Building Blocks pt. 1

Here's a list of some great books that have changed the way I think and operate:

The Alchemist - The first book I recommend to everyone.  It's the story of life.

The Four Agreements - Don't take anything personally.  This book helped me stop that.

The Shortness of Life - The truest words about how we waste time.

Who Moved My Cheese - Change is inevitable.

How to Win Friends and Influence People - I thought I knew how to win friends, after the 6th person recommended this one, I figured out I was wrong.

Zen Mind Beginner's Mind - How to remove the assumptions and see everything new for the first time.

It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be - It's all about how you handle what situations life gives you.

2 Second Lean - The easiest approach to learning about continuous improvement and fixing what bugs you.  Lean is invention and innovation.

The Goal - After working in factories for a while, the lessons in this book made so much sense.

 

Kaizen Kung-Fu

Kaizen is the concept of making improvements to make people, processes, things incrementally better. 

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is one of my favorite movies.  I discovered it through listening to Wu-Tang Clan.  One of my favorite examples of Kaizen is in this movie. 

 

A majority of the film takes place in a Shaolin monastery, where the main character San-Te, is learning Kung-Fu.  Through each of the 35 training chambers, he is met with unique physical and mental challenges.  Through repeated failure along with incremental improvements, San Te is able to defeat all 35 chambers faster than anyone before.

 

The justice officer for the monastery, seeing San Te unfit, challenges him to a duel.  In the first match, San Te is defeated.  Using the Kaizen process, he chooses a different weapon.  In the 2nd match, his fighting skills improved, but he still loses.  After the 2nd loss, instead of using an existing weapon, San Te created one.

 

 

 

 

To defeat the sword, he needed a weapon that could create distance and light for attacking, but also strong for blocking.  He made a three sectioned staff.

The new and different defeated the traditional through continuous improvement.

Decon & Recon - The Shoe Surgeon

““The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.” ”
— Brian Herbert

Next week, I'll be in taking the Decon/Recon course offered by The Shoe Surgeon.  Over 5 days, with a handful of other students, we will take an existing shoe, deconstruct it, cut/sew new patterns and end up with a one of one shoe. 

Custom AJ 1 - The Shoe Surgeon

Custom AJ 1 - The Shoe Surgeon

I'm excited to work with The Shoe Surgeon (Dominic Chambrone).  His story is inspiring and we share a similar vision for improving and creating newness.

“I want to evolve and do stuff that no one else has done yet in the industry and be ahead of the game”
— Dominic “The Shoe Surgeon” Chambrone

The course will also bring together students who share a passion for shoes and learning.  Until now, there were few places where people can gain footwear experience outside of a shoe repair store or working for a large footwear company.  Learning by doing is the best way to gain footwear experience.

Besides gaining experience, the course give you the skills necessary to start your own footwear business.

I'm looking forward to creating a story through my pair.  Selecting the colors and materials, cutting and sewing using my hands.  The end product is a true reflection of my creativity, hard work and attention to detail.