April 23, 2014, TGIW: Unhumping Hump Day

“Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.” –Hannah Arendt

Every morning I have a 10-15 minute call with my “Action Buddy”. We play a game of being “cause in the matter” of our day…vs. at the effect of whatever winds might blow around or over us.

Making a promise of what I’ll get done to someone else is a lot more powerful than making that same promise to myself. I’ll lie to myself. And given nobody is watching, I’ll get away with it.

It’s not about a “to do” list as much as putting our butt on the line in particularly challenging areas — the things that we really want to make headway in (e.g., growth, dreams) — which, left unpromised, would go untended. Therefore, those gardens would never grow.

Sometimes we eat the bear. Sometimes the bear eats us. Yet, with a daily, diligent practice of “calling the ball”, we move forward way better than otherwise.

Which reminds me of a story of three professional baseball umpires with varying levels of experience. They were being interviewed by a reporter in the locker room about their profession, how they determine balls vs. strikes, and what makes for a great umpire.

Umpire #1, the greenest of the three, stated “What makes me a great umpire is that I call them the way I see them.” Umpire #2, a bit more senior, stated “Well, that’s how I felt in my early years too…but what makes me a great umpire is that I call them the way they are.”

Finally, Umpire #3, the most veteran and seasoned of the three, stated “I appreciate both of these young men, and felt the same way as they did way back then. However, now I’ve learned that it ain’t nothin’ until I call it.”

Got accountability?

“You cannot live on other people’s promises, but if you promise others enough, you can live on your own.” –Mark Caine