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S1 E102 — Why Is It Always Hidden in the Fine Print?

Oh my god. I came this close to disaster.  I almost lost all of the work that’s taken me well over a decade to test and write for my “Volume Two Manuscript” about “Work”. 

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Give yourself an advantage; take the time to organize and think it through.“ Aries

Evidence

Hi and welcome to Sunday’s Episode 102 in the first season of ” My 1-Year Natural Experiment” on this 13th day of October in the fall of 2019.

Apple is updating their operating system.   According to the fine print, which my eyes normally glass over,  my favorite creative software, Inspiration, no longer worked after the update.

At stake were 16 talent profiles cross-linked interactively to Myers-Briggs (MBTI ) temperaments, aligned to organization types and growth stages – applied original research for identifying employers and customers which would be the best fit or worst fit for you.

If I hadn’t aborted the download, I’d never be able to access all that hard work. 

It freaked me out so much I returned to the Famous Steves website I saved back in September in my Pinboard Knowledge Bank while I left it to my unconscious brain to come up with an Apple work around.  

To my surprise I discovered a feature that allowed me to list 120 Steves by their sign — or the top 10 by each horoscope’s range of birthdays.  

For instance here’s what I found for Aquarius (January 21 – February 19):

Top Ten: Steve Nash, 45; Steve Perry, 70; Steve Yeager, 38; Steve McNair (1973 – 2009); Steve Prefontaine (1951 – 1975); Steve Terada, 35; Steve Roberts, 37; Steve Reeves (1926 – 2000); Steve Wynn, 77 and Steve Hackett, 69

With a little extra research on Wikipedia I produced the following table choosing the most famous I recognize:

      • Capricorns (December 22 – January 20) Steve Harvey, 62
      • Aquarius (January 21 — February 19) Steve Nash, 45
      • Pisces (February 20 — March 20) Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011)
      • Aries (March 21 – April 20) Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980)
      • Taurus (April 21 – May 21) Steve Winwood, 71
      • Geminis (May 22 – June 21) Steve Smith, 30
      • Cancers (June 22 – July 22) Steve Howey, 42
      • Leos(July 23 – August 22) Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69
      • Virgos (August 23 – September 23) Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61
      • Libras (September 24 – October 23) Steve Kerr, 54
      • Scorpios (October 24 – November 22) Steve Zahn, 51
      • Sagittarius (November 23 – December 21) Steve Aoki, 41

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Sometimes it’s difficult to anticipate disruptions when you are so used to following recommended updates — it’s such a habit followed unconsciously.  

“5”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980):“Give yourself an advantage; take the time to organize and think it through.“ Aries

Yeah, I hope this secret art of thinking isn’t pathological, haha.  It’s certainly original research — 64 lifestyle profiles defining neighborhoods you can find by age, stage, status and population density and then 16 talent profiles you can use to identify the best and worst fit for working for an employer.

“5”  Steve Smith, 30: “You’ll get a stretch of beautiful mental clarity.  It’s like you’re developing your own secret art of thinking.” Gemini

Like so many things in life, you hate to learn a lesson out of episodes of extreme change and disruption, figure out how to accommodate the impacts in your life, and swear an oath that you’ve learned your lesson … only to fall back into your old ways. 

“5”  Steve Howey, 42: “In the process of reorganizing, everything will be taken out and examined.  You’ll see a vast improvement.” Cancer

I frequently say Steve Jobs killed me.  As a knowledge worker in the broadest sense, I’ve become sedentary which is not that healthy, right?

“5”  Steve Harvey, 62: “Intellectual study seems passive because it requires little movement.” Capricorn

I’m sure Mr. Jobs’ Holiday Tau is important, but not necessarily for me today.  Feel free to apply it to your life.

“3”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “An endeavor will not only bring you money but will also bring you other kinds of riches that matter to you.” Pisces

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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S1 E85 — What happens when the fear subsides?

Jazzy’s looking for some advice about a side hustle — he’d been approached by the top advertising guy at his former action sports business.

“5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “When fear subsides, the brain is quiet.  It’s out of this quiet mind that deep insight and intelligence emerges.” Leo

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

This wasn’t for the advertising creative director, but for his popular side gig and he needs a proposal for social media consulting.  

Evidence

Hi and welcome to Friday’s Episode 85 in the first season of ” My 1-Year Experiment” on this 30th day of August in the summer of 2019.

It took me about a half an hour to locate what I had used and emailed it to him after a little phone consultation.

It’s uncanny how what I advised Jazzy was freakishly similar to the Holiday Tau for Zahn, Emma the Baroness and me.

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “The safety net can have an effect whether or not it’s actually there.  The confidence one gets in thinking that it’s there will contribute to sure-footed action.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Have you been noticing it too?  Why have I been including so many Steves over the past few days? Has it been some sort of FOMO going on?  Shouldn’t I pay more attention to what’s relevant, you know emphasizing quality over quantity?

If not for me, for Jazzy.  This describes the responsibility he brings all the time.  I can learn from him and from Smith’s Holiday Tau.

“5”  Steve Smith, 30: “You know how to complete your work, show up on time and bring a willingness to work with others, even the difficult ones.” Gemini

And, I see I saved Howey’s as a companion piece.

“5”  Steve Howey, 42: “You have talent, but it doesn’t matter half as much as persistence and applying oneself to the most important task at hand.” Cancer

OK, now that my brain is quiet, I’ll relish deep insight and intelligence.  Count me in.

“5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “When fear subsides, the brain is quiet.  It’s out of this quiet mind that deep insight and intelligence emerges.” Leo

You mean besides deep insight and intelligence?  How about intuition and lateral thinking together with a talent for picturing the essence of what is at play in a situation.  I mean like visualizing a scene that crystalizes the action and next steps.

“5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “What’s the thing you like about yourself today?  You’re allowed to think it.  You’re even allowed to say it, to yourself or anyone who will listen.” Virgo

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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S1 E81— Is This My Wake Up Call, Steve?

In a New York minute, if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time your ticket gets punched, right?

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Solitary endeavors bring out one side of you; challenges that involve others bring out another.  Sometimes you’re amazed at what you learn about yourself — like today.” Scorpio

Hi and welcome to Friday’s Episode 81 in the first season of “My 1-Year Experiment” on this twenty-third day of August in the summer of 2019.

Evidence

Driving north on the 405 freeway I got that wake up call reminder.  It was the second time traffic had been held up with a car flipped up on its side and first responding firemen and EMTs and Highway Patrol vehicles surrounded it.

The first jammed traffic on the Ventura freeway just a few hours north, when Emma the Baroness and I planned a quickie vacation to the American Riviera a year and a half ago.  

Three of us, like Zahn and Henry Winkler shared the same Holiday Tau.

One of my mentors, Linda, reached out to me and scheduled a coffee meeting at University Town Center — where more than a decade ago I accidentally bumped into a former colleague lunching at an outside table.  

One thing led to another.  A multi-year consulting retainer lasted a decade.  

While in route Jaron Lanier — an early inventor of virtual reality, now a fellow at Microsoft and all round Renaissance musician and artist — regaled Sam Harris on his podcast.  

Just before I viewed the second flipped car, I noted how sad Jaron felt about the passing of his great friend. I wrote:

Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow always had to “sing for supper” every night at the end of life having few assets. Jaron felt awful about his Barlow’s situation and views those circumstances as probable scenarios for other artistic types, like those in the Writers Cooperative.

During an uncharacteristic cool and windy late August morning Linda got me caught up.  She invited me to participate in a Leadership Steering Committee which I felt would draw me back in to an advising, teaching and consulting role taking me away from what was on my plate.  

By saying “No” politely and receiving a reply “Well, think about it.  Doesn’t it fit your book?” she said. 

Hmm. My Volume Two “Work” manuscript hadn’t seriously been on my mind as much as my trying to figure out how to convert my LinkedIn followers into supporters.

“5”  Steve Zahn, 51: “Solitary endeavors bring out one side of you; challenges that involve others bring out another.  Sometimes you’re amazed at what you learn about yourself — like today.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

WW&C’s Holiday Tau supports how having turned down my participation in the steering committee, which felt uncertain at the time, helped differentiate my newer identity.

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “You’re not trying to be different from the rest, but you are different.  It’s knowing how you’re different that will help you stand out.” Taurus

So, this is exactly what my intent was joining my former mentor for coffee. 

