Inspiration

Not Compensation Package.

This post was conceived during the dark days of Compensation Package’s occupation of HQ1.  We were running low on supplies and morale, and it appeared that we were destined to become subjects of our new venomous serpent over lord.  The effort I had exerted to execute my brilliant plan had turned against me and threatened to bring down AcMo.  My fatigue levels had reached a new high and I was not thinking linearly any longer.  This is dangerous because jumping tangents can result in extreme actions.  Recognizing that the situation was perilous was the first step toward finding a positive resolution.  I turned to the solace of creativity to help minimize the pain.  That was foolish since the mere act of creating causes its own special brand of pain.

So I turned to the Internet to find the answers to this problem.  Compensation Package had compromised telecommunications, but our Internet service was still operational.  That dumb snake knew how to chew through wires, but it couldn’t hack a router to save its life.

Inspiration to the outside observer sometimes appears to be an ethereal force that one either possesses or doesn’t.  Ideas, products, and stories seem to emerge without effort from some people.  The effort is present; most just don’t get to see it.  It is born from within, and when combined with motivation, great ideas and great actions can result.

The desperate search queries I attempted lead me to a random blog post.  It had nothing to do with charming angry snakes, but I was transfixed by it.  It was “9 Tips to Fast-Forward Your Fears and Live Your Dreams”.  At that time, being destroyed by an upset venomous snake loose somewhere in HQ1 was my biggest fear.  I was desperate to find any option to save myself from that horrible fate.  It would be a bonus if I could also keep at least some of the staff safe.  Even though the post was super long with 9 whole items, I endeavored to power through it and learn the secret to self-actualization.  It didn’t take long before I reached the second item in the post and then I stopped reading.  I had found what I needed.

2. Make a choice

We make hundreds of choices every day. Become aware of the choices you make and the consequences of your choices. Choose to get up an hour early. Choose to use your gifts and talents. Choose to go the extra mile. Choose to ask for help. Choose to leave your mark on the world. It’s all about choices.

I never did learn if items 3-9 had the secrets to self-actualization or not.  When I considered the choices I had made, I couldn’t determine if I had made the choice to be a prisoner in my own office, or if Compensation Package had made the choice for me.  I was letting the fear of a snake bite and slow death make my choices.  What kind of life was that?  I demanded more from myself than that.

And then I knew there was still hope of surviving the occupation.  I had to make the choice to survive so that AcMo could continue innovating and changing the world one remarkable product at a time.

The choice to leave my office and brave the shop floor was made for me when Fred reported via MMS that he had killed Compensation Package.  One thing I neglected to mention at the time is that I had released a mongoose in HQ1 to catch Compensation Package.  Fred beat the mongoose to the prize, and I haven’t been able to find it since.  Had I not been so fatigued I would have put a GPS tag on it, but they were in the drawer above Compensation Package’s lair.  Had I thought about it I could have ordered tags from Amazon and had the delivery person attach it to the rope I had hanging from my office window.  I’ll have to file that for next time.  I didn’t tell the staff about my mongoose backup plan, but I know it hasn’t been seen because someone would have sent a memo about that.

The thought of death by snake motivated me to push past my fear.  It allowed me to open my mental pathways to increase my innovation powers.  The emotional upheaval experienced at that time has influenced the development of every AcMo product since.

My mind was forced to create through fear and despair and it has made me stronger.  In fact, reliving that awful experience has inspired me to create even more products.  We just need to finish up on some of the items we’ve been tinkering with in the lab first.  By the way, inclusion in our beta RAM brain upgrade is still open for a limited time.