Zig Ziglar once said, “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”  Or to add to the house of cards analogy, success is a glass house, and the world has a fistful of rocks!  We could spend all of our days focused only on our scaling the corporate ladder, our title, or how much money we have in the bank, but it only takes one mistake, one hiccup…and we lose it all.

The “power” stereotype may bring a particular politician to mind, a Wall Street CEO, or even a football coach.  The images of these individuals are often paralleled with a god-like figure, someone who could get whatever they want, whenever they want it.  They influence people, institutions, and programs the way they see fit.  The definition of power is simply, “The ability to do something or act in a particular way.” The only power these leaders truly have is the ability to act.  The power to make a decision, then act on it.  A power that all of us have.  The power we allow each other to possess.

The glue that holds our perceived level of success and power together is just basic morality.  It is what keeps that house of cards from falling, and what keeps us in the good graces of society.

Morality is really only a question:  Do my actions negatively affect others?

Last Saturday, as the hoard of Penn State students filled University Park’s Beaver Stadium, there was an aura of confliction.  The days prior had exposed former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky as an alledged pedophile, and although the man hadn’t coached with the team in over a decade, the scandal was destined to affect this year’s team.

The scandal may have started with Sandusky, but the checks and balances we refer to as “conscience” or “morality” were never put into practice.  There was the graduate assistant Mike McQueary, Coach Joe Paterno, and Athletic Director Tim Curley.  There was the campus police, and the man who oversees the campus police, Gary Schultz.  All of these people were aware, and all of them chose to do nothing.  Sandusky may be the transgressor, but this self-muted group’s condonation and cover-up of his behavior is equally to blame.

The clear issue here is that individuals within the Penn State football program value the establishment over an abused child.  They value the millions generated during the course of a season over the trauma of a raped 10-year-old boy.  They value their tradition over their honor.

Then there is former Head Coach Joe Paterno, an icon of Penn State football.  His firing following the initial exposure of this scandal outraged many Penn State students, and led several of them to riot in the streets.  Some of these same students showed up for this game with their “Joe Knows Football” t-shirts on, in support of the ousted coach, and for this, I think they are missing the point.

The point is that it doesn’t matter who the person, or the legacy at stake,  our success and/or power should never outweigh our morality, and the establishment is never greater than the welfare of any individual. As a man considered an icon, as a leader, it was Paterno’s failure to act, or lack of morality, that led to his dismissal, notwithstanding his past accomplishments.

Mark Twain once wrote, “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”  We believed that both levels of courage existed within the Penn State football program, personified by their iconic head coach.  But this quote has held true in this scandal, and has subsequently cost a football hero his job…and rightfully so.

The definition of sport includes three key variables: 1) Skill 2) Competition and 3) Physical Exertion. Although poker does have the first two variables locked up, the third is the one I have an issue with in regards to poker. Don’t get me wrong, poker can be exhausting. Sitting at a table for 8+ hours playing high-limit hold ‘em is not a cake walk, and it is certainly not like watching sitcoms on Thursday night or knitting an afghan throw for the grand kiddies. It requires focus and concentration, and these things make you tired.

But does anything that makes you tired, involves a level of skill, and is highly competitive pass as a sport? If so, then when I was studying for my O-chem final in college, could I be compared to an NFL quarterback? How about when I am working at my desk at the office? Shades of Michael Jordan…

My point here is that many things require skill, are very competive, and are physically exhausting, but the public doesn’t classify them as sport.  Chess, for example, hasn’t had the term “sport” applied to it.  Why?  Because it isn’t viewed on television? It’s players require the same level of skill, is at least equally as competitive, and is both physically and mentally exhausting.  Just because we see poker players on ESPN or Fox Sports does not mean that it qualifies.

So unless we start seeing some form of contact poker, or even synchronized poker, please refrain from classifying poker as “sport.”  It doesn’t deserve it, and actually dilutes what poker really is…an amazing, artistic, and competitive game.

