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His name was Rocky. Like all Westies (he was a White West Highland Terrier; commonly called Westies) he’d cock his head when he was puzzled. You may be puzzled, too. I often am. Which is why I’m always asking questions. And I’m great at it – asking questions, that is. By the way, I lost Rocky a few years ago and he gave me quite a lot. I gave him a lot, too. In a word, love!

Today’s question is pretty stinking ancient, but it’s not as ancient as another question that is asked more, “What do you have to give me?” Flip it and let’s not think about ourselves from a “getting” perspective but from a “giving” perspective.

But let’s start with keeping score. I’m competitive, but I’m not a scorekeeper. I’m am blessed. Grateful.

I’m a baby boomer, born in an old-school era. Where kids could ride in the back of a pickup truck through town. And not be pulled over by cops.

I’m an American. A country with tremendous opportunities and freedoms.

I’m blessed with a ton of empathy. I was emotionally intelligent before I even knew that was a thing.

I’m an INFJ. Highly intuitive. Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J) — and it’s a blessing. I own it. Long ago I learned I might as well because I’m unable to change it.

I’m candid. And that’s a blessing, too.

I’m a speed freak. Okay, blessing and curse somewhat. No, much more a blessing.

Knowing who you are and how you have to roll isn’t keeping score. But there’s more.

You also have to know what you’re afraid of. We all have a ton of fear! Life has absolutely been terrific at teaching me that fear is THE culprit that spoils success. It paralyzes people. It gives people an excuse. Tons of them. It stops us before we even get started. And it’s almost always tied to somebody. Somebody close to us. Somebody we love. Somebody who may love us. Or may just say they do.

Fear causes us to hide. It feels safe, but it’s deceptive. Dangerous. It lulls us into behavior that wrecks any opportunities we have to achieve, grow and reach a higher capacity for our lives. Fear is a nasty, ridiculously effective enemy.

Why then would we wrap it around our shoulders like a comforter on a bitterly cold night?

Because it feels good. Sorta like eating half a dozen glazed donuts. Or one of those 2000 plus calorie concrete ice cream shakes from Sonic.

Because it seems like we’re convincing ourselves that we’re protecting ourselves. Operative word is, “seems.” Looks are sometimes deceiving.

What has this got to do with figuring out what we have to give? Everything.

Let’s look at this from your perspective. You’re no different than the rest of us. You want to be special. You want to feel like you’re valuable. To somebody. In some way.

That can fuel narcissism, an unhealthy focus thinking you’re all that and more — where you’re diluted thinking you’re somehow more special than everybody else. So you live your life intent on showing us the movie that is your life feigning interest in others only so you can get more attention for yourself. It’s all about you when you’re narcissistic. Let’s not likely you because you’re not paying me, or anybody else much attention if you’re really that self-centered. Unless you think there’s something we can do to shine a brighter light on you. And my little light runs on two AA batteries so I’m no help at all. 😉

You’re special. But you’re no more special than me, or anybody else. Do you really think we all have value? That we all have the potential to bring value to the world, in some way? Come on, be honest! That’s the problem with unfair, harsh judgment and prejudice. This has nothing to do with the actual value provided because clearly there are people who don’t provide value. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for them. It just means, for some reason, they choose not to deliver. They decided not to give. Maybe they decided they’d just focus on taking. Too busy doing that to give anything of value to others. It happens.

It’s why people grow discontented. And suffer envy. Jealousy. It’s why you get sucked into measuring yourself by what’s going on with other people. In spite of the truth that what’s going on with them has no bearing on you and your life. Unless you let it. Which is stupid.

Your neighbor pulls a brand new Tesla into their driveway. Suddenly, you and your Toyota feel inferior. Like a failure. Just another instance of the dangers of comparing yourself to anybody else. Their Tesla has nothing to do with you…but suddenly it does. Because you let it. We need to stop it. And it’s hard. Really hard for some of us.

I get it. I’ve been there. I’m a baby boomer. We grew up chasing and pursuing it hard.

You know what I love about minimalism, the tiny house movement and all the talk about frugal living? Because they’re congruent with how I really see the world. Chasing materialism goes against everything I believe. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with owning a Tesla, or a Bentley if that’s what you want. Just leave me alone if I don’t follow you down that path. ‘Cause those don’t matter one whit to me. I love the margin that affordability offers. Enter my admiration for those things like minimalism.

