Sunday Musings - Gaining Perspective
October 16th, 2022
Happy Sunday Friends!
Here is your Sunday Musings, a quick dose of what I’m exploring and thinking about. Please feel free to forward this along to friends.
I’m going to start this one off with story time. Earlier this week I had a new college graduate enter my office to start an internship while waiting for her next bout of schooling. We started with the expected banal introductions:
“How was school? What’s next? What are you doing while you’re here?”
I started to think about my time as a fresh 2nd Lieutenant and about what I wished I had seniors do.
SO, we discussed her mentors in school, while she’s here, what her professional development plan is. Nothing; no plan to help her outside of “read doctrine”.
I’m baffled; in today’s age of endless information at our fingertips, I didn’t immediately have a plan to help her. Shame on me. I’ve fixed the issue.
To keep this short, I’m glad this happened. I took a look at my repository of knowledge and I’m extremely lacking in diverse optics. Leading is not only about disappointing people at a rate that they can accept, but it also about being the leader that is needed, not the one you think you should be. You have to find ways to connect with your audience, it is on you to connect to them, not them to connect to you.
I think this is going to be a video… Anyway, let me know your thoughts or recommendations! Just send a tweet to @erichaupt on Twitter and put #SundayMusings at the end so I can find it. Or, eric@erichaupt.com for long form email.
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss
I’ve only just started Tim’s book. I think that makes me only 15 years late to the party, but hey, I’m here now and I brought high quality snacks! My thin slice of the book (that’s me looking at the table of contents, and a quick skim of the first page or two in each chapter) tells me he’s going to resonate with the way I think.
My summary of the concept is, find what you love and do that, question traditional models, don’t waste your life for the big payoff. Be effective at what you do that’s important, be efficient at the unimportant things that still need to get done. I believe that’s also similar to the Pareto’s Law (80/20 rule)? Focus on the 20% of things that bring you closer to your goals, be that making more money, or spend your time with friends and family. A lack of time for the things you need to get done means you’re likely spending time on the wrong things. Manage time effectively and eliminate time wasters.
Tim wrote this going into a recession; apropos considering where we are headed today. I’ll circle back in a couple weeks to this and see how far off I am (probably) and proffer a recommendation.
Have you read it? Send me a message with what you think! @erichaupt on Twitter or eric@erichaupt.com
Technology Revisited!
iPhone or Pixel?
Two…episodes? Editions? Newsletters? Two Musings ago, I said I was debating between the iPhone 14 and the Pixel 7. Well friends, I made my decision. Neither! I found a deal on a Pixel 6 pro ($400 at Best Buy) and decided to pick that up. Why you ask? Great question! It boils down to last week’s Musing and what my goals were. I was thinking I might use it to also film my YouTube videos and the like and decided I would use my phone to be my phone and use audio and video equipment to do audio and video stuff. Loving the Pixel 6 Pro, it does all the quick snaps and videos at a quality I need for that platform. Which brings us to….
Audio and Video Tech
In the choice between the Canon M50 Mark II and the Sony ZV-E10. I picked up the Sony with a better lens, for my goals it was more future proof.
For audio, The Blue Yeti, or the NTG4+. I opted for the NTG4+. No microphone in the shot is just too aesthetically pleasing for me.
What do you think? Did I bungle it?
Where to from here?
I’ll make the YouTube channel and plan to post with the same frequency as here, only you’ll get to hear and see me wax poetically! Stay tuned friends, it’s going to be fun! Also…If you have ideas on topics, send me a message! If I use it, I’ll give you a shout out in the video!
Quote I’m Musing
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”
-Booker T. Washington
I like this one. I think it goes nicely with defining courage not as doing something without fear, but by doing so despite fear. Our struggles are all a part of the crucible of life, meant to mold and shape us, temper our nature and harden our resolve. How boring life would be if there were never a challenge.
I would love your feedback!
Which musing is your favorite? What else do you want to see or what should I eliminate? Any other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @erichaupt on Twitter and put #SundayMusings at the end so I can find it. Or, eric@erichaupt.com for long form email. Like what I do? Consider forwarding to a friend!
Have a wonderful week, I’ll see you Sunday.
-e
