Fight on!

I think a boxer at least has a corner worker to throw in the towel when it is time to capitulate. I'm making a dangerous assumption that towel throwing is still part of boxing and that said corner worker has the boxer's best long-term health interests in mind.  I suppose I am also assuming that I have even a modicum of understanding of the intricacies of boxing.  

What do civilians have?  In life and in business, but let's be honest, business is life with a generous sprinkling of revenue streams, there aren't any corner workers to throw in the towel for you to stop the fight.  There will always be an abundance of naysayers and shareholders who think they have a voice though.  My problem has always been figuring out which ones to listen to, and which ones to refer to my competitors.

We don't have bells to signify the end of a round, and most of our fights don't have established time regulations.  Most of that disappeared at the end of grade school.  We still have recess here at AcMo, but there's no bell to signify the start and end.  I encourage the employees to take breaks when needed.  As long as the final product is AcMo approved, I don't really care how it happens.

Some people rely on their instinct, but I've already determined that mine is defective, and until I can get the gut bacteria transplant apparatus operational, I can't rely on that.  I think I'll be able to test it on myself before we have FDA approval, but I'll need to confirm that.  Other people join organizations or cults so that they don't have to worry about making difficult decisions.  My personality inhibits me from following others unless I'm at gunpoint, so that isn't an option either.  Also, I would derail a cult from the inside with a speed and sense of purpose that would defy belief and explanation.  I am that guy.

There is a large group of society that I don't understand at all.  This group functions without having any discernible skills or intelligence.  It is a wonder how these people emerge from their place of slumber each day without having a major mishap.  I can call out this group without fear of reprisal because I am one of them.  Most of the time I don't know how I got where I am, and don't have a clue how I am going to return from wherever I originated.  If not for the AcMo Locator app, I might not even be able to find all of our remote bases.  AcMo's power could be infinite if I could just crack the secret to this demographic.  I am amazed every morning when I awake without having suffered a major mishap during the previous day's activities.  I know my luck is bound to run out at some point, so I really need to get the answer.

Earlier this year I had to quit a conversation because I was unable to continue following it.  I believe I might have mentioned this in a previous post, but everything tends to run together.  If this software only had robust search options, I could know for sure.  It seems like something that Google might know how to do.  I will have to ask for an upgrade.  Back to the conversation from which I ejected, I knew there was no hope for a mental recovery on my part, so I just raised my hand and announced my exit.  I'm not proud of that moment, but at least I was honest.  No one involved had any question as to what was happening. I didn't feign interest and nod my head in a semi-circular pattern like I normally do.  I consider that to be real personal growth.  I've also noticed conversations have been more interesting since I started paying actual attention to the words.  I had no idea what I was missing.

As a part of my personal growth campaign, I'm trying to learn the polite way to tell a sales rep that we're not interested in the products they represent, or even who they are as a person.  I know a few ways not to do that, but I'm trying to find solutions, not introduce more problems into the situation.  The direct approach used to be best, but at some point when I wasn't paying attention it became inappropriate to send a faxed copy of the invoice with the word, "NO CHANCE" next to amount enclosed for the shipment of materials I accepted.  If I had been able to tell the shipment didn't contain the parts we ordered, I never would have opened them and used them to build our products.  I will not be held hostage by a supplier that made a mistake and sent me alloys that were several levels more expensive than what I had ordered.  That would be bad business on my part, and I do not have time for that.

Perhaps answers are like ideas, and there is no perfect answer, so I should go with the one I have instead of waiting for a better one.  The problem is that several big deals are percolating, and some of them are raising unwanted issues within AcMo.  I would just drop them, but I am being told that quitters never win.  I don't understand how that can be possible because a quitter wins every time s/he quits something.  Regardless, I can't figure out how to determine the optimum quitting time for any endeavor.  I've poured over the data for months without reaching an actionable conclusion.

I keep peering into the corner hoping I'll see someone there waving the white towel, but I'm only ever greeted by large spiders and shadows that seem to move depending on the time of day.  At least the bird strikes have stopped.  The incessant dull thuds against the glass were starting to wear on my sensibilities.  I was beginning to think we had waged a covert war with the birds or something.

AcMo is developing a product to enable people and businesses to analyze their data to create accurate and actionable timelines that identify the proper quitting time for any business endeavor or relationship.  I envision it developing a bit like Google Now so that it will know in advance and notify the user that it is time to close the business or terminate a relationship.  I think this is the type of product that can save careers and lives.

Maybe I'm punch drunk and just don't know it.  Until we're able to get the product operational, I will continue to ignore the medical team's advice and keep fighting even though one more hit to the head may leave me deranged.  I'm willing to take the risk because the reward might be glorious.  Every morning I stagger out of my corner and face each round as it arrives since I don't have a corner worker to throw in the towel for me.  I'll fight until I can't stand it any longer or someone declares a winner.  Whichever comes first.  Or, I have the option of labelling myself a quitter and then do what quitters do best:  start a new project before finishing the current one.