The Power Of Play [& NOT Power Play]

The Power Of Play [& NOT Power Play]

I am NOT into play of words BUT how often do we hear adults [oh oh, do I hear POLITICIANS?] getting involved in POWER PLAY?  BUT before we unconsciously veer into the worldly world of politics, let's get back on track for today wherein it's The Power Of Play [& NOT Power Play].  Meaning, we need to drill-down why we ADULTS are encouraged to get into PLAY, all because of the POWER of PLAY💥💥💥

BUT WHAT's reality though? In our frenetic and hectic daily lives, many of us [in fact, MOST of us] focus so heavily on work, business and family commitments such that we NEVER seem to have time for pure FUN.  Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we seemed tp have stopped PLAYING.  WHEN we carve out some leisure time, we're more likely to zone out in front of the TV, computer or smart phone devices than engage in FUN, rejuvenating PLAY like we did as children.  BUT PLAY is NOT just essential for kids💦💦💦

It should NOT be a steep mountain to climb to convince us adults that PLAY is an important source of relaxation and stimulation for adults as well.  WHETHER it is PLAYING with your romantic partner, your friends, your co-workers, pets and children is a sure [and FUN] way to fuel your imagination, creativity, and even your problem-solving abilities and emotional well-being as well.  Adult PLAY is a time to forget about work and commitments and to be social in an unstructured , creative way.  This explains why, in our organization, since Day-1 [when I joined about thirteen years ago till to date], in our teambuilding initiatives, FUN kicks in at the start till the event wraps up✅✅✅

Let's admit it.  ADULT PLAY is a time to to forget about work and commitments, and to be social in an unstructured, creative way.  In fact, as we speak now, my calendar shows that tomorrow, our team will be having our quarterly teambuilding at a Karaoke Place.  Call that event anything but you CAN'T take away FUN from that teambuilding.  In fact, a simple PLAY could be like simply goofing off with friends, sharing jokes with a coworker, throwing a frisbee on the beach, dressing up on Halloween😍😍😍

Our takeaway:  While we always tagged PLAY for children, it is also beneficial for people of ALL ages.  PLAY can add joy to life, relieve stress, supercharge learning, and connect you to others and the world around you.  PLAY can also make work MORE productive and pleasurable.  Are you aware as to why the office environment layouts and structures of successful organizations feature more homely and casual tones like HOT SEATS, NO physical dividers OR divisions between desks, with an office pantry just a few steps away?  It's because this adds to the PLAYFUL nature to soften up the rigidness of an office environment.  So dude, this is the POWER OF PLAY❗❗❗

Are You [STILL] In A 'ZERO SUMM' Game?

Are You [STILL] In A 'ZERO SUMM' Game?

here's a frank question:  Are You [STILL] In A 'ZERO SUMM' Game?  UNLESS you are into poker, chess OR bridge.  UNLESS you are involved in the markets and financial instruments, future contracts and even options are ZERO SUMM GAME as well.  Otherwise, NO sirrrrs, life is a NOT a ZERO SUMM game.  From one perspective [of pessimism], life is rather a NET NEGATIVE because we are always needing to work to avoid OR prevent us from a loss OR suffering.  Oh, that was quite fuzzy📗📙📘

BUT hey, the conflicting demands of work vis-a-vis our personal life have always been with us.  People have always had children and elderly parents to care for.  They have always pursued hobbies and even devoted some time to their community [probably].  In the past, even managers dealt with it in a curt manner like:  WHAT YOU DO IN OFFICE IS OUR BUSINESS.  WHAT YOU DO OUTSIDE IS YOUR OWN.  It was assumed that employees would put the company's interests first. A ZERO-SUMM, right???

BUT have times changed?  I'll surmise YES and NO.  BUT in recent years, even in our organization, we have approached the work-life question with much more reason, more empathy.  That is when organizations operate under the assumption that work and personal life are NOT competing priorities BUT complementary ones instead.  In essence, this is the WIN-WIN philosophy we would frequently hear these days.  And the way things are churning out, I strongly believe that this most recent practice has been well vindicated.  In fact, studies have shown that this new approach has yielded concrete and tangible payoffs and benefits for both the organization and the employee him/herself.  WHAT's interesting to hear and learn is HOW today's managers and leaders are guided by these principles✅✅✅

Fact is, life is NOT a ZERO SUMM game at all.  True, people get jealous of others simply because they are in better positions.  They envy people WHO win.  They think that there CAN'T be more than one winner.  And they believe that it is NOT fair that others have stuff you deserve.  They might even think that IF someone is already in a place that we want to be in, they CAN'T be there.  BUT that's just bullshit, right???

