Preface

I was thinking we could make an interesting process out of the book thing. Below please find an exerpt from my book to be released all over the universe soon.

Symmetry and the Subconscious: Business dining do's and don'ts for Grads…

Preface…

Consider only for a moment that it was brilliance that led me to come up with such an unassuming title. It was to satisfy a certain professional or conventional standard found in all books offering instructional advice on or how to get better at…something. It might also have been my attempt to give “credit due” to the notion that there are indeed specific do’s and don’ts to consider when dining out, in business or any other event for that matter, and that when you might find yourself in the spotlight, you need to be prepared. There are some important “just so there is no confusion” guidelines to help shore things up, help you achieve solid results, an overlay, if you will. Don’t pass over them, even though the gist of the book has more to do with logic than process.

The title is an illusion; an example of conformity; the status quo expectation that there might be good information found here, and that there is usually good information found in most books titled this way. I am a little unsure if mocking the system is my way of introducing style, a controversial element in an effort to keep things interesting, or not. There needs to be controversy, in a manor that you can understand--spewed stuff, like the trials of personal experiences that I have included. We shall dissect a failure or two along the way; outline some critical mistakes to make things interesting? Yes, it is necessary too explain things, my re-invention processes that lead to what has become the backbone of my logic. There is drama in life and I have chosen to inject a little of mine to help you get through the book. So this is a story, about a journey, a chosen path, and a forking path with winding off camber surface that captures the essence of this book.

At the end when you have released yourself from the tendency to filter “Gen-formation”, the process by which you, the XYZ generation, processes information, then maybe you will embrace the concept of symmetry and balance and how it relates to dining etiquette the way I do—that which appears so conforming and conventional but seeks your knowledge and culture, your take on the way things are, unconventionally, out of the box and setting a new standard.

I suppose it would be nice if this book winds up in bookstores at the appropriate Business and/or Motivation section. As unconventional as it may really prove to be, I figure titles are basically nothing more than key word searches anyway. People can google the words “dining etiquette” and get a heaping helping of conventional goodness, and I suppose a lot of it is useful. I would prefer you remember a theme in regards to the concept. That is the difference in with this book and others.

So my emphasis will change before the end, and we will cover a lot when it comes to behavior and that which is accepted subconsciously and that which is not accepted at all. Bottom line is, I have just a little more to say than discussing fork patterns and base plates. However there are no hidden messages.

For the sake of housekeeping, I need to say that my mind has a tendency to drift in and out before finally pulling things together. I do this in when I speak. I’ll explore topics, never rehearsing or having an outline other than what is in my head or at the forefront of my imaginary dashboard. I begin speaking and, with reference to an instructor’s timeline, keep talking until it’s over or I am kicked out. I usually touch on what I have learned, a selection of experiences, influences from people that have had impact on my life and my career. I am circular, making sure I hit a couple key points a long the way, and say them more than once. Some seminars are better than others. I drink coffee, strong coffee, before addressing a group. It seems necessary.

So there are many things that motivate me to write this book. Most things have to do with the way I see the world. Now especially after reaching a point in life when I can say that I am comfortable with myself in business, in the way others view me. I liken my attitude towards business decisions to that of some of my favorite clothes, like leather shoes, formed and fitted, familiar, used, authentic and comfortable. I am intuitive and automatic; take action, because I have references. And I think my clients know this of me. After all, I am a brand. Much more on this in chapter________.

The other side of things, the personal relationships and personal fulfillment things unfortunately shall always remain a work in progress, forever changing, fickle, unpredictable, and fussy. Both my business psyche and personal psyche however, are like a tandem bicycle. It takes two to operate the thing. There are peaks and valleys for both the steersman and stoker. There are two distinct responsibilities, though both are needed to level the pavement. And don’t forget balance.

Yes, I am older now and there are a lot of smart people around me, and for good reason. It is strategic really. There are engineers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, coaches, and marketing people, the more gamuts to run the better. I have chosen to surround myself with smart people, meticulously chosen heroes whom I study, so that I can borrow and take from their tool boxes. It is a form of manipulation I suppose, though aren’t all relationships? I think we kindle relationships with people in an effort to understand the competitions in life, so that, if need be, we might overcome them.
In business I have collected boxes of stuff for quite a while: my ideas, passions, politics, views on success, what works, what doesn’t, stuff that can be labeled and put up on a shelf, chronologically and/or in order of importance, it varies. They are boxes of experiences, snippets of personalities surgically removed from a collection of subjects, those whom I have traveled with, studied with, argued with, loved.