Daily Intent

Santa Barbara, CA
Extra!  Extra!  Read all the commentary!  The results are in.  The notations are tallied.  We have a nice range of responses from the “Quarterlife Crisis” MSR written on April 30th.  I believe you will appreciate the perspectives and their points of reference.  Thus, I’ve left the names out and just included their age range.    May you find comfort in their wise words.  Should you feel compelled to respond, please don’t hesitate.

Early Twenties:
“For me, having an awareness that life is fragile and short and is vivified through interpretation and action is motivating and helps prioritization.  At the same time that awareness makes it easier to be in the present and enjoy the few moments we have.  When times are hard, instead of creating stress and frustration, one can acknowledge the situation, contemplate possible interpretations and decisions, and then make the decisions that create the life he or she wants.  In that sense, a ‘Quarterlife Crisis’ can be embraced and nurtured to walk towards a more optimal way of being and interpreting the world.”

Later Twenties:
“You know what is scarier to me than a quarter-life crisis?  It’s the thought of being crises-free.  Actually I’m pretty sure last time my dad gave me the ‘don’t you want to be secure?’ talk– I came out thinking, maybe I don’t.  Maybe I like limbo.  I would be interested to discover for myself the difference between security and stagnation;  I think there is one.  But I also think the risk of being secure is stagnating– like you mention — which, to me, is a great liability for the soul.  It’s a huge risk - that you may become one of the 25 year olds who throws in the towel and moves to the suburbs and says ‘honey’.  To each their own.”

Later Twenties:
“So very many discussions I’ve had with friends in the years since college have covered these issues you mention…The ‘now what?’, job confusion, peer envy, fear of being single, fear of commitment, redundancy, the paralysis of too many options, who we are, who we are becoming…I feel okay about the many unknowns at this point.  I’ve accepted that life will not look like what I used to think.  And I know now that I should be excited about that and just keep working on making the best decisions possible.  With this knowledge has come some of the greatest and hardest things I’ve ever done.”

Thirty:
“The ‘Quarterlife Crisis’ is real but hey…that’s life.  We should get over it just in time to enter our mid-life crisis.”

Forty:
“What I experienced is at the 1/3rd mark (early 30’s) you get more clarity of direction (relationship, friends, kids, career, own a home, passions, interests) and then at the 3/8th mark (late 30’s / early 40’s) some of these knowns get shaken up (career change, new interests, different friends, divorce or new energy within the relationships as kids take more of a focus) and a quest for deeper life meaning kicks in…I think as the half way mark approaches (late 40’s) more of an acceptance kicks in to carry out the career path you are on, make the relationship you are in work, focus on helping the kids mature and gain tools of independence, live in the body and house that you have.

The key is to enjoy each of these phases, and not waste them away with a ‘once I …’ (get married, make X amount of $, get a house…) mindset.  Today is YOUR life.  As the ancient Chinese spiritual teachers said, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second best time is today.”

Early Sixties:
“Many, including us, got married earlier, very soon after college, and many, if not most, chose their life partner in college.  Most of my cohorts made good choices but not all.  Looking back, it seems that today’s way of making choices later in life are good and sound ones as you do have a better picture of who you want to be with for the rest of your life…I guess what I’m trying to say is in the interim I have constantly thought ‘what do I want to be when I grow up?’  I have thought this at 22, 27, 29, 30, 32, 36, 43, 48, 50 and 55…

I also wanted a business that was service oriented.  I think in my younger years, this always seemed out of reach, but, in hindsight, I think I could have started this at a much younger age.  With babies and just being able to support their needs including their sports activities and the ever expanding college costs, it seemed that I must stay the course and support my husband’s career, who was our primary breadwinner.  To venture too far off the path seemed way too risky with the responsibilities of children.  Now at the ripe age of 62, with retirement as a real goal, not so distant, I find I have never been more satisfied with my career choice.  I, finally am no longer searching for the ‘golden goblet’.

I have found that in most all of the choices the satisfaction was in the ‘doing [of] the work,’ not the work itself.  It is the people that we come in contact with of all different sizes and shapes and how our interaction takes place with the various people.  It is the process of a job well done and for the goal although it may seem short sighted, it is really not.  Just relax and let your intuition guide you.  It is not usually wrong.”

Early Eighties:
“I needed something like that when I was 25.  Hmmm, do you have one for an 81 year old?”  (email focus then shifts to health and kids coming to visit)

Summary:
Expect to have many times throughout your life where you question the validity of your place, significance and doings.  When these moments occur, remind yourself that this is normal.  Take a deep breath.  Then assess the situation, putting all fear aside, in order to determine whether action is needed.
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PLAN
Catalyst for Thought.  MINDS executive lunch.  Next up, May 27th, Yulun Wang - Founder and President of InTouch Health and past founder of Computer Motion.  Both companies are leading the medical industry into the 21st Century.  Register at www.CatalystforThought.org to ensure you receive the registration emails.
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LEARN
Buzzword: In the Penalty Box
“When a company’s stock price is in the doldrums and has yet to rebound because of poor earnings, government regulation or another reason.  Sometimes you’ll hear an analyst say ‘they are going to be in the penalty box for some time to come.’  This means that it’ll be awhile before the company turns things around.”  -Investopedia.com

GO SHARKS!

  Six Points to Ponder:

   1. Bunny Hill or Double Diamond?  The Markets are ever fickle to the strength of the Euro, the European currency.  The markets have fallen triple digits each time the Euro weakened this week and rose as the Euro rose.  The Dow - Down - 10,527. The S&P 500 - Down - 1120.  The Nasdaq - Down - 2316.  Oil - Down - $69/bbl.
   2. Oil Spoil.  BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to pour out despite positive steps toward reduction in outflow.   This is spoiling all California off-shore oil efforts.
   3. Ground Breaking is Ground Breaking.  New housing starts (home construction) made a bigger-than-expected jump forward in April, gaining 5.8%.  Might this continue?  Not so fast.  Permits for future building fell sharply.
   4. China Pumps Nigeria For Oil. China solidified a $23 billion deal in Nigeria, elating Nigerian officials and strongly positioning China in West Africa.
   5. Frequent Flyin on Southwest and Alaska. Carriers get the nod for most generous frequent-flier airlines.  Delta and US Airways claim most stingy.
   6. Playoffs.  Lakers and Celtics NBA Finals?  Both looked dominant in their first division final wins versus the Suns and Magic.  Abilene Christian Champions.  My Big Lil Brother and his teammates played back-to-back games last night, ending at 3am and winning both.  They must win both today in order to go to nationals.    (They just won the first of two!)

Positives:

    * A weak Euro means trips to Europe are going to be cheap.  Start booking now.  If only Southwest and Alaska traveled to Europe.  You could then use your frequent-flier miles to fly across the pond and spend your summer holiday in Paris, the French Riviera, Roma, Cinque Terra, or Barcelona.
    * Builders building is a good sign of short-term confidence that there are buyers to gobble up inventory.  The flip-side of the news is their lack of confidence moving forward as permits plummeted this month.  Hopefully the reason for the cascade downward is because they were too distract on building the current homes.  The reader must note that month-to-month figures aren’t always reliable from a long-term perspective.  Be sure to double check the longer-term curve before making a move.
    * The Lakers are too big in the middle.  And with a healthy Kobe Bryant, the Suns are going to have a tough go at it.
    * Abilene Christian is doing everything right to ensure their opportunity at winning a Division II National Title.  Go Box!

Negatives:

    * I’m a bit saddened by the reality of oil spills.  I understand they are extremely difficult to clean-up and even stop given the magnitude of the matter, however these companies in their good years are making billions of dollars every quarter.  BP has lost $500m because of the spill, but profited $3 billion on the quarter.  It would seem responsible for them to invest much of these profits back into oil spill alleviation.  It seems like good business sense too.  For example, oil companies are trying to open up more drilling on the California cost.  Many would be more open to the idea if we knew these companies had huge oil spill clean-up capabilities to ensure limited negative effects should a spill occur.  Does anyone know how much they invest back into this category?  Please share.
    * Oil price has dropped below $70 / barrel.  This is great news for your car at the pump, you would think.  I haven’t seen prices drop.  You?  The other negative to too low of oil prices is innovation.  When oil becomes too cheap, there is less incentive for businesses to either get into the Green space or more importantly survive operating in this space.  Whichever is the cheaper alternative, companies and individuals, on the whole, are going to buy.  When the gap is too large between alternative energies and oil generated energies, people will choose oil.  It’s basic economics.
    * From one perspective, China going into these African nations that are desperate, giving them billions, winning them over, and then not giving back.   Billions of dollars going into a corrupt government will only cause more problems.  May China be conscious about their partnership and aid in ways supportive of a stable economy and country.

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FEAT
Did you accomplish a new feat this week?  Please share.
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GET INVOLVED
Local:

Catalyst for Thought - SYNC w/ Jim Cathcart.  Relationship Selling.
Where:  The University Club of Santa Barbara
When: Tonight, Tuesday.  6 - 9pm
Cost: $10 online.  $15 at the door.  Net proceeds go to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care.
Why:  Invest in yourself.  Invest in your community.  Meet other conscious business minds.  Learn useful selling tools.  Support a great cause.
Website:    http://www.catalystforthought.org/sync
For other fun ideas, go to www.lovemikana.com

Live and Be Well,

Jeff Bochsler