Today, Built One Experience At A Time

Often, students who are graduating high school ask me for advice about which school they should attend, what they ought to study, and so on. While these are important questions for students looking forward to a life full of promise, I have taken the opportunity over the last couple of years to reflect on my own life’s journey.

When I first graduated high school, I could think of nothing but pursuing an education in music. Those around me – who care very much about me – tried to dissuade me from my “impractical” decision. Three years later, out of money one year short of a music degree, I entered the workforce and let music be my avocation rather than my livelihood.

Several years later, married and working at various jobs, I re-entered school and studied computer science – a very “practical” decision as well as a subject I enjoyed. Then, I ran into competing priorities: School plus job, or young and growing family. I chose family over school.

Over the years I worked in the financial services industry and the information technology services industry, served as a commissioned Army officer, and as a volunteer avocation founded a music program for home-educated students that has been serving students for nearly 20 years. I completed degrees in business administration and applied science. What I find is this: I am able to draw upon each experience in some way to add value to whatever I am currently doing. No prior experience is wasted. What makes me unique in my professional life and my personal life is the one-of-a-kind blending of my particular past experiences that gives me a unique perspective on my current role.

Very few of my music friends from my early college days are doing what they thought they would be doing with their lives. Very few of my computer science friends are doing what they envisioned with their lives. Many of these remarkable people are life-long friends, who are who they are today in part because of the experiences we shared back then that continue to add vibrancy to our futures.

My advice to those students is to worry less about planning their entire lives now in minute detail, and to think more about how what they do today will enrich their lives and the lives of those around them tomorrow.

The Art of Work

On Independence Day – the Fourth of July for my friends who are not from the United States – I had the privilege of performing with the Lansing Concert Band. Those of you who are musicians will understand what I mean when I talk about the enjoyment of performing music. The right note, at the right time, with the right attack at the right dynamic, played in tune and contributing to the overall effect leaves one with a sense of satisfaction.

People think of musicians as “artists” because each one brings something unique to each performance. They interpret music differently within some general stylistic guidelines. They contribute something of themselves – leave a signature, if you will – that makes the performance of the same piece by two different musicians sound somewhat different. The same musician, playing the same piece at two different times in his or her life, may interpret the piece differently. That is what makes music so interesting: It is not the same twice.

Visual artists, looking at the same subject, will come up with different paintings for the same reasons. Each will approach the work and interpret it differently based on their outlook on life, their experiences, and so on.

As I sit here this evening working on a C++ program, I think of artists. Well-behaved and well-structured code is a like a work of art. Each coder will approach a problem in a slightly different way – perhaps with very different algorithms for accomplishing the goal. Each programmer’s code has certain “signatures” – even within the bounds of convention and other standards. Each wants to write code that is as efficient as possible, and that “looks good.”

I have worked on many spreadsheets and databases in my day. My approach to these is the same: I want them to function as advertised and they will inevitably bear my “signature” way of doing things.

For me, work is enjoyable when I view it as artistic expression. No matter what I do, I want to produce something that I am proud of, that others find value in, and that I can put just a little of myself into. In return, I get the satisfaction of a job well done.

On Productivity

In business, productivity is output relative to input. The more I do with what I have, the more productive I am. If Ajax Manufacturing used to make 50 widgets out of 50 thingies, and now they can make 60 widgets with those same 50 thingies, Ajax has become more productive.

You hear all the time about "personal productivity" - getting stuff done. You might have a daily To-Do list that you plow through. Possibly you are disciplined in your scheduling - a time for everything, and everything in its time. Perhaps you are great at prioritizing – making certain you complete the most important stuff first. Maybe you have read all the books, bought all the software and hit all the webinars in hopes of finding the secret elixir to personal productivity. However you measure your personal productivity, chances are you define it as getting stuff done.

To be sure, getting stuff done is important. I believe, though, that we have a tendency to overlook two important ingredients to having a productive day: Have I improved someone else today, and have I improved myself today.

It is important to have an “others” focus. We have family, colleagues, friends, and even total strangers whose lives intersect ours every day. What impact do we have on those around us? Are they better for having encountered us today? Sometimes there is direct interaction. Often, we influence others in a passive way – they observe what we do, how we act, or how we react. Are our passive influences in concert with how we would want to interact with others directly? Sometimes, the things I do or do not do - or say, or do not say - make things needlessly more difficult for someone else. That is counterproductive.

Those who know me well know that I love to learn. I want to improve myself in some way every single day. It may be professionally, in my personal relationships, spiritually or in terms of character, or making better health choices. Any day that I do not accomplish something positive in my own life has been counterproductive.

At the end of the day, I reflect. Have I made someone else's life better or brighter in some way today? Have I improved myself in some way today? If the answer to either of these questions is "no," regardless how much stuff got done, it was an unproductive day.

A Little Gold in a Plastic World

I find that we often focus on the "typical" - what some of my music friends would term the "ordinary, B-flat" things in life. We go to school. We go to work. We get involved in this and that. And much of it becomes background, with the occasional bit of foreground that we treasure all the more.

Last night I had a rare opportunity. At least, I assume it's rare; I've not heard others talk about it. My son gave a recital, and several of my good friends from college attended. They came not because of their friendship with me, but because they are genuinely interested in the lives of my children.

Karl and Fran, who are in the middle of a move to Georgia, had their daughter's wedding two weeks ago and lost Fran's sister this week, were there. Karl accompanied my son on several of the pieces he played. Cal and Vicki, who live about an hour away, were also there. Cal spent quite some time talking with my oldest - a flutist - about Celtic flute and about Celtic music in general. Rian and his wife Jill, who live about an hour away from us, came too, along with their children and a couple of extras. My oldest will soon begin teaching their daughter to play flute.

Some time ago Cal, Vicki, Karl, Fran, Rian and I were sitting at the "music table," talking about what we thought our lives would be like, and forging the friendships that would stand the test of time. Friendships that have a foundation in those shared experiences in school, but are not permanently lodged there. Although we have fond memories of those times - and refer to them often - our friendships keep pace with what is currently happening in our lives. Each is an integral part of the fabric of the other's families.

I treasure the fact that they came to my son's recital; that they came not because of me, but because of him. A bit of 24-karet gold in an otherwise plastic world.

Introduction

Hi! I'm Paul Case. Welcome to my blog!

I am a business and IT professional, founder and president of a non-profit organization, a former Army officer, and a student at University of Michigan - Flint.

As time goes on, I'll be talking more about these various roles and my experiences. Social media can be a great way to connect with others, and a tool for professionals to exchange information and ideas. Hopefully, you will find this blog helpful in getting to know me.

I will be posting updates to this blog on at least a weekly basis. The plan is to keep the blogs relatively short and informative. Sometimes I'll invite discussion. Other times, I will simply give you a peek into my experiences. Either way, the goal is to make this blog enlightening.

Thank you again for stopping by. I hope you won't be a stranger!

Warm Regards,