In the past 6 years, we’ve incurred a pandemic that scared and killed millions, a 1-2 year lockdown that devastated millions of businesses and personal lives (I should talk about the nurses. The nurses, folks, the nurses never recovered.), we’ve had robust migration that has impacted the balance of cities and communities that already were rocked and struggling to recover, and we are now in a trade war with the world and ourselves.

It is my belief that God is bringing about the 4th spiritual cycle in America (as my research indicates. Why would God let me know that, I have no clue. That’s just common societal trends), and unfortunately the characteristics will be class-based struggles between an elite class and everyone else. We all know this. Well, we know enough of it – and we wonder.  Why does Trump appeal to the disenfranchised, the broken, the over-looked, the – dare I say – marginalized communities in America? Was I the only one startled to see that in the past three elections Trump’s approval among the LGBTQ and black/brown communities has only gone up? I suppose I will have to add links soon to “show my work” about these assertions, but if you spend 5 minutes you can find it yourself.

Am I the only one who wonders why Democrats would assert things like “Men can be Women” without contending with biological realities of mammalian procreation? How does that empower people? I do not discredit my friends in the LGBTQ community – I merely ask where is the conversation earnest, respectful and robust? These are spiritual questions that ought to be weighed heavily, but I think Progressives wove certain norms and assumptions we all didn’t know about, made them fashionable, and never really completed the logic puzzle. Instead they tried to avoid the argument and resorted to public shaming, self-denial, and casting out those who are “ignorant.” It is hard to be a party of science when science is not valued.  The basis of science is a methodology to understanding God’s creations and the world.

It looks like, to me, that the 4th spiritual cycle will be led by Broken Women and Men writ large. People who have endured the past 6 years like a buffalo facing the storm, and look with grey eyes at What Comes Next. They’ll be the only ones left with an authentic compassion to the marginalized. There is a good message they will carry – there are no groups, only one people. I don’t know if Juneteenth will last 3 more Trump years – I feel like there’s no way it could without being perverted and jeered at as a progressive boondoggle. It’s the Administrations’ wont, in my opinion, to take anything progressive and invert its meaning. Progressives, to their credit, seem to walk into every opportunity so it’s hard to feel remorse. If anything, one should feel pity. It’s going to be hard for a lot of folks who really hope the West Wing show can come back to the White House.

I think another characteristic of the 4th spiritual cycle in America is going to coincide with a value of “rugged individualism” and that is eschewing of coping mechanisms that are not spiritually nourishing. It will be fashionable to be straight-edge. If you look into the punk, EDM music, and LGBTQ scenes, you see the growth there. But there are other places you wouldn’t think to look – like the Tech Bros Turning Out Fine. There’s a lot of the Broken in Puerto Rico holing up to ride out What Comes Next, and in doing so they’re taking time to pull over to the side, reflect, and re-align themselves. I see hope there. There’s a “return to basics” in much of Catholic communities.

Another characteristic of the 4th spiritual cycle will be a cleansing of past sins. The country cannot keep looking back and forward. We must honor and mourn our past, but we have only one way to face in the What Comes Next. We have to have a buffalo will and a bleeding heart. The most pissed off people about the LA fires (besides those that lost their homes) are the first-responders. I don’t know if the nurses ever recovered from Covid – if you go to a few third-shift bars you’ll find 1 or 2 around 11am anywhere in Chicago, drinking away their memories of intubating patients knowing that it was more-likely killing people.  I could say the same for the Police Forces – defunding the police led to hundred of officers retiring or relocating out of Chicago. What about the Fire Departments in LA when the emergency equipment was donated to migrants, and the Mayor left? The port in Baltimore? The aviation crashes? Remember when Obama drank Flint, Michigan “water” and we all looked dumbfounded when he did that, half-wanting to believe it was actually local water. I think that’s when my stalwart faith in the Democrats had its first chip. This Administration is revenge of the marginalized in name only, but I fear it’s smart enough to make a few token examples that will be expedient. When we, the Broken, finally come to our senses and regain our footing, we will need to stop the general anger before it consumes everything we love. We will need to force reconciliation, in a gentle way that is not one of parent to child, but one of neighbor to neighbor. At the end of it all, there probably won’t be much need for BLM/Trans/Trump flags – just one flag (I hope?) and there will be one recognized people know only as Americans. No hyphens needed, none wanted.

