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dispatches from the new world of work

The Days of Our Lives

As you know, I've been rushing around like a true maniac: 45 days, 22 lectures ranging from 40 minutes to 9 hours, 10 countries, 5 continents, and about 76,000 miles. (Am just, as I write, vaulting the Dateline and in the process of logging Country 10/Australia and Continent 5/Antipodes ... gorgeous & balmy & scintillating Sydney is nigh on in sight.)

Time flies, not creeps. Lecturing with delight on Lord Nelson and bravado leadership in London. Trying to hold the attention of learned Siemens engineers in Berlin—and relentlessly badgering them about the need for game-changer, high risk innovation. Enjoying the company and enthusiasm of an auditorium full of entrepreneurs in Bologna, Italy. (I was meant to be Italian, I'm sure of it.) Having the privilege to address 2,000 noble American home care industry leaders in Seattle. (Of course being unwell at home beats, if at all possible, entering the Killing Fields of a "modern" acute-care hospital.) Excitedly dragging my weary body to Trafalgar Square minutes before day's end on October 21 ... to join the tail end of the Y200 anniversary celebration of Nelson's stupendous, world-altering victory. Power walking in Buenos Aires and Belo Horizonte and Santiago, and around the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and through Red Square in Moscow. Setting foot—for the first time—on the Peters homeland in the former East Germany/East Berlin. (And, alas, missing "FirstSnow" in Vermont on this past Saturday.)

Here's my conundrum. I'm exhausted. In the service, many of us deployed overseas kept what were called "short timers calendars." On these, which could be quite large and artistic and encompass hundreds of days, one crossed off the days to deployment's/tour's end. As officers, we weren't supposed to keep them as we were to act as if we could hardly wait for the sun to rise over Monkey Mountain outside of Danang. (Of course all of us did surreptitiously keep them, except for a few gung ho types who, like the central character in Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," doubtless awoke chanting "Kill, kill, kill.") Well, I've got on my Windows desktop a Short-timer Calendar for this 12 country, 60-day oral and aerial marathon in which I'm engaged. And I'm not happy. With the calendar, that is.

On the one hand, I can't wait to see Susan, the animals, VT, get a good night's sleep, hop in my trusty Subaru Outback and take the dirty laundry to Manchester, and put a temporary end to the recurrent "roadtrip nightmares" about missed flights, lost baggage, crashed computers, faulty sound systems and the like—those are the themes, by the way, night after night after long night on the road. On the other hand, as a general proposition I am vehemently opposed, especially as my 63rd birthday hovers nearby, at wishing away any day of my life!

So I've been consciously working on a new (for me) approach, with at least a smidgeon of success. Either at day's end or dawn's early light, I have a little meditation and self-counseling session on making the day count, rather than devoting the day to eager anticipation of the moment I can cross it off the calendar. Professionally, that first means looking anew and in depth at the forthcoming lecture to be sure that it clearly encompasses (as best I can) an ennobling purpose, challenges participants' minds and engages their souls. (Will it at least aspire to the JFK idea that no speechifier should utter a word unless she "aims to change the world"?) Also professionally, I "work on" my attitude. This may be day 45 and mile 76,000 for me, but for the Client it is D-Day for an Important Event (often their year's #1 event, for God's sake); hence my exhaustion and accompanying short temper must be thrust aside ... and downright cheeriness and spirited engagement must become the invariant orders of the day. Besides, such cheeriness, even if feigned, cheers me up first and foremost! Next, and in a way most important, even though I have little trouble infusing my lecture with meaning, I must thoroughly convince myself that this is a day every hour of which is worth savoring! Hackneyed though it is to write, 25 October 2005 ain't gonna come around again and this 62-year-old is gonna be a day older and closer to checkout time when it's done. My increasingly long and intense power walks help immensely, even when I anesthetize myself in the process with the likes of "Queen on Fire." But it's less such "formal" punctuation marks like a preplanned walk, and more an amateur effort to maintain a zen-like awareness of the moment and my novel surroundings all day long, starting with purposeful people-gazing on the streets. Hey, it was a miracle to be alive and healthy in ancient and durable Bologna last Friday, to power walk past the university from which Copernicus graduated. Etc.

That's it. Fourteen hour flight nears conclusion. Philosophical musing on the passage of time done. Blog logged.*

Well, not quite ...

