Welcome to the Pacific Northwest where it has become one heck of a hot day because the wind has shut off. And, welcome back to Scotomaville.
Angelina tells me that it takes just as much energy to think positively - abundance-minded - as it does to think scarcity. Have you ever noticed that people can have different points of view about the same exact thing? Gary Larson did an excellent job of pointing that out.
I'm sure you know this guy, and if you are that guy... thanks for watching this channel.
In this episode, we're going to talk about strategy. We're going to continue the last episode's talk about strategy, and in this one, we're going to extend it a bit more. I think you'll find it very, very interesting.
It's lunchtime. We're going to play a board game we call Hoppers. The object is to advance all of my pieces across the board to occupy all of these spaces while Angelina moves hers to this side. We're trying to swap sides. The first player to finish all the pieces into the camp wins.
The difference between this game and many other board games is that there's no capturing. You're challenged with spotting opportunities. Whoever sees the best opportunities wins, which is like being an entrepreneur in the marketplace. You're not out to conquer it's not conquest. It is an opportunity recognized and seized.
STRATEGY KEY POINTS
■ Recognize Opportunities and Seize Them ■ Sideways Can Mean Going Forward ■ Multi-hops Are Advantageous ■ Bright and Shiny Demands Maintenance ■ Work Before Play is a Strong Strategy
PLAYING HOPPERS
Angelina: In this move, I've used my pieces to build a bridge and I'm borrowing Daniel's to extend it. So I'm going to hop over here, and then I'm going to hop over to here, and then I'm going to hop here, and then hop here, and then over there - in multiple hops.
Daniel: What Angelina didn't see is that my next move was to jump to here, to here, to here, to here, back, right. So now I'm blocked from doing that, and I have to find another way around it, so I'll go from here and not get as far.
Angelina: Sometimes with strategy, you have to go sideways or backward to move forward. So having careful thought and not always being reactive is helpful. I'm going to go back and then to the side, sideways from here, forward to here, and then I go from here, sideways, and then I can go here. Recognizing there's more than one way to advance by going sideways a couple of times.
Daniel: A big point about Airstreaming: You can advance by going sideways.
One of the things most people admire about the Airstream is all the windows and the skylights... (close-up of fresh rain/mud drops covering the outside) Think about it. I have to go clean that skylight again. Oh gosh, I need to get on the roof again because the whole thing is like this.
One part of the Airstreaming life you can do at home is chores - exercise. As soon as you clean all the windows, plan on the next rain shower messing them all up. See... little mud droplets. When you least expect it, you can wash the windows all over again.
Multiple hops are a goal. However, there is wisdom in just doing one hop. There are times when your best planning will fall apart, and where you're going to stay will turn out that you can't. You have to think on your feet and find a well-lit spot in a quiet neighborhood, but be okay with changes at the last minute if you see something you might have missed. Take a deep breath.
(cut to Hoppers Game Board)
Daniel: you missed that one.
Angelina: thank you.
Daniel: we planned to relocate today to take advantage of the wind and to get out on the river, but our strategy is 'work before play. Today turns into a pouring rain day. The weather prediction didn't get it right, so we changed our plans.
One of the aspects of developing a strategy is recognizing that the mobile lifestyle is mobile - you can move. That's why we're trying to teach you about Hoppers and the primary strategy of the game. In most player turns, there are multiple opportunities and multiple ways to move.
HOPPING A HISTORIC HEATWAVE
Having a fundamental strategy, based on some core principles can serve you well as you discover things you didn't expect. We're having a 100-year historic heatwave with high temperatures like 105 to 114 in Hood River, in The Gorge, or all of Southern and Northern Oregon, Southern Washington. With a historic heatwave, you can't be boon-docking in an aluminum can at that temperature.
I've come up into the white pass cascade trail campground. I was very fortunate to get a spot and barely get my butt in it. Parking a 30 feet trailer in a 24-foot slot - that's a little maneuvering.
Life happens between your plans. It turns out the reason why this space was available on a first-come, first-serve basis... (slap! closeup of clapping hands) that was a mosquito. It came in the trailer after I had flown the drone shot. It just rode in on my shoulder or something. Look, they are vampires here. They are horrible. This campground is beside a fly fishing only lake, and it's beautiful. It's dense in the trees, and the mosquitoes are here.
One of the local fishermen said to me; oh well, they'll be gone in a month. I said to him; well I'll be gone on Sunday!
BACK TO THE HOPPERS GAME
It's common to repeat a move once you've set up a bridge, or a pathway. Remember the last multi-hop move I made? I moved from here, to here, to here, to here, to there, to there. Here I am again (with a similar move). It would be wise for Angelina to recognize this... "wait a minute, he's done that before".
Watch this. I can move this piece to here, to here, to here, to here, to here, to here. See? I'm gaining great ground on her, so she needs to be aware... as in; here's what the market is doing, here's how other people are behaving.
AN INDOOR DAY - SINGLE MOVE
So I think that today is going to be a mostly indoor day. It's not because it's raining. Well, it is reigning. Mosquitoes are reigning, as in control. Yeah, I think that's what I'm saying.
So yeah hoppers. You gotta be flexible, and you gotta look at your options, and since the battery's low I can't edit the video. What can I do? Single move. I can shoot clips like this.
