Innovation is What Improves Wealth in the World

Innovation is king in today's market. Countries that are innovative create new products and services others want. Much of American wealth was based on innovation and the ability to be "at the right place at the right time". The entrepreneurial spirit in the U.S. should be rejuvenated to ensure that the nation continues to maintain its economic status.

A study of economic development in Turkey found there is a positive impact between R&D expenditures and R&D workers and economic growth (Bayarcelik & Tasel, 2012). As R&D departments, expenditures and other indicators of innovation such as patents rose so did the GDP.

Why is this important?

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It indicates that countries should focus more on creating innovation. At the end of the day we as a nation need to have enough jobs to support our workers and economy. That won't happen unless our products are cutting edge and able to compete against the market.

Industries that don't stay on top of the market eventually fail. At first it may not look like failure, but as time goes on they lose more resource, have less investments, and need to cost cut. Eventually, there are lay offs. With enough businesses not competing there may be economic decline in the area.

Economic decline is partly a choice. It is how we handle the market, how we build our schools, the values we hold, and the investments we attract. While the factors are numerous economic decline is based on the amount of profit driven transactions as reflective of choice. It is hard to encourage choice when other options are better.

Bayarcelic, E. & Tasel, F. (2012). Research and development: source of economic growth. Procedia-Social and Behavior Sciences, 58.

Great Respect for San Diego Life Guards

San Diego is a beach city that sees millions of people every year making their way around other vacationers frolicking on the beach through a minefield of balls, shovels and towels. Life guards will need an eye like a hawk in order to see through the bobbing heads to those who may be in distress. Within seconds they will need to be in the water and doing their thing and saving lives.

 I always thought about getting a lifeguard certificate but then realized there was a significant time involved.

Hats off to Life Guards!

Boat Bilge Pump Problems and Finding Solutions

Bilge pumps for boats are vitally important. My boat's bilge pump went out and with some heavy rain accumulated a substantial amount of water in the bilge. Concerned I turned on and off the manual switch on the panel and got nothing. I then went on to test the bilge directly to the batter. It turned on but stayed on as though the float was stuck.

You may want to troubleshoot some stuff.

1. Connect to the battery directly. If it turns on you have a working pump. If it doesn't turn on you may need to buy a new one.

2. Check all wiring. In my case the wiring to the panel was bad and the wiring to the batter non-existent. The previous owner must have little to no electrical experience. I put in heavy grade battery wire directly to the batter and rewired to the panel. Now the switch works and the backup direct power source work.

3. Sometimes you can change the float and it will work. In this case, it was internal and unlikely to be taken out. I certainly tried. Some can just be changed out directly.

4. Think of a back up pump. I'm keeping my eye out where I can wire in a back up pump. .

5. Make sure you have a manual and utility pump around. The last thing you want to deal with is a dead battery at sea and no way to get water out.

Be Like a Duck or Be Like a Bull-Life Choices

You can glide through life like a duck or you can knock everything down like a Bull. Both will be a different kind of life and both are sometimes necessary but neither is a great way to be all the time. The most advanced people can use both types of behavior when necessary. They allow the small things to go over their back while being able to step up to the bigger issues.

The duck knows that the issue is there but lets the small things slide because getting caught into other peoples issues and behaviors has no advantage. It is best to navigate around these issues and keep going so that they can have peace of mind and accomplish their goals.

The bull will charge and fight with every slight. There are times when it is best to not let issue go and stand up for them. To fight is very noble but only when you are actually being noble and it has some purpose. If it is all about ego then it has little to no meaning and you will simply look confrontational.

Knowing when to be the duck and the bull is important. Small issues should not bother us. Most of the time it is unintentional and not worth our time. There are times when such behavior is repeated and needs to addressed. That doesn't mean to fight such issues but to address them with strength and courage.

How Cognitive Agility Helps the Military and Can Help You?

Almost all of us want a smarter brain that can do amazing things. We want to be flexible and capable to understand our world in a way that leads to the highest outcomes possible. Cognitive agility is the ability to bounce in and out of narrow and wide focus thinking. It can lead to greater performance and can be learned throughout our lives.

Lets say you have an outward focus and you have a hard time with details. You would naturally be at a limitation in understanding how something operates. On the other hand, you may have a more narrow focus and love details but have a difficult time connecting larger dots. If you can bounce between the two you have high cognitive agility.

According to a study in Journal of Special Operations Medicine, it is possible to train people on how to move in and out of focus in a way that leads to higher emotional intelligence and powerful decision making (Ross, Miller & Patricia, 2018).  Training people to have higher cognitive ability improves their overall decision making performance.

Why is improved decision making important?

There are lots of reasons from military to business executives to improve cognitive flexibility. The decision maker can focus on the large picture and then narrow in for the details when it is necessary. They are able to change their perspective and analyze the situation from angles others may have a have a harder time transitioning from.

When you are faced with a tough decision focus on the details but then move back and see the bigger picture and problem. If you can analyze the micro and macro aspects of the problem you can choose that decision which leads to the greatest benefits and options.

Ross, J., Miller, L., & Duester, P., A. (2018). Cognitive agility as a factor in human performance optimization. Journal of Special Operations Medicine, 18 (3).

Haupt, A., Quinn, K. Buttrey, S., Miriam, J., et. al. (April 17th) Cognitive agility measurement in a complex environment. TRAC-M-TM-17-021 Retrieved https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1032058.pdf

Attracted to the Tropical Areas and Beach Life

Tropical areas, sun, sand and coastline sells! It sells because people like me are attracted to warm and tropical climates that are full of color and life. Probably one of the reasons why I like to sail. Something in the back of my head says, "sail off to some new tropical island". Well...practicality and need make that difficult for most of us.

I must say that I love San Diego and its semi-tropical environment. Yes...you can find parrots hanging out on Shelter Island. Early in the morning you can seem them chirping away.

Who wouldn't love to have a Corona near the beach and walk the coast line. People who live here are very spoiled and don't know it. They only need to go to Michigan where is -20 degrees today where most are hibernating.

Most of my friend haven't seen the beach in years. They spend no time there. Enjoy your Friday and get out to the beach can this weekend!

Learn from Life and Then Put It In The Past

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Life isn't easy! At least for most of us it is about struggle, adaptation and overcoming struggles. Some start out with everything and maintain a life of privileged, some create ease in their lives, and others go down the tube. One thing we can say is most of it has nothing to do with the money you have or the brands you wear. It is about learning from the world and then putting it in the past.

We all have times where we were not happy, did not like the outcomes, or have been treated unfairly. It isn't wise to just ignore that these things happen but that we spend enough time with them to feel and learn from the situation. We then should let it go....

Feel: We all need to process our feelings for a short time so we don't get stuck. Give it some time, a few days, few weeks, depending on the situation and then let it go.

Learn: Each situation has a learning lesson. Things you could have done better, things others could have done better, and possible solutions. People who learn become stronger.

Your performance will improve if you learn from tough situations and then let them go. The self-evolving man needs to learn and develop from the past. They should keep their conscious mostly focused on the future and their future goals and use the past as a resource to draw on. Those who get caught in the past don't grow or change.

If you want to succeed in business and in life you will need the right personality. Make sure that you use life as a long-term growth investment. Each situation provides new information. The important thing is that you adapt and move on with the new information. Setting focus on what you are doing today based on the goals of tomorrow is important.

Tips on How to Organize Your Stuff For Improved Performance and Peace of Mind

Pulling Dinghy Out of Car. Organize!

Keeping yourself organized, inside and outside the office, has significant advantages for your work flow and productivity. If your trying to do something outdoors you spend a ton of time finding the stuff you need. While messiness and clean desks are not associated with intelligence they are associated with how people process information. Whether you are an outdoor buff, have a garage full of junk, or working in the office you will want to organize your stuff because it speeds up your work time. The following tips might be helpful.

When I have lots of outdoor things to carry around I have a hard time organizing things just because there are so much stuff. The same can be said for my desk that has paper and electronics everywhere. After not being able to find a place for my coffee cup or leaving behind important equipment I need outdoors I have decided to get organization.

Here are a few tips on what to think about when organizing.

1.) Understand what you want to accomplish. Organizing could be to check equipment, per trip, per project, etc... How you do this will depend on the type of business or recreation you are in.

2. ) Organize by project, event, or activity. Group items that are logical in your mind. You may want a separate place in your garage for different things. My wood working equipment might be in a different place than my downhill skiing stuff.

3.) Use bins so you can put lots of small loose leaf stuff together.

4.) Try not to tackle everything at once. Do a certain amount each day.

5.) Clean everything. Take your time and clean things as you go.

6.) Make sure you label everything like folder covers, wires, boxes and bins.

7.) Once you have completed all of the organization you will want to ensure you keep it organized going forward.

How Not To Miss A Deadline by Using Your Calendar

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Missing a work deadline is a business No No!!!! From our families, our own bad habits and in college many people learn to not get work in on time. We move the consequences further away and in the end being late is a habit. If you are one of those people who are just forgetful or learned to wait until the last minute you may want to learn to use your calendar better.

Most email programs like Google, Office, etc... have a functional online app or access. Personally I like the ones I can put on my phone so its always with me when I need it. This allows me to check it, edit, or add anytime I'm out-and-about or in a meeting.

Set a reminder on the date something is due. You won't miss the deadline if you get a reminder or are accustomed to checking your calendar each day. However, you will still not get the work done if you don't put some earlier reminders. Here are some tips....

1. Put a reminder in on the day it is due.

2. Include any relevant information.

3. Put in a reminder a few days early and act as though that is your deadline in case there are delays.

4. Put in a reminder way in advance for when to start a project or at certain intervals.

Pictures of San Diego Cali- Getting Back

Got back in San Diego and feeling the fun and friends. I left Michigan on Friday in -5 F and it took me until Utah to get the chill out of my bones.

Upon return a few friends and I went to Pacific Beach. PB offers lots of great tool top restaurants with a view of the sunset. We at at El Prez. Check it out!!! Enjoy the pics and Taco Tuesday. The Lobster ones are the best.
El Prez
4190 Mission Blvd, San Diego, CA 92109
(858) 750-2512
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xBBZm