Smells like money!

If it’s January; in Denver; it’s the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo!  I love that smell.  I love being around farmers, ranchers, cowboys, and horse people.  I love their values: God, country, family.  I love their work ethic centered around kids, crops, and critters.  I love their commitment!

We can learn a lot from cowboy wisdom; Irish wisdom, too:

Then I remembered the Irishman's remark, that one spur was enough, because if one side of your horse went, the other would be sure to go.

George Pickett

My wife is a horse person; my younger son, his wife, and my granddaughter, too.  Coming from the Chicago suburbs, I live with a whole different “herd” now:

My husband said if I don’t sell my horses, he will leave me.  Some days I miss him.

Unknown Sage

My favorite National Western event is the draft horse competition.  On the surface, you see the power and beauty of the teams and the teamsters.  Their commitment lies below the surface.

In this 2018 picture there are (14), 6-draft-horse teams.  That’s about 84 tons of horse! And, over eight million dollars!

 Here’s my math (in 2018 dollars): 

$105,000 for tack (42 sets of harnesses, hitches, and reins x $2,500 per set; 3 pairs per team - 2 horses are the wheel team; 2 horses are the swing team; and 2 are the lead team)

14 show wagons with trailer @ $25,000 each = $350,000

14 pick-up trucks to haul the show wagon trailers @ $70,000 each = $980,000

14 tractor-trailers to haul the 84 draft horses @ $110,000 each = $1,554,000

84 draft horses @ $60,000 each (average public auction price) = $5,040,000.

All in, that’s $8,029,000!

Those millions don’t cover hay (50 pounds per horse per day x 84 horses x $5 per pound x 365 days = $7,665,000); plus grain (50 pounds of grain per day…); plus shoeing… plus veterinarian … plus fuel for the vehicles… plus, plus, plus.

The $2,500 1^st Place prize money is certainly not the reason these folks compete.

While others watch NFL playoffs on TV, these folks feed; fill water; groom; polish tack and wagons; muck manure.  While caring for their critters, they even eat their meals in the barn.  Commitment!

Western folks are committed to our U S of A, too.  During the National Western at the start of every day, as well as before each rodeo, everyone stands and “removes cover” for the singing of our National Anthem.

Yep – I love the sights, sounds, and smell of the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo!

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Translation Please?

We know what they diplomatically say.

Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.

Daniele Vare

Ever wonder what they mean?  Do these sound familiar?

     I’m sorry I didn’t return your call; I’ve been so busy.

          Translation?

You’re a pain-in-the-ass client; I’ve been avoiding you as much as possible.

I know – those darn clients!  If they’d just leave us alone we could get our job done, right?  Today, businesses have permanently built avoidance into their call-directory systems.  We know it by heart:

We’re experiencing unusually high call volumes resulting in longer than normal wait times.

     Translation?

If we ignore you long enough, maybe you’ll just go away.

Businesses these days willingly defying David Siegel’s guidance:

Do 80 percent of what you need to do, and 100 percent of your customers will go someplace else.

Of course, I’m not sure where “someplace else” is anymore.  Things seem to be the same all over, true?  Unfortunately, when it comes to poor responsiveness it’s not limited to those anonymous vendors we do business with.  Now even friends, family, and co-workers are willing to let us hang. Yep – it’s that “been so busy” thing.

With all our technological advancement in today’s wireless world, how did we-the-people get left out?  Are we giving up and letting the machines take over?

Bill Gates, famous machinist and gazillionaire, titled one of his books:

Business @ The Speed of Thought©

     Translation?

As technology journalist Alexis Madrigal has observed, “It turns out that our creativity is good but our judgement is lousy.”

I wonder… when we reach the point of, “I’ll have my machine get in touch with your machine.” will it be any better?

                                                            GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Planning to Achieve…

It’s that time again.  The beginning of the new year:

In the beginning there was the Plan

And then came the Assumptions…

And the Assumptions were without form…

And the Plan was without Substance...

And Darkness was upon the face of the Workers…

And the Workers spoke among themselves saying,

“It is a crock of sh&! and it stinks.”

And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said,

“It is a crock of dung and we cannot live with the smell.”

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,

“It is a container of organic waste, and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.”

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying,

“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”

And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying to one another,

“It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.”

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents, saying unto them,

“It promotes growth, and it is very powerful.”

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him,

“It has very powerful effects.”

And the President looked upon the Plan and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became Policy…

And that is how sh&! happens.

                   Unknown Sage

Setting personal goals is a more serious matter.  Geoffrey Albery suggests:

The first and most important thing about goals is having one. 

Don’t have a template?  Here’s one:

4-quadrants; leveraging the “Principle of Balance”.  Financial and Personal Development speak for themselves, yes?  There’s a Family goals quadrant.  Are you family oriented?  OK, go ahead and write down a couple of your family goals; we’ll wait.

Not sure about Fulfillment?  Our Unknown Sage offers this:

Life is measured by the number of moments that take our breath away.

I like to keep a list of breath-taking moments.  Achieving one reinforces the awesome power of wonder; reminders of  God’s blessings.  After all:

Who wants a dream that’s near-fetched?

Howard Schultz

So here’s to pursuing goals, a balanced life, and far-fetched dreams.  May 2025 be our best year yet!

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.