This is where a Monk is useful. The Monk is a welcoming stranger with a compassionate heart to hear the Broken and re-align their zeal. Their Truths and Worries will bear fruit.

PS – no I will not give a historical primer on Spiritual cycles in America. But for perspective, the 3rd led to the Civil Rights movement (Billy Graham and MLK Jr. are notables), the second was kicked of by the Transcendental movement (Emerson, Thoreau) and anti-abolition movements.

I don’t fully know a monk is. I think it’s a wild, wooley man with a burlap sack mumbling prayers in some desert hut, arguing with God on the spiritual plane while toiling on the physical one. I don’t fully know what one would look like in the 21st century America – but in my mind it’s Fred Rogers with a beard and maybe a bigger body. In my life, I find God’s tasks are numerous, large, and always slightly too tough.

Oh, I don’t discourage anyone from following a path of a Monk. Man, Woman, and all my wonderful Fellows who are on their journey of personal discorvery – all are welcome at the Lord’s Table.  If you feel it as a Call, it’s a Call. I do want to offer warnings from my path (what, 4 months? Is that even a step?) in that God will grant you certain Powers – self-discipline, personal accountability, and an authentic perspective on the world in which much is taken for granted.

Each Power is a configuration of your soul – if you take in self-discipline into your heart, vices turn facile and joys are appreciated because they have to be earned. It is going “cold turkey” on much of the consumeristic lifestyle we’ve enjoyed in America, and directing your mind towards purposeful work. Video games, podcasts, beer, marijuana – these have little-to-no appeal for me these days when once I needed all of them in my daily routine.  If you take in personal accountability – you will have an honest understanding of your limitations, your values, and the intrinsic worth of you soul to God. It was not a pleasant inventory for me, to be sure, but I check in periodically and I find that my limitations expand, my values are clear and non-fungible by circumstances or people, and my intrinsic value is what it always was to God, but now it is to me. If you take in authentic perspective – you can know and speak Truths and Worries honestly, which allows others to share their fears and concerns openly. But you will not be heard by most, and Truths or Worries (because what, we Monks-in-Training know everything?) aren’t nearly as dire to others as they are to us.

Sometimes I think there’s a paradox if God can truly know everything and grant us free will. I think He knows the general outline but likes the actors interpret the scenes. That’s some Monk-theology if I ever heard it.

I have a lot of experience raising two children – precisely 5 years with Jacob and almost 8 with Ellie. In the time, whenever we go to a toy shop, a local groceries, or to Target (Monks-in-training need stuff too!) I always tell the kids to say “Thank You”. I heard on an Ezra Klein podcast that there only culturally etiquette time to say “Thank You” in both directions is between the buyer and the shop-owner. It is an exchange of value that is mutually beneficial to both parties, so both parties are grateful. I didn’t know that – that podcast I listened to this year and I’ve been doing it out of “gotta teach these kiddos some manners….” instinct.

But, is that really the only time to say Thank You? I don’t know if that’s true because that would indicate that no other engagements have mutual benefits to the parties. Is it weird to be grateful for the Post Office? Or is it something I should take for granted? If I take it for granted, then I have an expectation of service and communication. If I take it as gratitude, then I’ve no expectations at all. I am unsure because both options feel extreme. I think it really comes down to other side’s expectations as well – if they’re wondering the same thing or wanting the similar. If one was moderate-inclined, one would try to hold both tracks in parallel.

Oh whatever. Just say Thank You.  No one does it enough and rarely do people thank the thankers – so make sure you spot the few left still trying to be generous in spirit and give them a heartfelt thanks. These are challenging times and it’s easy to lean-back and close up. It’s expected.

Frankly, and I’m embarrassed to say, rewarded in more Progressive circles. I worry that the generous spirit of progressives will be curtailed through self-censure and community-reinforced norms to “keep up appearances” to insulate itself from what is a rapidly deteriorating country.

I am Progressive-in-spirit, but I have to shake my head at what the community-at-Large is doing with their time and efforts. More on that later.

