expression! This realization did not diminish my love for the most complex music, but made my world a less limited place, blowing to smithereens the walls of judgment that obscured my view of art. I was a freed man. All that mattered was the integrity of motivation, the ability to express your own world, your own emotion, with whatever vehicle was available to you.”
Flea, Bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sammie’s Journal: Serenity and Peace
This week I visited with an HR friend at the factory where she works. We talked about her desire to operate with an open-door policy and how challenging it can be at times just to find a moment’s peace to concentrate. Even when she finds such moments of peace, she struggles to get into flow. She feels like she is always listening for the next interruption, the knock at the door, which prevents her from…what? She could not name it.
She had peace in those moments, but she did not have serenity.
As HR people, we try to be available to anyone that comes to our door. But we need these other moments of not just peace but of serenity. When no one is knocking, she had peace. But, if she knows no one can knock at her door, she will have serenity. Serenity is tough to come by in our world. It requires planning and strategy unlike peace, which can happen by chance.
A moment’s peace is what you desire but is not really what you need.
For example, Sylvester Stallone. We think of him as an actor. But he started his career as a writer. When writing “Rocky”, he desperately needed a boatload of serenity to complete the script. He was starving to death and needed to sell a script but first he needed a script to sell. So, he painted the windows of his apartment black so as not be distracted by the outside world. He made sure that there could be no knocking at his door.
We are granted peace, and we work for serenity.
I did not have a solution for my friend, but I helped her identify her frustration. Naming the problem is the first step to addressing it.
Mike’s Friday Funnies: Windows
A wife texts her husband on a cold winter morning: "Windows frozen, won't open." Husband texts back: "Gently pour some lukewarm water over it and then gently tap edges with hammer." Wife texts back 10 minutes later: "Computer is really messed up now." Why didn't the Terminator upgrade to windows 10? I asked him and he said, "I still love vista, baby!" I got my best job today. I get my own $200,000 company vehicle and a corner window with a view of the city. Being a city bus driver is really a dream come true. A man walks into a store to buy a Barbie doll for his daughter. "How much is that Barbie in the window?" he asks the shop assistant. In a manner, she responds, "Which Barbie? We have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95 and Divorced Barbie for $395.00." The guy asks, "Why is Divorced Barbie different from all the others?" "That's obvious!" the assistant states. "Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture..." I caught two teenagers smoking pot outside my office window. Fifteen minutes later my boss caught me and two teenagers smoking pot outside my office window. (I laughed out loud on this one.) I was at the McDonald’s drive-through this morning and a young lady behind me leaned on her horn and started mouthing something because I was taking too long to place my order. So, when I got to the first window, I paid for her order along with my own. The McDonalds worker must have told her what I'd done, As soon as i moved up she leaned out her window and waved to me and mouthed.... "Thank you." She was obviously embarrassed that I had repaid her rudeness with kindness. When I got to the second window, I showed them both receipts and took her food too. Now she has to go back to the end of the line and start all over again.
Friday Twain is Leaving the Station
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain
Thank You
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