Our takeaway:  it is utterly disgusting WHEN I do observe some people WHO believe that for them to win in life, someone else has to lose.  No sirrrrs, it should NEVER be that way [although I frankly admit that I had this kind of [disgusting] mindset at one point in the past.  That was WHEN I had a ZERO SUMM mindset.  BUT I did a 180-degree turn and realized that life is NOT a ZERO SUMM game.  Someone DOESN'T have to lose for you to win and vice-versa.   So, if you're still in a ZERO SUMM game bail out quickly, dude❗❗❗

Seize Opportunities, Period.

Seize Opportunities, Period.

As life is for living, we have been given this numerous OPPORTUNITIES in life which includes, amongst others, to have those UPs and those DOWNs, to learn, to grow.  Now, for us to maximize our experience we call 'LIFE', it is important that we make seizing the OPPORTUNITY one of the highest priorities in our life [and that is NOT just limiting to those random OPPORTUNITIES].   We got to Seize Opportunities, Period✅✅✅

BUT I'd like to qualify that this encouragement for us to grab OPPORTUNITIES does NOT include all those OPPORTUNITIES with either an ill-intent or anything that borders on BAD FAITH or inimical to yourself [like, WHY accept offer whose terms are NOT acceptable to you?].  Instead, we're encouraging you to seize those OPPORTUNITIES that life itself presents to you.  It's like, you can either go through this life and get to the end and realize that you are living with that REGRET of things NOT done, that you REGRET for time wasted, that you wasted your life📘📙📗

Looking back my past years, allow me to share these moments when I seized OPPORTUNITIES:

• WHEN at a raw age of 18, I realized I can wiggle out from the clutches of my parents so I can explore for OPPORTUNITIES out there in the metro
• WHEN after finally transitioning to live in the metro, I wasted no time to find a fixed-income job even when I was at that raw age of 18
• WHEN my career stabilized, I decided to aim for a managerial job [and presto, I got that plum job]
• WHEN I realized I hit the ceiling in the local market and decided to explore career options in Singapore
• WHEN I realized my career life in Singapore has 'plateaued' and it's time to 'normalize' my life💥💥💥

I heard this one-liner before, 'IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME'.  Yes, this suggests a straightforward path between people and the things that are good for them.  Present individuals with favorable OPPORTUNITIES and the theory goes, they will SEIZE those OPPORTUNITIES.  WHAT's the bottom line for all these?  You and me have those OPPORTUNITIES that are presented by itself.  And once we have those OPPORTUNITIES, we can go out in the world, be WHAT you want to be, do WHAT you want to do💧💧💧

Our takeaway:  NOT a threat BUT if you ignore OPPORTUNITIES, then the quality of your life will likely degrade.  And as a domino effect, you will feel like you AREN'T growing and worse, that deep inside you could be 'dying', figuratively speaking.  Note that we were put in this planet to go after everything in life that means 'something' to us.  We should be going out and striving to do the things that we really care about.  Another way of saying OPPORTUNITIES KNOCK ONLY ONCE❗❗❗

Why Social Media Matters

Why Social Media Matters

In today's technological climate, practically everyone is into SOCIAL MEDIA.  Even in the Third World's most remote villages, surveys show that majority are into SOCIAL MEDIA.  While the percentages of SOCIAL MEDIA users in the age brackets from teens to 30s and 40s are at an all-time high, you'll be surprised that even for those ages from 50s to 60s, a stunning 65% are into SOCIAL MEDIA.  What does this tell us?  It is the reason Why Social Media Matters📗📙📘

For the 50s to 60s generation WHO didn't grow up with the internet technology, those statistics are indeed surprising to say the least.  And that helps to explain the prevalence of SOCIAL MEDIA use across all cultures and ages.  With this pervasiveness of SOCIAL MEDIA across all ages, more attention needs to be given to WHAT it's doing to us as individual users.  The endless stream of communication and connection provided by SOCIAL MEDIA is indeed changing the way we think and absorb information💧