The great thing about being a Monk-in-Training (well, at least I am one in my head – I’m told it takes 10 years and I’m only in month 4 so…..I got some time to work on some things), is that there’s a lot of ascetic discipline in the history. There’s fasting and prayers and chants and service work. It’s got everything one needs in re-establishing personal discipline.

For me, my monk journey started at Luther Memorial Church, which is an amazing Chicago church located in the heart of GermanTown. I could go on about why this church is beauty in proportion, but that is for another post.

The challenge with being a monk is in the solitude. I find great peace in meditating/praying for hours throughout the day. It helps me harmonize my head with my mind. I frequently speak with God, who in my mind is some old mechanic who squints when he winks, like he knows someone or something. It’s annoying and bit rude, to be honest.

That said, the Guy knows some stuff and but at times I think I know God a bit better than He knows Himself. Or rather, I think I can gleam some of His designs – He’s got a pattern, you see? If you look at history, can compare things, it feels like a rhyme to a familiar toon.  I know that’s irreverent, but I have a theory that God likes free will and God likes nudges to make sure we re-learn some values we neglected and perhaps some ones we never perfected.

What I enjoy in training to be an American Lutheran monk is that it’s a bit of a start-up scene. The order is still forming. There must have been on monk, 1000 years ago, that recommended tonsure haircuts. That is probably that longest-last, most-seen joke that has been going on for centuries. I think if I can get in on the ground floor, I can one day be a Lutheran monk that recommends a secret handshake. Unfortunately, secret handshakes that are well known aren’t too secret, so I’ll have to laugh in the shadows.

There is also a direct tie-in from my Recovery experiences with AA – which was founded by a Lutheran Minister named Bill.  I don’t know Bill, but he seemed like a guy desperate to change the world for the better by helping broken men and women who were coping with addiction. I don’t know what better way to serve your neighbors than to be able to walk with them through their struggles. If I still drank, I’d toast Bill. Or shake his hand with a authentic “Thank You.” He’d probably like that better.

I hope you well, my reader. I will say a prayer tonight for you.

I had a tough conversation with a manager, talking about a decision from one of his team-members to leave the company and go to a competitor. As I unpacked the reasons given by the team member, I thought “this guy is going to be disappointed with our competitor too…”

I’m not trying to be pompous – it’s just that certain industries thrive under specific pressures and deadlines, and personalities either gravitate to them, or veer away from them.

Before starting D&T with Dominic, I did the following jobs

• Film Projectionist
• Gymnastics Coach
• Pre-school Teacher
• Bartender
• Collections Agent
• Client Relations for a law firm
• Executive Assistant

I did all these jobs in five years! Think about that –  that means I was jumping from one job to the next in less than a year! By the time I learned how to do the job I was already running for the exit. Something was always not right for me – I wasn’t getting challenged, I “deserved” a promotion, the culture was too boring/too toxic/too saccharine.

So I jumped to another job, thinking that the next gig would be more my style, and I finally would find my niche. And you know what? I did! For about three months into the job I would love it. I learned a new trade and addressed new challenges. Then the honeymoon period would end and it all would become drudgery and rote actions.

According to massive amounts of article that the business development gurus post on Linkedin, or anything you hear on “Culture” from TedTalks, I should be humbled and paranoid about this experience. Great founders OBSESS about culture! So losing people means I’m failing as an employer, right?! I should be shivering in my boots, fretting on why my culture was toxic and how, oh how can I fix it before the company implodes!

But I don’t agree – instead I feel sanguine about the experience. The employee that left is looking for a place wherever he/she needs to fit, and that’s the right choice for that person. The culture at D&T doesn’t fit everyone, and it’s a fool’s errand for it to try to be all things to all people. For the people who like the culture, they will stay and build upon it; everyone else will leave and find their place. And yes, Dom and I worked hard and continue to work hard on the culture of the company and we’re constantly challenging ourselves to Do Good and Be Good (our company motto) by Doing Better and Being Better for all the good people who do work here. 

Right now I feel very confident that the culture is strong, the people who stay here are happy, and that the grass is green enough, thank you very much.

I said the grass is GREEN! GREEN!!! You hear ME?!