“5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Potential clients and customers abound but you feel funny talking yourself up.  Come up with a better approach — a soft sell that will have them asking questions.” Leo

And, of course the Holiday Tau of GG&K compliments that of the two comedians and the business founder.

“5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “You have what another needs, but don’t offer it too freely.  Easy things get devalued.  Half the fun is in the process.” Virgo

I’m sure Aoki’s Holiday Tau is valuable, maybe for you, but not as valuable to me today.

“3”  Steve Aoki, 41: “Self-control is needed to amass any kind of good result.  But in the end, that self-control will be the best thing you’ve amassed.” Sagittarius

So, yes self-control always serves as a check on my passion and creativity and mirrors Aoki’s. Maybe the sum is more valuable than its parts?

“3”  Steve Harvey, 62: “Your fortunes will depend on how well you exercise self-control.  You will understand what you need to do to get ahold of your financial picture.” Capricorn

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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S1 E66 — Do Your Proposals Lead to Contracts?

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Summer July 2019

Steve Howey, 42: “People will pay you according to the pricing you establish.  Take cues from what others are doing.  Consider the value you create for others, and price accordingly.” Cancer

Hi and welcome to Episode 66 on this fine July 25th.  But let’s return to Day 65 “… when it comes to meeting new potential clients to prepare proposals that lead to contracts.  It’s one of the most difficult processes to master for me.” 

This is what vexes consultants and freelancers almost all of the time — if my price is too high they won’t buy, and if my price is too low I’ve set a much lower position to negotiate from for follow on work. 

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

“5”  Steve Howey, 42: “People will pay you according to the pricing you establish.  Take cues from what others are doing.  Consider the value you create for others, and price accordingly.” Cancer

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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S1 E62 – Next Reality?

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Summer July 2019

“4”  Steve Howey, 42: “This next reality is coming together with the help of your mind’s eye, the intentions of those who need you, and the hand of fate.” Cancer

Welcome to Day 62 of My 1-Year Experiment on this July 11th. What’s been going on? 

I’ve been transcribing four chapters into a draft of what I’m calling “Volume Three” a memoir — legacy of sorts.  This passage reminds me what it was like to be a Dad, right after my kids fly home after a summer visit.

All those things fill in the sweet sorrow. Why do I write all this? Instead of getting on with something else like my computer business, etc? I guess I know tomorrow I’ll be conditioned to get back into my normal work-a-day role with its pressures and deadlines. These memories will be buried deep — almost beyond reach. And I sense there is something important here. Their trip every year brings headaches, but also a part of me surfaces and then goes away for another 11 months.

Given what I’ve been working on, I’m not feeling the relevance of Zahn’s Holiday Tau today.

“2”  Steve Zahn, 51: “You’ve been watching a skilled person and picking up technique.  You’ll soon be solving a problem differently than you did it in the past.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

What about Jobs’ Holiday Tau? Do I?  I’d like to think so.

“4”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “You’ve all the ideas about how a masterful person would show up and complete the task at hand.  Go on and follow in the footsteps of this idealized version of you.” Pisces

What’s my method that McQueen’s Holiday Tau describes? Hmm. Not sure. Could it be writing in my journal over the years to be revisited and edited later? Maybe. So, what has changed?

“3”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Your method has helped you get the goal several times already, but now something has changed. Adapt.” Aries

Haha. Can I breathe if I’m still under water?  Sure I’ve spent a career so far successfully interpreting what a new boss needs and telling stories how I’ve got the track record to accomplish what they need.  You know, “Fake it until you make it”.

“4”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69; Stephen Colbert, 56: “You may be in over your head, but you’re always going to swim somewhere near the top.” Taurus

Wait.  Am In interpreting Howey’s Holiday Tau correctly?  Let’s combine it with WW&C’s to increase the ratings.

“4”  Steve Howey, 42: “This next reality is coming together with the help of your mind’s eye, the intentions of those who need you, and the hand of fate.” Cancer

Nah.

“2”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “You notice details.  You track behavior.  You ease things about others without having to ask.” Leo

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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Desperation on Such a Summer’s Day

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Summer

June 2019

“5”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Little thoughts come and go.  Write them down; record them somehow.” Aries

Slim pickings today, on June 2nd in the TauBit patch. What’s that old wive’s tale?  “Quality over quantity,” or some such?

