Archived October, 2011

Stories of Gumption – Ray Petersen

Monday, October 31st, 2011

 

stories-of-gumption
Stories of Gumption is a regular column that profiles individuals who admirably demonstrate Gumption as we define it. These are the stories of real people who exhibit gumption in overcoming personal challenges, and validate the spirit of Gumption during their journey. Let’s take inspiration from those who seize 100% personal responsibility and show us how to live a life that exhibits Gump-like character traits worthy of applause!

 

Ray Petersen's two-story Haunted House in Victor, Montana

Ray Petersen's two-story Haunted House in Victor, Montana

Constructing a two-story building on your property with a single theme and single purpose takes Gumption. It’s a building that essentially gets used once a year.

 

Eccentric? Maybe … but definitely lots of fun.

 

Allow me to introduce you to a new friend. His name is Ray Petersen. I met Ray and his bride of 38 years, Judi, just this past summer. Ray and Judi are certainly eccentric when it comes to Halloween. They’ve built their own Haunted House.

 

Before I first visited Ray’s residence situated on about 10 acres in Victor, Montana, I was told Ray’s place is a little like the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester believed if she kept building on her house in San Jose, California, then she’d live eternally. I don’t believe Ray is superstitious, but he does enjoy a project.

 

At 78 years young, Ray continues to put his engineering, mechanical, and building skills to good use and has built a total of fourteen buildings on his property. Some bigger, some smaller … all designed with some particular purpose or theme.

 

Are you brave enough to come with me into the Haunted House? Boo-ha-haa!!!

 

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Front Porch Thoughts – Fall 2011

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

 

Steve's-Front-Porch-Thoughts

Fall 2011 in Hamilton, Montana

Fall 2011 in Hamilton, Montana

  • Have you ever watched BookTV on CSPAN-2? It airs every weekend for 48 straight hours. It features hour-long interviews with nonfiction authors about their newly published books. I find it a much better way to learn about a subject than listening to twenty-second sound bites and opposing analysts constantly talking over each other.

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  • Last weekend, I learned about the Mexican drug wars. The Mexican government appears to have lost control of their country. Many of the local police departments and even members of the national military are acting as mercenaries, helping to fight the fight for the drug lords. $100 is the going price for a hit. It’s a mess, it’s getting worse, and it’s happening on our southern border.

 

For more FPT and three more spectacular Montana fall pictures, keep reading.

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Forrest Gump’s Complete Stop

Monday, October 24th, 2011

 

Forrest was at a complete stop at this moment in time

Forrest was at a complete stop at this moment in time

 

There is a scene in the movie that shows Forrest sitting very upright in the bay window seat at the Gump House. He is a partial silhouette from the bright sun outside the windows. He is simply a man sitting alone with his thoughts. Forrest Gump is at a complete stop.

 

The scene immediately preceding this one shows Forrest, holding a glass of milk and dressed in his house robe, staring blankly at the neatly made bed of Jenny’s vacated room. His Medal of Honor and ping pong paddle rest on the nightstand. Jenny had just run off … again. This time her leaving must have been especially painful for Forrest. She had just given him the love he so long desired. She was gone. Forrest was about to come to a complete stop.

 

The scene immediately following has Forrest sitting in the rocking chair. His hat is in hand. He is still completely alone in his front porch thoughts. But, his complete stop is about to come to an end. Forrest is about to start running.

 

My prior post discussed how I came to a complete stop last week. I felt like Forrest did, sitting silhouetted in the window seat. I was contemplating how far I’ve come in my journey of the last few years. I was contemplating that I, too, was about to stand up and continue my run. But for that one moment, I, like Forrest, was completely stopped.

 

Anyone want to go for a little run with me?

 

I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be coming to a complete stop.

 

For Forrest, it took three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours.

 

Maybe I’ll call this my Gumption run.

