Action. Thinking is good, but action is better.

I’ve been called a “thinker”. While they meant well that monicker also reveals one of my shortcomings. I often get stuck thinking about the actions I could take. But see when that happens, what gets done? NOTHING.

So … just start taking action. Those may be little steps in different areas of life: fitness, work, marriage, or your faith. But by all means, take some action.

I grabbed a book off my bookshelf last night, Action Trumps EVERYTHING. Here are 16 reasons behind action, just start taking action.

16 Reasons Action Trumps Thinking

1. If you act, you will find out what works…
2. …and what doesn’t.
3. If you never act, you will never know if you are right or wrong. You may think you know, but you won’t be able to point to anything concrete to prove you are right.
4. If you act, you will find out if you like it.
5. …or you don’t.
6. Acting leads to a market reaction, which could take you in another direction.
7. As you act, you can find people to come along with you.
8. As you act, you can find ways to do things faster, cheaper, better.
9. If you act, you won’t spend the rest of your life going, “I wonder what would have happened if …”
10. If all you do is think, you are less interesting as a person.
11. If all you ever do is think about stuff, you can gain tons of theoretical knowledge, but none from the real world.
12. …all you do is think.
13. Action always leads to evidence.
14. If you act, you know what is real.
15. Talking to people is acting … at zero cost. You can learn an awful lot, and it usually doesn’t cost you a thing. (Just make sure you act on what you learn.)
16. It seems the cost of doing more thought, before you pull the trigger, is zero. But there is a huge opportunity cost. While you are still thinking, somebody else could be stealing your market or the opportunity itself may end.

From Action Trumps Everything by Charles Kiefer and Leonard Schlesinger

Action – Where will you start

So enough thinking. Start taking action. Pick one thing that you can do today. And Just do it. Take some action. Then let the reaction from it guide your next step. Keep moving.

Image motion blur from themonnie

Spring has sprung and it is time to sell one of the two Aprilia Futuras I own. I’m selling a 2001 Aprilia Futura that is silver with 28k miles.

First $4,400 gets an Italian beauty to ride. Listed on CL 2001 Aprilia Futura For Sale.

Aprilia Futura – RST1000

2001 Aprilia Futura on Picasa

• Liter Bike – 997.6 cubic centimeters
• Hard Luggage
• Michelin Pilot Power Front Tire
• Michelin Pilot Road 2 Rear Tire
• Suggested Mods from Aprilia Forum:
• Regulator connectors and wires upgraded – (Wiring Mod)
• Fuel Line Quick Disconnect (Dealer Replaced with Stainless)
• Lamar Lip Windscreen
• Genmar Risers

The bike looks great for a ten year old sport touring motorcycle. The paint still shines, but has typical wear with a handful of scratches and some flaking. The right side mirror glass is cracked. (See the detailed pictures on Picasa.)

We are using Six Sigma for internal process improvement while at the same time I’m reading The Power of Pull. I found myself wondering if we these two theories can co-exist.

Six Sigma is deeply rooted in process improvement; finding cost savings through innovation and iterative improvements. Sounds great in theory and has substantial research to show its worth in delivering. But The Power of Pull throws some serious threats at that foundation – accelerating change disrupts iterative cost improvements.

The book the Power of Pull suggests that the way we think, relate, and work have all been dramatically changed. The old model of building something, then pushing it out, just can’t keep pace with the rapid pace of change we now face. As I was reading the book I was also reading content on Six Sigma. I couldn’t help but feel like the Six Sigma content was solely focused on how to live in a PUSH-world of incremental optimization.

If the big shift described in The Power of Pull has occurred, then we need to rethink how we focus on improvements as well. We need to learn from Six Sigma, but apply it in a deeply interconnected web of people and information that allows us all to respond faster. The results may still be cost savings, but more likely those cost savings will be a result of some disruptive, or breakthrough, innovation discovered through serendipity.

We need to break the mold, start connecting with a broad audience of people, so we can improve ourselves and our organizations we work for by utilizing the Power of Pull. Only with that big shift can some of the content of Six Sigma still remain. Otherwise Six Sigma must suffer the same demise as push – it must die a slow death from becoming obsolete, isolated, and ineffective.

Here is a video of authors John Hagel III and John Seely Brown discussing The Power of Pull:

Technorati just wants some proof. Some proof that this is my blog. They’re searching for this TG3PPVPZWZ7W little gem in a post.

Where do you turn for strength, wisdom, and understanding when times get tough or … confusing?

For me I turn to God through the book of Colossians. Today is one of those days. I could go on by describing the oddities that have happened in the past 24 hours. I could explain the source of tension and confusion over the past several weeks. I could, but does any of that matter? We each face trials, and successes, when we must count on wisdom and direction that is far beyond ourselves. My own circumstances aren’t
important, what is important is the message God conveys through His Word.

Consider the words from Col 1:9-13:

Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have continued praying for you, asking God that you will know fully what he wants. We pray that you will also have great wisdom and understanding in spiritual things so that you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient. And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light. God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

All too often I find myself depending on … myself. There is always balance I need to use the gifts, strengths, and talents that God has given me; yet I also need to count on His wisdom, understanding, and strength. Through prayer we should be asking that for ourselves and for the believers we are surrounded with. God has put us strategically in places that he can use us to expand His Kingdom.