That may not feel good to you. That’s fine. Just don’t gauge my life by your measuring stick. And don’t expect me to gauge my life the way you may gauge yours.

It’s freedom. It’s a start toward lowering your fears, too.

Your lifestyle holds you hostage. You “need” so much money. Well, you think so. Because you’ve got stuff. Your stuff owns you. And man is that a rotten place to be. Crowded, too.

Focus on yourself. Stop focusing so much on yourself. It’s the paradox of contradiction. The zig and the zag. The Yin and the Yang.

Besides regret, what are you afraid of?

Me?

I’m afraid of losing people who matter to me. Because I know that’s likely as I grow older.

Most of us have people-based fears. We don’t want to disappoint somebody. We want somebody’s approval. Or respect. It’s likely our parents or a spouse. But honestly, it’s like your neighbor’s Tesla. It’s got nothing to do with you, but it’s also got everything to do with you. It’s YOU. Not them.

We get things wrong in our own head, which is why I’m so fascinated by our brains and our minds. New flash: what you think matters! We’ve talked about that quite a lot here inside The Yellow Studio. For good reason. What we think and what we believe changes things. Changes everything.

Back in episode 5001 – the first episode of this new iteration of LTW – I talked about a book that I hadn’t yet read, “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One,” by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Well, I started reading that book last week. When I’m finished I’ll do a show about what I learned so you can learn it, too. But I’m far enough into it to confirm what we all know is THE difference maker. How we think and what we believe.

It’s so fundamentally valuable because it determines our actions. And how long we’ll stay with something to make it work. It’s the linchpin to our success. In anything.

That matters because it’s at the heart of today’s topic, the question – What do you have to give?

You may think you have nothing. You may even believe that. Well, then you’re right. Not technically, but practically. First, you have to find value in yourself so you can determine where you can provide value to others.

For instance, there are many things I’ve learned about myself. Things that are natural, normal and feel just right for me. Because that’s how they are in my life, I can discount them and think, “That’s not so special.” Wrong.

Yesterday news broke that Lindsey Buckingham was quitting Fleetwood Mac. They’re planning a new tour. Depending on the news report you choose to believe, he quit or was fired. In his place will be two guys I really like. Mike Campbell of The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty’s band. And Tim Finn of Crowded House. Frankly, neither of them will be able to pull off being Lindsey Buckingham in my opinion, but that’s 3 guitar players who are all insanely good guitarists. Put a guitar in their hands and you get magic. Put a guitar in my hands and you’ve got a big bag of nothing!

But put me in touch with somebody who trusts me and is willing to share their troubles, and I’m a rockstar. I thrive on deep conversations. I love them. I love being a shoulder people can lean on. I don’t shy away from it. It’s who I am.

Just because you’re good at something…and it comes easily and naturally to you doesn’t mean it’s not valuable. You have to get past that kind of faulty thinking. Mike Campbell is a killer guitar player. According to Tom Petty, when he first met Mike it was clear Mike was a natural. So because he’s a natural and it’s easy for him we don’t think he’s good? Wrong. We all bow to his prowess. He’s terrific. You are, too — at something!

The crux of it is to figure that out. And to think of our contribution. What we have to give!

Put that upfront. Not what you need. Not what you want to get. But what you want to DO. What you have to give. Something that is naturally easy for you that is valuable. Not necessarily in terms of money (but maybe). Something that other people likely already see in you. If you’re young, maybe they don’t yet see it, but you do. Or you suspect it’s what you’ve got to give.

Magical things start happening. We get less focused on ourselves and more focused on others. We increase our gratitude for what we’ve got, growing less focused on what we lack. Our energy is elevated as we’re doing what feels right, and natural for us. The more we do it, the better it gets. The more expansive things become.

It doesn’t have to be some “save the planet” type deal. It just has to be “save the moment” type deals. I can spend an hour or more on the phone listening to somebody’s troubles and ask some questions along the way to provoke deeper thought – and hopefully to help provide greater clarity – and I’m foolish enough to think I’m going to change somebody’s life (that’d be wonderful if it happened). I am practical enough to know that I’m very likely changing a moment though — and that’s what I have to give. And I’m good with the bigness of that.