 

 

Next Blog Title:  Front Porch Thoughts – Fall 2011

Next Blog Date:  October 27, 2011

 

Steve Weber is a speaker, Forrest Gump tribute artist, facilitator, blogger, and author. The three principles of Gumption are specifically designed to get you (and your team) to Function with Gumption. Steve uses the simple, yet powerful, life lessons from the movie Forrest Gump to bring positivity back into the workplace. Learn more at SpeakingGump.com.

 

 

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Why Coming to a Complete Stop is Sometimes Necessary

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

 

Photo from Team Dirty Red

Photo from Team Dirty Red

When driving, do you ever approach a stop sign and do what is called a ‘rolling stop’?

 

What is a rolling stop? We slow down, look both ways, almost stop, and then hit the accelerator and keep on going. This happens whether you’re turning right, turning left, or going straight. Of course, if there is an obstacle (i.e., oncoming car, pedestrian), the rolling stop is abandoned, a complete stop is made, and you don’t proceed until it’s safe to do so. You only stop completely when it’s necessary.

 

I contend that much of life is conducted in a series of rolling stops. We leave work, hit the gym, arrive home, immediately start interacting with the spouse and kids, eat dinner, watch some TV, and then go to bed.

 

Our work day is equally filled with a series of rolling stops, going from meeting to meeting, checking emails, a quick bite to eat with colleagues, more emails, phone calls, and more meetings.

 

We only stop when we are forced to stop.

 

Here is why last week I came to a complete stop.

 

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200 and Counting

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

 

2 per week times 2 years equals 200 blog posts

2 per week times 2 years equals 200 blog posts

On November 5, 2009, I wrote my first blog. On November 1, 2010, I posted my 100th blog. Today, October 18th 2011, I’m posting my 200th blog.

 

Here are three very important things I’ve learned from writing twice weekly.

 

  1. Writing is a learnable skill. I personally feel my writing keeps getting better all the time. My writing tempo and cadence has naturally evolved. This evolution has occurred largely during the past six months. I didn’t have a clue about tempo and cadence two years ago.

    2.  

  2. Ideas (and thinking) take time to develop. Blogs I wrote eighteen months ago led to blogs I wrote twelve months ago that led to blogs I wrote six months ago. And blogs I wrote last month will no doubt lead to new ideas (and blogs) in the next few months. One group of posts becomes a foundation for the next group of posts.

    3.  

  3. Write from the heart. My early posts where sterile in retrospect. They were written primarily from the head. I’m learning to write from the heart. I’m learning to let my writing reveal more of my thinking, my feelings, and my inner thoughts. Scary? Yes. Better writing? I think so.

 

Thank you to all who have regularly been reading my posts. Your support and comments are much appreciated.

 

My regular readership seems to double every six to eight months. I’m blown away!

 

Thanks to Cory, my new editor since January of this year for the watchful eye and fine editing skills. Working with Cory has forced me to become a better writer. And my continued thanks to Jana who both pushed me and put up with me single-handedly through the early days … and continues to put up with me to this day. Both of you have contributed immensely to my growth as a writer.

 

I’m including links to eight of my blogs from the last 100 that seem extra relevant in one way or the other … I’ll see you at 300 … and twice weekly in between.

 

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Dodging a Bullet … Metaphorically

Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Have you ever felt like you dodged a bullet?

Have you ever felt like you dodged a bullet?

 

Last week, I dodged a bullet. At least that’s the expression I used several times in describing what happened.

 

I didn’t dodge a real bullet – I dodged a financial bullet.

 

The short story is I had all my financial investments in real estate starting about five years ago. I was a speculator. I decided to change careers and my cash flow went south. I previously wrote about this here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

Last week, I sold my last investment property. That sale saved me from taking a financial bullet direct hit. I dodged a bullet.

 

It’s ironic because I was strangely confident throughout this time period – I knew somehow it would all work out. I was charging forward without a flak jacket. I had no safety net.

 

Now I’m confident that the choices I made were correct for me despite the financial losses. I’m doing what I want. I’m doing it my way. And I don’t have to worry now about Donald Trump calling me up for real estate investing advice.

 

Today, I’m grateful … I dodged a bullet. I’m moving forward.

 

 

Next Blog Title:  200 & Counting
Next Blog Date:  October 17, 2011

 

Steve Weber is a speaker, Forrest Gump tribute artist, facilitator, blogger, and author. The three principles of Gumption are specifically designed to get you (and your team) to Function with Gumption. Steve uses the simple, yet powerful, life lessons from the movie Forrest Gump to bring positivity back into the workplace. Learn more at SpeakingGump.com.

 

 

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Gumption, Decision Making & Affirmations

Monday, October 10th, 2011

 

Are you using Gumption to be a better decision maker?

Are you using Gumption to be a better decision maker?

Are you a good decision maker?

What attributes make a person a good decision maker?

Want to be a better decision maker?

 

Decision making can be described as the mental process of choosing a course of action from multiple options. Decision making produces a final choice.

 

When you’re presented with a chocolate box, you scan all the choices. You mentally evaluate, analyze, and use your best experiences, and gut instinct, to guess what is inside each chocolate. Your goal is to choose the single chocolate that will provide the most joy in a delicious morsel.

 

All decisions you make follow this same simple pattern. There are x number of options (A, B, C, or D, etc.). You get to choose one. This holds true if you’re buying a car, a computer, or making a career decision. It’s true if you’re picking a spouse, buying a new pair of shoes, or deciding whether to watch American Idol or read a book.

 

Here is how applying the three principles of Gumption can help make you into a better decision maker – and achieve better results in the decisions you make. I’ve included my daily affirmations that help me be a better decision maker.

 

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Advice to Heed and Advice to Ignore

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

 

Harry Truman had good advice when considering the advice from others

Harry Truman had good advice when considering the advice from others

When Forrest Gump was departing for Vietnam, Jenny advised him, “If you’re ever in trouble, don’t try to be brave, you just run, okay? Just run away.” Contrast that advice to the advice Forrest received in the form of a question from the old fisherman when he was buying his shrimp boat, “Are you stupid or something?”

 

The point is some advice is worth listening to and other advice should be taken with a grain of salt. Not all advice is given equally.

 

So, how do you distinguish good advice from the bad advice?

What advice should you heed?

And what advice should be ignored?

 

Here are four questions to ask yourself when considering the advice from others.

 

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The Fine Line Between Persistence and Stubbornness

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

 

Forrest Gump lived life persistently

Forrest Gump lived life persistently

The past four years I’ve been steadfast in my goal to transform myself from a pure entertainer/marketer into a speaker/facilitator/consultant. I’m not fully there, but I’m well on my way.

 

So, have I been persistent or stubborn? The answer is yes. I’ve been both.

 

I’ve persisted in spite of opposition.

I’ve endured tenaciously.

I’ve insisted on reaching my goal.

 

That is persistence.

 

I’ve been stubborn in not listening to reasons – I’m unreasonable.

I’ve been unmoving and fixed in my purpose – I’m fixed.

I’ve been difficult to manage and refused to take no – Don’t tell me, “No!”

 

That is stubbornness.

 

As a society, we admire persistence.

Individually, we loathe stubbornness.

 

So consider this …

 

Stubbornness that meets a goal is called persistence.

Persistence that falls short of a goal is called stubbornness.

 

Maybe the fine line between persistence and stubbornness is knowing how to bend.

Maybe the persistent are better able to adjust.

Maybe the stubborn just miss the mark.

 

 

Next Blog Title: Advice to Heed and Advice to Ignore

Next Blog Date: October 6, 2011

 

Steve Weber is a speaker, Forrest Gump tribute artist, facilitator, blogger, and author. The three principles of Gumption are specifically designed to get you (and your team) to Function with Gumption. Steve uses the simple, yet powerful, life lessons from the movie Forrest Gump to bring positivity back into the workplace. Learn more at SpeakingGump.com.

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