We Were Born with the Perfect Operating System… 

Before I get started with this month’s topic, I want to thank you all for your patience. I know my monthly-ish blog is way overdue. I have been devoting most of my spare time in the past month to finishing my first book and laying the groundwork for my second one. Thank you all for the support. It is so surprising when people approach me (two yesterday) and ask about the progress of my book “Pinstripe Suits to Prison Blues.” When I state it 

is done and in the hands of the publishing company/printer, they talk about how proud they are of me and seem to appreciate the discipline it takes to complete such a project.  That is true, and it was much harder than I would have every guessed, particularly when self-publishing.

Every detail and decision is left up to you, even though there is a team of sub-contractors and folks behind you advising and helping. But, again, it is those one or two comments of encouragement that keep me going, not to mention the hope of using that acquired knowledge to help others fulfill their dreams.  Now to this month’s blog, which might be my last until the launch of my book, about a month from now we are hoping. I read and study a lot. Since the loss of my business in 2008/2009, I have read well over a 

hundred books, and it might be approaching closer to hundred and fifty at this point. I spend a lot of time in hotels, on the road, and in my offices. When traveling I’m often alone, so I choose to learn from some of the best and brightest in their fields and 

in history. At the suggestion of one of my consulting clients, I am currently reading “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” (4DX). I have read enough to get the outline of what it teaches, but not enough to teach it to others—but I will. As I was planning this blog, I remembered a couple of things it laid out early on. 4DX is an operating system... Once it’s installed, you 

can use it to run almost any strategy you choose, but you need the whole system for it to work.  

The lesson on this operating system “says easy, does hard.” Wow does this not sound like life itself.  We are born with the perfect operating system for what we were destined to do. The ability to maximize all that your operating system is capable of is in you and up to you! You may fill it to capacity or choose to let it do the bare minimum. So many talented people I meet from all walks of life ask me how to move forward after tragedy or misdirection, or maybe just to achieve the next level of success at whatever they wish to do with family, sports or career. That is the greatness of God’s creation. We have the ability to reprogram, upload more programs, expand, reboot, or simply clean our hard drives so the unused is 

discarded and the new uploaded program (knowledge or experience) is expanded. Just think, in my short fifty-three years on this earth I have been a successful boat captain, car salesman, computer systems administrator, sales manager, general manager, large business(s) owner, charity and civic board member, prison inmate, Second Chance class graduate (twice), business consultant, life/business coach, writer, author, and publisher (I hope). I hope to help others be all they hope and deserve to be.  What are you doing with your operating system? Are you doing the required updates to keep it operating efficiently? I read a study one time that the most efficient companies’ computer systems ran at about 47% utilization, and that was very good. Many companies run much less than this. Companies around the world spend millions, even billions a year running and conducting utilization studies on computers and other systems to see how much their people are using them. Just to find out, almost every time, that the system is underutilized, and many of the system’s tools and programs are hardly accessed at all.  

Do you need a utilization study? Take the time to read a self-help book. When you’re in the car for a drive, turn the radio off, the cell phone off, and think about what you could do to get more out of what you have. Reboot, update, and analyze your operating system for maximum utilization. Be grateful that you have such a perfect system capable of doing so much. But clearly understand that the short comings of that system might be in the hands and destiny of the owner. You, your company, and those you influence are capable of much with what they have. Make sure you are not the obstacle to being 100% effective with your operating system. It takes the influence and positive impact of just one person in your group or company to make the difference. Let’s make sure you’re that person.  Sign up here to receive newsletters and email updates about the release and launch of my upcoming book(s). Please call or email for quotes on speaking and consulting for you, your organization or company.