How do you express honor for those that have sacrificed for you?

In the US we celebrate Memorial Day this weekend to remember those who died while serving in the military. No matter what side of the conflict we are on, those giving their lives to support the ideals of the state, is noble and worthy of honor. You may not agree with the direction of the politics, however the willingness of a soldier to march into conflict and give her life for you and your country is mind boggling. In war or during training for war, lives are laid down to ensure the lives we live, can be maintained or enhanced. While this Memorial Day weekend is about those military that have fallen, it is also an opportunity to reflect on others that invest in our lives and how we give them honor. The cop walking the beat or even when you are pulled over for speeding, the school teacher spending his own money for supplies, the guys that visit those incarcerated or those serving at the food shelter. We are surrounded by people giving their most precious finite resource, their lives, for the good of others. Keeping your eyes open for such kindnesses will inspire gratitude and provide opportunities to say thank-you to the living. This will provide specific instances of personal encounters, so when memorial days arrive, your memory is flooded with individuals who have sacrificed for you.

Who are those in your family that have served in the military and even given their lives? How do you remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for you? What is one step you can take to show honor? How can you learn more about those that sacrifice for you?

What was your most physically demanding job?

Installing drywall on the ceiling, insulation in an attic and deploying a floating wire antenna on a submarine were the hardest physical jobs I have had the opportunity to work. As a desk jockey, I will get my brain sweating, but the body is locked into one positon for hours on end. There is great benefit from getting your hands dirty and learning about the physical world. I had a part-time handyman business for seven years and would take my son with me on most jobs. He learned a good work ethic, understands what it takes to get a job done and gained confidence to tackle projects. After a very late night working on a toilet repair, he uttered my favorite reflective comment that “it would take us two hours to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich”. As a ten year-old there was no disrespect, just an honest assessment of how the night progressed. These were valuable times of learning about a full day’s work. These examples pale in comparison to much of the back breaking work that is done throughout the world every day. Since my days are spent in a cubicle clicking a mouse, I find it a pleasure to shake hands and encounter a strong grip that has been earned from years of being physical. The market demands these products and services and it is beautiful to see how creativity is expressed in all forms of work.

What satisfaction do you achieve from physical work? What were you surprised to learn on the job? What job do you never want to do again? What job would you like to do again? How were you exhausted after the day’s work? What health benefits did you experience? What health risks were associated with the job?

What will be the primary protein source in 2075?

Welcome to the future; either a petri dish or additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, may be our next great source of protein. I recently saw a news clip of a Netherlands University growing a hamburger in a test tube that initially cost more than $300K and now runs about 12 bucks. It is expected to be commercially viable in 20-30 years. As an organic vegetable and grass-fed beef kind of guy, this concept can get me a bit riled up as I compare the benefits of eating whole foods grown in nutrient rich soil. Those that are concerned about a pending population boom with the threat of mass starvation scramble to figure out a solution to the potential shortage. Printed food may be limited to answering space travel nutrition, but there may be a bit of trickle down happening, after all we received Tang from the space program. The lifestyle of the Jetson’s cartoon may make great strides during this generation with such attempts to reach Mars, mine asteroids, and holiday space travel. The bold future is rapidly approaching and it may first show up on your dinner plate.

Are you ready for a radically different source of protein? What do you feel will be required to sell you on the product? Do you think technology will be able to equal or surpass mother nature? Would you classify this food as a GMO and have the same reservations? What natural elements are you willing to compromise on? What are your thoughts about how this would change the farming industry? What other thoughts about the future apply?

How many strangers did you talk to last week?

Contrary to what mom said, the odds are long that you are sharing the line for a caramel double latte with a thief or mass murderer. Our refusal to talk to the living breathing humans next to us, must have a negative impact, based on our social and tribal heritage. If I have to wait in line for more than a few seconds, I quick-draw my phone, confirm I haven't missed any critical videos on social media and then shift to clearing out duplicate photos or contacts. Whatever I have to do to ensure those around me know that I am too busy saving the world to have a discussion. I spent ten hours on a plane last week, in a center seat, and didn't say a word to those on either side of me. Honestly, was there nothing of value I could either learn or a way I could encourage them? I shudder at my own hypocrisy. I bemoan my busy life and inability to meet new people, yet I don't take advantage of the opportunities that surround me. I once heard that there are no uninteresting people, just uninspiring questions. A friend recently moved to central Virginia and he recounted stories of encountering people that were genuinely curious about him, did not want anything from him and wished him well when they parted. Living in the DC area for nearly 20 years, this seemed a really strange and now I struggle with the possibility that he is a pathological liar. Could places like this really exist? It's a good possibility that you're sharing the line with someone that hasn't spoken to a stranger in years and would benefit from shattering the "mass murder in the latte line" myth by actually speaking to a stranger. There is a risk, so be cautious. I was in the supermarket express line buying laundry soap and plastic wrap, and waved to the three year old boy in the line in front of me. The mother's eyes flashed with worry and she drew him close to her legs without another look in my direction. The good news is that you are not as intimidating as me and probably don't have hair that looks like a chia pet, so you have a lower risk assessment of being thought of as the scary guy. We are social beings that need interaction, human interaction that includes looking someone in the eyes and smiling. Give it a try and know that it could always be worse; you could be terrifying like me.

What keeps you from engaging with those you encounter? What stereotypes do you default to when meeting others? What is a realistic worst case scenario? What humorous stories do you have when meeting strangers? What is your best story from and encounter with a stranger? What is a step you can take to engage with those you don't know? 

What teacher had the greatest positive influence on your life?

Was it a voice, a face, a specific encouragement or something else that came to mind when you read the question? We all had teachers that rivaled the bad teachers in the movies and the vast majority are grouped together in the nether reaches of our minds as average. However, you have those one or two that spent the extra moments to help through a learning plateau, allowed a makeup exam to increase your grade by just enough or took the time to really listen. My daughter remembers a specific encouraging comment from one of her teachers that instilled confidence for her career path.  My standout teacher was Mrs. Patsy Huff, who graduated with me through my early years of kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grades. Mrs. Huff was instrumental in helping me through my struggle to read and it was a blessing to experience her investment over several years. A friend teaches in a local High School and we were discussing his daily experience juggling the ten troublesome students, the administrative politics and the joy of teaching the other 140 students. He expends great effort to use innovative learning methods and really wants students to master the subject matter through engaging instruction much like Mrs. Huff cared for me all those years ago. Cultural and technological advances demand teachers remain vigilant at the societal front lines with their fingers discerning the pulse of these young lives, while we rightfully demand a better product upon graduation. Yes, teachers get a summer vacation, but in exchange they dedicate long hours, disrespect in the classroom, investment of personal capital and a commitment to educating the next generation in a difficult system that is experiencing major disruption.

What was the impact of your teachers? What are the specifics of how these particular teachers influenced you? Were there unique methods employed for you? How have you tried to replicate this care to those in your life? How has your respect of impression of them changed over the years? How have you expressed gratitude to them since you left the classroom?

What is your time worth?

It might be $10.50 or $200 per hour, but in the end, we all work for an hourly rate. Take an opportunity to evaluate if you value your time as a finite resource. The Food and Drug Administration is releasing a new food label that provides more information to the consumer to make healthier choices. Among other changes, there is more detail regarding natural or process sugars to help inform and influence behavior. The web site Medium notified me today that it will take 3 minutes to read the article I selected. This was a helpful reminder that I can choose to spend 3 minutes of my precious life to read the article or move on to the next article. If we take the time to examine the food label of the chocolate donuts or consider the time it takes to read an article, then it is only fair to evaluate how we spend our time. With freedom comes great responsibility as you are the only one that determines how you spend your life. Without a second thought, we settle into the big comfy couch with the TV on and scroll through our Facebook feed for three or four hours a night. Time evaporates when I start scrolling or checking out the Internet click bait. It is not in the Facebook or TV networks business model to remind us of the amount of time spent in front of their screen. Will your deathbed reflections recall all 4,000 sitcoms and equivalent cat videos watched over a lifetime and confirm it was time well spent? Possibly, but at least be intentional its the only life you have. The average reading speed is 200 words per minute and this post is 406 words. If your average; you spent just over 2 minutes reading this post. Hopefully you received value and your time was well spent and the inquiry was worth your investment. It is your move, what's next?.