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

You’d be justified if you figured that I felt desperate enough to fill in the blanks with Holiday Tau from McQueen and Aoki, right?  Who knew Day 43 of My 1-Year Experiment would be so lame?

Well, actually the first Steve’s turns out to be a description of how an associative thinker flits from one moment to another and has to write thoughts down for later use.  But accumulate enough of those written on scraps of paper and in spiral notebooks by hand and you’ve created a monster.

How do you find the passage just when you need it? 

Here’s what I was forced to do:

“‘Transience, novelty and diversity stretch and mutate our limits of adaptability.’

From my journal:  Triangle 339 (a sketch a triangle with the page number 339 in the middle)

‘As the transience index, or rate of turnover of things, places, people, organizations, and informational relationships spurts upwards, we are simultaneously the most free and lost.‘”

“5”  Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980): “Little thoughts come and go.  Write them down; record them somehow.” Aries

Turns out I’ll trade the Holiday Tau for these two Steves for any weak TauBit meant for Zahn, Winkler, Emma the Baroness and me any day of the week.  Check out this passage, one of three steps for making the best decision you can before you move to that little Colorado mountain town your dreams.

“5”  Steve Aoki, 41: “Just because you can see trouble ahead where others can’t that doesn’t make you a pessimist.” Sagittarius

Image Credit:  Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by:  Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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Day 36 of My 1-Year Experiment

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Spring

May 2019

“5”  Steve Smith, 30: “When you get too caught up in small details, it will set off alarms in your head that say you might be playing too small.  See the bigger picture.” Gemini

Sure, I’m a little disappointed.  There ain’t no Holiday Tau for Zahn, Winkler, Emma the Baroness and me today, 5/10/19.  Our last boffo day, was what, almost a week ago?  So, let’s return to our of life of crime.

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Let’s see, what’s going on.  I feel a need to work on how well I write.  One of my bigger projects is a manuscript shaping up to be part memoir and part about the half life of wisdom and knowledge. 

But, phrasing is what I’m working on today.  Truth be told, I’m a big fan of Dan Brown.  Some stuff I’ve lifted like, “Your window of opportunity is very small if you want …” or “… stole an anxious glance at his wristwatch.”

I see my de-plagerized phrasing as a return on effort (ROE) which hopefully will payoff sometime in my future.

“4”  Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “You don’t always do things for the money.  In fact, for you to get involved, there have to be at least two other good reasons beyond financial.” Leo

Smith’s Holiday Tau couldn’t be more descriptive as I “… cocked (my) head in surprise.”

“5”  Steve Smith, 30: “When you get too caught up in small details, it will set off alarms in your head that say you might be playing too small.  See the bigger picture.” Gemini

Now, this just feels good. I’m guessing, “… how it might relate to a project I’m working on.”

“3”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “There are days to just meander, and days like today when meandering will fuel your desire to act.” Taurus

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by: Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

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Day 34 of My Pandemic Year Experiment

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Spring

April 2020

Welcome to TauBits for the Taking, the Pandemic Year Experiment on this Friday, 4/24/20.

Here’s the text of my group email I’m circulating with my former Proteges and Mentors after  yesterday’s marathon “Working on the Business” session. 

At our home we’ve earned our black belt in Zooming. 

But, this morning after writing portions of a chapter about organizations and what it takes to move from decline to reinvention, I just had to get out of the house.

I walked about three miles around a lake. 

Took a few video frames of a mallard duck family swimming across it’s surface in a mirrored reflection of fluffy clouds, local mountain peaks and lake-front homes.  

I also listened to Stephen King being interviewed in a Fresh Air podcast.  

He was asked about the pandemic (he wrote a book about one in the ‘90s, I think) and how did staying-in-place change his creative process, if he was in fact writing a new book now.

It did.  He is.

He had to revisit chapters already written (a process I know all too well) and figure out changes to the original setting of his story.  

He told Terry Gross it was supposed to take place on a cruise ship in 2020.  

I know, right?

But, he said he’s accelerated his writing progress, because being stuck at home he’s running out of things that normally tempt him to procrastinate. 