You just gave me quite a few moments. I hope I changed them in a positive way for you. That was my goal all along!

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Jeremiah Denton died on the morning of March 28, 2014. He was 89. You never heard of him? I’m sorry to admit it, but neither had I. Today I’ve been reading about him in the news.

During the Viet Nam war, Denton, a US Navy flyer, was shot down in July 1965 and captured by the North Vietnamese. For 7.5 years he suffered as a POW under horrible conditions, including the famed “Hanoi Hilton.” In his book, When Hell Was In Session, he wrote…

In the early morning hours, I prayed that I could keep my sanity until they released me. I couldn’t even give in to their demands, because there were none. It was pure revenge.”

Denton suffered torture. During an interview in 1966 that his captors shot, he blinked the word T-O-R-T-U-R-E using morse code. The North Vietnamese were unaware, but the United States got the message loud and clear.

For 4 years he endured solitary confinement. As if being in a windowless, nasty, filthy cell wasn’t enough.

When the war ended he was released in February 1973. I’m now interested in reading his book because I have no idea how he endured this experience. I realize there were many other POW’s who made it out of Viet Nam alive. I also know there were countless who never made it home. In fact, for many years after the war ended, there was speculation that many POW’s were still being held illegally by the North Vietnamese. We may never know for certain.

I was just getting my driver’s license when Denton was released. I have vivid memories of the network news devoting almost all the newscast to the war. Walter Cronkite was far and away the most trusted news anchor in America during this time. Dan Rather and other notable journalists were in the field, providing us with daily reports.

And there were body counts. Those dreaded body counts. We were told how many Americans had died versus how many North Vietnamese had been killed. It was a gruesome, depressing time.

I was always fascinated by the Viet Nam war. I watched documentaries on it. Read books about it. It was the first unconventional war in that, the enemy didn’t always wear an identifiable uniform. So much to take in, but that’s not the point today. No, today the point is resilience. The point is determination. And hope. Survival.

How does a person under such duress press on day after day without losing hope? How did Jeremiah Denton and other POW’s survive the beatings and torture for such a long time? Did they use psychological tricks the rest of us don’t know? Were they endowed with some super-duper mental toughness that only a few of us possess?

For decades I’ve been fascinated by these things. It’s a bit like the pain level difference in people. Some can withstand tremendous pain and not think it’s that bad. Others can get a hangnail and whine as though they’re on the brink of death. What gives?

Mr. Denton’s story of survival brings to the forefront – just one more time – the power of enduring and grinding it out. Since I’m a business guy, one of my first thoughts when I read of his death, was how sometimes in our business pursuits we let the smallest obstacle foil our success. The minute we run into our first, “No!” we pack up our bags and quit, thinking that nobody is ever going to buy this.

Okay, we don’t all do that because if we did nobody would succeed. Clearly, the successful among us aren’t so easily defeated. But you know the successful are far fewer than those who fail. Does the 80/20 rule apply? Probably.

I could easily believe that only 20% of the people who set out to make a go of some business enterprise succeed…while 80% fail.”

I’ll go you one better. I’d venture to guess it’s more like 90/10. Who knows? Who cares? Here’s the deal – one man endures 7.5 years of torture in a North Vietnamese prison camp while another guy makes a cold call resulting in, “No, I’m not interested” and quits. He can’t take it. Not one more time. Not another call.

Really?

Yep, really.

Or maybe a guy knows what his next step might be toward success, but he’s stuck. Literally. He can’t move. He’s paralyzed. Unable to take that action, whatever it might be.

What’s he afraid of? What if the worst-case scenario happened? Would it be .0001% as bad as being in a POW camp? NO. NO COMPARISON.

Are we too soft?

Yes. We absolutely are.

I’m not talking about enjoying rejection, or pain. I’m not talking about being a masochist (a person who enjoys suffering and pain). Some of those freaks are out there, but I don’t think that describes most of us. I hope not anyway.

No, I’m talking about our sheer tolerance for a little bit of pain and suffering. Let me put it in context for you. I’m talking about the pain and suffering required to IMPROVE our condition. I’m not talking about enduring it simply because we want to live long enough hopeful we’ll regain our freedom. I’m talking about business people, salespeople, leaders or anybody else who is enduring the pain of failure as they try to find success! These people are aiming for success, not merely survival. They’re striving to earn more, serve more, do better – and a host of other worthwhile goals.

Failure isn’t fun. But if we let the smallest hurdle stumble us, then doesn’t it appear we’re more committed to failure than success. Ah, now we’re onto something I think.

Sometimes we’re too committed to failure, even though that failure generates more pain and suffering. Okay, we need Freud or some other brainiac to enlighten us I guess. Or, we can look at the obvious, think about our fears, and our suffering – and decide we want something else. That’s right, we can DECIDE to do something else.

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True confession. I wrote this in February 2016, but it was part of the previous iteration of LTW. It came up again recently in a conversation with a client who was struggling with inner critic stuff. I figured I’d resurrect it and share it hoping it’ll serve YOU. Before we dive in I have to say that lately, I’ve been very focused on how we can become addicted to self-help, motivational mumbo-jumbo! I don’t want to contribute to that because it provides millions of people excuses for doing nothing…stuck in the Land Of Wishing I Was Somebody Else. – Randy

Is the subject anticipation, or patience? Is it value or benefit? Yes, yes, yes and yes. It’s all that and more.

Over the weekend I wrote down a sentence on my whiteboard – the one that’s about 5 feet from where I’m sitting right now.

Avoid dread by being eager!

For a few weeks now I’ve been battling my inner critic. You’d think I’d have conquered him by now, huh? Well, not so much. The older you grow the more voices join you along the way. I learned to name my characters in my head. It helps to give them cartoonish names. I doubt I’ve plumbed the depths of my personality to uncover them all, but so far I’ve identified 10 of them. Did you ever see the Three Faces Of Eve? That movie came out the year I was born. Coincidence? Hum, maybe. Maybe not. One wonders. It’s about a woman diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. Depending on who you choose to believe, some argue there is no such thing. No matter, today’s show isn’t about that, but it is about YOU and the things that go on inside your head.

I don’t have three faces. I have 10 characters, or little voices that offer me their unique perspectives. They’ve all got an agenda, too. An ax to grind. A bone to pick. I don’t always see it for what it is. Not in real time, that’s for sure.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating — true wisdom is the ability to make the right decision in real time. Controlling our thoughts in real time is part of it and I confess I don’t get that right nearly as often as I’d like. Too many times I listen to one of these characters in real time and I let them foil success. They rob me of so many things it’s anything other than funny.

I dove into the arduous work of getting my mind right by taking a close look at who these characters are and what they’re best at. I don’t mind sharing. As you read mine, think about your own. It’s time you introduced yourself to them and got to know them better – mostly for who they really are. These are my 10 without any editing to save face or look better in your sight:

Phillip The Prophet
He knows exactly how things are going to turn out – not well. What can go wrong, will go wrong. Phillip is standing by to say, “I told you so.”

Dillion The Disrespected
Dillion is depressed because nobody respects him, especially the people he mostly wants to respect him. Dillion ignores all signs of respect because they don’t match up to what he thinks are proper demonstrations of it – like lots of glowing praise and people constantly recognizing him. He assumes silences or casual praise mean something sinister and awful, not true respect.

Ian The Insecure
Ian doubts the capacity for anything to turn out well. He joins forces with Phillip The Prophet to regularly shy away from attempting things because he’s convinced he’s not worthy of them, even if they were to happen. Ian doesn’t feel worthy of success, but still he longs for it.

Larry The Loudmouth
Larry speaks when he shouldn’t. Instead of standing by listening and observing, Larry just can’t resist the urge to pipe up and insert himself. More often than not, Larry’s mouth gets him in trouble. He never learns that listening doesn’t require speaking.

Connor The Complacent
Connor is lax. He’s often content to sit by and do nothing, even when he knows there’s plenty to be done (and plenty that could be accomplished). Connor’s strategy is to wait and see if something good will just happen. He doesn’t believe in the Law of Attraction, but he’s hopeful something magical will just come out of the blue and land in his lap.

Greg The Gregarious
Greg is outgoing and friendly. He’s comfortable no matter who is around. He lives in the moment and doesn’t think too much about things. Greg is always living in the present.

Sammy The Shy
Sammy is bashful and prefers to hug the walls. If he had his way he’d never leave the house. He hates big crowds. He feels awkward, not knowing what to do, or who to talk to, or what to say. Many times he pretends to be on his cell phone for fear of looking stupid standing around alone.

Conrad The Confident
Conrad deeply believes he’s got skills, experience, and wisdom. He knows he’s intelligent and sharp. Conrad believes that if success has ever been achieved by anybody else – at whatever the task – then he can figure out a way to find it himself. He’s not cocky, but he’s got a quiet confidence that if given enough time, he can figure out how to succeed. He believes in himself.

Samuel The Spiritual
Samuel doesn’t agree with prosperity gospel. He knows the Bible and understands this world is not his home. He realizes that work and life here are just temporary, a means to get to eternity (and Heaven). Samuel struggles to resolve his preoccupation with his professional life – and earning a living – and his spiritual duties to God. He doesn’t believe in miracles, knowing that the time for them has ceased. He doesn’t believe in God personally indwelling him. He does believe in providence, or what some might call serendipity, but knows you can’t prove providence. He does believe God is watching out for him – and all Christians – but he’s not sure to what degree God cares about his career and his success. That makes him reluctant to lean on God for help in such matters. He also struggles with the belief that God wants him to stand on his own 2 feet. That makes him not rely on God as much as he thinks he should, and he feels guilty about that.

Gerald The Guilty
Gerald feels regret and guilt over two primary areas: what he says and what he neglects to do. Gerald feels guilty when Larry the Loudmouth spouts off. He also feels guilty when Connor the Complacent does nothing but waste time. Gerald joins forces with others to beat himself up about what he should have done differently. Gerald often regrets the time lost in doing nothing when something profitable may have at least been attempted. Or he regrets doing things he shouldn’t have even attempted.

This stuff is hard, but it’s worth the wait. It’s worth doing because the rewards are real. I figure in my own life it’s just the price I pay to get to where I want to go. I tend to look at the lost time, lost opportunities and beat myself up for not getting further faster. Do you do that? Do you second-guess yourself and wonder why it’s taking you so long? Or why it hasn’t happened yet?

I’m guessing you’re like me because if life has taught me anything – and it’s taught me plenty – it’s that we’re not so different. Not really. We may like different food and laugh at different stuff, but at some level, we’re still people chasing our dreams, running from our fears and doing our best to quieten down the voices in our head that tell us we’re not good enough.

Is it true that it doesn’t have to be so hard anymore? Maybe it does have to be hard in order to get better, and easier.

“Everything is hard…until it’s easy.”

It’s one of my all-time favorite quotes. Mostly because I know how true it is and I need to be reminded of it.

Last week I had a conversation with a friend who I was telling about some of my perceived shortcomings – things that I just have no experience in, particularly in one area I’m currently pursuing. She looked at me and said, “You’re selling yourself short. You’ve learned how to do plenty of things that were once new to you. You learned how to dress, tie your shoes, leave home and attend school every day. You’ve learned plenty of things by figuring it out. You’ll figure this out, too.”

It is complicated. While waiting for things to be worked out – which means, while I’m trying to work things out – it sure doesn’t seem simple. Part of my list of characters (I say part of the list because I’m not convinced I’ve fully identified all of them just yet) marshall together to convince me things are always tougher than they really are…and that things are always complicated. Too complicated.

“Nothing worth having comes easily,” is more than a lyric by today’s musical guests. It’s how we tend to view most everything we seek to accomplish. I’ve seen it rob me of chasing things I’d have otherwise loved to pursue. I’ve also seen it rob me of not enjoying other pursuits I did chase because I listened to my characters (and others) tell me how hard it was. But some things are very worthwhile and they’re not necessarily all that difficult.

As a kid I discovered some things I was pretty good at that weren’t terribly tough for me. I look back now and realize that I let the world convince such things weren’t very high value. Writing. Drawing. Being creative. A host of things really. I was in junior high and enjoyed drawing. Cartoonists were among the people I most admired. And writers. But I knew nobody who made a living doing those things. Those can’t be worthwhile pursuits. They’re just pipe dreams. Saturday’s Smile is my tribute to two of my all-time favorite cartoonists, Jim Unger (who died back in 2012) – the creator of Herman and Jerry Van Amerongen, creator of my very favorite cartoon, Ballard Street.

Being eager is pretty thrilling, isn’t it? You know it is. I’d attend school, go to work at the local hi-fi store and be anxious before asking my boss if I could have a Saturday off so I could drive from southern Louisiana to see my girlfriend in Ft. Worth. Sometimes he said no. But when he said yes, I’d start planning and thinking every day about how many more days it would be before I’d head north to see her. The anticipation was energizing. Almost intoxicating.

Think of the times when you’ve experienced that kind of eagerness and anxiety. We think of anxiety as a bad thing, but it’s not always that way. I would be so preoccupied and anxious to get to Ft. Worth I didn’t think I could stand it. I couldn’t concentrate on school or work. My mind was thinking of what was to come…when I’d arrive at her house and be able to spend time with her face-to-face.

Where did I go? Where did that version of me go? I’m still here. I just sometimes lose sight of who I once was – the guy able to get amped up, willing to chase a dream for all I was worth no matter what the outcome. Just a guy taking aim and giving it a go because I had to chase it. Mostly, I found out it was worth the wait – and the work.

If you’ve not figured it out by now, lots of conversation about head trash led to today’s show. Old, young. Men, women. People from one part of the country to people from my part of the world. It doesn’t matter. We’re all in the same boat. Talk of dread. Talk of anticipation. Talk of hating some things while loving others. Talk of taking risks and being safe.

Did it ever occur to you that all the outside influences working against us aren’t nearly as powerful as the enemies in our head? Yeah, me neither…until recently.

A few months ago I started beating myself up for being so stupid, so ignorant about it all. How could I have gone this long without figuring it out? How can you feel good about arriving at some wisdom that you think should have hit you long ago? Yep, Gerald The Guilty was ruling the day for a while. Until I found the courage to tell Gerald to sit down and shut up. He did.

Gerald has been around a very long time. He didn’t just salute my order and stay quiet. I’ve had to keep shoving him down into the silent seat. Gerald proves that some work is hard, but worthwhile none the less.

I found myself telling somebody about my conclusion. “I’ve had to endure what I have to get to where I am now.” And I believe it. It wasn’t just something I was saying to get myself off some hook. I was just looking at how far I’d come and realized that you can’t get there from here any other way. Some roads have got to be traveled if you’re going to go anywhere. Was it the best road? Was it the wisest path? I don’t know and it doesn’t much matter. What matters is that it’s the road I took and the path I choose at the time. Thankfully, it brought me to this place. And this time. I am where I am because of the choices I made.

Second guessing it all isn’t profitable. Wishing I’d made other choices is fruitless. My faith convinces me that I did what I did and I am where I am because at this very moment I’m where I belong, doing what I need to be doing. If I keep my priorities straight and keep striving to follow wisdom I know I’ll find my way. It’ll all be okay.

Time is still on our side. We’re alive. Alive enough to feel joy, hurt, fear, dread and eagerness.

What would my eagerness feel like without dread? What would my joy as a 17-year-old have been in seeing Rhonda after a long road trip if I hadn’t missed her so?

Today, as a grandfather what would my anxiety be like for my grandchildren without the love I have for them? Or my fear of failure be like without the concern and care I have for those I hope to serve.

I think of the anticipation of winning – whatever that looks like, in whatever area I pursue it – and realize that without the prospect of losing or having my teeth knocked down my throat, what’s the point? Winning feels so good because losing sucks so much. I don’t view life as winners versus losers, but I do see it as winning versus losing. Wisdom has taught me that neither is permanent. Mostly, they’re moments in time and in my life mostly the winning has lasted longer. The losing has been far more temporary. I’m blessed and Gerald The Guilty sometimes gets back on his feet to speak because he’s right. He’s not always wrong. Sometimes I am to be blamed. Blamed for not being as thankful as I ought to be. Blamed for being guilty of not recognizing how blessed I truly am.

What about you? Is there work you’ve neglected because you’ve not been willing to face it or grind it out? Or maybe you didn’t think it would be worth the wait.

We all get blue and lonely. We all endure tough times. Sometimes we lose heart, but I’m here today to tell you not to surrender. Instead, keep pushing forward and chasing whatever it is you want to chase. Put in the time and purse it for all you’ve got. It’ll be worth it. And it may all work out as it should. Or better.

How will you ever know if you don’t try?

How Can You Help The Podcast?

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We’re coming up on the 67th anniversary of the story that inspired the cult-hit movie, Idiocracy.

Cyril M. Kornbluth was a science fiction writer whose futuristic story, The Marching Morons, was published in Galaxy (a sci-fi magazine) in April 1951. 67 years ago.

The Marching Morons is a look at a future world consisting of five billion idiots and a few million geniuses. The pressure is on the few geniuses to keep things running.

Well, the morons are winning. In 2012 I registered the domain, SurroundedByNinnies.com. Go ahead. Click it.

Part of the Ninnie-ism Movement is crudeness and vulgarity. It has skyrocketed in popularity over the past 20 years.

Irreverence has always existed. So has sin. But many behaviors that were once done mostly in secret have come out into the broad daylight, not just visible, but parading. Showing off.

Popular culture is killing us!

Talent isn’t as meaningful as it once was because narcissism now rules.

extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one’s own talents and a craving for admiration

Celebrity. Fame. That’s increasingly the aspiration.

HBO and Rolling Stone founder, Jan Wenner, produced a 2-part documentary on the history of that magazine. Mr. Wenner started the magazine in San Francisco in November 9, 1967 (when the first edition was published). He and his cohorts were aiming to cover the counter-culture. Some argue – and I happen to agree with much of what they observe – that the counter-culture has been shouted down, politically and socially bullied so that today society is no longer tolerates counter anything. Conformity is the key ingredient.

And we’ve seen conformity morph increasingly toward crudeness and vulgarity. In every area. From clothing, or lack thereof, to speech, to demeanor, to movement (think twerking), to entertainment (think Big Brother or the Bachelor), to music (think Curren$y and a host of others), to the fact that now we can no longer determine if our newborn child is a boy or a girl because we’ve got to wait to see what they identify as. We’ve lost our mind and our insanity is more popular than it’s ever been.

It’s a very big, broad and important topic. I’m not a trained sociologist or social anthropologist, but I’m a human. Last I checked. That qualifies me to observe what’s going on around me. And to draw some conclusions. Mostly to see patterns and figure things out. I certainly don’t profess the power to alter much, or influence much.

As usual, today’s show as prompted by something. Namely, the increase in profanity in professional settings. Cussing has been around in the workplace as long as I’ve been in the workplace (since about age 15). My experience isn’t empirical proof of anything. It’s just my experience.

Blue collar work that I did as a kid involved far more vulgar talk than the work I did in retail. When you work in a store serving the public, it wasn’t acceptable…even if behind the scenes language was gutter-like.

I started thinking back to my youth, that typical time when kids start “talking ugly.” My parents didn’t allow foul language. I didn’t grow up around foul language. I wasn’t even allowed to watch the TV series, The Twilight Zone until I was nearly an adult! Yes, I was protected and I know we use that verbiage as though it’s a prudish or bad thing, but that’s likely part of the problem. We’re not protecting our children from much of anything today. Shame on us. It’s a big loss for our kids. But I digress.

My house wasn’t filled with crudeness or vulgarity. I know that’s a big deal. But my friends didn’t live in houses filled with it either. Even if their parents cussed, the cussing wasn’t in the same league as today’s vulgarity. Not that I support it, but the traditional “hell” and “damn” aren’t quite in the same league as the commonplace F-bombs you hear and read today.

Today’s show is a bit of a rant. And no, I’m not sorry about it. I’m only sorry for the truthfulness of our current condition.

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It was January 2015 when I last did a virtual tour of The Yellow Studio (click here to see that). It’s among the most consistent requests I get…to do another one. My problem is, not much, if anything has changed since 2015. Same gear. Same workflow. Same Yellow Studio. The same everything, really. Just an older guy behind the mic.

Join the Facebook group, P-L-E-A-S-E.

Gracias!

How Can You Help The Podcast?

1. Subscribe at iTunes | Stitcher
2. Leave us a review at iTunes
3. Pick your favorite way to support us financially
4. Join the conversation at our Facebook group
5. Tell your friends. Promote the shows on social media.