We're boon-docking. There's a hundred percent charge rate on the briefcase - meaning it's putting out 11.2 amps, 13.3 amp hours so far, 12.9 volts, yahoo we're up to three quarters charged now, and that while the trailer is mostly in the shade. Yahoo. That is fabulous while a very subtle breeze is coming in off of the lake below a ski area when there's a massive heatwave. Nice.
MULTI HOPPING A HEATWAVE
Why in the world would that put a smile on my face? Think about all the moves on the board. A historic-century heat wave is underway. We need to get to a higher altitude, but, oh yeah, everyone's going to a higher altitude. Everyone's going to find a cooler place. I forgot about the mosquitoes. Put that aside. I needed to get here in time to get a place. I needed to be able to fit the rig in. I needed to figure out when the sun was going to come out between the tree shadows and where I needed to have the solar briefcase. I positioned the Airstream so that it's in the shade to stay cool while it gets cooled overnight with the windows open.
Count all those steps. I've lost track.
Then to have it work out where the afternoon breeze comes through the windows, blowing off the lake, coming down from the mountain. That's cool air coming through the rig while it's in the shade under the trees with the solar collecting to recharge the battery so your refrigerator and freezer will stay cold.
(close-up of refer controls) Do you hear that churning rumbling sound? It's kind of like the refrigerator's gut is growling. That's coolant running. There's enough voltage... (looking at voltmeter) that's a happy noise. Anyway, that's a long description, Alan Landis would say, of why Daniel is smiling. He made the right moves, with multiple hops to stay cool during a historic heatwave with minimal power. I did well. That was a multi-hop.
LEARNING TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
A significant philosophy and strategy I'd like you to consider is learning to speak the truth. You see, seeking the truth, and speaking the truth can be difficult. Highly functional Asperger's have a hard time making it up because they don't even have the wiring for that. That gave me an advantage, but I could not, for most of my life, imagine how deceptive people, in general, can be. I'd encourage you to learn to speak the truth.
We found this thought provoking post-it note on our Airstream one afternoon. I wish I could have met the anonymous author. I would guess they have strong feelings about owning and caring for nice possessions. I imagine they are also afraid to be known for who they are... thus the post-it note.
The sad thing about having such a strong opinion is that it leaves no room for error. You may feel you have understanding, yet be completely wrong. Being wrong is something humans do half the time. Our story with evidence is told throughout the Scotomaville series, and the principles we believe in might do well for them. You remember? It's tough to see things the way THEY are, because we see things the way WE are!
TRUTH EXAMPLES
REPLACING FRAGILE PLASTIC PARTS
Part of what you should expect with a home on wheels is plastic things like this just fall off. The replacement part is nine dollars. The Loctite to keep it in place is just a few cents. That should be the way that they do it in the factory.
Putting Loctite on a plastic handle was not such a good idea. Oh no, if you put Loctite on one of these things made out of plastic, it breaks right off when you grab it and pull it. I had to buy a second metal handle to replace the one that I melted. I learned at a small expense. It was only 20 bucks.
PROTECT YOUR FRAGILE ORGANIC PARTS
Discretion is the better part of valor. I had to fall off a glacier to realize that was true.
I just came out to wash the truck to make a mental break and take a look at what I just found. That was a bird. I have no idea how long that's been there. It's pretty dry. That's brutal. That's life. Slow down. Take small risks by leaving a bigger margin for error.
TAKE NOTE OF YOUR FRAGILE ALUMINUM PARTS
Remember when I said I put a 30-foot air stream in a 24-foot site? Yeah? Apparently, underneath one of those bushes was a solid stump.
That dent is going to take me a bit of time to fix well. It'll be far longer that I remember how easy it was to create it.
You want to ramp up on your learning by gradually making mistakes. That's what I mean about learning to speak the truth. Most Airstreaming channels are going to tell you that 'living the dream' is great. That gets YouTube to recommend the video and you get more views and they put advertising in it so you can make some income. I get that. It's common.
MAKING A BOLD MOVE
But here's an example of a spider making a bold move. I found him on my windshield at 30-40 miles an hour. It hung on up to 70 MPH for I think it was seven or eight miles. I think he did well. That completely changed his destiny that's for sure. Sometimes that's a good model to follow - take some bold multi-hop steps.
I took him off the windshield using an index card and put him on the side of the road so that he's got a life to live and children to raise and a story to tell about his great adventure.
Sometimes a bold move will shake some things up in your life. Start small. Take a different path to work. Try different foods. Try a new exercise. Learn a new skill. I was asked, by one older gentleman in a campground, how many ways I could segment a grapefruit. My answer was 'one'. As a result, I learned some new ways to segment grapefruit. You see, old dogs CAN learn new tricks. So can you. You can do some fabulous stuff to chart a new pathway.
I want to say that to change course, to change directions, set your sail a little different. To have a different outcome than you were handed, try making bold moves.
BEING BROKE VS BEING POOR
I recall Jim Rohn pointing out the difference between being broke and being poor. Being poor is a state of mind. It points to a lack of ambition. Being broke is just a situation. You can be broke and never be poor. That's the truth.
In network marketing and the RV market, selling the dream is the mantra they march to by inviting you to work when and where, and how you want. I think you've seen examples of the things you can consider and new skills you may acquire to pursue your dream. I want to encourage you, it's worth pursuing. As you've heard me say; "the greatest expedition you will ever undertake is that journey to self-understanding."
Thanks for watching this episode of Scotomaville. I look forward to reading your comments and meeting you at one of our upcoming events.
Thanks for watching