Are you aware of how you spend your time? How are you intentional about your down time and the importance of rest and entertainment? What is your process for evaluating invitations and saying yes or no? When have you managed your time well? When did you squander your time? Calculate your weekly screen time; what is your weekly rate you could invoice to the entertainment industry for your attention? How do you need to make adjustments? What time question wasn't asked?

Who are your 5 closest friends?

"You are the average of your five closest friends" is wisdom that has been recently making the rounds and mom always wanted to know who we were hanging out with the moment we crossed the threshold. Invest in yourself now and litterally list them out on a piece napkin our in your phone. Now is a good time; I'll wait. We make commitments as children to be Best Friends Forever with the kid down the street, but soon enough, we find things change and find forever isn't as long as we thought. Friendships are for seasons and seasons change. A season may be a lifetime for some friends and for others it may be time for the season to end. True friends will speak truth into our lives even when we don't want to hear it and challenge us to grow. Scripture states, "faithful are the wounds of a friend". It is worth evaluating if you have true friends with whom you can be vulnerable and willing to hurt your feelings to tell you when you are wrong. I have experienced these friendships with guys that are quick to mock my self-pity and stand with me through trials. The essence of friendship is a commitment to vulnerability. Friendships are a gift and a source of blessing that will pull you up when discouraged and challenge you when your not living in light of who you want to become. If you will not be satisfied being the average of your five closest friends, then change is in order.

Are your closest friends propelling you in the direction you want you life to grow? Do you surround yourself with buddies or friends? What kind of friend are you? Describe your faithfulness during the tough times? What changes do you need to make? What is a first step to make changes? What else needs to be asked?

What is your favorite sport to play and to watch?

This inquiry can turn assumptions and stereotypes on their heads. We think that 6' 7" guy has got to love basketball or the class brainiac has got to love chess, but sometimes it is the other way around. My 9 year old niece said this inquiry is her favorite because her answer is basketball and it always surprises those asking. This is part of the fun of asking questions. We get to learn about the world around us and we get to be surprised. Often, these sports favorites come as a result of childrood experiences. I got my son hooked on the main American sports, of football, baseball and basketball, as a youth and cheering for the local DC teams. Our watching experiences could not be more different; he knows the players, stats and who might be traded at the next opportunity, while I will enjoy watching the heat of competition, but will probably have forgotten who was the visiting team by the time I get to the car. A loss can destroy his week but forgetfulness leaves me unscathed. As a Redskins fan, I think I come out ahead, but this will be our year to make it all the way!

When did you come to love your sport? What are your earliest memories? What sports did you play while growing up? If your playing and watching favorites are different, why? What sport or team do you despise? What sport will you watch live, but not on TV? What is your favorite sports memory? What question is next?

How would you pivot if you lost your biggest client?

This isn't primarily a risk management exercise; it is a creative exercise. Constant change is here to stay and we should be expecting chaos to come home to roost. A primary catalyst for change is when the client base has radically changed. The inquiry includes the choice to pro-actively change the client base by firing a poor client that is too troublesome to continue the relationship. Now is an opportunity to consider how to respond so the surprise is not as jolting. Business books are filled with stories of companies that stuck with their primary business model while a disrupting force ate their lunch. The military consistently conducts war-gaming exercises to evaluate weak points and work scenarios before they occur. Taking a moment to think through the process you would follow is helpful to consider before change arrives on your doorstep.

How might you restructure your product offerings? Would you pursue new markets? How has this major client influenced the organization (process, practice, culture, etc) for good or bad? How can you use this bit of chaos to innovate? How would you lead your team through such a transition? What else should be asked?

What are the details of your repeatable perfect day?