This Blogpost, too, is a professional musing as well as a personal one. H5N1 may be approaching. (Headline in Sydney Morning Herald that I read moments after arriving in Aussie-land: "Economy at Risk of Meltdown If Killer Flu Strikes.") Three billion Chinese and Indians want our (American) jobs ... and have the skills and, more important, the will to grasp them. Artificial-intelligence apps that do much of what we do, only better, improve by the nanosecond. Hence I cheekily suggest that my almost 10-year-old Brand You-Wow Projects or Bust-Become a Whirling Dervish PSF/Professional Service Firm challenge is far more important and timely than it was when born in '95 or so. To even survive professionally, I believe we each must, to steal the words of the immortal basketball coach, John Wooden, "make each day a masterpiece" .... or, usurping the phraseology of guru and pal Mike Ray, "make your life itself a creative work of art." That requires busting a gut, immersing oneself in the moment, digging deep if necessary for an attitude fix, appreciating the marvels of the world around us and our mates within it, and devoting the day to an at least modestly ennobling purpose and project ... beyond merely scoring another checkmark on life's short-timer calendar. Don't you think?

(*Don't let me mislead you or inflate my successes. Sometimes none of these tactics work worth a damn. I find myself in a shitty mood all day long, growl and scowl at one and all, can't imagine my lecture making the slightest difference to anyone, am certain that I am wrong about everything, and wonder why I'm pissing away my life collecting frequent flyer miles I have no time to use. On the other hand, there are less of those days than there used to be. Including today.)

Tom Peters posted this on 10/25/05.

Comments

Just keep takin' the pills Tom :-)

My academic supervisor Professor George Giarchi is 74 years old and he told me this morning he has a new contract with the University till 2008 which I guess will make him 77 years old. He will be looking for another contract then I have no doubt. He still works harder and faster than me and anyone in my circle - he still smiles a lot - he still rushes around and yet he still has time for himself.

He tells me the most important things are to take care of one's self - have some â€˜aloneâ€™ time - have some â€˜thinkingâ€™ time - have some â€˜meditationâ€™ time â€“ he suggests Yoga. All good tips and we all must find our own special way of coping with the stresses of our relative lives. You have one hell of a schedule and a n amazing pace of doing things â€“ that is obvious.

Hereâ€™s to your next 40 years Tom! â€¦. We can keep up â€¦ Just!

Posted by Trevor Gay at October 25, 2005 9:44 AM

If I may be so bold as to offer a little advice, from another road warrior...

I learned in my Dale Carnegie course about enthusiasm, and it is much as you say, Tom. Our enthusiasm mantra is "If you want to BE enthusiastic--ACT enthusiastic. If you ACT enthusiastic--you'll BE enthusiastic!" Repeat to yourself, in ever-increasing volume and intensity, while stretching from a crouch to a "ceiling reach." Always does wonders for me. (Trevor--funny how Dale Carnegie keeps coming up today, huh?)

Second, don't schedule much between Halloween and New Year's. People aren't focused on you, but on their families, friends, parties, children, vacations, plans, etc. Besides, the weather is not so good for traveling in much of the world at that time.

And don't forget that free advice is worth the price.

Posted by Mike at October 25, 2005 9:54 AM

Â¡Ãnimo!
(Translates into something like "cheer up!")
A friend of mine says this a lot... sometimes in a somewhat sarcastic way. The point of his tongue-in-cheek approach is to make his listener laugh -and achieving the whole point of the comment.
So here's to you: Â¡Ãnimo! ...and keep on making friends and influencing people (to keep the Dale Carnegie ball rolling)

Posted by Gabriel Salcido at October 25, 2005 11:50 AM

Tom, your last paragraph meant more to me than you could know. To hear that you, with your star shining so high, could have these feelings from time to time is an inspiration to me. I keeping telling myself that we all experience these feelings but somehow fool myself into thinking that the bigger you are, the easier it is. In fact, the bigger you are, the harder you are on yourself.

Your words keep me going - keep meditating and dreaming of VT.

Posted by Michele Miller at October 25, 2005 12:03 PM

Thanks for the pwoerful post.

In the spirit of balance, however, I wonder why you would allow yourself to be in the state you describe.

