On self improvement I spent most of last week at the Western United Dairymen's conference in Bakersfield, CA. I enjoyed it thoroughly-- dairymen seem to be good people, if a shade more conservative than I am. Or maybe two shades.

The keynote speaker at the conference was Rulon Gardener, who you may remember was the udnerdog gold medal heavyweight wrestler at the 2000 summer olympics. He also grew up on a dairy, making him a natural for this event. The gold medal is by no means the most interesting story of his life. Here are a few of the things that have happened to him along the way:

1. Broke vertebrae on the mat a year or two before his gold medal, losing the match
2. Crashed snow mobile in a river in the Rockies and spent the night in subzero weather (feet had to be reconstructed and one toe amputated because of frostbite)
3. Crashed airplane into a mountain lake and swam a mile to shore in 44 degree water (1 week before conference)

Would you call that bad luck, or somebody who takes excessive risks? I'm not sure, but he's definitely a survivor.

By his own admission, Rulon is not the brightest light on the porch. In his telling of his life's story, his accomplishments have little to do with talent or natural ability and everything to do with working 16 hour days every day and staying focused on his goals. That message resonated well with the dairymen, most of whom also work 16 hour days seven days a week, and who focus all their energy on one thing-- teats. Like Rulon, most of these guys were also extremely successful in their own rite without the benefit of an impressive education or 1500 SAT scores.

Contrast that with the flotilla of self-help books available in the Phoenix airport, which I spent some time in on the way home. These advocate all sorts of 7-, 9-, or 12-step programs that will turn your life around, make you rich, help you lose weight (and keep it off!), or enable you to accomplish more in less time. Clearly, they're selling what everybody wants to buy. I would gladly pay $25 for a book or even $25,000 for a sure-fire shortcut to success and happiness.

Meanwhile, Rulon has a book out. I think it's called "Push to the Finish," or something like that. I don't think his secret is a multi-step program or a mnemonic device that will make me friends at cocktail parties. Having listened to the guy for an hour or so, I think I can pretty much guess everything his book will tell me, and it's not what people usually pay to hear.

This is starting to sound pretty preachy, so I'd like to take a different tack with today's blog. I would like to renounce the notion that I need to be better, more effective, etc. I hereby resolve not to work 16 hours a day, not to stay extremely focused on one goal, and not to become fabulously wealthy. I also resolve not to engage in any programs that promise to improve me and not to read any books dedicated to making me a better person. I resolve to maintain my average work ethic and lack of focus in life, to continue drinking beer, and to make myself available to others who need company and support in doing the same. With blog as my witness.  ¶ 6:16 PM