A Casualty of good intentions?

The final instruction in the book Time Management for the Creative Person by Lee Silber encourages readers to:

1) Divide a paper into four quadrants.

2) Number each quadrant one through four.

3) Write one's most beloved, cherished life dreams in each of the quadrants.

4) Rip into quarters.

5) Take Goal #4, wad it up and throw it into the trash.

6) Take Goal #3, and send it also the circular file.

7) Goal #2 also will not survive this test

8) Your cherished passionate life dream, your #1, also must be shot and buried.

And that's what it's going to be like if you don't pursue your goals, writes Silber. And he hopes I feel horrible. Well, I'm immune to that, but I get it. Thank you, Mr. Silber, you creative writer, you.

I do not regret the path I followed without any narration, but I regret perhaps losing the joy of sharing it with you.

I'm back, but I'm not here for me. I'm here for us all.

"Write for yourself. Write what you know."

I could only do that, but I'm writing for us all. A gift unopened is indeed a cardboard box that rattles and thumps. In the end we can only find unity, community, catharsis, at the fellowship of knowing we are not alone.

We have no doctors

My wife is really sick. I found her in bed, crying, her joints stabbing with pain. It's a stomach flu with claws, but I'm no physician. I'm a Christian who follows a Jewish Messiah from the 1st Century. So, cut me a break. The first thing I did after learning she was in unbearable pain was ask her if I could pray for her.

I prayed, "Lord Jesus, by your stripes we are healed."

I felt something come out of her-- an energy, if you will. The pain lessened but did not recede.

I prayed, "Lord Jesus, we have no doctors, but you are the Great Physician."

The rest of the energy came out. She felt better.

I'm not opposed to doctors, but sometimes they aren't around, or can't heal anymore.

Let me tell you another story. As a child I was uninitiated to spiritual things, but I remember being tormented by guilt.

I remember once, in the midst of tears, I opened my Bible and began to read the Psalms. And God would comfort me in this way. I did not know Him, but He knew me.

When You Absolutely Must Take Off

Today (is a good day to fly)
Hello! You have found a unique Note series about what it means to fly. Decision Speed is a concept I'm beginning to execute after several months of intense soul searching— hard but worth it. 

I invite you to come along with me as I write my magnum opus after too many years of university training (Tommy Boy territory— eek! but the end is nearing). 

I want to tell you my story, but I'll save that for another chapter.

This year, I am responding to God's pressing call to share in an imaginative and vivid way a few amazing things I am learning, with an emphasis on practical application. 

Basically, Decision Speed is the book I would write, if I had time to write a book and you had time to read it.

Online? In 2009? 

Yep.

Don't care? Then, I dedicate the first Note to you. 

My Promise (to be excellent)
I am no stranger to the art of publishing-- I only hope I can keep your interest long enough to get to the good stuff. I have little desire to publish or to be heard online-- in fact, I prefer coffee shop discussions with good friends. Although I've written a few blogs, I haven't organized my ideas around a central concept like Decision Speed.

It wasn't necessary, until today. I know I may only have one chance to speak. I'll make my words count.

Decision Speed is less about finding the answers and more about living them. That's why I will not be the only writer involved. I'm just getting the wheels rolling.

Like an antique show in Tokyo, we'll blend the old and the new, the historical and the futuristic. I won't lie— these are Notes about social change. Even if you hate change, if you have even the loosest affiliation with Jesus or church, I believe you'll want to read along. 

I've chosen Facebook as my medium, because almost everyone is here. I also feed RSS readersfrom my blog The Old College Try. 

The title? (taking off is hard)
The title is strange, isn't it? It's a phrase every pilot you have ever sat behind has at one point uttered. It's quite important.

Decision speed is the predetermined airspeed at which pilots plan to start flying.

Decision speed is about what happens if something goes wrong. Before decision, pilots attempt to stop the aircraft before they careen off the runway and onto the network news. But after decision is reached, they must attempt to fly.

More about that later . . .

Ticketing (because time isn't free)
Quickly, I'd like to say thanks for browsing. I love to hear from people who agree, disagree, or who just enjoy writing things in boxes. 

I know you are busy. I'm mindful of your time and will not waste it. 

Taxiway (flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff)
So, you read on, cautiously, because you're waiting for the takeoff. Right?

Well, Captain, what do you have in mind for today? 

Did you think I was flying your plane?

Nope, I've got my own plane to fly. We all do. No one can make you fly, but everyone has a runway.

Above all, we cannot continue life in the finite split seconds between the familiar tarmac and the foreboding sky. We are either going to fly or crash.

Here we go. Take the yoke, put your feet on the pedals, and get ready to burn some jet fuel. When your copilot says "Rotate," it's decision time. Pull the yoke, or toe the brakes. Bite or flight.

• CABIN MUSIC: OFF


• RELEASE BRAKES


• POSITION AIRCRAFT ON CENTER LINE


• APPLY THRUST


• ROTATE


• WELCOME TO DECISION SPEED

See ya soon, friends.

Godspeed,
Andrew