One of my mentors instilled in me the belief that "Too much of a good thing is still too much." Great people will always be presented with more opportunities than they probably should accept, right?

I know I am one reader who would be interested in hearing what opportunities you say "no" to, or learn about the thought process you engage in when filling your calendar as you have.

Posted by Jeffrey Cufaude at October 25, 2005 12:37 PM

Tom,

Try sprinking this magic word into your scheduling and planning...

No.

(With a smile.)

Posted by Tom F at October 25, 2005 1:11 PM

Tom F ... You ARE the man!

Posted by tom peters at October 25, 2005 1:41 PM

Dear Tom,

Five or six years ago I sat quietly my head tilted slightly forward as my 29 year old female hairdresser while skillfully trimming up my garying locks passionately explained how much she loved her job and how much she would miss it if for some reason she could not continue . . . and I sat there thinking . . . thinking slowly . . . thinking, like some Stephen Stills song, "something's happening here, what it is is not exactly clear" . . . and I'm thinking . . . Whoa. I hear what she's saying but what does it all mean.

As my beloved father-in-law likes to say "What is going on here?"

Later that day it hit me, she's pregnant! Sure enough during our next session she made the announcement.

So, in reading this enormously compelling post and based on my past experiences in these matters I want to be one of the first to offer you my sincere congratulations . . . and at your age, too.

have a great day

Robert

Posted by Robert Ballard at October 25, 2005 2:27 PM

Brilliant musings.

I had a â€œshort timersâ€ attitude for a long time and then I realized, embarrassingly late, that when my short time would end and so would I.

I can not even fathom a schedule like what you are going through but I do know you have â€œheavenâ€ waiting for you when you get home, albeit a tad damp at the moment.

Thanks Tom.

Posted by Jack Covert at October 25, 2005 2:44 PM

Another remedy to life's smaller hardships is to laugh (bigger hardships can't be dodged so easily). I've just come in from a long day, and hit your blog (so it's not just Tom that needs the pills then) and I got a good laugh from your shitty day reference. Yip, I know that one.

As for yoga, great concept, even tried it once or twice. After 10 minutes of yoga I'd gone gaga, but whatever floats your boat.

On a serious note, I've never found the 'I'm a success, I'm a success, I'm a success' self talking to works. Perhaps I should try it when I'm having the power shower in the morning, rather than when I'm struggling to put my key after, eh, an evenings entertainment. But no, Tom's musings at least let the rest of us know that he's mortal too, which is not to say we want you to be Tom, it just shows us that you know what it's like 'down here'!!

Posted by john fleming at October 25, 2005 5:31 PM

"As we are liberated from our own fear our presence automatically liberates others."

Lord NELSON Mandella Thank you Tom

Posted by Gary Fox at October 25, 2005 6:30 PM

Boy, John, we are in agreement about hooting "I'm a success." I've heard that one too. I find it disgusting.

Posted by tom peters at October 25, 2005 6:39 PM

Just another day dealing with the same ol' same ol' Tom, whilst your work and your blogs far reach and inspire others all around the world lucky enough to have found out who in the World is Tom Peters. Thanks for the inspiration.

Phil (Italy)

if you ever decide you don't need those frequent flyer miles, I know a good home)

Posted by Phil@Italy at October 26, 2005 2:13 AM

Im tired just reading it :)

Posted by AJ Hoge at October 26, 2005 5:48 AM

I have followed you since the In search of Excellece days. You taught me then I was not insane, at least about how to treat customers, associates, and quality.

You have kept me on the cutting edge of every company I have encountered, and consequently employed and employable. Now going for my M.E. at the age of 57.

Don't think what you do doesn't count or is not effective.

Posted by Mark at October 26, 2005 7:23 AM

I have followed you since the In search of Excellece days. You taught me then I was not insane, at least about how to treat customers, associates, and quality.

You have kept me on the cutting edge of every company I have encountered, and consequently employed and employable. Now going for my M.E. at the age of 57.

Don't think what you do doesn't count or is not effective.

Posted by Mark at October 26, 2005 7:23 AM

One word Tom: "Andropause" - consider having your testosterone count monitored then perhaps get medicated for it - Tribulus is a natural herbal supplement - maybe 5 days on 2 off - then 6 weeks on 1 week off ... T patches and supplements are another approach ...

... anyway the T factor is big in how you feel, how optimistic, how cranky, how energetic, how almost everything. One site of interest: Welcome to the new world where aging is optional:
http://www.infinitevitality.net/home.html

Posted by Sean at October 26, 2005 8:55 AM

At 44 I sometimes have such an acute awareness of the "short-timers" calendar that it borders on frantic. I understand all too well how some people get more aggressive as the get older when you waste their time with stupid stuff. As I age, the value of my time (or at least the value I place on it) goes up with each passing day because of its increasing scarcity.

I think for me that this sometimes creates a sense of urgency that causes me to work to the point of dullness - the old "sharpen the saw" metaphor. I must admit that as intense as my feelings are relative to not wanting to waste the day at 44. I can only imagine what they will be like at 62. In all likelihood, we both have decades left on the green side of the grass but there are no guarantees.

One thing that has helped me is the realization that effort and accomplishment are seldom linear. For years I always sought "the key" that would make it all fit together properly - thinking that adding that "secret ingredient" would somehow allow me to break through the layer of turbulance and fly smoothly and effortlessly.

My conclusions (always subject to change), explorations, and experiences have led me to agree with the premise of The Power of Full Engagement - that managing energy and not time is the key to peak performance and ultimately greater accomplishment. One of the books metaphors is training for a marathon. You simply don't go out and run 26.2 miles without training without falling out or injuring yourself. Instead, you start at a manageable distance and increase periodically, with periods of recovery between the mileage increases.

Along with the attempt to manage energy as effectively as I can I also have tried to become highly selective at what I try to do and to simplify my choices. Oftentimes, I have found that it is not what I add to the equation that makes it work but rather what I take away.

Easier said than done though. I often find myself right back in the linear mode - it's recognizable by the fatigue and lack of clarity that accompanies it after a prolonged period. You have far more experience in this oscillating arena of work, passion, and energy than I Tom. Thanks for giving some shape to this very real enigma.

Posted by walter white at October 26, 2005 12:15 PM

Yep. Hey, what's your favorite airline?

Posted by Olivier Blanchard at October 26, 2005 3:21 PM

Tom,

We're certainly glad you do what you do. We also are concerned about the toll it takes on you.

What's the balance? Hopefully, you can multiply your efforts. Gather, grow, and launch "true believers" in your message.

Maybe you should start a blog?

Posted by DUST!N at October 26, 2005 3:52 PM

Started reading Radical Evolution as you suggested. Too bad the "letting half your brain sleep while the other takes care of matters" isn't quite on the market. Maybe next year.
Money & success do not create hapiness (but they do help a lot). Those who suggest "Just say No" may have a point. But to do so, one must know the goal of ones mission. Has it been attained or is it still far off? Only your heart knows. Once you know, you'll be able to act!

Posted by Steve Robert at October 26, 2005 8:00 PM

WOW! What a POST!!!
Incredible, Tom, like most of the comments. Thank you for the time you are investing here and thank you for your thoughts.
I don't need RSS because I experience a lot more pleasure checking this place everyday and finding all the stuff you put here.

Really, really nice. Regards

Posted by Enrique M Novo at October 27, 2005 2:11 AM

Hope this is not too long and â€˜ramblyâ€™ â€“ but I know what I mean :-)

Tomâ€™s post came to my mind yesterday when I went back to my former place of work after 12 months to pay a visit and say hello to some friends and ex-colleagues. As I got out of my car I saw was a former colleague dashing to her car saying how good it was to see me but she hadn't got time to stop and chat - she was on her way to a meeting and she was late. She jumped in her car and drove fast out of the car park. I immediately recognised that just 12 short months ago that scenario was â€˜meâ€™ and in my case even more manic!

I continued my leisurely stroll to meet other former colleagues and thought how come I am not like that now? In many ways nowadays I have much more stress â€“ for instance I am no longer â€˜guaranteedâ€™ a pay cheque at the end of each month.

So how come I am more relaxed about life now? How come people who know me well tell me I look more relaxed? How come I do not suffer acid indigestion like I used to until 12 months ago? How come my brow is not quite so deeply furrowed? How come I smile more these days? How come I am not so â€˜short fused? How come people tell me I am looking healthier?