Prayer. So based on those verses how should we be praying? Perhaps something like…

Lord, I pray that you continue to fill your followers with a knowledge of your will. Give us enough wisdom and understanding to see the daily actions we need to take. Give us understanding to know where we need to wait. Give us your strength to endure and persevere; knowing that we are indeed doing your work at following your timeline. Remind us that we belong to you and are part of your kingdom.

I find the reminder of our underlying calling so important in Col 1:28-29

So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature person in Christ. To do this, I work and struggle, using Christ’s great strength that works so powerfully in me.

As we live, performing the daily tasks ahead of each of us, these verses remind me that His intent is for us to continually be expressing His message. His message of joining His Kingdom, then growing in maturity; all through His power. The words also remind me that it isn’t easy, there will be work and it will be a struggle.

I work at Compassion International and like any organization we have great advantages and disadvantages. We work well in some areas and struggle in others. One thing the organization is focused on right now is developing unity by considering how we can be ONE on purpose. Colossians reminds us that our unity comes from Christ, as we pursue Him.

Col 2:2-4,8

I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God’s secret, that is, Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are safely kept.

I say this so that no one can fool you by arguments that seem good, but are false.

…
Be sure that no one leads you away with false and empty teaching that is only human, which comes from the ruling spirits of this world, and not from Christ.

It is tough to stand firm in the belief that prayer can and will bring unity. Paul reminds us that we will face arguments that will seem good, but are false. Again we need to trust in God’s wisdom to discern that is true. Then have the strength, and guts, to stand for what we believe is true.

The result is our lives should appear drastically different as we live each moment. People should see the reflection of Jesus in our actions, our words, and even our thoughts. The prayer that we started with becomes transformational and we become the loudest Gospel message anyone has heard.

Consider the verses from Col 3:8-17.

But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk. Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God. In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is in all believers, and Christ is all that is important.

God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity. Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking, because you were all called together in one body to have peace. Always be thankful. Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Everything you do or say should be done to obey Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.

I am continually reminded how I’ve been redeemed, or saved, by Jesus, but I also realize how far I am from being sanctified. God’s spirit continues to work
in me, often through the tough and confusing times to draw me closer to Him.

It is hard to believe it was 80 degrees warmer a few days ago when we went hiking. Tonight the temperature in Colorado Springs is estimated to be 26 degrees below zero. I don’t know about you but that temperature doesn’t make me want to go hiking.

But … the weekend was in the 60s. Beautiful any time of year, but especially wonderful weather for the last weekend in January. We had to get outside and enjoy it.

We chose to try hiking the Red Rock Canyon Open Space. We had driven past there multiple times while driving out highway 24 through Manitou Springs, but hadn’t stopped. It turned out to be a great place to go explore.

They have a series of trails to explore with maps posted at most of the intersections making it very easy to get around. We made a loop by combining a few of their easy trails. The trails took us through the canyon, past an old building that would have been very cool when the fireplaces were functional, and back to a quarry area. Since this was in January there wasn’t much water, but you could see how water could build up in the middle of the canyon. This would be a fun place during any season.

We chose to cross the canyon near the quarry and climb steps that could have been made when the quarry was active in the early 1900s. Even our little dog, Toby, made it up the slick red rock face.

When we made it to the top we were faced with the realistic scale of the quarry. From a distance the rock face appears to be step-cut blocks. When we got up close the massive scale of those steps it daunting. Those slabs of rock were huge.

As we walked near them it was hard to imagine working that quarry. I’ve installed
rock steps and I thought those slabs of rock were heavy. It would have been fun to be able to see the equipment that was used.

How did they cut the slabs?

How did they lift the slab off the wall?

How did they move the slab from the canyon?

It was fun to wonder what it was like over 100 years ago. We wondered which buildings in the area were built with rock from the quarry.

Not only was the Red Rock Canyon Open Space a fun place to go hiking on a wonderful January day, it was a place filled with intrigue.

When we moved to Colorado Springs I made a garage gym. One of the pieces that got dropped from the list to save money was plyometric boxes. Well I am eager to add them and my obsessive compulsive disorder tendencies show it.

I found plans in a CrossFit Journal article from September 2006 that describes how to make Plyo Box with Slanted Sides. The article was excellently written and provided the dimensions for a 20″ box.

My searching also found a fun video titled Plyometric Box – How to Build. I love the simplicity of the video – simple, but a nice quality to it. The creator of the video talked about scaling the CrossFit plans for different size boxes, but didn’t provide details. That got my engineering mind wandering.

Why not build an excel spreadsheet that lets me set the height of the box and have it calculate the dimensions of the side panels?

Why not indeed!

The spreadsheet defaults to the plans in the Crossfit Journal to build a 20″ box with a top that is 17″ square and sides angled at 9.5 degrees. The journal article says they used 10 degrees, but I found the dimensions matched more closely when I changed the angle slightly.

Just for reference here are a few key dimensions for the boxes I would like to make.

