by Dennis Blank

photo via pixabay

What Lewis Caroll said is true: "If you don’t know where you're going, any road will get you there..."

Dear Lou:

Well, I definitely worked on my “core” this week. I spent five days with nine old friends from college at Myrtle Beach. We were up at 6:30 every morning to play golf. We told lies and settled golf bets over beers at the 19th hole from 1:30 to 3:00. We had a themed cocktail party every evening in one of our condos from 6:00 until 8:00. Then dinner, cards, another cocktail or two. Repeat.

There’s nothing like old friends. I believe that I get half of the belly laughs I have for the year in these five days. We’ll do anything for a laugh. We usually all meet in one of the hot tubs before cocktails. I forgot my bathing suit so I stopped and bought a Speedo to wear to the tub. When I dropped my towel the others nearly drown from laughing. I’d tell you more but we behave in such an incredibly juvenile manner it would just be too embarrassing. 

You told me last week to come back with new stories, but I came back with old stories stuck in my head. I was reminded of a few that I may try to put on paper if I can ever get into a real writing rhythm. I’m falling farther behind my already not-too-ambitious schedule, but this should be a good writing week.

Now Lou, I say this with only the deepest affection for you, but there is no way in hell I’m going to close my eyes and conger up visions of my future life per your suggestion last week. Maybe it’s just the difference between you having spent most of your life in Boulder and me having lived in New York. Only the people wearing tin foil hats and pushing shopping carts filled with clothing and canned goods down Fifth Avenue have visions in New York. I’ll work on a check list – but I don’t do visions.

d’

P.S. I took your advice and stopped obsessing over my most recent essay. I gave it another hour of editing and posted it on The Daily Blank yesterday under the title My Life as a Fed.

Dear d': 

I’m glad you had a great time and that some things never do change! Sounds like so much fun that I wish I had been there with you, at lease for the hot tub incident. One thing about Life 3.0 is we want to make sure that we retain the things that make you feel young and happy. That only adds to the beauty of whatever else fills your time.

I read your latest blog post on being a Fed. You know I never knew that about you. And I wonder how much has changed since you worked there, (how long ago?). It was a great essay and another testament to what a great story teller you are. My guess is that while you may be prone to some memory enhancements on these stories, they are, none the less, not too exaggerated. Your take on all of these incidents in your life would meld together into something insignificant for us lesser mortals. You, however, know how to spin a yarn.

As far as you closing your eyes and creating a vision, what do you mean you aren’t going to try? Do you really think that there is no one in NYC who doesn’t meditate or create visions for themselves? Where is the risk taker in you and how much of a risk could it possibly be?

I’ll tell you this. You said you were on cruise control in Life 1.0 and 2.0 and that you wanted to change all of that. Life 3.0 is supposed to be different with you at the helm, determining the course.

As Lewis Carroll said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” So if you don’t want to do it my way, then how do you want to create the end point for the Plan? You are in charge and it is your choice. If you decide to take it as it comes, then that too is a choice. I would just like for you to know where the hell you are going.

Coach Lou

Coach Lou is a co-founder of Chain Reaction Partners, an executive and leadership training consultancy in Boulder, Colorado.  d’blank is the author of The Daily Blank blog.