Let’s Discuss: 5 Burning Questions
As I sit down to write this post I have 5 questions swirling around in my head searching for an answer. Can you help me?
I’ve always thought of blogging as another form of conversation, so I’m looking for some dialogue on these 5 queries:
- Can a human being really take emotion out of any decision they make, especially financial decisions? This was pondered in a piece in this morning’s NY Times. I’m now thinking about all my financial decisions over the past 25 years, trying to determine if I ever could take emotion out of it. Mmmm……
- Can someone enjoy a vacation TOO much? This last week has been a little tougher than usual because, to use this analogy, I really, really “unplugged” from my work socket during my recent vacation, so when I plugged back in it was like 10,000 volts shooting through me. It took a week to get my equilibrium back.
- How can a lowly patent clerk with average grades in school unlock the secrets of the universe? Yep, that was Albert Einstein. I just read his biography and while the book tried to explain how he did it, I still am astounded. What was it he had that others didn’t?
- How long does it take before I can do yoga poses with the same ease and elegance of my teachers (and those folks on the DVDs)? Recall the attraction of yoga for me was the “poetry” of it. I’m not being poetic yet. Today’s lesson was particularly hard for me.
- Is Starbucks more punch line than hot brand these days? I was reading a book review in the NY Times today about a book called “How Starbucks Saved my Life“, and the reviewer came down on the side of “punch line”. That’s a hard thing for me to see, since I go there a LOT, but help me here - is this true?
So there you have it - 5 things eating at my brain today. Pick one (or two, or three, etc.) and help me with the answers - in a blog post of your own or as a comment to this post. I promise I’ll come to some conclusions of my own over the coming week, and give you (0f course) some link love in the process.
Let’s discuss!
I really do like this one.
We don't have enough joy and it's so renewable. 
Wow! That is Awesome. Meaningful and from the HEART.
Thank You! 
Excellent and so true. Very, very well done. Have a great day. :) 
Well to be sure that is a good cause and I bookmarked it for my wife because she loves words. ...
Thanks Cheryl for your comment!
PS: Yes, "Karaoke Leadership". Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? :-)
All the best.
Comment by liv on 29 September 2007:
As one of the blogosphere’s resident yoga teachers and studio owners, I’ll take #4. It will take a long time with seriously steady practice. I have been doing yoga since 1996, and there are still many poses that I have not yet achieved. I do 14 hours of asana practice a week. I tell my students that they must make a decision to have a practice. Not just a lesson, but also a self initiated practice. Every body is different. Our stored emotional and physical experiences affect how long it takes for the body to become open to taking certain postures. If you are open in the hips but tight in the shoulders, downward facing dog will always be a challenge. Work at the major points of attachment: look at the feet. look at the hips. look at the shoulders. Know where your body should be alignment wise in foundational postures. Stay with the breath. Harness it to heat the body and feed the practice. Keep practicing. You will know that you’re doing enough yoga when you miss a day and feel miserable the next. Must have yoga. Must.
Comment by Stephen J. Hopson on 30 September 2007:
I’ll pick number 3 - Albert Einstein.
Here’s my take on things. In society, we seem to think that the big and mighty are ones who can do big and mighty things. Not true.
What Albert Einstein, once a “lowly clerk.” did was he knew how to access his inner intuition, where all the answers are. The thing is, this inner part of himself is something we all have access to but either aren’t aware of it or ignore it altogether.
He was a man of elevated consciousness and because of that, he had access to complex formulas, ideas, concepts. All of us are potential geniuses regardless of what status we occupy in society.
That’s my take on things.
Stephen
Comment by Terry Starbucker on 30 September 2007:
Thanks Liv and Stephen for joining this discussion!
Liv, many thanks for this great advice. I do need to work on my fountational postures most of all, and my breath. I will keep at it because I already feel pretty bad when I don’t do it. Must have yoga indeed.
Stephen, I totally agree with you -we all are potential geniuses. This was quite evident as I read this biography. It was truly inspiring and I’ll write more about this later in the week (and drop in one of your quotes and a link). Thanks!
All the best to you both.
Comment by Bob on 1 October 2007:
Hey, what the heck; I’m game!
#1: Maybe you can. But I would respond with, Why would you want to? Let’s face it - we’re emotional beings, and everything we do is based on how we feel about it. Why not embrace that instead and savor your financial decisions (and consequences!) as simply part of life, living, and growing up?
#2: Is the only way to know if someone enjoys a vacation TOO much is when they didn’t come back?
Hey, sounds like you had a great one, Terry; really enjoyed being unplugged and all that. But could you do it the rest of your life? Probably not. If you’re like most, you need the challenge of your work just as much as you need a break from it.
If you’re one of those who didn’t come back, all it means is you’ve swapped one lifestyle for another - and you might someday need a vacation from that one, too!
#3: I like Stephen’s take on this one, and I agree that we all have the potential to be far greater than we currently are.