Note: Some people have suggested that you don’t need to add two layers of plywood for the top. These dimensions assume two layers, plus a 1/4″ thick rubber mat.

After a hectic week hunting for a home in Colorado Springs and my first two days at work with Compassion International I finally had time to go explore. My realtor, Brian Boals, suggested that hiking the Cheyenne Canyon is a great place to start.

I walked into the Starsmore Visitor center and asked, “Where should I start?” After a few questions she said the Columbine Trail is a great trail to start, it is three segments extending to three miles of hiking. I had no schedule so I took a map and water bottle to start my first exploration.

The Trail starts right beside the visitor center. It was a peaceful path to start following walking through woods with a stream flowing on the right. I could feel my stress leaving with each step. The terrain turned into rolling ups and downs with switch-backs. Before I knew it I encountered the next leg in the journey.

Shortly after the sign the trail started going up and I remembered the conversation from the visitor’s center where she pointed to a section of the Middle Columbine Trail saying, “This is a nice incline. It can be a killer.” A “killer” – strange how those words only broadened my smile and my stride.

There are a few quick switch-backs at the start. On one of the corners I met a young family coming back down. They said, “the trail is closed ahead, they are grading it”. Reluctant to turn back and missed the “killer incline” I forged ahead. Sure enough there was a small army of volunteers working on the trails. As I approached, even before I could say anything, they said, “you can just come through”. They spent hours carving the trail where erosion had been at work. It made me thankful for the work of The Friends of Cheyenne Canyon the trail was beautiful.

To be honest I missed the transition from the Middle to Upper trail. The trails meet at the ends. I was watching for the trailhead sign, but that is at the end near the Helen Hunt Falls Visitor center. As I think back I can picture a summit where there were two signs for the Columbine Trail. Those must have marked the transition.

During part of the Upper trail was the first time I started thinking my Sanuks aren’t the most ideal hiking shoes. Although I love my Hemp Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers they have zero traction. The sole is like a flat sole from a flip-flop. The trail was descending now and occasionally my footing would slip. I didn’t fall, but had a few slides.

At the end of the trail is a visitor center near Helen Hunt falls. It was a nice place to relax for a bit before returning back down the trail.

Overall the trail was just what I needed for my first day exploring Colorado. The views were incredible and better yet I didn’t think about our move, our house hunting adventures, or anything else. I was able to disconnect and enjoy God’s amazing creation. It was wonderful.

I woke up this morning with Psalm 37 on my mind. Although I do try to memorize scripture and have seen the benefits of it, this section of scripture wasn’t part of my conscious memory. Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity causing both good and bad emotions. It was great to start the day this these verses.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

…
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; …

We came home from SonShine Music Festival to find the for sale sign in our yard.

We all knew this day was coming. I accepted a job with Compassion International on July 2. But there is something about returning to the building where I watched my kids grow up to see a for sale sign in the yard. It has been tough for all of us. In our own way we have all said that this place just doesn’t feel like a home it is just a house.

All those emotions bring me back to why we are moving. I believe that God has called us to leave. I believe He has called us to move as a family. There are times where that choice sits well with my soul; and there are many times where it hurts. In that hurt the honest question that I am wrestling with is…

Do I really “trust” God?

So I step back from the emotions and lean into God. It is there that He gives His peace and comfort. I returned to a notebook where I wrote out three pages of my thoughts after a sleepless night and a 2am walk with God. He gave me peace then, and continues to do so.
Here are some of those words…

I trust in God. I do in countless ways. Or at least I say I do, but do I truly? I have told others, “I trust God to lead me” and “I trust that my Heavenly Father knows my children better than myself”. Nice words … but can I live them?

I know God is sovereign – stupid religious word. I know God, my God, my Father, controls all things. He hears prayers. So He answered prayers and gave me a job, a tremendous job. He crafted a position that needs someone with such a unique set of skills that it fits me perfectly. The problem is location (it is in Colorado Springs, CO).

To move hurts my kids. It crushes my heart to see them stressed, and hurt. “I trust God”. How can this be? Can a loving Father cause such pain? Does my heavenly Father hear their cries? “I trust God”.

Repeatedly I find my perspective on life rarely matches God’s. My view is out of focus and has extremely limited range. In comparison, God’s view is so clear He can number the fairs on my head while also knowing the exact location of every star in the sky. He sees detail I rarely consider and sees further than my brain can comprehend. He has a perspective on life that requires me to have “faith”.

“faith” – Hebrews 11:1says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Intellectually I know Him and I trust Him. My heart and my emotions seem to be falling behind. But as I realize this difference I am reminded of my limited perspective. It is hard for me to trust when I can not see the way. I need to have faith in my LORD, my Savior, My Father, my God.

Faith that moving to Colorado will bring good. I “hope” for friends, deep long-lasting friends in Christ for each of us. I hope for joy. And I remember His promise to turn sorrow into joy.

The days ahead feel like chaos, a chaos shrouded with uncertainty and opportunities to fear at every moment. But I also know God is there in it all.

What encouraging words to re-read. I do trust. Each time I feel overwhelmed and begin to fear I lean into Jesus further. I really trust God.