Temptations I know all too well.

And he said something else that now I’m wondering about.  

When we get to the other side of this COVID-19 chasm, what will have to be reimagined? 

I’m wondering if, given the rippling effects of interdependencies and supply chains, will anything in your life or industry or relationships with your clients or customers dramatically change as a result? 

Do you envision a new normal?

Or, will it be the same old, same old?

I’d love to hear what your take is.

Stay safe and healthy.

Steve

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I’m looking forward to everyone’s responses, as long as, I can keep my momentum going while simultaneously publishing now on Patreon.

And, I’m wondering how well our collective Holiday Tau steps up to meet our novel coronavirus challenges.

So, Zahnny you realize how high the stakes are for your Holiday Tau on this start to the weekend, right?  You don’t want to disappoint the Fonz or more importantly my partner in crime, Emma the Baroness and me. I sorta, kinda get it, but I’m not fully appreciating a strong “5”.

“4”  Steve Zahn, 51:“It’s fortifying to spend time with people who appreciate you or to spend time doing the things that really make you appreciate yourself. The opposite is detrimental.” Scorpio:

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for those of who weren’t born yesterday, but a day later.  And, let’s check back in late August when things will be back to normal.

Today’s birthday:  “Love is the star this year. You want a deep relationship and you’ll get it; you’re able to be vulnerable and open to enrichment. You’ll connect with the emotions of others because you take the time to understand your own emotions better. You’ll soar on the confidence of a personal or professional win in late August.”

So W&W I clearly see how this Holiday Tau fits you both, but I can only hope what I’m circulating in my group emails accomplishes any thing close to your standards.

“4”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “You’ll fill needs that people didn’t even realize they had. It’s also possible that you create need by providing something very interesting and getting people used to having it in their lives.”  Taurus

Haha, you three had me with your opening premise about change, until you hit “if especially if the environment stays the same.”  Really? Stays the same. Really?

“4”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Trying to change too many habits at once almost always fails, especially if the environment stays the same. Your winning move involves taking on one behavioral change at a time.” Leo

Now we’re talking.  And, if you haven’t already noticed this is the first day when we welcome Stephen King.  So things are getting harder than they should be and they don’t seem to be getting easier any time soon (may be in August if Today is your Birthday), but I find your Holiday Tau timely.

“5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “When things seem harder than they should be, figure out why. Ask, “How can I make this easier?” You might be surprised at how a few decisions can change the whole game.” Virgo

We used to imitate Steve Jobs with a similar motto, “It’s better to seek forgiveness that to ask permission.” And, I like how you tweaked your Holiday ever so much with pointing out sometimes it’s far better to stray from the beaten path.

“5”  Steve Kerr, 54: “Don’t ask other people for green lights. Green lights don’t work that way. Usually, they are on timers. And often, when you hit one, you’ll start to hit them all. Or you can always take the backroads.” Libra

Now, don’t read this any other way than it is intended, Steve.  Your TauBit of Wisdom is a core value of mine being in the helping and developing professions as I changed careers.  But, today I’m just not convinced I should rate your contribution a “5”.

“3”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “Your positive attitude is grounded in this: Everyone is capable of improving. So whether a person is innately talented or disadvantaged is really beside the point and certainly not worth dwelling on.” Pisces

“The KnewsLetter”

The Tau of Steves

    • “5”  Steve Harvey, 62: “You’re not looking to be consoled by things that affirm what you already believe, at least not consciously. To stay aware and honest, keep questioning what you think is true.”  Capricorn 
    • “5”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61; Stephen King, 72: “When things seem harder than they should be, figure out why. Ask, “How can I make this easier?” You might be surprised at how a few decisions can change the whole game.” Virgo

What’s Next from the Labs

Headlines and Highlights 

Long-Form

    • Just picked up “Bob Dylan In America” by Sean Wilentz.  Maybe because of the subliminal messaging like the times are a changing and the answer is blowing in the wind, but I kinda like Sean’s fanboy becomes music critic becomes historian surrounding Dylan’s life and times.

Progress and Procrastination

    • Progress — First hearing about his work in the Sam Harris podcast and then reading about him in Medium, I feel Matt Mullenweg’s take on the future of remote work as CEO of Automattic is now. And can be a strategy for others to follow if the pandemic worsens.

