Ice!

Me on "Mickey's Big Mouth," a Grade II waterfall ice formation

I went out with some friends (including Bill) yesterday to do some ice climbing in Clear Creek Canyon. We had an awesome time! Check out my photo album on Facebook.

A New World

Yesterday, I went to an continuing education seminar in downtown Denver. It was one of the best I had ever attended; not because the content was excellent (it wasn't), but because how well the seminar integrated technology. It was the first time I was in a classroom setting and wished I had more than just my pen and paper. In fact, I felt silly for not having my laptop with me.

There was free WiFi everywhere. And it was fast WiFi, even with 200 people logged on. A backchannel had been set up for the conference and I saw people using it to ask panelists questions. People were tweeting their notes, sharing content on Google docs, and checking their email during the seminar's slow points. I saw people networking and meeting each other while the seminar was going on. There was so much energy going on online! I desperately wished I had my laptop with me.

I thought I could catch up on the conference's online fun once I got back to the office, but by then my buzz had worn off. So had everyone else's, it seems. It was all over by then. It was a classic example of "you just had to be there."

I love the age we live in. I love how much easier it is to meet people with my specific interests. I love how much smaller the world seems because of technology, at least in some respects.

Next time I'll bring my laptop.

A Different Way of Thinking

Just wanted to briefly tag onto my last post about goals, personal mission statements, etc. In some of my work reading, I stumbled upon a blog about "futures" methodology. As I understand it, "futures thinking" forces us to really pull away from our natural inclination to plan for the future by using our past as a guide.

Futures thinking implies that because our past is limited in scope, time, and often colored by our own bad experiences, using the past to plan for the future can prove to be a severe liability. Theoretically, futures thinking helps you to clearly envision the success you would like to achieve, rather than limiting yourself to the choices you think you have or believe you are stuck with.

It's an interesting idea. Take a look at this. I found it helpful and hopeful.

Last Weekend

On Sunday, Erin and I found ourselves in a bit of a funk. Both of us have lots going on, but have found that our capacity for getting things done has diminished as of late.

So we stopped what we were doing and talked about our shared problem for over an hour. Both of us are big fans of Stephen Covey and his book First Things First changed our lives when we both read it about fifteen years ago. Though I'm less familiar with his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I have a one-page photocopy taped to the wall at my desk that contains a summary of the Seven Habits (I can't find that same summary online, but here's a good substitute). Habit #2 is "Begin With the End in Mind." As Erin and I were talking on Sunday, it was in Habit #2 that I detected a problem for both of us. Basically, neither of us were doing Habit #2.

Habit #2 demands that you know where you're going with your life. Your life could well be filled up with all kinds of great things, but if you don't know where you're ultimately going, all of that stuff could simply be eating up your time and not fulfilling your central life goals. I believe that we need goals to have good mental health. Without good mental health, we cannot find happiness.

We realized that each of us needed a new personal mission statement so we could get back on track with Habit #2. Our theory is that if we could each develop a personal mission statement that gets us excited to work on every day, our capacity for getting things done will increase. And we'll focus on the right things without getting mired in too many unimportant distractions.

So, we've bought Covey's new audiobook How to Develop a Personal Mission Statement to get started. I'll blog about my own progress on this project as time goes on.

On My Walk

I saw,
cracked asphalt
shortgrass prairie
slanted sunlight
melting ice.

I heard,
a blue jay
distant traffic
a laugh
my footsteps.

I felt,
my wife's hand
melancholy
hope
love.

...And We're Back!

I've met two people this month who have changed my mind about having a personal blog. One is Kristin Mastre, who runs the food critic blog Feasting Fort Collins. She also has a personal blog called Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow. The other person is a colleague of mine and I have had several long conversations with her about personal blogging.

Both women are marvelous writers and the content on their blogs is simply outstanding. Though it was not their intention, my new friends convinced me that having a personal blog is worthwhile. Relationships are important to me and while I have my professional blog, I've decided that my friends and family will get to know me best through my personal thoughts. It's the most fun kind of blogging, anyway.

So, here's to a new start. Thank you to my new friends!

Farewell, New Spectrum

Effective today, this blog has become a digital time capsule. Go here to learn why.