08-Cott

Would you like to buy one of these?

Me too!


They might be found on the discounted thrift shelf by now.

No matter how far we have veered from reverence for the miraculous fact that we exist in a universe that we don’t understand, until we stop getting to dawn, we get a chance to start over.

David Milch

07-Move

Use chess tactics to thrive in the face of incalculable complexities and unexpected change. The basic principles of good play – get a big idea, use it to build an advantage, improve it, swap it out for a new one, move quickly, see what happens, make a new plan, and move again – works on a professional level just as they do in corporate warfare.

Three Moves Ahead – Bob Rice

Work Sequence

  1. Big Idea
  2. Build Advantage
  3. Improve It
  4. Swap For New
  5. Move Quickly
  6. What Happens?
  7. New Plan
  8. Move Again

Chess Strategies

  • Strong Square
  • Exchange Sacrifice
  • Stay Ahead On the Clock

chessmap.com

05-Plem

Implementation

Focus on situations with change potential:

  • High stakes – responsible for the outcome
  • Novelty – not drawn from the past
  • Challenge – done faster and/or better
  • Interaction – work with people

This approach requires serious commitment. Development requires time. The secret is to invest a few moments every day to maximize learning.”

Development First by David Peterson & Mary Dee Hicks

04-Nerg

Potential

Not only a matter of having time to get things done, it’s also a matter of having the energy.

More closely your schedule of rest & activity corresponds to your natural peaks & valleys throughout the day, the more productive your many efforts will be.

Karl Benjamin (1957)

03-Core

Moby Dick – The White Whale

I will have no man in my boat,” said Starbuck, “who is not afraid of a whale.” By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.

Chapter 26, Knights and Squires – Moby Dick by Herman Melville

02-Hidd

Prehistoric

There’s a sacred place at Almaden Quicksilver Park that few people know about. A hike there is refreshing to the soul, yet could be exhausting to the body.

It’s a fair trade.

01-Pyne

Happy New Year!

The Adventure Begins – another year of living with the questions about life & work. What can done within the confines of 365 days which enlarges the lives of more than one person? Taking a day-long nap isn’t the answer, although at 5 AM that’s the first thought that occurs to me.

In 2022, it was 36 degrees outside in Northern California. This morning it’s 45 degrees. Dressed for comfort, I can see the stars at 6:30 AM while drinking my first cup of coffee – ah, the pleasure of that first sip.

All energy moves in waves & particles, but the ocean wave is the only wave the naked human eye can see. If time is the lesson willing to be learned, the wave is time’s expression. It comes again & again. It keeps saying, “Will you know me now?”

Life’s Work: A Memoir (2022) by David Milch

Today, in 2025, the moon is a waxing crescent, spiritually representing a time for new beginnings, setting intentions, and stepping towards a new goal. It symbolizes growth and potential, and is considered a phase for initiating action and building something bigger.