Speaking Volumes

    • “Volume Two — Work” manuscript: Role of intuition in both innies “I” and outies “E” — INTP and ENTP and my 16 Talent Profiles system for identifying the best and worst places for you to work, including growth or decline stages.

Working on the Business

    • My followers increase on Flipboard from 1628 to 1703

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Related:  Day 19 of My 1-Year Experiment TauBits for the Taking

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Day 4 of My Pandemic Year Experiment

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

AKA Day 180 of My 1-Year Experiment

Spring

March 2020

Sunday, 3/1/20 and it is spring, at least here in California.  Maybe I shouldn’t have, but it’s 6:30 am and I did.  

Besides I scheduled a little time last week for my muse by asking “What would Leo da V do?”  He brought me back to my childhood pain.

If you could get past her snarling greeting-growl stepping from my lawn onto her blacktop turf partially hidden by spindly bushes in a winter Saturday,  you might make it pain free to Johnny’s backyard.  

Princess never fell for my trick that I swear calmed every other dog I ever encountered willingly did.  

If you held out an open palmed hand to her close enough for her to smell your friendly neighbor scent, she’d bite your fingers before your could recoil in defense — 9 times out of 10.  

Princess and I in a perverse way enjoyed this dance of pain and challenge. 

I hoped for 10%, she delivered 90%. 

But somebody from inside the kitchen or an open garage would yell for Princess to back off and let me pass. 

During the months leading up to spring we’d play inside in basements waiting for the sun to shine and dry out our three-lots playground across each of our corner houses.  

But, the one thing that always caught my eye inside — was the wooden sign Johnny’s dad must have picked up somewhere in his travels or given to him by his co-workers.  

It’s message didn’t mean much to me as a 10 year-old, but it sure stayed with me. 

Etched into the blonde wood was the saying, “If you’re so smart how come you ain’t rich?”

Just about sums it up for me.  I still haven’t answered that bit of wisdom.  

Now that we’re in the final stretch of an experiment it dawns on me that I can’t possibly analyze the Holiday Tau for 16 sets of Steves without an artificial intelligence program.

So, I’m picking the top four sets of Steves, separating out every TauBit of Wisdom from the others to tally up as more or less a representative sample of the total population. They are:  

    1. Steve McQueen; 
    2. Steve Jobs, 
    3. Steves Carell, Martin and Wozniak and finally 
    4. Steve Zahn, Henry Winkler, Emma the Baroness and me.

When I launched this experiment, here’s what I imagined I’d find. So I began coding:

    1. W —Wisdom for “If you could go back in time and warn your younger self, what warning would you issue?” 
    2. N —The name (why a mother would choose Steve for a baby to grow into; choose Steve for horoscope intuition) — prime-the-pump kind of Steve-only and Friends of Steves putting in their two cents; 
    3. Y —1-year experiment — anything, especially for intuitors and actual magical thinking (Norway vacation should extend the 1-year time frame)
    4. S — something silly like Amy K alphabet of small moments. 52 weeks in a year — 52 weekly sayings.

However comma, as Emma the Baroness says, different patterns began to emerge as I began diligently sorting Holiday Tau into the four categories.  The categories changed to accommodate the TauBits themselves:

    1. Practical Projects;
    2. Work;
    3. Wisdom and Legacy; and
    4. Relationships and Intimacy

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Given the four categories and the four representative sets of Steves, only Steve Jobs will count in the analytics.  And, right off the bat he’d fit in “Practical Projects” and maybe even “Work”?  I’ll have to make the call, but in terms of relevance to my day, his Tau doesn’t carry much juice.

“3”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “You want a clear instruction for the current problem, but if the universe were really to thunder from the clouds saying, ‘Do this!’ you’d rebel and tell it to stop bossing you around.  So try to read and heed the signs.” Pisces

Better.  This Holiday Tau falls into what I’m calling Volume Three Manuscript about wisdom and legacy.

“5”  Steve Winwood, 71; Stevie Wonder, 69: “The pen is in your hand, and the page is open.  You have everything you need to write the story of your life.  Please don’t take the page numbers literally.  This one can go out of order — if you dare.”  Taurus

Hi, Steve your Holiday Tau feels more directly related to my Volume Two Manuscript about Work and indirectly to wisdom and legacy. 