NOT to our choice OR preference, this unparalleled pervasiveness of SOCIAL MEDIA across all ages [and even cultures] has given us NO other choice but to realize that more attention needs to be given to WHAT it's doing to us as individual users.  This endless stream of communication and connection provided by SOCIAL MEDIA is changing the way we think and absorb information.  As it is, people re currently developing SOCIAL MEDIA HABITS that can simultaneously benefit and harm even their mental health💥💥💥

WHAT's perplexing even to psychologists is the impact of SOCIAL MEDIA to our very own brain.  With this unabated trend of extended SOCIAL MEDIA use, more researchers are joining the fray to analyze and understand the psychology of SOCIAL MEDIA in our constantly connected cultures.  To quote the experts, from a neurological perspective, SOCIAL MEDIA affects different brain functions in various unique ways.  And it contains many combinations of stimuli that can trigger different reactions and because of this, SOCIAL MEDIA's effects on the brain appear to surface in a variety of ways❗❗❗

Our takeaway:  We CAN'T deny the impact of SOCIAL MEDIA to our brain, both in POSITIVE and NEGATIVE perspectives.  To quote experts, POSITIVE attention on SOCIAL MEDIA affects multiple parts of our brain.  And this research findings is quite shocking:  Accruing LIKES on Facebook, Twitter OR Instagram causes that so called 'activation in our brain's circuitry,  Our take here is that we need to MANAGE our use of SOCIAL MEDIA before SOCIAL MEDIA manages us!@#$%?

DIRTY TRICKS [Way Before Treat Or Trick Happens]!

DIRTY TRICKS [Way Before Treat Or Trick Happens]!

All throughout my boyhood, I always heard from my grandma, my parents and even from school that GOD NEVER SLEEPS.  And obviously, I believed them hook, line and sinker.  BUT please DON'T get me wrong as I am NOT disowning my age-old concurrence BUT is there anyone in our thread now WHO will disagree with me that SCAMMERS NEVER SLEEP?  YES, I can stand four-square behind my supposition because DIRTY TRICKS [Way Before Treat Or Trick Happens] are with us again [even as we speak].  And hey, you're spot on, they are burning the midnight oil to be a hundred or a zillion steps ahead of the technology pack.  BUT WHAT's scarier is that they have become so creative📘📙📗

Breaking news yesterday, a new malware distribution campaign uses FAKE [yes, FAKE indeed] Google Chrome, Word and OneDrive errors to trick users into running malicious 'FIXES' !@#$%? that will eventually install malware.  And WHAT complicate things, that new campaign was observed being used by multiple 'threat actors' including those behind ClearFake, a new attack cluster called ClickFix and that TA571 threat actor💦💦💦

This latest attempt to lure Chrome end-users to install that malicious malware on their computer comes in the form of FAKE ERRORS.  And YES, those same FAKE ERRORS have been replicated across even to Word and OneDrive.  And these threat actors also utilize JavaScript in HTML attachments [Ouch, please DON'T be so speedy to click and download those attachments and later on, those errors will prompt end-users to click a BUTTON to copy a supposed 'PowerShell FIX' into the clipboard and then paste and run it in a "RUN" dialog, whew💥💥💥

YES, WHAT error display that can throw us off from our chair the moment we receive that 'NO INTERNET' blackened screen!  Because that sets us up to be pushed into PANIC mode and although that 'ATTACK CHAIN' requires significant user interaction to be successful, today's social engineering is so damn clever to present someone with WHAT looks like a real problem and solution rolled into one❌❌❌

Pasted herein is a latest sampling of that FAKE Google Chrome error prompt that seems, sounds and looks so user-friendly so as to instantly offer an INSTANT SOLUTION.  Our takeaway:  Beware of these SCARE TACTICs of scammers WHO intend to hit us [and hit us hard] via our Achilles Heel.  And the bottom line here is that we need to keep up with the frenetic pace of these scammers before we end up as their latest prey in this damning vicious cycle😋😋😋

Everything Starts With One SMALL Step

Everything Starts With One SMALL Step

More often, we would hear 'THINK BIG, THINK BIG' [and I CAN'T disagree with that wishful thinking].  BUT if you look around you, what's the MORTALITY RATE of those who, all along in the past, have been blurting 'THINK BIG, THINK BIG'?  I can bet my salary for a month that very easily, somewhere 30% [at the very least] are NOWHERE from WHAT and WHERE they thought they will be after embracing the 'THINK BIG' motto.  So, WHAT's wrong?  WHERE's the disconnect here?  Everything Starts With One SMALL Step, that's the short and long answer to that frank prognosis.  So, while I myself I unequivocably embrace the 'THINK BIG' motto all throughout my life journey, I stand four square with my mantra that Everything Starts With One SMALL Step, NOT a big-bang thing, NOT a GIANT first step most of the time📘📙📗

So, for today, WHAT we'd like to harp is the POWER of SMALL ACTIONS.  Taking SMALL STEPS consistently can lead to BIG changes over time.  Frankly, this is all about us ourselves taking responsibility for your own life.  That importance of taking responsibility for our own lives and NOT relying on others to make it happen for us.  In short, we have that POWER to create the life we desire through our very own actions📌📌📌

Experience-wise, I would admit that we will always face resistance from our very own selves and that resistance is compounded by our SELF-DOUBT as it holds us back from taking action. By acknowledging and addressing these internal barriers, it is beyond doubt that we can move and progress forward to take the necessary steps towards our goals.  Experts would counsel us to FOCUS on the PRESENT MOMENT.  By focusing on the PRESENT MOMENT, and taking SMALL ACTIONS, we can even preempt and avoid getting overwhelmed by the 'BIG PICTURE' and increase our chances to succeed💧💧💧

So, HOW do we progress forward?  Break down your BIG goals into smaller and much smaller tasks.  In our project management practice, we call this as the WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE [WBS].  Why should we break things down to smaller tasks:

• TASK DEFINITIONS become clear and precise
• TASKS can be tracked on a per task level
• TASKS can be time-lined independently
• Ease of detecting potential slippages especially it may cause a 'ripple effect'

Our takeaway today:  Get this embedded within yourself.  Grandiose ambitious and gargantuan plans are laudable BUT never lose sight to break it down to the level of a task.  I remember that time when I started to entertain thoughts of exploring my options [to work and reside in Singapore].  First and foremost, I asked myself, WHAT is my budget.  HOW can I come up with my budget.  And WHEN can I produce that budget in hard cash.  Until and unless I really got satisfied with my answers to those three most basic pre-requisite interrogatives, I kept reminding myself that EVERYTHING STARTS WITH ONE SMALL STEP❗❗❗

Never Assume The Worst!

Never Assume The Worst!

Yessssirrrs, it's our human tendency to ASSUME THE WORST.  WHEN you receive an email from your boss reminding you to be more careful next time to avoid mistakes in your report, you would blurt 'He really hates me'.  WHEN you cause one foul-up along the road and another foul-up when you reach your workplace, you'll blurt 'Enough.  Today is NOT my day'.  WHEN you hit a cash flow problem, you'll complain 'Do I have to work forever like this?'  A jobseeker might have an interview the next day.  Some might prepare for that interview by thinking of possible questions.  For others, the thought of an interview will cause them to toss and turn all night thinking of every worst-case scenario possible no matter how outlandish it is.   Never Assume The Worst❗❗❗

If you're someone WHO has that tendency to do the latter, you are prone to CATASTROPHIZING, defined as that tendency to assume the worst will happen WHEN imagining the future situation [even if you have evidence that this is NOT the most likely outcome].  People WHO like to feel in control [WHICH means they are intolerant of uncertainty] are MORE likely to CATASTROPHIIZE.  And experts have linked this to anxiety, suggesting that frequent CATASTROPHIZING may be  a factor in developing certain mental health problems.  CATASTROPHIZING comes from the belief that by imagining WHAT might go wrong, we're better able to protect ourselves from harm, both physical and mental💦💦💦

Problem is, this tendency is only helpful IF you're able to correctly predict WHAT will happen in a certain situation and HOW it will make you feel.  As we imagine future events, we tend to experience an emotional reaction to almost every story we are creating, and then we tend to use that response to determine HOW we will feel in the future.  BUT this way of predicting the future is MORE often wrong since we're NOT able to imagine everything that might happen.  This can lead to us creating the wrong emotional response for future situations💥💥💥

Cautionary note though.  This belief in WHAT will happen in the future can have a big difference on our behavior,  LIKE when people are optimistic [OR even realistic] about the future are MORE likely to be willing to try new things.  They are also likely to notice WHAT has gone well in new situations.  On the flip side, though, people WHO CATASTROPHIZE about WHAT might go wrong are less likely to try new things.  And WHEN they do try something new, they are more likely to notice WHAT has gone wrong❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Let us be conscious with the way our very own experiences get stored in our memory as it will tend to add to the reasons WHY we SHOULDN'T try new things in the future.  As a result, CATASTROPHIZING can lead to undue stress and anxiety and may stop you from doing the things you might enjoy OR you might learn from.  So, let us NEVER ASSUME THE WORST💧💧💧

Want To Make A Difference?

Want To Make A Difference?

Will you be surprised to hear that everyone of us [including moi] all want to be NORMAL day-in day-out?  BUT hey dude, we might get beaten up based on studies that NORMALITY is sheer mediocrity.  And even studies show and prove that this universe NEVER gets ahead with mediocrity.  So, in the end, it is a loss for all of us.  LIKE you DON'T want to be like that NORMAL guy or girl.  Yes, you can even be wierd,  then you can be different.  And for that, you got to choose different moves in your game.  As experts claim, the GAME GETS BORING WITH RULES !@#$%?  LIKE when you sit on the driver's seat to get started and see that there are so many RULES to be followed.  Suddenly, things could get BORING.  Want To Make A Difference📗📙📘

BUT here's a shocking truth [which has always been so obvious anyway].  So many folks blindly follow those BORING RULES.  Can we afford to do that?  NOT in our personal life though.  Because you always have that POWER to go beyond the RULES and make your own ones [as long as it is legitimate and within the acceptable norms of your culture, your society].  WHY?  Because that brings flavor to the GAME OF LIFE.  To put things bluntly, we CAN'T just like there on the couch and expect to a DIFFERENT life, right because that's a senseless dream💎💎💎

Hey Hey Hey dude, you SHOULDN'T even be in that couch, right?  Instead, you must be in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life.  And BTW, hustling is NEVER close, not even by affinity, to extremism.  Simply put, it is the price you need to pay to achieve that UNCOMMON life.  UNCOMMON outcome.  UNCOMMON  price.  BTW, the world we live in hates a free guy as it gets pegged to one's FREE FALL.  WHY❓❓❓

Because, we become so RANDOM.  And WHEN we are so RANDOM, you become so available for anybody to do ANY work.  Then, life gets pegged to zero standards.  It's true peer pressure is inimical when it gets stretched out.  Then, people's opinions become NOISE by itself.  Even fun becomes NOISE.  And social media becomes NOISE.  Then, NOISE is all over the world. BUT here's the BUT.  The control got to be in your hands.  That's WHEN you are in charge of the GAME OF YOUR LIFE💧💧💧

Our takeaway:  Complacency is NOT good enough.  That explains many of us get stalled and get stagnated because of that conservative mindset that the STATUS QUO is the way to go.  It is NOT.  And it will never be because that will never carry us forward in our journey.  In the sports jargon, this is all about MOVING THE GOAL POST [even if that means doing it in the middle of our GAME OF LIFE❗❗❗

[Whether You're GAME or Not] We're In This GAME Of LIFE

[Whether You're GAME or Not] We're In This GAME Of LIFE

I hope this is a no-brainer.  Whether You're GAME or Not,  We're In This GAME Of LIFE.  Luckily for us, most RULES of the GAME are defined and laid out crystal clear enough way before the games commence.  That's just fair and square.  BUT WHAT IF someone changes the rules in the middle of the game OR transaction and in the end, putting you at a disadvantage?  Yes, we're all creatures of habit WHO like to establish routines that are comfortable and that we feel that we control.  We live and base decisions based on those habits and the rules as they exist.  At some point, though, nearly all of us realize that we're NOT in control of as much as we desire.  In addition, experience RULES change either by law, by court edict OR some other force way beyond our control📗📙📘

Factually, the sports arena is NOT the only place where game-changing plays are made.  We make them in business deals, in our career, in relationships, through innovations, strategic visions and more.  Even in the non-profit world, lives are dedicated to 'CHANGING'  the game in areas that need it most.  Experts counsel us that in the middle of the 'GAMES IN LIFE', the most basic questions we need to ask ourselves are 'WHAT GAME AM I PLAYING?' and 'HOW IS MY CURRENT GAME SHAPING THE WAY I SHOW UP AND THE ACTIONS I TAKE?'  Once we identify the 'GAME' we're playing, we can go even further to ask ourselves questions like 'WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THE GAME?'💦💦💦

Such questions can begin to illuminate WHAT is running us in the background.  Only when we see the game we are already playing, can we choose to create a different game.  This is an important capacity both in our personal lives and even as leaders.  There was this one-liner which says, 'CHANGE THE GAME, AND THE GAME CHANGES YOU'.  And frankly, let's admit that we are all creatures of habit WHO like to establish ROUTINES comfortable to us💥💥💥

It's true we live based on the rules of our country, city, local authority, employer, family, culture and maybe possibly more.  We make decisions that will benefit us and our family based on these rules.  BUT sometimes CHANGES made in the RULES we live by happen suddenly and with little OR no notice.  At a minimum, they disrupt our routine and force us to adapt to return to a comfortable life💧💧💧

Our takeaway.  WHEN rules CHANGE in the middle of the game of life, it DOESN'T mean that we SHOULDN'T play OR strive to achieve our goals and dreams.  It DOESN'T mean that we should anticipate unexpected changes, prepare for different alternatives, recognize CHANGE as early as possible and adapt to the CHANGES in order to minimize loss and maximize success.  The difference can be described as NOT playing out of a fear of loss, NOT playing and taking risks without a complete understanding of the game BUT playing the game taking calculated risks to improve our likelihood of success❗❗❗

How Far Can You Go?

How Far Can You Go?

How Far Can You Go?  How long will it take?  Ironically, these two interrogative statements represent two different mindsets.  So, my question is, WHICH one do you fall into?  MAYBE you fall into one in some situations and into the other in different circumstances.  Either way, it is a good REALITY CHECK to ask yourself as to which mindset is active.  You might retort, WHAT's the difference between the two?  HOW FAR CAN YOU GO is all about potential and possibilities.  On the other hand, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE means that you DON'T have much time and you're probably hoping that that process DOESN'T take too much of the time either.  Early in life, OR to be precise when I was about to graduate from High School, I confronted myself with the following questions.  WHERE do I want to go in life?  WHAT direction do I take?  HOW FAR CAN I GO?

The first question I asked myself was the toughest.  Think about driving a long main highway way before Waze and Google Map were even conceptualized.  So you keep driving till you reach an intersection, and then you start asking yourself which of the three directions will you choose.  That remains the most crucial decision because your fate will be tied to that decision [and more often, there is no turning back, because in life, there is NO UNDO [unlike the functions offered by technologies]

Once I managed to hurdle that first question, the second question was kind of a bonus one because  it is closely hinged to the first question.  BUT here's the catch, having decided WHERE to go in life and WHAT direction to take are separate and distinct questions.  WHY?  Because more often, there are two OR more alternatives towards reaching a goal.  It's akin to scratching your back, you can opt for your left OR right hand.  BUT the decision-point hinges on the best optimized option

BUT the thing, life is really simple BUT many of us [and that includes me sometime in the past], we make things complicated.  We would scratch an itchy part with our left hand in a most uncomfortable manner WHEN all we need to do is to comfortably scratch with our right hand.  Many times in the past, on a first person basis, I was fully aware of the visionary plans of people in their lives.  BUT when I touched base with them many years later, it was frustrating to find them stuck WHERE I last saw them [in life].  WHY they got stalled is unfathomable BUT again, much as we DON'T want to dwell on the past and we are discouraged to keep dreaming of the future, we got to focus the present moment

Our takeaway:  Many times, WHAT stops us, WHAT stalls us is our very own self, our mindset.  And our brain is smart enough to recognize that.  IF you tell yourself that NO WAY you will learn driving because you can't withstand the daily chronic traffic gridlock in your city, I'll bet my last $20 that absolutely you will NOT learn driving up to speed.  In the simplest terms, HOW FAR YOU CAN GO solely hinges on yourself.  True, there are external variables BUT more often, we are our own worst enemy.  We can point our fingers to all directions BUT the BUCK STOPS on us, period.  WHO claims that they have done their darn best even WHEN they fell flat on their face?  Think about it, HOW FAR CAN YOU GO???