Brady Helps

The actual moment. Before this moment, you felt nothing. Then, after the moment passed, you felt everything. Can you distill the timeline of your life down to that exact moment? If you're like me, the answer is no. We can't because love doesn't work that way. The feeling of being in love with another is developed over time. Lots of small actions, commitments kept, and time together are compounded to create that feeling. Trust is no different. If you want to create the feeling of being in trust with another, a customer, an employee, then you must be consistent, reciprocate, and stand true to your values.

I love waking up early. Typically, I'm up at 4:30 AM. No, I' m not doing a "be like a Navy Seal and wake up at 5 AM with a cold shower." I wake up early because no one is bothering me at that hour! In addition to my productivity, what I love about being up so early is to see the sunrise. For me, a sunrise evokes hope, a promise, and it reminds me that I have an opportunity to do something today that matters. It also blurs my vision if I stare at it too long. Stoic philosopher, Seneca, writes, "cease to hope...and you'll cease to fear." Seneca goes on, "...each alike belongs to a mind that is in suspense, that is fretted by looking forward to the future." If you stare at the sun rising too long, your vision will be affected. If all you do is focus on your destination, you'll never be present to see what's happening now. Enjoy the sunrise, but please keep your vision.

Bees are smart. When flowers begin to bloom, bees are out there scouting prime locations for their colonies and sources of food - nectar. Flowers are smart, too. They have advertising budgets in the form of bright pedals. Their hope is to attract bees, offer them in nectar, and in exchange for the bees to cross-pollinate. Like all systems that work, and indeed, this is a seemingly perfect system, some seek to hack it. Enter the orchid. The orchid is a beautiful, rare, and difficult-to-grow flower. Like other weeds, it has quite the advertising budget - even humans love orchids! However, like all things that seem too good to be true, the orchid is a fake. As we've established, flowers develop beautiful and bright pedals/designs to attract bees who receive nectar in return. Well, orchids don't provide much in the way of nectar - false advertising! Bees get wise to the orchids scam and guess who stops receiving pollinators and dies off early? You guessed it, orchids! Beauty can be found everywhere. But beware of that which looks too good to be true. Like the orchid, it's probably pretty on the outside, but lacking substance within. And, before you read too much into that last statement, remember that could very well be you and your brand.

Sometime's it's better to listen.Sometime's nothing needs to be said. Sometime's it's better to watch. Sometime's you don't have to show it. When you've got nothing to say, Let the moment show you what's needed. Sometime's that's enough.

If you're at all interested in coffee, things you can do from home, or follow trends on social media, you've probably checked out "Dalgona Coffee."The concept appears simple - whip coffee and sugar together into a froth and float over milk.  With only a few household ingredients, you can create something that most readers haven't yet experienced.  With only a few things around your house, you can innovate a new coffee drinking experience and share it with others.Using the things around you, you can be creative.  You can do something.Yes, I know this is only coffee.  But yes, I also know that for many of us, being able to do something new - right now especially - matters.  Our survival is based on our ability to innovate and create.Innovation is taking something and finding another way to use it.Creation is making the thing that’s in your mind.Even if it's coffee, sugar, and milk.

The residents of New Haven wanted to create an educational institution to train their own ministers - they didn't want to rely on Harvard. To do that, they created meetups.With donated books, tutors met in different homes to train the future ministers of their colonies. The modern-day "Meetup."  Jeremiah Dummer, the colony's agent to London, wanted to be part of the action. He donated over 1,000 books to the program. Keep in mind, this was a sizable library for the period - the year was 1701. Additionally, he got Elihu Yale to donate a few books and a piece of art. Elihu also sold some East Indian Company goods at a small price. The New Haven residents were so pleased with Dummer's work that they decided to create a permanent campus for the school. A school that many people you know about and see today attended - Anderson Cooper, George H.W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, and some others - just to name a few.I wonder if these people would have attended the school if it was named after its major donor, Mr. Dummer? Could you imagine Anderson Cooper attending, "Dummer College?Instead, it was named after an overrated philanthropist, who ended up giving a pittance for the privilege, Mr. Yale.  Names make a difference in so far that they affect our attitude towards the experience we're in.  Imagine our attitude if we were to attend "Dummer College?"  Even if we received the same quality education, we probably wouldn't find much to be proud of.  If you're creating something worth something, consider the experience your audience will have.  As for Mr. Dummer, you know what you did, and if you're reading, thank you!HT to John Steel Gordon of American Heritage for the inspriation. https://www.americanheritage.com/overrated-underrated-10#

"The advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, used to set a test for aspiring copywriters. One of the questions was simple: 'Here are two identical 25-cent coins. Sell me the one on the right.' One successful candidate understood the idea of alchemy. 'I'll take the right-hand coin and dip it in Marilyn Monroe's bag. Then I'll sell you a genuine 25-cent coin as owned by Marilyn Monroe.'" - Rory Sutherland, "Alchemy." The story speaks for itself. Two things, similar in appearance and makeup, are not necessarily equal. In the same way, the solutions to your problems aren't always the most sensible path. What makes two musicians of equal skill better than the other? I'm going to say it's reputation and perception, especially if one of them has performed with a famous artist. Here's an example, I think about waiting in lines. No one likes to do that, and I hate it. The logical response from a store owner, "let's make check out as fast as possible." Right? This solves the problem of waiting in line. Well, what if we didn't focus on checkout, but instead focused on the process of getting what I need faster. Maybe there's an app that would inform the store I'm on my way. Then the app would notify me of the best routes to take in the store to get what I need? I might still end up waiting in line, but the entire time spent away from home might have been less. So was my problem waiting in line? Or was it being away from home? The way we look at problems can change the way we see the answer. 1+1 might, in fact, equal 3. And, as we saw with Marilyn, It's all in your perception.

What I loved most about the VCR was the pause button. When you paused a movie, the screen would become a bit blurry and distorted. And, you couldn't leave the video paused forever. Eventually, it would play. Welcome to Sunday, and here's a short thought about the state of "pause." The origin of "pause" comes from Greek, "pausis" and it means stopping or ceasing. Now, I think we use the word "pause" as a way to gently say "stop." but with a dash of uninspired hope. "Let's put a pause on that," is heard as "let's stop that for now, and maybe we'll pick it back up." I believe we need to rip off the "pause" button and instead opt for "stop." Because pausing doesn't create closure. And we need more closure. Just ask anybody that's ever been in an unhealthy relationship. Like the VCR, life gets blurry when we press "pause" because the tape is designed to move forward.

It's the weekend. What did you do last week that helped you achieve a long term goal? Better yet, what did you do last week that made life a little better for others? Your impacts don't have to be huge to be meaningful. Sometimes it's as simple as extending patience, offering a smile, a tip of the cap, or a genuinely asked, "how are you?" It's the weekend. What are you going to do next?

A few days ago, Christians around the world celebrated Easter. It's also the day that many Wisconsinites enjoyed baked ham, scalloped potatoes, and sugary treats. It's also the day I learned something about winning and losing!

I love my mom's cooking! Though she'll frequently talk about "overcooking the potatoes" or "I undercooked something," quite honestly, it's all in her head. She reads this blog, and I'd like her to know that I, publicly, think she's a great cook, and she doesn't over/undercook nuttin'!

Now that I've earned the prize of being called "#1 Son," I want to get into how my mom's dinner, a choice to make bread, and the next day taught me something about life.

Last year I lost 100 pounds. It took an entire year, but I did it. I'm planning to lose more this year. I didn't "go on something," I didn't "eat avocado toast" for days. I chose to solve the root cause of a problem I've had for decades - stress and insulin resistance.

To solve stress, I made changes in my life that improve stress. I found a therapist, improved relationships (most notably with myself), ate foods that supported by adrenal glands, and studied stoicism and mindfulness.

To solve for insulin resistance, I made changes that improve insulin sensitivity. I eat 7-10 cups of vegetables per day. I try to limit my sugar intake to nothing. I eat very low-carb/starch foods. I focus on consuming moderate amounts of healthy fats and proteins. Lastly, I only eat when I'm hungry, which is typically once per day. I'm not starved, I'm not wasting away, and I'm in excellent health!

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because it took a full year to do! It did not just happen overnight. It took a year to develop habits and rituals I use daily to maintain optimum health. A year to reverse a pre-diabetic diagnosis, get off blood pressure medication, and to effectively self-manage the beast known as "bipolar disorder!"

I played an infinite game of self-improvement. What was my aim? Optimum health. When would I achieve it? Can't tell. It's a pursuit, a lifestyle, a desire to be a better, and a different person for life.

Flash forward to April 12, 2020.

The sourdough bread I made, the pineapple-glazed baked ham, the scalloped potatoes, and the CHEESECAKE were on the table. The foul sirens of mythology were there in Delafield - singing to me.

I ate them all. And, I can't tell you how good that dopamine hit feels. That momentary feeling of pleasure. The hit of "feel good" that our primitive mind gives us when we've taken down a beast to eat! What a great experience.

Then I woke up, April 13, and felt what I realized was a byproduct of yesterday's binge. I'll spare the details. But instead, I'll ask myself this question, "Was it worth it?" Yes and no.

Yes, because my mom is a fantastic cook. I know it makes her happy to see her kids happy and enjoying themselves. I'll also mention, she went out of her way to ask me if I had any needs. I don't. I made a conscious choice to enjoy the food.

No, because I regretted it the next day.

The quick wins are and aren't always worth it. You could triumph over another individual in a debate, but did you sacrifice a long-term relationship in the process?

You might miss an opportunity now because you're holding out for the thing that makes you come alive. There are no rules.

There are only the decisions you take now.

Keep your destination at the front of your mind, and don't stress if you veer off the path. It's only a sidestep.

Pick your head back up.

Get your bearings.

Take a step.