Matt Petroski's Blog

Good and Bad

Matt — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:00:52 +0000

When I was a kid, I could run circles around other soccer players. Many told me I must have had a ball on my foot from the moment I was born. I could juggle the ball without using my hands or touching the ground for thousands of hits. Traveling the country on select and premier teams, I played against the best and thought I was the best. Until, I played against players who had a soccer ball in the womb. Once I started playing against players from England, Canada, and South Africa I quickly realized I was not good at all.
I was good against a few, but against the many I was not. Every time I got beat I began to think about that comparison. I might be good, but compared to what?

I have learned that I can be great, good, and bad all at the same time, depending on who I am comparing myself too. I will never reach the best until I start comparing myself to the best, recognizing my shortfalls, and working to improve.

Who are you comparing yourself too and what are you doing about it?

Truth vs Fact

Matt — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:33:28 +0000

There is a break down in performance when Truth and Fact are not clearly defined. From the surface these two words can easily be confused as one and the same, however that is the beginning of the break down. Let me first provide my definition of these two words:

•Fact: a piece of information that cannot be disputed no matter who is reviewing the information. For example, if two people took a measurement of the outside temperature on a typical early December Buffalo NY day with a calibrated thermometer (by a respected calibration house of course) both people would see that the outside temperature for an average day is 30 F. Both can agree on the temperature that is being displayed by the thermometer. They cannot really dispute the measurement.

•Truth: a piece of information that can be disputed depending on who you are. For example, let’s consider the origin of those same two people above. One person is from Bermuda and the other person is from High Level, Northern Alberta Canada. The person from Bermuda would be cold because their average temperature in December is 68F and the person from High Level would be warm because their average temperature in December is 0 degrees F.

What does this mean? A “situation” can be blurred by the perceptions, experiences and background of the individual, because multiple people can claim their own Truth to impact the situation. This is not being presented as a good or bad thing. This is being presented so as to understand maximum performance, that perceptions can impact communication (both positively and negatively) and decisions that need to be made.

The best and most successful performances in the world recognize this over and over, and are able to distinguish Truth and Fact. They make their decisions on Fact, while considering all the Truths involved.

Our data has shown that over 80% of the population has difficulty separating Truth from Fact on a regular basis. As a result, poor decisions are made and communication breaks down. The reason perception gets in the way is because people either refuse or don’t know how to separate the Truths and the Facts.

There is a process to learn how to do this. It can be learned!

JFK and the Road Home

Matt — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:02:18 +0000

All the hype about JFK airport’s hustle and bustle is not true. I found it no where near as busy as people claim it to be. I found it rather barren and desolate albeit it was only 5am after landing on the red eye just moments before. The amazing part was that although I had the ability to walk the entire airport unobstructed of passengers, bags, and carts; and get to any location I wanted inside the airport I could not find the one thing I needed. Having walked from end to end a few times, and after checking every monitor along the way, I could not find my connecting information. You would think an airport would want its passengers to know where to go so that they can ultimately reach their final destination. Walking the concourse multiple times, the thought began to occur to me that my final destination was going to be JFK airport.
A funny thing happened at that point; I found an elusive creature
inside the walls of JFK. Being one who just covered the entire floor plan of JFK on foot and seeing virtually no life, I was not sure if I should be shocked at finding this creature or shocked that there was only one to be found. After walking for 45 minutes I finally found an
airline representative, actually a baggage handler who happened to come in to warm up from outside on the ramp. With one simple question, I found the bit of information that I needed to escape the city. With one little question my problem was solved. And to think I was hesitant to ask because, “he wouldn’t know the answer to my question; he was just a “baggage handler”“. Well, that baggage handler saved my bacon, made my day, and provided a lesson:

Be willing to ask questions, even from sources you think won’t have the answer.
Be open to any answer that is provided, the new direction could lead you home.

Are You an L3?

Matt — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:10:52 +0000

For as much as we know, there is even more that we do not know or understand. In this world there is a pretty clear line, based on an
individual’s behaviors and thoughts, between those that are making things happen, and those that are not. This blog post is going to focus on JUST one of those things that we can change to possibly get on the right side of the line. It starts with a question, “are you an L3?”