I am not asking the easy question that you answer with a day on an island beach sipping a fruity drink while a servant cools you with a palm leaf. Granted, this image is tantalizing, especially if your chasing the errant three year old around the house or breathing exhaust from a million of your closest friends on the commute home. I get that and can relate, but I am asking a question that goes bit deeper. Unless you have spent time thinking about your answer, it might be harder to detail than you first assume. Initially, my mind goes to a life of ease, but I have grown bored and ready to get back to work after a week or two of vacation. Laying around converting oxygen to CO2, just ain't that exciting and it's corrosive to our wellbeing. If you would be truly satisfied spending an entire year on the beach watching YouTube, then the rest of this is probably not for you, come back tomorrow for another Inquiry. This inquiry came up during a discussion with a good friend and we had a great discussion about how we spend our time, the people and causes we want to spend our lives investing in and clearly defining what we envision. I found several of the items on my perfect day list are things I am already doing, but perhaps not as consistently or as long as I would like due to the need to head off to the office or chores. When we define what the details of our perfect day, then we can make conscious decisions each day build a series of near perfect days. This knowledge will influence whether you read a book or binge watch another season of reality TV. As better decisions are made; you may find your closer to your perfect day than you thought.

What components are you already living? Who is apart of your day? Where would your perfect day take place? What would be the biggest changes from your current daily routine? How much would it cost to consistently live most days as you outlined? How would you expect to add variety to your perfect day?
What other question should be asked?

What question have industry experts stopped asking that needs to be asked?

Just because a question was answered once, doesn't mean that it is fully resolved. The customer base, innovation or competitors may have changed the landscape since the last time the question was answered. Revisiting the question may provide insight into new opportunities for growth or finally achieving the dream initially intended. Another take on this question is the possibility that the industry gave up on answering a question because at the time, the solution was cost prohibitive or the graybeards concluded, you can't get there from here. Educational system disruptor's are asking old questions to determine if the current process will deliver a workforce ready for the world the students will face. I often questioned the value of homework and now it is finally getting a legitimate evaluation. Industry leaders are piloting student performance with homework in class during the day when interaction with the teacher is possible and watching lectures at night to learn the new topic. In the interest of full disclosure, my beef with homework was born out of laziness vice offering a better way. Stand Up Kids has installed standing desks in schools to improve cognitive function, increase health and fight obesity vice keeping sedentary students locked into desks that don't fit them properly. Asking these old questions are getting remarkable answers. This work should inspire the willingness to dust off the yellowed acetate viewgraphes remembering the questions and solutions that delivered us today will not take us to tomorrow. 

What questions lead to your industry being a solution? When were these initial questions answered? Has you industry been disrupted yet by new answers to old questions? How can you and your organization become that disrupting agent? What other question should be asked?

What product has an elegant design?

Steve Jobs had an immense impact on the design of products that reached far beyond Apple. The explosion of celebrity chefs has amplified the need for restaurants to not only deliver a delicious meal, but one that is well plated ready for an Instagram post. Last year, I used a black plastic Marriott laundry bag in a dimly lit room and was astounded to look into the bag and see it glowing inside. The bag was designed with a topographical map of florescent lines allowing light to be amplified into the bag showing the contents. I marveled at the creativity and attention to detail that was included in something as simple as a disposable laundry bag. Someone at Marriott was paying attention to their customer and trying to figure out how to make their experience better and an elegant design solved a problem. We immediately figure out things that didn't receive the same discernment everyday, but it is important to acknowledge when you come across a product that fits your hand perfectly, the web site that fully answers your questions or in a product that has been refined to its simplest form. I am sure the company would love to hear your positive feedback. Go click on "Contact Us"; they are waiting.

How did you encounter this product? How does the company apply this design to other products? What product surprised you as an elegant solution? How have competitors adopted this same design solution? How can this design be applied to other products or industries? What other question should be asked?

How do you cultivate an appreciation for silence?

