The Kaizen of (Technical) Writing

Is this a good example of Technical Writing? If there are no written instructions, just the chart and the key, could you complete the defined task?

Motivation:

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."
~Michael Jordan

Diary:

Something calms me down when I listen to the Minnesota Twins on the radio. I can do menial tasks with ease, as long as the sounds of baseball are going on in the background. I love that I can hear the crowd, sounds of balls and bats striking and even the random "lemonaaaaaade" from a vendor. I need this diversion today. I need to clean house, wash clothes and scrape the grime off of the counters. I love baseball. did I say that already?

My current favorite player is Pat Neshek. After reading this Star Tribune article, I became very excited about rooting for this unconventional pitcher. In that article, Neshek says:

"You have to make [life changes]," said Neshek, a former Park Center High School standout.

He posted a 4.82 ERA after the All-Star break and was shut down after Sept. 16 because of weakness and fatigue in his right shoulder.

He looked at the big picture and realized that -- in addition to inconsistent conditioning -- his diet was poor.

Neshek is trying to eat as a vegan, cutting back on meats and making more healthy choices with his other foods. His wife is a big supporter and good influence on him, and his changes have already started to make a difference in his cholesterol level, weight, and energy.

He is a great example of using Kaizen in his career. He is making little changes that at first don't seem to be connected to baseball, but the results of the changes are huge. I am very happy about Neshek, and hope he becomes a role model for the other players in the Twins organization. If they feel better and more healthy, maybe they can use that to get more wins. Wins are good.

I had a good conversation with my dad the other day, and I had suggested that I was going to start a "list of rejections" in my dating life. He thought this was not a very "Chazz Vader , Renaissance Man" sort of list, and thought I should reverse the list, instead of making it the list of rejections, make it a list of small successes. I liked this suggestion very much and thought about how to format this "courage list." It occurred to me, however, that in reality, it only takes 1 success, then you sort of stop. You could have a thousand rejections, but once you have the 1 acceptance, doesn't it make all of the failures just kind of fade away? The list becomes rather useless, except for a self-demoralizing effort, which could be fun in it's own way, but in the end is not a very Kaizen sort of activity. So, I decided not to start a rejection list, and focus on the concept of constant improvement. There will be other ways, I am sure, to completely humiliate myself, so this list can pass. I am somewhat relieved by this decision, as such a list could have been a major project to maintain.... ("a joke, son" - Foghorn Leghorn.)

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

When ideas fail, words come in very handy

Holy moley, this blog entry has taken weeks to finish - sorry for the delay. I am going to try and pound this out in the next 30 minutes, just so I can move on. More about this in the next blog entry....

I wanted to write a little bit about my work. Recently I was asked to serve on the board for the Society of Technical Communication in the Twin-Cities. This is a pretty big deal, and I am honored that I was selected to serve for this group. This was the 2nd feather in my cap this month, as I was also selected as "Member of the Month" at my fitness club. I still am not sure how I was chosen to receive this award (which was a free one-on-one fitness instruction), however I did get the opportunity to answer some great questions about why I am interested in improving my health, and share some of my goals with the other fitness center members. One of the things I discussed in my answers was the use of Kaizen in my fitness routine.

Kaizen also is part of my work as a Technical Writer. Why writing is a Kaizen-type activity? Well, maybe the best part of my job is "Editing" work of myself and of others. I am asked to review and fine-tune many different written communications going out from my current employer, and it is of many varied subject matter and tone. I am new to the company, so I am trying to find the right "voice" - a little of my voice, a little of the corporate language, and a little traditional style that is just "the way" that it needs to be done.

I enjoy this editing process, and while I do on occasion get ripped to high heaven with complaints and criticism, I try to not take it personally. If I have done a poor job on a project, i am personally frustrated with myself, but I realize that this is part of a "process" that can be improved. If you believe that Kaizen allows us to make constant improvement, we can attempt to be our best, while still understanding that we are human and imperfect beings.

One of the best things I have done at the Society of Technical Communication (STC) was to be a judge for a competition. Having to look at what is good and bad about other writer's content helps me to think about what is wrong or could be improved with my writing..

What is the hardest thing about writing? Organization! For me, at least, knowing what goes into the document, in what order, and in what flow is the first piece to master. Having lots of information is good, but if it isn't in the right context, it is unreadable and then unusable.

Technical Communication requires putting the right order to things, organizing things in the right way, and giving just the right amount of information to the reader. Enough information that the reader has all the information they need to actually complete the task, but not so much information so that it takes a bulldozer to sort through the words on the page.


This blog is not a great example of Technical Writing, as I don't always have a structure when I right, it is more just a "dump" of thoughts, information, and assorted musings. On the other hand, I am very interested in how to best use blogs, wikis, audio and video to best illustrate technical concepts. I think sometimes illustrations and cartoons could be great ways of communicating technical steps without having to use a lot of words. When traveling for instance, you may not understand the language, but a sign of caution or yield is usually evident and distinguishable. Another good example of Technical Communication is this little girl explaining Star Wars. She is accurate, yes? She didn't give us ALL the information, but what she did say was of interest, factual, and had a specific perspective. I liked it. I am going to try to experiment in the future with different ways of communicating ideas in a way that may seem outside the box, but completes the intended objective in a simple way.

One part of this blog that is important to me is that I write what I have a passion for - and sometimes it is just me - and my thoughts. It may be uninteresting to anyone, but it is what I write about best, so I will continue to do so. It makes me happy, and sometimes this is the most important thing to do.

I had a great conversation with my friend Kaptain Karl last night. I was upset that this article has taken so long to finish and is somewhat scattered. He responded that "One day in college, I was having problems finishing an essay for one of my writing courses, and the instructor asked me what was wrong. I indicated I was having problems writing the ending! The instructors response was "Maybe it is done."" That was a big revelation to Karl, and a great reminder to me. Perhaps you don't need a grand conclusion to a story, or some closure to an article. Maybe something is just finished when you finally stop typing.



more later,

Chazz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

The 100 Club and other assorted challenges

Motivation:

"Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm, push."

Diary:

On Tuesday, while in the locker room, I stumbled ever so slightly, lost my balance as I was taking off my sock, and landed my left foot on top of my dress pants, which were on the locker room floor. What I didn't know and couldn't see what that my belt buckle was open and the sharp, metal hook part of the buckle was extended straight up - straight into the middle part of the heel of my foot, causing a sudden shooting pain. I looked down at my foot, sockless, bloody and marred, a huge scar of skin dangling and a hole piercing my normally healthy appendage.

Another time and place, I would have stopped / postponed my workout, and gone back to my desk and felt bitter about the whole experience. Today I was just stubborn enough to look at the foot, get pissed off, put my workout clothes on, and go for a 3.15 mile run on the elliptical. Every step hurt, and not just on my foot, but all the way up my ankle, into my leg, and throughout my lower back. Every now and then, if I stepped on my heel just right, a shooting pain would reach all the way up my spine into my shoulders. I have a headache.

The incident, and the pain did not distract me from reaching my goal. I have to keep running, because I know what prize will await me at the end of the run. I know that today I will have completed my task, and am one step closer to reaching my goal. One bloody foot is not a good enough reason to give up on the dream, and the pain that is associated with such an event will go away, but the experience of dignity, pride, and self-assurance is much more permanent.

As we get closer to Easter, this piercing of my foot in a very small way reminds me of the gifts that have been given for me and my goodwill. I can endure life's pain and conquer the barriers put in front of me.

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

"Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm, push."

So, it has been a while since I wrote about my fitness and weight loss program, which was the main reason for blogging in the first place. So I feel compelled, since I am now out of the locker room, to write a little about my experience for the last few weeks.