Understanding that we do not know everything is not as common as you might think. The human being does not easily admit when they do not know. The concept of “not knowing” leads one to feel dishonor or a lack of intelligence among peers, when in fact; admitting that one does not know is the first step to knowing. This is one of the clear distinctions I suggested earlier, those that are making things happen know they do not know, and as a result expend quite a bit of effort to learn, research, listen to others and ask questions themselves. That admission of lack of knowledge, allows the individual to drop the pretense of having to be a
know it all, and allows for pursuit of knowledge. One who thinks they know it all will not pursue knowledge and lock themselves into a stale state.

Almost half the adult population of the US will not pick up a book
this year. Reading is not the sole way to learn, however it does open up the mind to new ideas, new thoughts, and new views….which leads to new ideas. Reading does take discipline and it represents a significant behavior that those that are making things happen possess. Plus reading across topics, industries, fields of expertise is a significant way to combine ideas, innovate and create.

People who are L3 do this regularly. I am guessing by now that you are puzzled as to what is an L3. When you didn’t know at the beginning, did you get frustrated and give up, or did you have a desire to learn what it means? The answer: it is a “Life Long Learner”.

Life Long Learners:

-Are naturally curious
-Read broadly
-Read specifically
-Ask questions and Listen to Answers
-Are open to ideas (really)
“Are you an L3?”

Today is Day 11,998

Matt — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:12:41 +0000

The average adult in the United States will live to 77 years of age.
Males a few years less, and females a few years more. For this blog we will stick with the average for everyone. Did you ever think about how many days you might have left? Take your current age, subtract it from 77 and multiply by 365.25 days to see how many you have left.
Does this sound crazy? The most successful people in the world know this number….it keeps them focused.
How precious is time to you? What importance do you put on it in turns of prioritizing your work schedule, family time, practicing of faith, caring for yourself, or planning finances, etc? Some of the most successful people in the world have grasped the concept of time as the most precious item in life, and they realize it is finite.
Do they hoard it and fear it? Absolutely not. Do they spend
it recklessly? Absolutely not. They have realized it’s the ONLY “item” they can not get more of and they don’t even know how much they have. As a result they utilize every moment against a plan, a priority…more importantly a combination of each.
The first realization they have to put time in perspective is to
realize at best what they might have and keep it in focus so they do not waste it. They use this number to keep on track toward their ultimate vision. If the activity does not fit the vision and even wastes time then they learn how to say no. Do you know how to say no? To many this may sound cold, but its not because the plan for their life prioritizes what is important and they guard those values, those principles, those precious moments like life itself depends on it…because it does.
The most successful in the world realize time can not be saved, nor is it endless. To keep reminded of this, they keep track of the days they MIGHT have left. Everything else becomes crystal clear as to how to live a successful, happy, precious life. Today is 11,998 for me. If I live to the average life expectancy, I only have 11,998 days left. Makes me want to go do what is important, to put things in perspective, to treat others like they deserve to be treated even in the face of the stress we face everyday!

What day is it for you?

Now or Never

Matt — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 23:53:51 +0000

It comes in so many forms: fact or fiction, myth or reality, truth or lie, perception or reality….you name it. It comes down to can it be proven or is it someones perception? Your perception is your reality, unless you choose to live in a state of real awareness. Can you be truly objective when it comes to yourself? Do you inflate yourself with no basis? Or do you compare your actions against your results to see where you stand?

It is not an easy thing to do. Heck, its easy to evaluate others, find their faults or tell them what they need to do. But how about you? Can you do that for you?

Its now or never for you, either you address where you are today against where you want to be and access is that what you want, or you give up getting to the life you want.

Its never to late until you arrive at the end of your life, and possibly ask yourself the question….was that the life I wanted or just accepted?

Why not ask today instead of at the end?

The Boy as the Mirror

Matt — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:55:34 +0000

Time and time again we will hear that we need to look into the mirror to evaluate ourselves, to look inside our very soul and discover who we are. As the year ends many will suggest we look back on the year to see what and how we did, then plan for a new year to be better than the last. The self reflection can be good for us, and it can be deceiving. We are looking into a mirror to evaluate ourselves based on our own view, our own eyes. How do we really know if our “answers” are correct? If we put into play our behaviors how do we really look to other people? Are our mannerisms in line with what we want others to see and believe? Do we do anything annoying to those around us? What do people think of us and who we are?

