Author: MichaelJ

I was born naked, and unable to care for myself. But I struggled, and people helped me along the way.

Divine Guidance

I was wondering about the phrase “rise to fight another day”.  I was led to the quote that it supposedly came from, and then curiosity about the author, John Dryden, led me to an unexpected boost.

Fight on, my merry men all, I'm a little wounded, but I am not slain;
I will lay me down for to bleed a while,
Then I'll rise and fight with you again. - John Dryden

I found some quotes that were PERFECT for how I was feeling, and I think it was because I prayed about how I was feeling, especially about a decision I have to make.

  • They conquer who believe they can.
  • Fortune befriends the bold.
  • None but the brave deserve the fair.
  • He has not learned the first lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear.
  • Look around the inhabited world; how few know their own good, or knowing it, pursue
  • Never was patriot yet, but was a fool.
  • Resolved to ruin or to rule the state.
  • Seek not to know what must not be reveal, for joy only flows where fate is most concealed. A busy person would find their sorrows much more; if future fortunes were known before!
  • The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one.
  • Time, place, and action may with pains be wrought, but genius must be born; and never can be taught.”
  • Tomorrow do thy worst, I have lived today.
  • We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.
  • What passions cannot music raise or quell?
  • Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is with thoughts of what may be.

My Last Nortel Project

I like to plan things out, and then execute the plan to see if my estimates were correct.  That’s how I became a project manager.  As the infrastructure PM, I was responsible for defining requirements and developing plans for integrating Voice, WAN, LAN, Server, Desktop infrastructure, and Help Desk for the GENBAND purchase of the Nortel CVAS business.

(Click for a larger image)

This was the plan to get to “Day 1” which was very important because it had financial penalties for missing deliverables.   My Nortel days are over, but I’m proud my last project was successful and was run like a PMP should.  One day, I will write the exam, just to get that monkey off my back, but it doesn’t interest me for now – I’m already good at it.  I’m focused on improving my entrepreneurial skills and implementing the business infrastructure needed to implement my ideas.