“4”  Steve Howey, 42: “When you’re new, it seems like all the people understand a thing that you don’t.  The funny thing is that no one on the inside understands any more than you do.”  Cancer

Thank you Steve, great insight from someone how has played in the NBA and on the soccer fields.  Your Holiday Tau describes the process I described as the evolution of coding the 4 TauBits of Wisdom over time without sabotaging the experiment.

“5”  Steve Nash, 45: “You are playing a sporting game that has nothing to do with sports at all, and the ball is in your court.  Don’t overthink it.  Know where you want it to go, and keep your eye trained on the destination.” Aquarius

“In the Knews Letter”

The Tau of Steves

    • “5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “The opening gambit is usually fun, filled with hope and promises.  Things become less interesting after that.  So in the case that the beginning isn’t great, don’t stick around for the sagging middle.  On to the next.” Leo 
    • “5”  Steve Harvey, 62: “The correct next move might be no move at all. To stand there until the world shifts is a real test of patience that will pay off.”  Capricorn 
    • “5”  Steve Carell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Usually, the thing people want in the beginning is just a way in.  You’ll gain something unexpected, exciting and vital along the way.” Leo 
    • “5”  Steve Nash, 45: “You are playing a sporting game that has nothing to do with sports at all, and the ball is in your court.  Don’t overthink it.  Know where you want it to go, and keep your eye trained on the destination.” Aquarius

Trends Fresh from the Labs

Headlines and Highlights 

Long-Form

“Is ‘The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For,’ with its scenes of youthful triumph and predictions of a savvier political class, too optimistic? I’d say not, because the coming tribe really does bring hope of breaking the gerontocracy — time is on their side, of course. Is it a book only for young people, as opposed to “oldsters” (to quote Alter)? I would say the book needed to be written by someone her age, but it holds lessons for everyone. Along with the compelling personal narratives, there is historical context and acknowledgment — much of it from the subjects themselves — that every innovator stands on the shoulders of those who came before.”

    • “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, A 5-Hundred Year History” by Kurt Andersen
    • Began reading and taking notes on “The Introvert Advantage: How Quiet People Can Thrive in an Extrovert World” by Marti Olsen Laney — All human beings have 99.9 percent of  the same genetic prescription. Our individual differences come from the 0.1 percent of our genetic material that is just us — derived primarily from our neurochemistry,  a private reserve of about 150 different brain chemicals and recipes to formulate our neurotransmitters — guide messages from cell to cell, directing all brain functions.
    • A SURVEY OF 222 LEADING SCIENTISTS FROM 52 COUNTRIES who identified five global risks: failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation; extreme weather events; major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; food crises and water crises

Progress and Procrastination

    • Procrastination — Lost a full day replacing my 2000 Toyota 4-Runner with a leased Honda CR-V 
    • Progress —Early feedback from Finnmark:  Interesting concept. I think your opening salvos should be free so people can get a sense of what their Patreon membership will provide. Also, blogs are not going to reach a young audience if that’s what you want. Youtube is far more effective for that age group. 
    • Progress — My Response: Wow, I’m impressed.  Thanks for taking the time to give me great feedback.  Yes you’re probably right.  Nobody reads anymore, so we’re an endangered species.  You’ve given some ideas, I should reach younger people.  I saw videos of your grand niece on the gondola, but I wonder how to reach her.  Oh, wait.  I know. I’m following her on her twitter feed.

Speaking Volumes 

    • My interviewed Friend of Steve offered more feedback at the right time for both volumes, Two and Three manuscripts. 
    • Volume One — Is There a Bucket List of Best Western Places for Introverts
    • Volume Two — Which Work Cultures Fit You Best?
    • Volume Three — “How the Princess guarding the sign bit the hand trying to feed her.”

