Month: January 2021

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At the Root of the Matter

If the root is not known

The cure won’t be shown.

The cause is the key

To protect you and me.

So much can be solved by identifying the underlying cause of a problem.

Treating or masking the symptoms does not help prevention or long term recovery.

Whether your challenges are medical, financial, technical or personal relationship related, getting to the root cause is critical to resolving them.

Photo by Daniel Watson on Pexels.com

My team at work spends the majority of their time conducting Incident Reviews and Root Cause Analysis sessions where we investigate and discover what went wrong, why did the IT system fail and what can be done to prevent reoccurrence. The most important part of the process is the peeling back of the onion by asking multiple Why questions. The Five Whys is an effective methodology that can be applied to all aspects of our lives.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Top of mind for the majority of the planet’s population is the concern and fear of COVID-19. How can we best treat it? How do we prevent it?

While I am hopeful that the new vaccines will stem the spread of the virus, I wish that more attention would be given to the underlying health conditions that are severely hurting (and killing) certain populations in a disproportionate manner. Instead of obsessing over masks and lockdown effectiveness, why aren’t the WHO, the CDC and our government officials screaming from tops of the trees that a healthy weight and lifestyle are the best weapons against this disease. The word comorbidity seems like a polite, PC way to say unhealthy. The underlying cause of the most prevalent health risks are a poor diet and exercise habits and unfortunately, being in lockdown does not make it easy to eat well and work out.

If the root is not known, the cure won’t be shown.

Oh how I wish we would spend more time and energy to identify the underlying reasons of why a problem or bad condition has occurred.

Remember, the cause is the key to protect you and me!

Asking Why multiple times may provide the answer.

Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com

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Now More Then Ever- The Importance of the American Legion’s Mission

In this time of Covid-19, the mission of the American Legion is more critical than ever. As the nation’s largest veterans service organization, the wide reaching programs should be increasingly mobilized to meet the members’ needs.

Two pillars of the American Legion’s mission statement stand out to me as being the most important during these challenging times:

  • Devotion to fellow service members and veterans
  • Advocating patriotism and honor

In this time of lockdowns, loneliness and isolation, we need the continued devotion to our fellow members to keep everyone’s spirits up. The health and wellbeing of millions of veterans is the focus and our selfless service to others will keep our communities strong. 

Photo by Matthias Zomer on Pexels.com

In this time of disunion and polarization, we need to be advocating positive patriotism and honor.  By rallying around a common objective we can strengthen America in its battle against the coronavirus.

Now is the time to unite around our shared values and binding symbols, the stars and stripes of the US flag. Now is the time to set aside political differences and take care of each other.

Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

The headwinds we face as a nation are great but I remain confident that we will overcome and rise to the occasion.   The United States has faced countless challenges in our 245-year history and the patriotic, generous and giving spirit of Americans won’t be shaken.

I’ll leave you with words from Johnny Cash’s song “Ragged Old Flag”: 

“In her own good land here she’s been abused 
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused

And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land

And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin
But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in

‘Cause she’s been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning
We take her down every night
We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold her up right

On second thought, I do like to brag
‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag.”

Photo by Steve Smull


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Wise Wishes: 3 Gifts for 2021

As millions of people around the world celebrate Three Kings Day and the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, I reflect upon the power of three.

As is written in the Bible’s Book of Matthew, three kings/wise men/magi came from the east to Bethlehem to present three gifts to a new born child named Jesus.

If you were magically granted three wishes, what would they be?

More than anything, I want the following three things for our world in 2021:

  1. Trust
  2. Courage
  3. Common Sense

These simple values are mighty and powerful and are sadly in short supply.

The global pandemic of 2020 has frayed the fabric of society’s faith and confidence in so many governments and institutions.

I pray that our world leaders, families, friends and neighbors can receive this trinity of goodness.

Trust, courage and common sense are invaluable in the face of today’s immense challenges.