Twelve months on I am convinced more than ever that this stuff is simply about your own outlook. Your own view of your world. I really believe it as simple as that. I think stress can a positive thing on condition you have a few things in place. In my case the most important thing is to have someone beside you who believes in you, loves you, understands you and encourages you; becoming a Grandad helps you re-assess things; another thing is you must have absolute belief you are a good person and a productive person; you must do stuff you enjoy rather than do stuff you donâ€™t enjoy; pick what you do rather than do what someone else thinks you should do; work damned hard when you work and know when to rest and rest hard too; ensure you seriously address your physical fitness and get a good exercise regime and stick to it - there are no short cuts and the old saying no pain no gain is so true; smile a lot and have good fun.

Tomâ€™s honest and outstanding post really got me thinking about how we handle stress. I am not arrogant enough or conceited enough to suggest I am right. I am just suggesting this is MY way of â€˜self managingâ€™ the change from;

â€˜Stressed - heading fast toward burn out personâ€™

buy viagra mastercard To

â€˜Stressed busy hard working productive person who is also healthy, happy and enjoys lifeâ€™

We all need to know our limits and we all need to have our own coping mechanisms â€“ thanks Tom for forcing me to review my circumstances. I am happy to say I feel I have some things in my locker to cope with the stresses of life and work and Tom is clearly making sure he looks after his own coping.

viagra free samples canada The first step to coping with stress is to admit you have to.

Posted by Trevor Gay at October 27, 2005 7:15 AM

how to get viagra toronto Tom, I've been waiting for this post! Even the motivators need motivating.

Posted by Jory Des Jardins at October 27, 2005 7:07 PM

...or ESPECIALLY the motivators need motivating.

I have found that I need encouraging and inspiring moments and individuals permeating my life. With all that encouragement and inspiration going out (hopefully), what to do if I were to return to an empty tank?

Posted by DUST!N at October 28, 2005 12:24 PM

Hi Tom and all Readers,
I felt like I was reading a diary entry. And that, right there, might be the coolest thing about blogging and social networks on the Internet. What do I mean? I can hop on Myspace and read personal entries by celebrities. I can read Tom Peters writing personal thoughts. Hey, these are real people. Now I know, on an intellectual level, "famous", "rich", "successful" people--even "icons" are still just living breathing humans with the full scope of emotions. But to see it, experience it raw, with the frequency and obviousness you can in reading these blogs and social web sites, it hits home! "They are like me" is the takeaway. If the thoughts, you can be anything you want, you can succeed at what you put your mind to, ever seem hollow to you--or maybe your kid--it's this that is such a cool reality to point to. You can bet tomorrow or the next day, when I'm having trouble motivating myself to go the extra mile on something I deem important, I'll have the image of Tom Peters having his own self-motivation moment next to me. Sorry, Tom, if this is a bit weighty, but imagine if every major CEO, every successful athlete, celebrity, leaders in government, just "got real" through blogs and things like it. No, it wouldn't be a collective tell-all, but that's got to be bottled inspiration. It's hard to be inspired by carefully edited biographies, carefully programmed television shows. But if leaders, role models, would be so bold as to be real with the public, anything lost by losing a vaulted untouchable persona or superhuman perfection would be gained tenfold by the opportunity. As an optimist, I'd like to believe this is the more powerful generation of "reality media." So far, for the most part, reality media has been about edginess and hardly the source for inspiration.

Posted by Andrew Bode at October 28, 2005 8:21 PM

Good post Andrew, I would agree. The trick will be for our icons to show their "human" qualities while still remaining an icon. Tom writes so well and is such a leader that he maintains that status and we respect him more for it.
This is the best web site that I know of.

Posted by Steve Robert at October 29, 2005 9:53 AM

Tom, having heard you speak passionately, you have an impact on every audience. I suspect though this blog will touch even more - and you could have written it from the comfort of your Suburu!

I am an ex Gartner analyst and have a much smaller sphere of influence than you with my consulting firm and my blog, and still travel way too much - but it was gratifying to see visitors from over 40 countries come to my blog last week.

Stay at home and let the world come to your blog instead. You have earned it!

Posted by Vinnie Mirchandani at October 29, 2005 11:21 AM

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Tom. Why not get your audience meditating with you and that way it won't eat into the end of your day:)

Posted by Ray Algar at October 29, 2005 6:22 PM