#4: Eek! Urk! Argh! (Somebody call a doctor! No, a MEDICAL doctor!) Sorry, no help here…
#5: I really haven’t particularly studied Starbucks, but I can tell you this: I have NEVER met anyone who thinks their coffee is good! That says volumes to me.
Comment by KermitFan on 1 October 2007:
#4 — Sometimes you’re more poetic than you think when it comes to yoga. Yoga is not about comparing yourself to others, rather it’s about how you’re doing on the inside and the outside. When I started doing yoga, I couldn’t touch my toes, let alone do a 1/2 handstand… now I’m doing half handstands on the wall… that’s poetry, if you ask me. It’s all about your mindset, so keep at it!
Comment by Terry Starbucker on 2 October 2007:
Hi Bob and Kermitfan, thanks for stopping by and addressing my “burning” questions.
Bob, well done - you took them all on! You are right - I will embrace my emotional side, I don’t want to be on vacation forever, Stephen made a great comment, and yoga doesn’t seem to be your cup of tea (ha). But you do know at least ONE person who likes Starbucks coffee
Kermitfan, thanks for these encouraging words - you really helped me put my progress in a better, more poetic light. And good for you on those handstands!
All the best to you both.
Comment by Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. on 3 October 2007:
Hi Terry,
I must agree with the consensus that Einstein’s greatest strength was his inner wisdom. I do believe we all have everything inside that we need to achieve greatness.
As for Starbucks… I am reluctant to admit, but I have switched to Caribou Coffee. I got tired of Starbucks not making my drink right. I think they lost something in their staff training.
Glad to hear you had a great vacation!
Comment by Terry Starbucker on 3 October 2007:
Hi Kirsten! Great to hear from you. So you too have soured on Starbucks - I have to admit that they have declined a bit in their overall customer experience. Unfortunately there’s no Caribou in CT -I’ve tried their coffee and it’s pretty good. I also like Alterra in WI quite a bit.
Thanks for stopping by and all the best!
Comment by Lisa on 4 October 2007:
Hey Starbucker -
No, you cannot enjoy a vacation too much. It is impossible.
The experience at Starbucks or any other place depends on you, not them. Do you feel different when you are handed your latte? I think you can find a religious (or spiritiual) experience in a cup o’Joe from a gas station if you wanted to.
So the hometown girl from Seattle is going to say, no, Starbucks is not a punchline.
Comment by Terry Starbucker on 5 October 2007:
Hi Lisa, thanks for your comments. Since I have had a spiritual experience from a cup of coffee at a gas station (I do a lot of driving!), I understand your point very well.
And in hindsight I’m realizing you cannot have too much fun on a vacation.
Looks like we’re on the same page here! Thanks again, and all the best.
Comment by Doug Kyle on 5 October 2007:
I’ll throw down on #3 - Einstein as well.
Simple fact: Einstein had a very high IQ.
Most people think that those with high IQs should do fantastic things and treat it as a measure of potential. In some ways it is, but it is also; in some ways a measure of how likely a person is to be bored. What?! That may not make sense but think of it like this:
A student with an uncanny ability to grasp visual-spatial & mathematical concepts too easily, or the ability to absorb general knowledge too easily will no feel wonder or awe at what is being taught to everyone. That student will become bored and apply themselves only a fraction. Regardless of IQ, such a fractional effort will result in fractional grades. No matter how much a genius, one can’t effectively answer on a test what one has never thought of before.
Poor grades follow into college should that student even bother with it and that attitude follows into the workforce and into a life of frustration and boredom.
Where does the IQ kick in? When something truly interests that person and they learn the value of applying themselves.
Imagine if Einstein hadn’t been a patent clerk with great ideas passing through his hands on a regular basis… If he were a laborer instead, would the spark to apply himself to intellectual pursuits have ever have fired?
Of course sometimes these people do apply themselves in school and get great marks. If it is because they are supposed to though and not because they want to, they often end up bored as well. Think of the people you know who are “so smart” yet not doing anything with their lives. I know a couple of people who “should have been a doctor or lawyer” or some such.
I’ll be honest. I don’t think we’re all born with the same potential. I do believe that we can flex our brain power and build it like a muscle (this has be shown through psychological and neurological experimentation) but at birth, there are often genetic obstacles for some that aren’t there for others. These have been proven to NOT be based on race, class, sex or other such nonsense, but things such as environment (i.e. mother’s nutrition) and some mild effects from parents genetics themselves. This is further enacted upon by stimulation and educational experiences, exposure to new things, social interactions, etc (which is why I wonder “what if Einstein wasn’t a patent clerk”)…
All that said, I strongly agree that we all have the potential to be far greater than what we are which in turn begs the question, why aren’t we?
Comment by Terry Starbucker on 7 October 2007:
Thanks Doug for your excellent contribution to this conversation (hope you saw my kudo on my latest post as well). All the best!
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