I indicated that I have a new job, and the first week of the new job found that there is a small fitness center in the basement of the building. It is a very reasonably priced facility for tenants and they have the equipment that I use regularly, elliptical machines, some free weights, treadmills, a shower and locker area.

The one thing they have that I have never done in my life, was a "Group Exercise." For some reason, I assumed that this was either too 'girly' or that I wouldn't like it, so I have never tried to get involved in group fitness classes (yoga, pilates, cardio kickboxing, step classes, etc). I guess I imagined all the dumb videos I saw in the 1980s and thought that was not for me. (I am really starting to learn that assumptions are always wrong, and if you have a choice of trying something or assuming you can't do it, you should try it once, be embarrassed, and then never do it again.)

This time, someone at work, who I was impressed with, indicated that he liked the classes, and suggested that I should try one, but he indicated "you will be sore!" I figured I would do 1 class a week, and then run the other days. That would keep me from getting bored with running, but I still need to run to keep in shape for the 5K runs later this summer. So, I would be ok with mixing it up a little, maybe at least for one time.

I picked out something called "Boot Camp" with instructor Karl. Karl is a "functionalist" according to the information on the sign-up sheet. Functional movements save time and build lean mass while burning total body fat. The workouts look simple, but are deceptively challenging. Karl believes that the best fitness results will come from performing constantly varied functional movements at a relative high intensity. He enjoys using any and all tools available to keep the body guessing and to avoid slipping into the dreaded rut of any routine.

Every week in Boot Camp, Karl has a new toy to share with us - huge stability balls, steps, dumbbells, empty barbells, medicine balls, resistance bands, sit-up mats, jump ropes, and next week is planning on obtaining some kettle balls. We never know what sort of moves we will be doing and it is maybe, outside of high-school wrestling, the toughest workouts I have ever had to complete.

The first day of Boot Camp, I felt GREAT! The next morning, I felt GOOD, and as the day went on, I started to feel OK, then TIRED and finally, EXHAUSTED. The second day after the workout, I couldn't get out of bed, and was in PAIN. Later that day I started to feel OK again, but still was so TIRED and didn't think I could run any more that week. By the third day, Karl said - now is a good time to come back to class. (Huh, it hasn't been a week yet. Oh no.)

While Karl direct "Boot Camp" on Mondays, where the goal is to do core-muscle workouts, exposing the weaknesses in the participants (my weaknesses are evident in my push ups and jumping jacks), he also is the leader for "The 100 Club" on Thursdays, which is a gauntlet of different motions and exercises. The goal is to crank out 100 reps of the different activities in the time allowed, so you are constantly moving, pushing, pulling, stretching and lifting. It is a grind, and it is marvelous. So, after the Boot Camp on Monday, and running on Tue and Wed, Karl had me back in on Thursday, where we did 100 reps each of the following moves:

• single leg lunges (back, front, side to side)
  

• standing rows (using resistance bands);
• overhead presses (with resistance bands);
• "mountain climbers", then
  

• crunches;
• supermen;
• seated twists, then
  

• squats;
• hip elevation bridge;
• bicycles, then
  

• stretching and breathing;

after 45 minutes of this constant motion (up and down, up and down) I am pretty darned tired, but I know something - which is this - shhhh - I have muscles, but don't tell anyone. Karl is helping me build my muscles that are down underneath my fat - it is exciting because I can feel them and when I have lost the next layer of flab, they will be there ready to show themselves off to the world.

One of the hardest things is that Karl wants our "eyes up" and reminds us of this, as we need to keep our posture during the moves and it helps to make sure we are bending in the right places, and not injuring ourselves. It is so difficult to watch yourself do a move in the mirror that exposes your weak spots.

I already know the answer without asking. It simply is that if you never focus on your weaknesses, you can never acknowledge them or know what you need to work on. Use your strengths to help you to overcome your weaknesses. In a step-by-step approach, this is fine, because you don't have to get rid of your weaknesses TODAY, but maybe in the next cycle of goals, you may want to add a weakness to your list. You don't dwell on your weakness, but you should be confident that you are not destined to be directed by your weaknesses if you don't want to be - you can, perhaps with help of someone like a Karl, to find your work around. The best thing about having "a Karl" directing you, is that you can turn off your brain for a little while and be told "do this - do that - keep moving - go, go, go, go" and then just push yourself and get caught into the whole commotion. Having an instructor that has been there and knows what you should do makes working out so SIMPLE, but you still have to do the work, and believe me, it IS NOT EASY.

If I can do it, YOU can do it too. Here is the nutshell version of how:

1. I assume you have a doctor and she has given you the green light to start working out.
   
2. If you are starting and nervous about working out / injury, or just starting, do what I did - WALK. I walked inside the mall and later around a lake. The point is to focus on moving during the walk. If you are at the mall, don't stop and browse the stores, make a point of focus on walking for 20 - 45 minutes straight, pump your arms, listen to music, do whatever it takes to be concentrating on your fitness. As time goes by, do other moves, like marching or suck in your abs while you are walking.
3. If you are comfortable walking, maybe try using an elliptical machine at the gym, or sign up for a "Curves" or other quick-fitness program. I think these can be beneficial to keep moving. Again, this is your time to focus on your body, so make the most out of it and focus on improving a little bit every day.
4. When you feel comfortable, start to challenge yourself. Would you be able to walk or jog for 3 miles? Then sign up for a 5K this fall. You have plenty of time to get training for a September or October challenge.
   
5. Sign up for a fitness class at the local gym or get some one-on-one training. Most gyms will give a fitness assessment and some general counseling - and help you form a plan for weight loss or fitness. For extra $$, you can get a series of training sessions where you could learn more. (I am not in to this so much, but might do it someday.)
   

So, here is where I stand with the current fitness goals. Over the next few months I plan on achieving the following:

• Every Monday and Thursday - work with Karl.
• Every Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat - run for equivalent of 3 miles.
• Finish a 5K race in May.
• Lose 2 lbs of fat per week and continue down the 200lb goal milestones. The current goal is to get down to 226lbs, a loss of 39lbs from my current weight. It is very achievable, but it is also going to be a challenge.
  
• By October, Finish a 5K under 30 minutes.
• Fit into new suits from Kendall and get professional portraits taken for a before/after album.
• Get into pant size 36 - the number that JodiR said was my special number - way back in 2001, 4 years before I started my weight loss journey.
• Feel comfortable on social events, whatever that means. I think I just want to feel comfortable dancing, going to ballgames, walking around the state fair, snuggling with a special someone at a movie, being able to go horseback riding/hiking/climbing/skygliding/whatever. It isn't that I am trying to impress anyone specifically, but I want to feel like I would be up for any sort of challenge that I might get into, in a social sense.
  

Next week, "Writers Wanted"- why being a writer is a very good profession for a Renaissance Man, and a student of Kaizen.

In the upcoming weeks, I am going to disclose the secrets behind my weight loss plan - taking supplements.


more later,

Chazz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

A Guidance System for Heroes in Training

Photo taken from a blog by David Darmano, without advanced permission. I just liked it so much I had to steal it....

Motivation:

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."
~Ronald E. Osborn

Diary:

I am exhausted, but exhilarated. The last few weeks have included a new job, a new workout routine, a re-dedication of my training and healthy living plan, and new revelations for me about who I am and who I want to be. I have been working very hard to stay above water, but my arms are tired. I remember a swimming instructor once telling me "When your arms can't keep going, just float for a little while - then start again." I haven't gotten to the float point, but I feel it coming around soon.

Sunday afternoon, I attended a reunion of the "Small Course in Christianity" group, where we met new people who had been through the experience, as well as people who went through it with me. I have a very special bond with this group, and sometimes I forget about the inspiration and commitment that I feel from this experience. Going to these reunions reminds me of a few things:

1. God wants to shower us with his Grace - abundantly, incessantly, constantly.
2. Grace is different than Love. Grace involves a different action than Love. Receiving Grace can be an overwhelming experience.
3. The more I uncover God's plans, I can only laugh at my own innocence. Jeremiah 29:11 states "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
   

That was the 3rd time this week that I heard this verse repeated. All three times It felt like I was being directed to "patience, calm, and peace". That still small voice was telling me that I was going to be ok, if I would just open my eyes to the possibilities.

It was as if I was asking for an answer to my problems, and being told that the answer is coming, but I am not ready for it quite yet. I am reminded that when God makes us wait, we should not consider this to be wasted time. It is time to serve, and be served and continue to grow for the answer to be delivered. Since we don't know how or through whom the answer will be sent, we may be strangely surprised with who our messengers are. I have received messages from the most unlikely places, merely because I was open to listening and taking hold of the opportunity that has been set before me.

I was asked this weekend "Who was your childhood hero?", "What does it take to be a hero?", "What are the attributes and character of a hero?" and finally, "Are you a hero to someone else?" A group of people and I had a discussion on this topic over the weekend.

My first thought to this question was to ask myself "What is the difference between a hero and a role model?"

According to the dictionary a hero is the following:

• a person distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
• the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
• a champion: someone who fights for a cause

A role model is defined as:

• someone worthy of imitation

So there seems to be some differences here, but the one thing that does remain similar is the point of "implied value" in the two definitions. A Hero has "nobility", which could be defined as "the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct". Elevation of Mind, Exaltation of Character, Ideals or Conduct! What a great way to describe something. Another definition of Nobility speaks of being in a privileged class of people, such as a royalty. I really like the idea of describing Nobility by the action of improving your mind, character and conduct. That means that we ALL can have Nobility in our lives, by striving to improve ourselves and our world view.

The definition of Role Model includes the word "worthy". Worthy is defined as "having worth or merit or value; being honorable or admirable." We admire those whom we wish to imitate. We may have jealousy or covet others position in life, but only rarely do we find those whom we see as having such merit that we want to copy their actions and implement their ideals into our daily lives.

When asked, I didn't know if I had a "Hero" when I was a child, but I can state this - the people whom I wished to be around, emulate, and admired were those who treated me as a loved one. They invited me into their lives, shared their homes, tables, and time with me. My heroes were people who showed encouragement to me and were positive and giving of themselves, even if they were under stress and grief.

Are you a hero to someone? I knew the answer was "Yes", because I have heard people tell me this face to face. I haven't stopped a speeding locomotive, or saved someone from a burning building (which a cousin of mine actually HAS done, isn't that great!), but I have been told by many people how I am a role model, and a few have indicated that I am a hero. Hero? Really? For what?

During the discussion about "What are the attributes of a hero?" The flow went sort of like this:

1. A Hero is someone who is "destined for greatness"
2. A Hero rises to the moment. When there is distress, a hero steps in to save the day.
   
3. We read the story of Esther and thought about how we are put into situations where we have moments that we can affect. Esther was in her situation due to her physical beauty, wisdom, love for others, and courage to make the right choice. We stopped at Esther 4.14 and discussed what it means "for such a time as this."
4. We considered at a quote from Erwin Mcmanus: "If a moment is the gate through which your divine journey begins, then choice is the key that unlocks the adventure. That's the mystery of a moment. It is small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever. Life is the sum total of what you do with the moments given you."
5. We decided that one attribute of a Hero is to expect and look for the moments we are given and seize those moments with anticipation and pride and positivity.
6. Being open to little moments in our lives may require preparation. In order to battle the moments, little and big, we have to start planning for our actions in these moments. When we have mastered the little moments, we may be ready for the big moments.
   

You may be able to see where I am going with this. Eventually, out discussion continued to talk about what it takes to be prepared for moments. Does one just "become" a Hero overnight, through a lightning strike, spider bite, being hit by a solar flare, etc? Or are Heroes created by small steps of constant improvement, or through the pursuit of nobility (remember "the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct").

Maybe heroes are those who are working on themselves, improving their mind, body and spirit, being open to moments for greatness, building character and ideals that will prepare them for the next opportunity to be Heroic!

I guess this would make me a full fledged Hero! When asked if there was a hero in the group, I didn't raise my hand. On the inside, I was shouting "ME, ME", but on the outside I smiled and nodded. Does this make me a "Hero in Disguise?"

SIMPLE IS NOT EASY

So, how does a Hero know that he is going in the right direction? Maybe he needs a "Hero's Guidance System". I know lately with all my unanswered questions and feelings about Work, Career, Money, Love/NotLove, Home, Health, Goals, Plans, Church, Music, etc, - I have been feeling like the rollercoaster is spinning. As I said earlier, one of the clear messages I have been getting to my panic filled queries has been "What are you rushing for?" On Saturday morning, while in a sleep-deprived daze, I listened again to Scot Nineman's album "Slight Change of Plans" (one of my Top 10 albums ever) . Here are some of the lyrics that hit me again, in a different way than the last time I hear them:

"Fret not -- don't worry now, I've learned
That sometimes everything is fine
So rest now -- go ahead and sleep, dear
We have lots and lots of time

There's only ever been a few things that I want and
For the first time, they're the same things that I've got
We're coming right along in our own time
We don't have to beat the clock

Rest now -- in a hundred little ways
You show me everything is fine
I know it's hard to find the words
But they will come to you in time

There's only ever been a few things that I want and
For the first time, they're the same things that I've got
You're not going anywhere and I won't
Back away from something that I want"

Do you want to hear the whole song? Great news! Scot has it for download at his site, so go here and look for the song "Two Thirty". It is wonderful, don't you think. Keep listening - try "Morning" and "Something to Lose".


On Saturday evening, I had a chance to listen to David Stark, the author of the LifeKeys series of books and events, speak about "A Hero's Guidance System" I will try to explain the concept here by showing it in a diagram:



God's Will is a combination of Scripture + Your Special Design + Spirit + Circumstances. A balance of these four pieces are the key to your guidance system and decisions that are tough may benefit from contemplating these.

This tool may help while being open to those "moments" that are presented to us which allow us to use our heroic powers..



One final thought for this week- on Sunday, I spoke to a good friend Jim A., who told me why people such as me probably have a rough time making first dates. It was a good prep for understanding how I should approach further interactions:

• initially I am quiet, conserved, hard to talk to, maybe "guarded" is the right word.
• it takes about 3 days of being together / working together to get through "the outer shell"
• once the barrier is down, I am the best friend you could ask for
• he remembers that when the barriers were down, that I made him laugh so hard, hardest ever and he will never be able to reproduce the painful feeling of laughing too much. After this, he will never doubt my ability to connect with people in the most genuine, heart felt ways.

I started taking some steps with the dating project, (or "Finding Meaningful Companionship") as the project's official name has become. I signed up for some online dating services, live singles events, and a local event where singles mingle for only a few minutes - like quick dates. I have also asked some people out. I have found this whole process to be an interesting dive into selling myself as a good person, and I am finding out more about me than I thought I would. I will explain more in another post, but the online sites specifically are forcing me to answer questions about myself and my likes and dislikes. It is insightful, and I will be able to reveal more about these revelations in the next weeks.


Next week, however, I PROMISE to get off of this now boring subject of my solo status, and give an update on the Health and Fitness programs, and maybe just a reminder for me of what my goal is with my body. I need to go over this again, I feel, so I will focus on my weight loss, eating, new fitness program, and how I am doing on my running 5K preparation. I will do an updated stats next week as well, as I need to get weighed and measured, etc. There is a lot to do.

Then in a couple weeks, I am going to once again discuss my new job, why I am a writer, and how being a writer is a lot like losing weight and staying fit. That should be a good topic, so stay tuned.



more later,

Chazz

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz