Can you think too much?

In response to last week’s question, "Can you think too much?," my birthday bud Jon replied, "Well, yes..or maybe not....I think...but I'm not sure. Yeah, probably, but then again...can I get back to you? I'd like to mull it over for a while. No, I know..."

My dog rescue friend Kate declared, "Definitely," to which my dad's beach buddy Bob added, "Yes, and it hurts."

My sailing friend Scott wrote, "I don’t know.  Let me think about it and get back to you" to which my membership friend Vivian concurred, "Just wait.  I have to think about it!"  And then my product management friend Doug provided clarity, "I don't think that you can think too much.... Well maybe you can???  I don't know for sure... but let me think about it."   See my IT friend Corey's thesis at the bottom of this email.

My college roomie John explained that Scott, Vivian and Doug, and many corporations have what "I call analysis paralysis!"

My neighbor Al responded, "Usually I have no problem thinking and concentra ....... Oh look at that hummingbird!"

My organizational behavior guru Marya observed, "Based on what I can tell, we aren't thinking enough!  Oh, we are talking enough, LOL, but we aren't thinking nearly as much as we should.  ;-)  " To this, my equestrian friend Royce added, "Thinking is, indeed, an arduous task, and, therefore, I am going to find another cactus button to reveal what I am suppose to be thinking about."

My writing and sailing Rich shared, "According to my wife the less thinking I do the happier I will be. If I do need to know what to think she will be there to tell me. All of this started some 30 thirty years ago when the preacher asked me "Do you take this woman..." and she said, "he does"."

My cycling friend Ted noted, "Yes you can think too much!! I did that on your last question ( Is there time in Eternity?) and couldn't come up with a response!"  And my technology friend Kosol provided a different example, "Yes, thinking too much happens when you try to respond to someone and take forever, then they look and stare at you waiting for a response while you're sitting there with a blank face.  The whole thing becomes awkward.  Then you end up feeling dumb the whole evening and wonder if the other person who asked you the question thinks you're dumb too. Then it gets really awkward."

And then my friend Kelly shared his limits, "Only if you’re currently being beaten to death…  At that point it’s time to stop thinking and start pepper spraying."

Please share your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

What is the opposite of fireworks?

Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that makes you smile!

Hal

Happy Birthday USA, and all of its citizens.  We are a tremendous melting pot of ideas and innovation that coexist, making this one of the best places in the world to live.

A thesis from my friend Corey:   I have definitely “thought too much” so I know you can.  In fact, in reading through this email I am composing I believe I am thinking too much.  The interesting part is that I’m not sure if others think too much.  Thus the reason for the question right?  If I were a betting man (which I’m not) I would bet that most people think too much and they know they are doing it and some more than others.  So, if in the back of your head you ponder the question “Am I thinking too much” then you’ve just accomplished it good or bad.  Maybe the question should be, “while I’m thinking too much what was the end result”?    In the business world, especially sales, this happens more often than you would like AND IT JUST HAPPENS.  The result is a lot of minutes/hours wasted.  Sometimes you can “out think” your customer or colleague so I recommend sticking to the KISS rule and Keep IT Simple.  Not only will you have less stress in your life, you will likely live longer by allowing certain things to just “happen”.  So another good question may be “how do you avoid thinking too much”?  That is interesting as well and some will just go on their gut instinct and it’s done.  Some will pick up a baseball bat or golf club and take a break allowing their mind to escape the issue at hand and relax.  This is a great topic and I would love to hear what others do to avoid thinking too much.  If there is such a thing.  :-)

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration.

Stop by www.nichelabs.com to see what I'm up to.

Is there time in eternity?

In response to last week’s question, "Is there time in eternity?,"  my dad's beach buddy Bob replied, "Only in waiting to get there" while my musical friend Blair shared, "all the time you’ll ever want or need….."

My writing and sailing friend  Rich responded, "Not sure about that but I am sure that there can be an eternity in time such as a meeting with the boss or dinner with your mother in law."

My neighbor Al  claimed, "Of course there is.  How else would you know it's going on forever?" My birthday bud Jon  challenged, "No time, but there is an eternity," while my social media friend Mark barely offered a challenge, writing, "Yes, there is time in eternity, but no one cares."

My equestrian friend Royce explained, "If one explores those interesting nuances found Einstein's Theory of Relativity, included, but limited to the bending of light waves, you will find the answer.   I was sort of shocked myself....a moment of enlightenment while searching for nirvana.  Those damn cactus buttons will do that to ya."

And my friend Lesley, who suggested the question, wrote, "I just realized that I don't have time to answer my own question as I intend live forever..."

Please share your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Can you think too much?

Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that makes you smile!

Hal

Summer is here.  For those who complained about the snow and cold temperatures, this is what you asked for.  Enjoy.

To those that offers prayers and well wishes for my mom (and dad), thank you very much.  We know we're not the first or last to go through major health issues; it's nice knowing how many people care.  And thanks to my sister, who is local and able to provide so much help.

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration.

Stop by www.nichelabs.com to see what I'm up to.

Is your imagination real?

In response to last week’s question, "Is your imagination real?",  my birthday bud  Jon replied, "I imagine so" while my friend Royce wrote, "Only if I imagine it," to which my engineering friend Steve expounded, "Who knows… how do we know this isn’t all just imagination?"

Taking a cue from my engineering friend, my social media friend Mark hypothesized, " Yes because a) imagination is a thought; b) a thought is real, so c) imagination is real."

My dad's beach buddy Bob noted, "If it is, I would be in real trouble!" to which my writing and sailing friend Rich added, "It is real enough when the stakes are life and death, like when my wife is greeting me at the door and I need imagination to come up with an excuse that is going to save me from her wrath for being late to dinner with her mother."

My neighbor Al concluded, "Imagination?  You wrote imagination, not creativity.  My imagination is not real.  I bought a Power Ball ticket and imagined that I actually won! Obviously that never happened because I'm still living down the street from Hal!"  

My cousin Greg pointed out, "I don't know about that one, you may need to ask my imaginary friends," to which one of my male sailing friends anonymously  quipped, "she sure feels real."

Please share your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Is there time in eternity? (from my friend Lesley)

Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that makes you smile!

Hal

www.nichelabs.com

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration.

"Is stupidity a handicap that gets you a better parking space?

In response to last week’s question, "Is stupidity a handicap that gets you a better parking space?", my dad's beach buddy Bob noted, "No, they park in the space reserved for pregnant women."  My organizational behavior guru friend Marya concurred, "And according to Carlo Cipolla (economic historian), stupidity can make you more powerful than any major organization.  Based on what I've seen lately, I'll take stupidity (and I don't need a parking space).  LOL!"

My friend Richard provided an overview. "Typically a “handicap” is something that disadvantages a small subset of individuals relative to the majority.  The preponderance of evidence suggests that stupidity affects more than a small majority of the populace. A sample taken on any given day during rush indicates that it is a very common affliction that affects at least 50% of drivers in any populous metropolitan area.

·         “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”  -- Albert Einstein

·         “Humans beings always do the most intelligent thing…after they’ve tried every stupid alternative and none of them have worked” – R. Buckminster Fuller

·         “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.” – Laurence J. Peter (author of “The Peter Principle”)"

My neighbor Al shared the photo and wrote, "If you mean like this car from Alabama, with lights still on,  that was parked next to me at Pappasito's?  He doesn't need a handicap space.  Stupidity just creates their own."   

My engineering friend Steve replied, "At least the government seems to think so, I think I’ve seen some of them parking there."  To this, my social media friend Mark added, "Of course stupidity is a handicap. And let them have the better parking. That way we won't have to chit chat with them as long as if they parked out by us. Fortunately, with so many politicians in that class, they have not yet thought of protecting the "stupidity" class with laws."  My copywriting friend Stan then added, "You should get an expensive ticket and humiliation."

My birthday bud Jon responded, "Only if you're too stupid to read the handicapped parking sign."
 

When my friend Royce asked, "Is this similar to obesity being a disease?", my cycling friend Ted shared, "I would say yes because a friend of mine(to be nameless!) uses the handicapped sticker to get a good parking spot to go on a hike!"

Please share your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Is your imagination real?   (from my friends Jim, Corey and Thomas)

Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that makes you smile!

Hal

My social media friend Leah lost a fellow Crohn's patient last week and is drawing strength from this. Leah wrote, "We met at Children's Healthcare in 2005 and became close at Crohn's camp (Camp Oasis) the following year.  She was 20 years old. I continue to fight & bring as much awareness for silent sufferers around the country. Her foundation, Beautiful Beyond the Pain (https://www.facebook.com/groups/535261559890741/) is all about raising awareness and raising money to send kids to health camps.

     

www.nichelabs.com

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration.