"Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the gods. So let us celebrate the struggle." — Swahili Warrior Song

I wrote that down in a notebook over 10 years ago. It’s a quote that opens the movie Lorenzo’s Oil — a motivating thought for challenging times.

Lately I’ve been wondering if it’s possible to "celebrate the struggle" so much that that becomes all you want — struggle — conflict — challenge.

ATA – addicted to angst
ATS – addicted to struggle
ATF – addicted to failure

Sad afflictions that keep people from contributing their verse.

It’s easy to see how these might set in and become habits. Several setbacks. Learned helplessness. Poor mentors. Bad peers. TV (except West Wing, of course).

I don’t have a solution. I suffer from these at times myself.

Perhaps the better conditions to acquire would be ATC (contribution), ATS (service), and ATL (love).

Love is now available from Alltel… a wireless phone company.

And if you contact Wachovia, you’ll begin to love your largest monthly payment as much your home.

These messages are unbelievable… really… in the dictionary sense of the word. They made me laugh rather than want to engage with the company.

If the marketing dollars were invested on further pleasing their current customers, would the word-of-mouth created have a better impact on sales (customer retention and new customer acquisition)?

I’ve got a theme going lately (love, love, love) and there’s more to come.

In the meantime, if you need more love now, Alltel is standing by.

(billboards on 95 in Richmond, VA)

I’ve never read anything by Truman Capote.

This site’s design (and content)…

1. had me showing it to at least three other people within a day
2. has me revved up to see the film (part of that is how much I like Hoffman’s work)
3. got me to purchase In Cold Blood (Capote’s book on which he works in the movie)
4. has me blogging about it all (on my dime)

That’s great work.

A sales tear falls from my eye.

(are your marketing people striving to create exceptional work that drives sales?)

(update 10.30.05: saw the film — worth seeing on the big screen, Hoffman great as always, upbeat it’s not — haven’t started the book)

It's all how you look at it.

The Shining Redux: a family film. Here's the trailer — apparently the winner of a contest to reposition an existing film as part of a different genre.

Amazing.

(it takes a couple minutes to download – thanks to Lisa Samson)

When you enter the Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle in New York City as it opens, your first view is of freshly cut flowers and a hustling staff in clean white jackets actively engaged in their work.

It made me smile.

It was grocery store art — positive momentum from the moment I entered. Every section looked beautiful (meats, produce, prepared foods).

It was serious attention to creating a great environment for all involved.

Fully duplicatable by anyone — but rarely is.

Why not?

(how could you apply it to your world — at work, at home, in your community?)

wordsmith note: duplicatable is not a word to my surprise (despite what I believe I’ve heard more than a hundred times in the business world)… but this is art.

I was in New York last week.

212 reminders were everywhere.

How perfect for such a great city…

I think San Francisco, Florence, and Boston should get to carry the 212 area code as well.

Outside a local condo development…

Maybe they do. I wish I believed they did.

What would that be like?

To love your residents? To love your customers? To love those groups you serve?

How would your day be different (as the server, as the served)?

Could it stay the same if that was the primary objective of your life?

"Your trip costs about $10 per waking hour. Your time is valuable."

–Rick Steves
  American Travel Writer

Applies to life really.

When we were preparing for "Cent’ Anni" (our trip to Italy over the summer), I read the line above. Steves’ thought struck me because I’m the kind of person who feels the need to run around town for an hour and half to save three dollars (and lose much more in doing it).

It made me wonder how much my waking hours in normal life cost me.

Here’s the math for several different monthly household budgets (assuming one sleeps an average of 7 hours a night there are 6,205 of waking hours in a year or roughly 517 hours a month)…

• $2,500 – 4.83/ hour
• $5,000 – 9.67/ hour
• $7,500 – 14.50/ hour
• $10,000 – 19.34/ hour

Sleep more and the cost of your waking hours goes up.

Your trip through life costs something per waking hour. And, time is the only thing you can never get back.

Are you investing yours wisely?

(great no-fluff travel advice here… Steves’ travel philosophy here– I found it to be a motivational "live life real" message)

another view: Value of waking hours based on earnings…

• $50,000 – $8/ hour
• $100,000 – $16/ hour
• $150,000 – $24/ hour
• $200,000 – $32/ hour

The Spaniard’s product from a recent workshop… 3 hours with a live model and no formal training.

I’m so impressed I can’t stand it.

The complete canvas is here.

My artsy Web derivative is here. I had to remind her "we’re one flesh" to get her to let me make it — hence the title.

(new readers: The Spaniard is my wife.)

Today’s message of love from my 4 year old to his
older brother, Sam…

"Sam Poop"

Good handwriting for 4, I think. We’ll work on messaging next.