There are three things I do most everyday. It’s a personal checklist that I feel guilt over if I don’t complete. Not so much for today’s productivity, but knowing that just one incomplete of these three tasks will affect my abilities and productivity tomorrow.

#1 Break a Sweat.

I do my best thinking during and after exercise. I can’t tell you how many brain orgasms I have had while on a run or a bike ride, some of my best ideas have come during exercise. And I mean “holy cow” ideas. The tranquility and independence of a jog, for example, clears my mind of the bullshit, and allows me to focus. It helps me simplify and strategize.

You don’t have to run, however. Or bike, shoot hoops, or go for an arctic swim, for god’s sake. You just have to break a sweat. Pick something you enjoy. It can be a team sport, an endurance sport, or contact sport. It doesn’t even have to be a sport. Be creative.

Let your mind go during the activity, but when you are done, try to tackle a task or a problem that has given you difficulty. I guarantee that you will have SOME change in perspective that will make the problem or task more clear.

#2 Visualize

When I was an athlete in high school and college, my coaches were incessant on the practice of visualization. I used it to fine tune my basketball jump shot and my route adjustments as a wide receiver in college. I have also used it in my business life, visualizing my approach and delivery of a presentation, imagining my short-term development for long-term success, as well as systematically envisioning the individual steps of a project. I used it then, and I still use it now.

I find it easier to visualize if I not only visualize, but also vocalize my thoughts. Yeah, I’m the guy in traffic talking to himself. But I am not crazy, I am trouble shooting and categorizing the challenges in my life for better consumption and solution creation.

Try to discover what moments within your day would be optimum for visualization. Is it on your commute, when you are doing laundry, or on your lunch break. Find out when these times are, then take advantage of the benefit of visualization.

#3 Learn One Thing

As I stated before, I am a bit of an information hoarder. I have more reference material than most people I know, and I read them often. One of my normal practices is reading prior to bed, looking for one tidbit of information to ponder as I fall to sleep. I find that this focuses my mind on one single morsel of knowledge, therefore clearing my mind of all of the other crap from my day. I sleep sounder, and generally wake up thinking about the one fact I learned the night before.

But this can happen at any time of the day, the point is that you learn atleast one thing every single day. It can be found in a single paragraph, or a single word. A pie graph, or a tv commercial. But when it happens, recognize it, and then internalize it. Make it become a part of you.

So there they are, the three part checklist of my everyday. There is not a big time commitment here, so they should be easy enough to execute. Try incorporating them into you life, and see how three simple things can boost your brain power and productivity today…and tomorrow.

I often hear about the complications of corporate drama.  It’s a complex network made up of chaos theory and…feelings.  These feelings and mixed up paradigms can make the work place a mess, then if you sprinkle that with some entitlement, it can bring an entire department down.

First let me address the topic of corporate entitlement.  Entitlement is a cancer that destroys productivity not just for the short term, but forever, if not remedied.  Ever seen those six county workers watching the ONE guy with a shovel?  I’m not a huge reality TV guy, but I was “fortunate” enough to catch one episode of the “The Apprentice” recently.  “Celebrity” Apprentice actually.  The one were Star Jones tells Meatloaf, “You have to come with my credentials, to get me to debate with you.”  Then she follows with, “I don’t owe you an argument, and I decline to give you one.”

My take on this is that Star Jones feels, for whatever reason, that she is better than Meatloaf.  Whether it is her educational background, or her quasi-celebrity status, I think she feels that her past accomplishments gives her entitlement to future respect.  Don’t get me wrong, she does deserve respect.  And Meatloaf is certainly giving it to her.  But her idea of respect in this moment is: don’t disagree with me, because my background is more relevant to this situation than yours.  Giving you respect does not mean that I have no valid argument.

Although this is just reality TV, a parallel form of entitlement exists within the corporate environment.

