THE KID IN ME- BOOK ONE

THE KID IN ME- BOOK ONE

Excerpts from a Childhood Autobiography by Peter Cluff

Forward

“We do not stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing.

Never Be The First To Get Old!”
-Author Unknown

I have led a very interesting life, living it like a child.

If this sounds strange coming from a sixty-two year old, please let me put it in perspective. I still do the things I did as a youth with the same curiosity and wonderment normally attributed to a child.

While many things have happened in my life that should have made me like others of my age, cynicism and submission are not part of my character. I still refuse to give in to the disorders of age that sometimes betray me and I will not stop trying to be the best damn kid I can be.

While penning this, I asked myself “Am I being egotistical in writing my memoirs, especially since I am not rich, famous or controversial?” I also asked “Who in the world would be interested anyway?” And the answer blasted back at me “I would.” Yes, I still talk to myself as I did when I was 10 years old.

As to being egotistical, the answer is NO. There are some things in my life that only I know. There are many other stories and events that would be forgotten when I die and my ashes are scattered on a golf course- a very nice golf course please. I do not wish to grow old and die before I tell my story.

If I do not tell this tale, you will not meet the influential characters in my life. If you do not meet them, how will you recognize the signs that will direct you to someone in your own life who could shape you as I have been shaped? Perhaps you already know such people but have not yet realized they are your future.

If I don’t speak of these things, who will? How can anyone else but me pass along my feelings felt, successes celebrated, failures experienced, lessons learned, challenges overcome and all of the precarious steps I took on my journey through life?

I have no grandiose plan that will allow you to avoid my mistakes as you move through your life. In fact, I have this impish wish that you will take missteps similar to mine! You may then look back on your life, when you have experienced enough, and say that your life was very interesting too.

I would be less than honest if I were to disguise some of the characters in this book. You would lose the full flavor of my interaction with them. In advance, I apologize to any of those people still living and to whom I may cause embarrassment. To those who have passed on, I apologize to those who hold your memories dear.

Sometimes I had to cover up the truth by changing names, dates and places. I would not want anyone arrested now after I have been silent for too many years.

And here’s one other thing before I allow you to look at the pages of my life. I have written this in the third person simply to keep you from treading on the word “I” too often. After all, I would not want you to think I am egotistical.

This book is written in Chapters based on themes rather than chronology. As you move from Chapter to Chapter, do not be put off by Peter’s age. In one Chapter, he is young. In the next he is older and in the next, he is young again.

So here is my life in print for all to see. I liken this to jumping out of bed and stretching full up in front of our big open window, only to realize that I am totally naked. Some readers will say “Ahhh. I’ve been there and seen that?” while others will crinkle their noses and say “Too much information!” For my part as a 62-year old, I would laugh at the mental picture this creates, as if I were still a 10-year old.

Hopefully, all of you will find something in this book that you didn’t know about, didn’t appreciate at the time or didn’t know how to handle. You may find the overwhelming message is that you should never grow up too soon.

This book is dedicated to my parents, Jim Cluff and Alberta Cluff, without whom, Peter would not exist in his present form.

I also dedicate this to my in-laws, Jan and Maria Pietryszyn, who taught me what the real impact of the Second World War was on the common man. Without them, there would be no Lucy (or Lucille or Lucyna or Lulu or Lu or “The Hard-Assed Carpenter”) in my life.

I should explain something at this point. Lucy gained the "Hard-Assed Carpenter" handle when she was doing renovations in the dining room and somehow stepped off the ladder into thin air. The only thing between her and serious injury was the dining room table. She managed to land on it perfectly, fully deserving of a 9.8 in my books. While the crash was large, the only thing she hurt was her pride and the dining room table suffered a small injury when the hammer hit it.

To my beautiful children Christopher and Shannon- thank you for loving me and helping me to remain young.

I would also like to acknowledge the other most influential people in my life:

- Ed Anderson, Golf Pro, who taught me the value of practice and how to laugh in the face of adversity,

- Gordon Wilkie, Medical Doctor, who taught me that seeing small things can make a huge difference in someone’s life,

- Ted Nichols, Business Teacher, who taught me the power of words,

- Paul Feldman, President of Computing by Voice, who is my Business Hero because he can type 160 words per minute without the ability to use his arms (see article in Fall, 2007 Critical Paths E-Magazine),

- Bill & Roberta Boyce, neighbors, who taught me the true value of volunteering and paying it forward,

- Jim Anderson, former neighbor, who taught me what caring for family really meant,

- Stan Hierons, Ray Murley, Doug Cole, Eric Eaves, Barb Crozier, Carl Wilson, Ron Boulter, Wayne Norris, Brian Vasey, Jim O’Donnell, Barb Godin, Alberta Cefis, Ruth McBride, Mary Constancio, Arseniy Streltsov, Daniel Maniov, a few of the current and former Scotiabankers, who trusted in my ability to manage people,

- Ron Porter, Scotiabanker, who taught me a variety of things including knowing your customers’ needs when you build something, the wrong and the right ways to manage people, the wrong and the right ways to balance home and work demands, and how to focus on priorities.

Life and the people in my life have taught me many lessons and now, your class begins.

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? WINNING WRITING!