“People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they’ll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They’re so thirsty for it they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.” Lewis Rothschild – “The American President”

The value of straight talk is unparalleled. I know people who want to look savvy, and they come of as cagey; people who want to look powerful, and the silence is deafening. Nothing is motivating about being coy with your vision and your plan for the business or for your people.

With that said, it’s not necessary to “open the kimono” about all matters, especially stressful ones. If you’re a manager or a leader, you have to deal with a number of stressful issues daily. Odds are, you’re calibrated emotionally and psychologically to handle these stresses, and telling everyone the world’s problems is a fast way to create alarm and cause undue harm.

So there is a balance – people need to know what is going on, and where they stand, and they need to know that you are thinking about these two things all the time. It’s the fruit of wisdom to know what to say and when to say it.

MJF for the win!

2015 here we are!

Yes, it’s almost February, but here’s a quick blog post.

Some major news: Our Director of Operations Timothy Daly is launching his blog called Employee Seven. It’s a great perspective from the only non-entrepreneur/sales/technical leader we have on the team. He’s OPERATIONS!  The backbone of all companies – great and small.

Here’s a snippet from his blog post “UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS”

Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.

– Donald Rumsfeld, Former US Secretary of State (Wikipedia)

The first thing an Employee #7 needs to recognize is that there is a *lot* of information out there. No one person can know all of it. Just off the top of my head:

• Federal Employment Laws
• State Employment Laws
• Business Licences
• Tax Law
• GAAP Accounting Standards
• Financing options
• Budgeting
• Recruiting
• Renting Office Space
• Buying/Leasing Furniture
• Cash Flow
• Securing Credit
• Collections
• Vendor Management

You cannot know it all.

read more @ http://www.employeeseven.com/

I love cold calls. I love going in blind, seeing if there’s a live pulse on the other end, and seeing if there’s a way to move forward on your agenda.

Odds are, if you call my office, and I pick up, I will listen to whatever you have to sell for at least 5 minutes.

A good salesman will create the most engaging conversation you will have all day, I guarantee it.

Now, I understand that a lot of people don’t like being “sold.” To those people I say “it’s not selling if there’s no need for the services or goods.”

One of my best, most reliable vendor generates six-figures in sales annually. He came from a cold call. I guess he got me on the right day. The truth, though, is that there was no “right day.” What got me intrigued was more about him than his services. He was honest and forthright, and he made himself available several times. I canceled on a few meetings; he was flexible. I was rude and too busy – he was cool and accommodating. No, I wasn’t intentionally rude, but it’s hard to be civil 100% of the time and not de-prioritize a sales meeting vs your day-to-day meeting.

Oftentimes my company gets business through word of mouth or referrals. In that world, you’re eating whatever comes through the door – whether it’s dog food or steak. In cold calling, you have the opportunity, however slight, to seize control of your destiny. And that’s true for your business as well as your new clients.

Hey, I just did a public race, in November, in CHICAGO, at 6AM!

Some personal accomplishments

1.) I never stopped running throughout the 5K

2.) This was the first time running outside, in a crowd

3.) this is the first time Julie and I ran together and my time was WAY up because of it. (By WAY up I mean I averaged a 10:15 mile rather than the codgerly-run of 12 min-miles  I normally stumble through).

Some fun after-effects are that I want to do a 10K; my irrational fear of running outside is lessening, and I somehow feel like I’m a better person for doing this. I still hate running, and it feels silly to feel like I accomplished something simply by running a certain distance, but given the amount of pain incurred for running a 5K, I can rationalize both away. Have no fear, folks…

I will tell you now, as a business-owner of 5 years

There are those days

those days that you do not live for

those days that are painful, brutal, the ones you do not want to show up to the office for

the ones that are above your paygrade

you don’t get to avoid those days

those days come and you deliver

there are those days that are crucial

painful, brutal

they make it all unworthwhile

they make it open, and they are bleak.

those days are the days you recognize that you are doing something bigger, and probably making a big mistake

those days are very very difficult, and it’s your best to make sure you leave with dignity intact.

I believe we live for, and hide from, those days.

Today was that day.

I hope to never have another, but I know if I don’t I’ll never fulfill the promises of this company, the people here, and to myself.