Silence is getting harder to find. Between the pervasive electronic gadgetry providing access to a million different songs and the busyness of our lives; who even cares for silence, there is too much to get done. This is not a healthy place to be. I recently went hiking in a local park alone and it took a long time for me to shake off the anxiety of being by myself. It had been probably 15 years since I was in the woods on my own. With no ear buds, the voices in my head quickly filled in the silence. What would happen if someone needed to get a hold of me, will that squirrel looking for an acorn attack me or could they find me if I hurt myself? The anxiety eventually started to subside, but it was amazing to observe how my immersion in this world of suburbia and concrete has warped my sense of reality. The babbling brook, rustling leaves, light breeze or just quiet can be unsettling, but they have been around a lot longer than our modern conveniences. A co-worker enjoys hunting and fly-fishing and seeks out this isolation as often as he can get it and the phone connection serves only to document his catch before they are released. I have been practicing mindfulness meditation and starting to appreciate the silence on the inside and the outside. For many this is a time to communicate with God or focus on what is of utmost importance. It is in these quiet moments we can hear things that would otherwise be drowned out. It is important to listen then hear; to be intentional.

What is a benefit to pursuing silence? How has silence been a burden? What have you learned from silence? What will you choose to give up to embrace silence? What do you expect from your time of silence?

What is your art?

I refuse to believe you are not an artist. We are creative beings that make, create, innovate and appreciate the elegant. There is a chance you might be a bit rusty, but Amazon can deliver a can of WD-40 in 48 hours and break loose the rust. Modern society has binned the haves and the have-nots; those that are creative and those that are not. The selection starts early and can be subtle. The second grade teacher scoffs at how Laquisha drew the horse and the kids in the next aisle snickered their agreement. Now at thirty-six, there is no point to pick up a pencil or brush because the artistic gene seemingly catapulted over Laquisha. Contrary to popular belief, it ain't so cut and dry. Your art may be the elegant solution to a contracting problem, an excel spreadsheet formula, the kids lunch or a kidney suture. We must refuse to narrowly define our art. I recently heard an interview snippet with Ira Glass, of This American Life, regarding creativity. He explains that in the beginning, our work is poor but our taste is good. Our work needs effort and time before becoming good. The key is to produce your best art and generously give it to the world allowing time for the work to improve. The voice in our head is still listening to those second grade kids snickering in the next aisle, but action will quiet the voice and improve the work. As cute as they are, the world needs something better than just another cat video. For those that know their art and those just starting; produce work and hit post, play or send. We are awaiting good art.

How did you discover your art? What has hindered your artistic expression? Have you seen your art improve over the years? Where is your taste good? What art will you try this weekend, this year? What is a good production goal for you? How will you express patience with yourself, while your art matures? 

P.S. If I need kidney surgery, I want the surgeon good at her art. No, I mean really good.

How have you confused your biography with your identity?

Who are you? A common question, but how do you answer? Do you answer with your name, your job title, your hobby, your sports team, or your spiritual affiliation? Identity can be tricky and gets to the core of who we really are. We tend to share our identity with only those we can trust. In the DC area, our identity is often confused with our work address, political affiliation, alma mater, resume bullets or size of our bank account. It may not be said overtly, but it doesn't need to; our calendars, circle of friends and zip code speak volumes. The painter lowers his eyes as he walks past the well suited lawyer as the chasm that separates their lives is mammoth. The suited lawyer works crazy hours ensuring she never returns to the humble beginnings or must live up to the family name. I have lived both sides of this bizarre dance of confusion between identity and biography. I have been the professional in the suit and the tradesman in jeans; both can be an identity trap if tied to our biography. Pride and shame are just off stage awaiting the opportunity to take center stage to influence how I interpret the world. The temptation is to associate with those in our own sphere, but our bubble of insulation robs us of the joy of meeting those that can expand our world. Only recently have I started to peel back the biographical layers to determine the guy behind the wardrobe, education, zip code. These new experiences are expanding my vocabulary for the world around me and life is becoming far more interesting. People are more than one dimension and have a variety talents and interests, just like you. So, how do you answer the question; who are you?

Does your biography define you? How will you separate your identity from your biography? What causes you angst about being vulnerable and living true to your identity? Who would be the most surprised by learning who you are? What excites you the most about living in light of your identity?