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"Murphy was an optimist!"

Of Grasshoppers June 1, 2010 11:07 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: It’s so difficult to steer this boat!
Master: Where are you going?

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This is my world June 1, 2010 10:15 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Humor, Technology
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Click for larger view. Seen here.

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What Motivates Us? May 31, 2010 11:13 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Health, Mental, Philosophy
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Of Grasshoppers May 31, 2010 10:14 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: Have you ever really wanted something?
Master: Have you ever really pursued it?

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Of Grasshoppers May 28, 2010 11:14 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: So heavy.
Master: Build strength.

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Of Grasshoppers May 20, 2010 4:34 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: Why can I not go back and correct my mistakes?
Master: Because now you must deal with the consequences.

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Of Grasshoppers May 20, 2010 2:53 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: I do not like who I have become.
Master: You are as you have always been.

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Of Grasshoppers May 14, 2010 9:00 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: If but e’vr so briefly, I experienced normalcy.
Master: What’s that?

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Living the Middle Ground May 13, 2010 11:44 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Deep Thoughts, Philosophy
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Somewhere between the things we want to do, and the things we need to do, are the things we can do.

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Quote of the Day April 30, 2010 8:07 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Philosophy, Quote
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Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.

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On Time Management/Organizational Tools April 30, 2010 11:27 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Doug's Mantras, Philosophy, Software, Technology
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I’m a huge fan of Jott. I don’t know how Siri (recently acquired by Apple) slipped through my radar. I now have Siri and am very excited. SpringPad and I have this oddly tenuous relationship which I’ll explain in another post. I think SpringPad has incredible potential and should be appreciated by fans of Evernote.

Like Stephen R Covey’s First Things First and David Allen’s Getting Things Done, none of these tools do any good if you don’t use them. And by use them, I mean fully. For instance, in Gmail I frequently flag emails to review later but then I may not review them. The same thing can happen with any of the tools above. I fill Jott with voice notes and text memos daily. Like sharpening the saw, a review is critical. One of my mantras is "15 minutes a day for proficiency." It comes from preparing for juggling shows. If I wait until the day before a performance and try to cram several hours of practice in, I don’t perform well. If I spent 15 minutes a day for those same number of hours, I perform very well! That 15 minute mantra applies to all things in life be it learning a skill like guitar, a language like Spanish, losing that extra weight, reading a book, writing a business plan, or just keeping your life in check.

Trying to get organized while living our crazy lives often feels a bit like trying to balance your checkbook while going down a water slide. You can’t do it and your checkbook gets really soggy. Feels like a catch-22; too busy to organize, must organize to not be so busy. That’s were 15 minutes a day comes in. We can spend 15 minutes just staring into space. Even exhausted, we can muster 15 minutes. And now, I will spend 15 minutes reviewing my notes in Jott.

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Of Grasshoppers April 29, 2010 4:36 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: I never wanted to be the enemy.
Master: You can still be friendly.

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Tomorrow’s Future April 29, 2010 3:21 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Philosophy, Poetry
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If there was a future in my past
At present I can see
There was no future in it for me.
I awoke living each day for tomorrow
And slept lamenting yesterday.
Today I can only think
Of going back and doing it differently.
Tomorrow will be a new day
Then I can begin to live my future
Much more happily.

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Of Grasshoppers April 28, 2010 8:11 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: I don’t care anymore.
Master: No one else will either.

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Of Grasshoppers April 27, 2010 10:07 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, Philosophy
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Student: In retrospect, I did it all wrong.
Master: What about all you haven’t done yet?

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