Working on the Business

    • 1,277 Flipboard users follow one or more of my 35 digital magazines. 
    • Who is my target audience at Patreon?  
    1. Introverted creators who are the overeducated and the underpaid; everyone from underpaid musicians to out-of-work PhDs;  
    2. who shop at Trader Joe’s (or wish they could); 
    3. who have more sophisticated and diverse tastes in food and drink.“ 
    4. find elements of the lifestyle they aspired to for not too much money, 
    5. within the reality of a schoolteacher’s salary that 
    6. offered glimpses into a much more affluent lifestyle. 
    7. marriage of Consumer Reports and Mad magazine. 
    8. a chatty rundown on new, seasonal and offbeat offerings

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Day 19 of My 1-Year Experiment

“The Tau of Steves: What You Don’t Know Could Fill a Book”

Spring

April 2019

4/7/19. There it is staring me in the face again.  If I write for people who are just like me then I’m eliminating roughly 95% to 97% of the people who don’t fit my Introverted INTP MBTI. I need to pay attention to it.

“4”  Steve Zahn, 51: “What you’re doing and how you’re thinking aren’t for everyone. You’ll win people by losing people.” Scorpio

Random ones that make me want change my sign.

Now that’s a relief.  Sometimes I keep banging my head against the wall until I’m exhausted.  Which brings to mind a story I told in a forum I moderated for a client who urgently wanted to boost innovation.  

Somebody interviewed a well known entrepreneur who described the real story of what it was like to start an enterprise from scratch, basically against all odds. 

An eager audience member raised her hand hoping to tease out a secret she could apply.  “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?” she asked.  “Take showers,” he said.  “Huh?” was her reply not quite sure if he was making fun of her or not.  

He then explained the major breakthrough he and his team of co-conspirators couldn’t quite find was driving him nuts and keeping him at his incubator on many late nights. 

But, on this night his phone rang. 

It was his wife reminding him in that scolding way that only the loves of our life can, that he was late for their date. 

While showering to freshen up, something clicked in his unconsciousness or something he said and it was like the solution fell out as soon as the water hit his face.  So shower more often.

“5”  Steve Jobs, (1955 – 2011): “You really need to focus by yourself for a while if you’re to make significant progress today.” Pisces

If we were to twist the Holiday Tau for Howey, then it might apply a bit more to my current situation.  I’m trying to figure out if I need to pivot to a new theme that covers each of my 6 website blogs.  And if I do will that move attract more followers?  And how can I close my comments section since all I’m really receiving is SPAMers.

“3”  Steve Howey, 42: “To move forward, you’ll have to change your position and commit to a whole set of different moves.” Cancer

To get to the bottom of my WordPress issues I’ve been attending the weekly MeetUps for Orange County held in Huntington Beach.  Many of the attendees have more advanced understandings of the ins and outs of WordPress since they’re in the business of developing and hosting sites themselves.  I feel like I did when I switched careers once I translated their jargon into my language and then asked questions back in their jargon.

“4”  Steve Carrell, 57; Steve Martin, 74; Steve Wozniak, 69: “Go into problems like a sleuth.  Don’t adopt the commonly accepted theories until you’ve tested them.” Leo

Wait.  I don’t know at this point what to ignore at my peril and what to follow as best practices.  I’m guessing at the end of this steep learning curve, G&G’s Holiday Tau will make more sense.

‘’2”  Steve Greene, 34; Steve Guttenberg, 61: “Double down on what’s always successful and ignore the rest.” Virgo

Now, Aoki’s Holiday Tau describes what I’m feeling in my DIY blog-to-website transformation.  Without a bone to feed the dog, I’ve been standing by myself too long at the gate of misfortune.

“3”  Steve Aoki, 41: “It’s like you’re standing at the gate of fortune waiting for it to open.  Make sure you have a bone to feed the guard dogs you might encounter.” Sagittarius

Can I weave three Holiday TauBits together well enough to increase their value again?  Let’s try by stealing the TauBits from two ex-professional basketball players and a universe denting innovator. So, let’s stipulate I’m either nuts or totally engaged in what seems like a fool’s errand.

“2”  Steve Kerr, 54: “Go forward with whatever excites you, as it will be your path to total engagement and an interesting existence.” Libra

There is a payoff in the near future I keep telling myself as I dwell in the land of endless loops of frustration.

“2”  Steve Nash, 45: “You’ll handle today with an eye to the future, accepting full responsibility for your part in creating it.” Aquarius

Inspired by Holiday Mathis – Creators Syndicate 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons