Odd and Misunderstood

So I have an issue with the problem of charities, causes and companies who make a difference yet their success depends on their ability to market.

If you’ve read Freakonomics, you can get a bit of a sense for what I’m talking about. For example, people are more afraid of guns killing children than children drowning yet way more kids drown in swimming pools than are killed by guns.

In a similar (but much less morbid) way, a company like the Canadian Red Cross’s success for blood donations doesn’t depend on the actual impact it has on our lives but rather on the Red Cross’s ability to inform the public about donating blood. However, their tagline “Blood – it’s in you to give” is such an accurate line that I wish more people would realize just how important it is to donate and go on a regular basis; not simply when they feel compelled after seeing a commercial.

As well, when the earthquake hit Haiti, the world came together in a huge way and sent a ton of aid to those in need; however, what about all the people in our own country and cities who need our help? Why don’t we help them out instead/as well as?

I’m all for helping causes that matter but I think instead of being influenced by marketing and being told that “for less than a dollar a day…” etc, we should instead really think about what we care about and support those causes – either with our time or our money. There are so many reports about how organizations don’t allocate the money they receive very evenly (ie too much goes to administration costs) or how a lot of the money never reaches the intended target due to legal issues so instead I think we should think more locally where we can be sure that our help will have a real impact.

We see so many commercials but if everyone wants our money perhaps don’t give it to anyone; instead why not give them our time? Just a thought.

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Seriously.

Every Wednesday at the Joyce on 4th in Calgary. There are other places too (all owned by the same group of owners). But what a fantastic idea. 1 cent ribs. And then of course they make all their money off the beer and pop. Pfffft. But still.

How would you feel if you went out for 7 cent ribs and I told you I was only spending 1 cent on my ribs? Would you feel ripped off? Because I think it’s awesome.

When’s the last time you could buy anything for 1 cent? 1 cent candies haven’t been around for years. They’re now 1o cents most places – some still offer them for 5 cents, but 1 cent? Not a chance.

The next time you’re eating 7 cent ribs, I ask you…what would you do with an extra 6 cents per rib?

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Parking is, to put it lightly, annoying.

Think about what parking is. Your car is sitting on the ground. Yet you have to pay for it to sit on the ground. Maybe you could have like a time share system. You use someone else’s parking spot downtown and they use your spot somewhere else.

Have you ever seen those garage type parking systems? Like the one in the pic. They’re so sweet. Efficient since all of the spaces are optimized to fit a car and there’s no wasted space. But, what happens if your car becomes like a chocolate bar in a vending machine and gets stuck halfway out? Then convenience and efficiency turns into hassle.

I get why we’re charged for parking. And I understand that people have come to expect to pay for parking. But honestly can’t they make money another way? The amount we spend on vehicles is high enough already between car payments, insurance and gas so why not cut us a break?

I think the government should do something about it. For university students, it’s outrageous how much they have to spend to park to go to school. No wonder so many people try to park for free and get tickets for risking it.

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When you want to do something, whether it’s apply for a job, try out for a sports team or set a goal, who do you listen to?

Do you let your friends tell you what you can or cannot do?

Do you let your parents?

Your boss?

Or yourself?

Of everyone, shouldn’t you listen to yourself?

So why is it that so often we let what others say dictate our decisions? Why don’t we instead know what we want, believe in ourself and go for it? By not doing something we fail. By doing it, the worst case is fail; best case is success. So there is no do not; there is only do. Think about that. And go for it.

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Do you know what I mean? Like when you eat ice cream while having a beer? Some think it’s strange. I think it makes perfect sense. Eating good things together can only equal goodness. Well, in theory right? Here are some more of the food combos I like. What are yours?

• Soda crackers and yogurt
• Peanut butter and chocolate chips sandwich
• Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie sandwich
• Soda crackers, yogurt and chocolate easter eggs
• Soda crackers and ice cream
• Soup and pasta
• Chicken and cream of mushroom soup
• Cheese Whiz and sandwich spread (smelled like salmon…odd)
• Soda crackers dipped in chocolate pudding
• Rice cakes dipped in chocolate pudding

It’s fun trying new combinations. Leads to trying new food. And not being nervous about really eating anything. Try it sometime. And if you ever have me over for dinner, make sure you have lots of soda crackers, beer and ice cream for dessert.

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You hear a lot of talk about how it’s our life and our decisions and that we have the power to make whichever decisions we want; good or bad.

So why is it many people feel like their life is out of their control? What happened to cause that? How can they get it back?

I have been in this situation before. I felt like I had committed to doing so many things that I wasn’t really into doing that it was negatively affecting my personal well being. I would over commit and be too busy. But when I wasn’t busy, I felt like I should be. So what to do?