None of “THAT” shows up in the mirror…unless we believe our biased views.How about putting “all the things we do” into a prototype of us to see how we work in the world. Try the “boy in the mirror”! I saw “boy in the mirror” because my son is a walking image of me…not in how he looks but in how he behaves. He does what I do because he watches me! He does what I do because I tell him what to do AND He does what I do even though I tell him not to do it. There in lies the amazing boy in the mirror lesson….what are others doing around me because of what I do, what I say and what I don’t say?How good was my year? How good will my year be? Take advantage of the blessings around us, and see the wonder through the actions of a son, daughter, team member, direct report, friend, neighbor…

Why So Happy?

Matt — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:37:57 +0000

Recently I was approached and asked, “Why so happy?” At first I was taken back by the question and I was almost mad. Why would someone question why someone is happy? Are they trying to remove happiness, so that that happy person becomes as sad as the questioner? Is the questioner sad and trying to find a way to be happy? As if they can not find it themselves?

I stopped all the questioning…and thought. It is amazing what shutting off the internal voices asking all the questions does. It releases the body to act. It was at this point I realized that the answer was, “Why not so happy? because its boring.” Being unhappy is not about being depressed or sad or in a bad mood, it is in fact being bored silly and maybe even a member of the walking dead.

Remember the last time you truly lived! Maybe it was 30 years ago when you hit the game winning home run in little league…maybe it was the day of your wedding 20 years ago…maybe it was the day you graduated college 10 years ago…maybe it was the day you found happiness. Make it today and everyday forward!

Good luck….email me if you are having trouble finding it.

inspire excellence

Time to be a Human Alarm Clock.

Matt — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:52:30 +0000

Many have asked, what does it take to be an alarm clock for your team, your family, your organization, or for the one in the mirror….it takes choice. Do you have it in you? We all do, few choose to act.

Ben Franklin said, “There are some who are immovable, there are some that are moveable, then there are some that move.”

Are you ready to move, and be the one person that people remember as the one they long to remember, the one who picked them up when they are down, the one who made them laugh, or even the one that made them cry?

Consider the thought of the “breaking news alert”, or major events in the world or in your life….when those extra ordinary events occur we actually wake up and realize the important things in life are all around us. At times of tragedy, we pull ours families closer and appreciate life. When the extra ordinary becomes just ordinary we fade back to the banality of living….we fade back to sleep.

What if that could be different? What if instead of awakening only when the news hits the headlines, we wake every day with the knowledge of how special this day is? What if you or I could be the one to be the headlines and touch people every day to “wake up” and live this day like it is meant to be lived?

Human alarm clocks are like that….they pass us by on the street and touch us with a smile, a genuine good morning, a holding of the door, a compliment, a moment of engagement that brightens our day. We can all be human alarm clocks if we so choose…it takes a concerted effort to be such a clock, and when we are the world around us changes and so do we.

inspire excellence

When is it time to wake up?

Matt — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:11:13 +0000

Poll after poll, survey after survey of all of us continues to show that the majority of people don’t like their job, are unhappy and have no plan to change anything. What is the secret of the minority of the human race, who loves their job, is happy and are working their plan?

I submit to you that they have awoken, and live their life as if it’s their last day, EVERY DAY. And the magic happens by their own choice.

Most of us go through life surprised when something out of the ordinary happens. It is at those moments that we wake up. And when we are awake we appreciate life, change our priorities, show gratitude, appreciate those around us and love our loved ones most of all. The “out of ordinary” event fades in time and we go back to sleep, back to the banality of living, to the job we don’t like, to the unhappiness we have and to no plan to change anything. We essentially go back to sleep.

What am I talking about? We are all mortal, yet when our best friend passes we wake up. We realize how limited our time is and promise to change around our priorities, but then we fade back to sleep and do things like we always did. It’s as if we forget we all have a limited time, and we take it for granted that tomorrow is coming.

The lesson here is choice.

My awakening came due to a tragedy, and every day since I have remained awake to the joy of life. My hope for you is that your choice is made without having to wait for a tragedy that may never come. For the tragedy is in the waiting to live.