Mar
20
You know what would be perfect? If I did a series on Perfectionism.
First, a disclaimer. I am not a perfectionist nor do I play one on TV.
A regular reader and commenter on my blog, Agnes, said I should do a series on perfectionism. it was perfect timing for her to say so because I had just finished giving a presentation at the 2nd annual Social Media Tulsa Conference on ‘The Six Stop Signs on Creativity Road’ and one of the stop signs is about perfectionism. As I gave the presentation I wished I had more time to spend on that topic. Now I do.
Let’s start Perfectionism week out with 2 questions to set the stage and get our definitions out there.
What is your definition of perfect?
What, within humankind’s thought and creation, can be, or is, perfect?
I will give my answers in the comments after a while.
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Drawing by Marty Coleman, who thinks Oreos are perfect.
Quote by Winston Churchill, who liked a good cigar.
Oct
23
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Vintage napkin from 2004, drawn for my daughter and put in her lunch.
Since this has been ‘rights week’ I thought a vintage napkin that was on that same theme would be appropriate. Idealism is a good thing. Intolerance in the name of idealism isn’t idealism at all. It’s prejudice and ignorance, bigotry and fear, stupidity and hate disguised as idealism.
Those who practice that version of idealism are to be avoided, as should their brand.
Mar
23
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I know a lot of people who say politicians are all crooks, the system corrupts them even if they start out with good intentions. They think they are different than the rest of us. They have sold out, they are open to the highest bidder, they have no conscience of their own. They are all controlled by special interests, etc.
For the most part I don’t believe this to be the case. I think they are driven by the same things most anyone else is driven by:
Self-preservation
Gathering some degree of wealth and security
Having people like them
Having a good reputation
Wanting to do something good in the world
Not wanting to be misunderstood
Wanting to be given credit for hard work
Within those desires people make all sorts of choices. Some are governed by fear of losing an election, fear of losing power. Others are governed by gaining security and wealth more than other elements on that list. Depending on their ethics and courage to withstand pressure, they may or may not be open to being corrupted. They might even search it out. But honestly I do not think most politicians are like that. They are just like you and me, they fear dying, whether in their political career or their life. Sometimes they mistake one for the other.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Qoute by Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister 1940-1945, 1951-1955
May
20
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Churchill understood that what is seared in our memory, what we
remember when contemplating a new endeavor, is not our prior
successes, but our failures. We can even look back on past
successes and say ‘Who accomplished that? It couldn’t have been
me, I don’t know how to do that!’
Then you remember that you did do it and you can do it again, but
not before having to traipse through a mind field of doubt IN SPITE
of evidence to the contrary. It is our perceived failures that are out
to kill enthusiasm and we must be defensive in protecting it. We do
that by being realistic. By looking at what we REALLY are capable of.
We all know that there are some people who don’t have this problem.
They are overconfident and have an ungrounded enthusiasm that
can be very dangerous to become entangled in. Avoid those people.
But my experience has shown me that many more people are in the
self-doubting camp and need encouragement to look at themselves
honestly and see that they are MORE capable than their self-judgment
is telling them.
Jul
21
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What’s the value in being anything else? What does it get you?