1. Realize that you can say no. You don’t always have to say yes when someone asks you a favour. Consider what you’re getting out of it, what they’re getting out of it, if you have the time and energy to say yes and then give them your answer. It’s ok to say no. It may take some time to realize that but you need time for yourself too.

2. Start doing the things which you really love doing. Don’t busy yourself with activities which aren’t right for you. Doing things which drain your energy isn’t good for you. And you don’t have to do them. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But you should definitely be doing things that you love and that are good for you.

That’s it. Two very simple things. Start off by doing them. Everyday, make a conscious decision based on these two points and it’s amazing how much clearer your mind will feel. It’s amazing how much happier you will be. And it’s amazing how much more in control of your own life you will feel.

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I’ve been meaning to blog about this happening for a while now. Some of you know what happened; most don’t. I figured I should write a bit about what happened since the majority of us in our lifetime will never be a witness to a robbery and there are a few things to be learned from it.

The day was Thursday, October 2, 2008 (technically the Friday since it was past midnight) and I had just left Paul Filek’s show at the Balance Lounge in Calgary, Alberta.

As normally happens, when I’m up late, I get a craving for junk food. So, I stopped at the Petro Canada in Riverbend to pick up some snacks. I had collected a few things and walked up to pay when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy walk in the door. I put the snacks on the counter when I noticed that this guy had a ski mask on and was holding a gun, pointing it at me. As he walked towards me, he yelled at me to “Get down on the ground.” So, I put my hands up and laid face first on the floor of the Petro Canada. While I’m lying there this guy proceeds to steal a whole bunch of smokes and money from the clerk. In the back of my mind I’m thinking “that gun didn’t look real.” It looked too flimsy and I had thoughts about getting up and tackling the guy – I was bigger than he was – but on the chance that it was a real gun, I didn’t want the clerk to be shot for some money and smokes so I stayed on the ground.

After the robber left, I got up and the clerk was freaking out and was in the process of dialing 911 (I had to get on the phone with them since his normally thick accent was even thicker and very hard to understand). To make a long story short, I waited there for the cops to show up. They got me to provide a description of the robber (along with 2 other witnesses who were outside at the time) and of the situation. Granted, the description which the 3 of us provided really weren’t the same. The colour of his mask, what he was wearing, and the colour of his skin – we all weren’t exactly sure.

So, given what happened after the robbery I certainly learned to be more aware of the circumstances in an intense situation like this (a la Hardy Boys) but really I won’t know if I’ve learned to be more attentive until I’m in a similar situation. Which, knock on wood, I’m not again.

Also, if a guy holding a gun (even if it fake – cops later recovered it and it was) tells you to get on the ground…you get on the ground…

Oh and I’ve also learned that eating junk food CAN be potentially bad for your health. In more ways than one.

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The Ham Butt Problem (taken from: http://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary.html):

Woman’s making a ham for the big family dinner. She goes to cut the butt off the ham and throw it away, and she looks at this piece of ham and she’s like, “This is a perfectly good piece of ham. Why am I throwing this away?” She thought, “Well my mom always did this.” So she calls up Mom, and she says, “Mom, why’d you cut the butt off the ham when you’re making a ham?” Her mom says, “I don’t know, my mom always did it!” So they call Grandma, and Grandma says, “My pan was too small!”

How many times have we heard this before? We do something because that’s how it’s always been done. As much as it’s efficient as a species to learn from experience, sometimes our experience can be based on factors which no longer exist or no longer influence our decisions. How best do we approach a problem without letting the past influence us too much? Simple. Think about why you do what you do. If something seems a bit off, there’s probably a reason for that.

As Einstein famously said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Live and think consciously. You never know when you’re going to be cooking a ham.

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It’s an exciting thought. But it can also be scary. The only security you have is knowing that you control your own destiny. Not having the regular 8-5 with benefits and a regular paycheque takes a little getting used to.

But here are some things I’ve been able to do since I started working from home:
1. Go golfing in the morning
2. Teach kids how to play ultimate frisbee
3. Sleep in until noon
4. Work on my passion (http://www.ultimaterob.com)
5. Workout on my work breaks

It’s pretty great. Having a steady stream of income would be too but a lot can be said for being a lot less rushed, stressed and scheduled. It’s not for everyone but if you can find something you love to do and it works then go for it.

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Lately my topics of choice are about having a passion, doing what you love and not settling. And I will touch on the second topic again here. What is stopping you from doing what you love?

1. Fear of failing?

2. Pressure from friends/family?

3. Lack of finances?

4. *insert your own excuse here*

When it comes down to it, we only have one life to live (that we know 0f). So why not make the best of it? And that means doing the things which bring you the most joy. Be as happy as you want to be. Be around the people who make you the most happy. Don’t feel pressured to be a certain way or do certain things just because others see bigger and better things for you. Listen to them if they matter but in the end do what you really want to do. It sounds very simple and it is. Don’t let others tell you it’s not. And enjoy the ride.

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