For example, time spent on the job often is interpreted as implied privilege.  Like in the county worker example, and I won’t say all, but some of these workers think that 10, 20, and 30 years gives them an exaggerated level of dueness, or tenure that gives them the right of dismissal protection.  Aside from the governmental positions, professionals within the corporate structure often have this same mindset.

If you stop working, if you stop learning, you die.  And if you’re “dead,” there will come a time when you are no longer needed.  Not at your job, not in your life.  The Greeks never wrote obituaries, they only asked one question when a man died, “Did he have passion?”  Passion should still exist despite your experience, your education, or your finances.

End the entitlement, and get to work.

#1 The Precursor

Know your body. In most cases that I’ve seen, the fitted shirt is cut normal at the shoulder, with a taper to the waist. Perfect for guys with the athletic “V” body style. The slim fit shirt, however, if often more narrow in the shoulder, then cut straight. This cut is more for the slender body type: narrow shoulders and a small waist. But don’t follow this rule to a “T,” it can vary by manufacturer.

#2 Try It On

Before dropping any money on an expensive dress shirt, be sure to try it on first. Once you get a feel for what fit suits you best (for each maker), you won’t necessarily have to go through the anguish of removing all of the pins and needles each time you are looking to buy. For me, I like the Van Heusen fitted shirt in a 15 ½, 34/35. But for Tommy Hilfiger, I prefer the Slim Fit. So try it on, then take a mental note of your research, it will save you some time in the long run.

#3 The Collar

The proper fitted shirt around the shoulders and torso does nothing for you if the neck is sized wrong. When unbuttoned, the wrong neck size will make the collar lay flat, giving you that sloppy look. When buttoned, it can make you look like you’re wearing a hula hoop around your neck. The proper neck size will make your collar pop, and give you that sharp look. Make sure you can fit one finger comfortably between the collar and your neck. If two or three fingers will fit, it’s way too big.

Just remember, the goal here is simply to trim the fat. Keep your shirts lean and trim, no need for that extra fabric.

Sure, if you’re Madonna it’s easy to reinvent yourself.  Especially if that only involves changing your outfit.  Her music has pretty much stayed the same over the years, yet the public has dubbed her the “queen of reinvention.”  The same could be said for many artists over the years.  Dye your hair and throw on some rhinestones, and suddenly you are the better, new-and-improved version of yourself.  But your music still sucks.

An exception that comes to mind is Johnny Cash.  Late (very late) in his career, he took some stabs at various genres, most notably his cover of Nine in Nails, “Hurt,” a performance for which he would win a three CMA awards.  Funny…he was still wearing black, and maybe some rhinestones, but I’m sure they had been around before.

Although Mr. Cash received many accolades for this work, the struggle and sacrifice on the path to reinvention is often lost.  Michael Jordan’s attempt at baseball, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s service as governor of California are examples of how this path to reinvention is not only underappreciated, but often mocked.  And we also see examples in our every day lives.   Like a kid from a poor family putting himself through school.  A single mother balancing work, child care, and a full class schedule.  A father juggling a job he hates with more time with his family.  Throw a recession in the mix, and you can see why the necessity for reinvention is more complicated than just throwing some color in your hair.

The largest hurdle for real self reinvention is money.  The choices we have made leading up to this point have blocked us from what we really want.  A mortgage, car payments, and credit card debts are the anchors that keeps us from moving forward.  I call this stuff my “personal overhead,” and I manage it everyday to ensure that I do not make a choice that will adversely affect my options in the future.  And if a new future is what you want, a true reinvention of yourself, you will need every dollar, and every minute that you can muster.

Think about being free of a car payment.  How much financial flexibility would that give you?  Would it give you more time to educate yourself?  More time for fun?  How about more time to find a better job?

What are your priorities?  What is your criteria for reinvention?

Every dollar spent sacrifices time you no longer have.  Make the better choice for a better life.