This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Summer, 2006 Issue of the Critical Paths E-Magazine

Introduction

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten,

either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing”
Ben Franklin- 1706-1790

Ben Franklin was born 300 years ago and, in retrospect, he was considered to be a visionary. With a little paraphrasing, Ben might have said:

“You will not be refused if you write things worth reading.”

In business today, writing is selling. You spend much of your business time trying to sell your ideas to others. You use memos, presentations, emails, business cases, meetings and telephone calls. If you want to sell something, you write about it. If you want to say it, you usually write it out first. But if you don’t catch your reader’s interest immediately, you will lose the sale.

The Big Idea
So how do you catch someone’s interest within the first paragraph or in the first 2 minutes of a presentation? YOU HIT THEM WITH THE BIG IDEA!

Ted Nichols is a very successful workshop facilitator for Powerful Business Writing, Powerful Business Case Writing and Presentation Skills. He usually begins most of his workshops by yelling “WHAT IS THE BIG IDEA?” at the top of his lungs. This effective wake up call brings home the point that you must get the Big Idea out at the very beginning of any writing or presentation if you hope to sell your idea.

You can usually depend on having 5 minutes to sell busy executives on your request. If you start by telling them the background leading up to your request, you will lose your sale. But if you start by saying “We can generate $2,000,000 more per year in revenue, if you approve this one-time request for $500,000 to fund a new Widget System.”, you will immediately increase your chances of a successful sale.

The Syringe
The second tool that Ted recommends is to build your entire writing and each paragraph like a syringe. The wide plunger at the top is the Big Idea. The narrowing tube below it is the Detail supporting the Big Idea. And the tip at the bottom of the syringe is the Point of the Big Idea.

As an example, let’s break down my 3rd paragraph:
The Big Idea:

In business today, writing is selling.
The Detail Supporting the Big Idea:

You spend much of your business time trying to sell your ideas to others. You use memos, presentations, emails, business cases, meetings and telephone calls. If you want to sell something, you write about it. If you want to say it, you usually write it out first.
The Point of the Big Idea:

But if you don’t catch your reader’s interest immediately, you will lose the sale.

Active Not Passive
Ted recommends that much of your writing should be in the Active Voice, rather than the Passive Voice. An Active Voice brings passion and a sense of conviction to your writing that is not lost on the reader. They will be more convinced if you say “We can generate $2,000,000 more…” than if you say “$2,000, 000 more can be generated….”.

Effective Tools
Finally, you should employ a variety of tools to improve the effectiveness of your writing:

-The First Person- I am writing, not “They”, “It” or “One”.
-The Passive Voice [occasionally]- Longer writings can be made more interesting if Voice variation is used once in a while.
-Short sentences- They add emphasis!
-Synonyms- Use different words instead of the same word throughout your writing. This assortment adds variety and avoids monotony.
-Contractions [occasionally]- It’s a conversational tool.
-Start the odd sentence with “But” or “And”. And you will make your point!

Structural variation adds emphasis, avoids monotony, and retains the reader’s interest.

Conclusion
What’s the Big Idea? I believe that writers should state a clear reason for writing that will grab my attention. Then they should hit me with convincing details. Finally, they should make a strong point to bring me back to the Big Idea. That’s Winning Writing to me!

Enjoy Writing!

To read more interesting articles, go to http://www.criticalpathbiz.com/ and have a peek at our E-Magazines.

Peter

Why I Need To Blog

They say that everyone has at least one book in them.

I have 4.

I started two books: one was 5 years ago and I got to Chapter 5 before life made me set it aside. I started the other book 9 months ago and have been pecking away at it sporadically.
The other two books are simply ideas that I have thrown around for years.

In addition to the books, I write constantly. I write because I love to write. I write because I have something interesting to say. I write because there are so many interesting people who do interesting things to interview. I write because someone in my early years told me I should read. They had me at Chapter One of Moby Dick, the first real classic I read when I was 9 years old.

I write E-Magazine articles, minutes of meetings, agendas, web pages, notes to myself, emails, Trade Show copy, small and big business downloadable organization tools, case studies, and now Blogs.

There was a time that I wrote letters to my wife and life-long partner Lu. Whenever I got hot and bothered about something, I wrote her a note about it rather than say it to her face. We do funny things when the heat is on. Today we talk it out.

Writing for me is both therapeutic and necessary.

Writing is therapeutic because there are things that happened in my life and in the lives of others that are beyond imagining. They are so outrageous, they must be true. They are so engaging, spoken words alone cannot do them justice. They are so courageous, they may not otherwise be recognized without being written. They are so real, they must be recorded for those that come after us.

Writing is necessary for me. I am 62 years old and my father Jim died when he was 58. I see much of my father in me and was convinced for many years that I would not survive past 58. I did and there are reasons for that. These are things that I will write about. I have at least 4 friends that are in the early or late stages of dying. They must be written about. I have new children in my life that will be the future of our line. Not only must they be written about, but they must also be encouraged to write. I am so full of experiences that it would be a selfish shame if they were not recorded before I meet my Maker. Life is so short that I must hurry a little bit more each day to get my thoughts down.

Blogging will give me the freedom to publish my thoughts and experiences. It will allow me to share my talents with anyone who cares to read me. Blogging will be great for our business but even better for our relationships.

So here is the first of many Blogs. Please enjoy and please write.

Peter Cluff