Friday June 23, 2006 by Hal → Weblog
I’m always trying to find metaphors, illustrations and allegories for the size of the Universe — both great and small. As I think I’ve blogged before, on a scale from smallest subatomic particle to the complete Universe, a human being is about halfway.
Which means that looking out at the cosmos (in your imagination), is the same as an electron “looking” at you!
But today’s mind-blower is this illustration of the relationship between a proton (subatomic particle in the center of an atom) and it’s electron (subatomic particle ‘orbiting’ the proton).
The Site is Here
In this illustration you’ll see a blue sphere representing the proton that is 1000 pixels across — to reach the electron which is ONE pixel across you’ll have to scroll to the right the equivalent of 11 MILES!
Makes the mind boggle doesn’t it? Everything that seems solid is made up of mostly empty space. Meditate on that for a while!
Saturday March 25, 2006 by Hal → Articles
As some of you know, I’m the highly introverted (INFP) who is also a Sales and Marketing director for a company that sells both nationally and internationally.
So, this tells us that I really, really, really dislike sales prospecting — at least in the stereotypical ‘pick up the phone and cold call’ ‘sales hunter’ way. I’m always looking for ways to find prospects in unorthodox ways.
One of these is spelled out in my article Cold Calling for Introverts where I detail a means of using the phone that won’t cause an introvert to want to lie down and die.
I found another one yesterday — it’s called Google Alerts and, as with most Google tools, it’s simple to understand and use.
In a nutshell (“look, I’m in a nutshell!”), you add some relevant search terms, tell it how often you’d want to be alerted and enter your email address. Poof! A Google-formatted email appears in your inbox full of relevant goodness!
Now, you may be saying, “Thank God Almighty! I see the light!” and others may be saying “So?”.
Let’s give some examples. Let’s say you work in state and local government sales in water purification. You depend on RFPs (Requests for Proposals) so in the Google Alert box enter government, RFP, water, purification — from that moment you will receive everything Google finds that references those terms.
Or if you sell large equipment to transportation companies, create an alert with the words heavy, equipment, fortune 500 or whatever makes sense to you.
Be careful not to fill the alert with too many words or you may miss opportunities because you’ve been overly specific. Keep it general — it may be better to create more than one alert that covers different aspects of your field and customers.
Now you may get immediate gratification and you may not — but it’s a lot quicker and easier than hunting for these manually. Let me know how this works for you by commenting or email me.
Monday February 20, 2006 by Hal → Weblog
This is a bit off my normal topics - but since I’ve worked with port terminals, I thought I’d add my $0.02 worth. This is the text of an email to a friend who asked the question.
I am somewhat surprised at the reaction of everyone to this issue and, at the same time, not really surprised.
A little background: the largest port in North America is the combined Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - which is really just one huge area. This area, while owned by the cities, is leased out to terminal operators to build and operate the massive infrastructure needed. This includes massive civil works, entire railroad systems and multi-million dollar crane systems.
Most if not ALL of the individual terminals are joint ventures by companies from several nations - WBCT (West Basin Container Terminal) in Long Beach is a joint venture of China Shipping, Hanjin, and others - all Asian. P&O Ports [the company being bought] operates numerous east and west coast terminals and they are an Australian company.
The combinations of these companies are more for economies of scale than for something sinister, I think. Every large port terminal operator is an amalgam of purchases and acquisitions over decades.
That having been said, I still maintain that all the searching that goes on at airports doesn’t hold a candle to the amount of searching it would take to cover every container that enters the US from overseas.
Sunday February 27, 2005 by Hal → Weblog
For some reason I’ve been getting more email lately about the “stuck-in-a-rut†syndrome. The problem I have in commenting on being in a rut is that everyone’s rut is different. Your rut might be someone else’s happiness and bliss! This evening’s email is a response to my article “Rutbusting”.
Hello Mr. Warfield,
Recently, I read your article on rut busting and I was hoping to gain some insights from you.
I finished undergrad in 1997, yet I have found myself stuck in a major job rut.
I have over this period applied to countless jobs within my major, yet the only jobs I have worked over this span have been in such “ex con” type jobs as a security guard, overnight stocker, front desk clerk and as a gopher at a private club.
To a large degree I have felt defeated by not getting a job within my major and this has internally caused me to be miserable in spirit. I’ve taken I feel a proactive step towards getting back in school starting in Jan and chasing my dream vocation — film.
What else besides going back to school to further my education, can I do to avoid having another rut? I certianly don’t wish this but feel its a valid concern after the way my job track has unfolded over the last 8 years.
Thank you, for your insights Mr. Warfield.
And I reply:
Everyone’s rut can be different. First, you don’t say what kind of undergraduate degree you received. Did you take the courses you did because YOU wanted to or because you thought it would help you in some specific career field? What approach did you take upon finishing school to find a job that was interesting? Your comments make me think you didn’t focus on jobs in your area of expertise.
Did you “take some time off†after college and lose momentum? Were you unsure how to proceed with a career search? While it’s good you’re returning to school, this can also sometimes be a further delaying tactic for not pursuing your true calling.
Do you know your true calling? Do you know your basic temperament type – if not I suggest you read some articles on temperament on my site – I’m gonna keep on lookin’. If you are a Phlegmatic type you will often have to struggle with laziness and lack of direction.
I don’t know if any of this helps. You might want to explore your “innards†a bit more by reading these articles -–
Let me know if you have further questions and best wishes.
MWJ 2005-08-10:
Alternative presentation of recommended articles for further reading —
Monday February 14, 2005 by Hal → Articles
For many years I’ve worked with people who are afraid of public speaking. I firmly believe this fear arises from an overabundance of self-consciousness. Which leads us to tonight’s email call for help.
Mr. Warfield,
I am willing to give anything a shot right now to make my ability to speak in public better. This is my last semester in college and I have to take oral communications.
My first speech was horrible. My voice cracked, I skipped half of my information (not because I didn’t know it but because I just wanted to be done), I literally felt like I was going to pass out.
I am a very shy and quiet person beyond public speaking. I have tried practicing on other people and in the mirror and I still have the same symptoms when I do that.
I have so much stress and anxiety built up because I HAVE to do this to graduate and I just don’t feel like I can. I mean how many people actually stess out and get nervous talking to themselves in the mirror. Please Help!!!
And I answer:
This really, really brings back memories because years ago I taught speech in college and often got people like you who waited till their senior year to take this course. One of my worst memories is having to flunk a senior who never showed up for class.
First, this type of anxiety is very common but arises from being too self-conscious. This level of self-consciousness comes from an inner self-critical voice that says, “why would anyone listen to me; I am not worth listening toâ€. The solution to this is some serious self-examination that may be beyond the scope of passing your class.
So I will make some practical suggestions for speeches but I STRONGLY recommend that you get some help in re-examining and re-assessing your self image for the long term or people will take advantage of you all your life.
Okay – this may sound over-simplified but one thing you must do is learn your material so well through extreme repetition that you could do it even if you DID pass out. This level of familiarity will help you keep going even when anxious.
This type of stress is generated by an overabundance of stress hormones (fight or flight) that can most easily be dealt with through activity. Schedule your speech first if possible and spend the time before class walking up and down stairs till you are winded.
This may seem strange but you are dealing with the physical effects of the stress hormones; combined with over-preparation of your material SHOULD allow you to get through your presentation.
Also remember that the people listening to you are in the exact same boat as you and, while it may seem a cliché, misery loves company.
Best wishes,
Hal Warfield
Wednesday November 24, 2004 by Hal → Weblog
This article on Kuro5hin struck a nerve this week. It discusses the idea that we have become a people whose focus is on simply maintaining our comfort.
He says that comfort is when we have no “itch” to scratch. I hadn’t thought of it in that way but it does seem that many of us (many of me?) do avoid discomfort. But this seems to narrow the world so much.
Does this mean I should seek out discomfort? Should life not be more than an avoidance of discomfort? And is comfort actually an addiction?
If you were reading this for answers, you’ll have to wait until I have some …