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missolitude · 6 years ago

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A Taurean* take on the zodiac signs

*Taurus sun, Libra moon, Cancer rising, Mercury and Venus in Gemini

Look at your sun sign but also moon, rising, mercury and venus. This is merely my opinion so of course bias is part of the deal, but in libra moon fashion I shall try to be objective and fair.

Aries: I never seem to vibe with you guys unless you have strong Piscean influences in your chart. Very fiery and aggressive. Go getters. Naturally dominant and sometimes athletic, usually into sports and the outdoors. Extroverts. You love to express yourself and you have so much energy. Decisive and creative. I might never be friends with you but I would immediately hire you to advocate for a project or an idea. You are literally unstoppable once you want something, you strive when you need to overcome obstacles. Confident aura. Daring and bold. Usually very self-centered. Please do remind yourselves that other people have feelings and that a more diplomatic approach would solve most problems that you have in relationships.

Taurus: My own sign, so I’m probably biased. I have had so many Taurean friends in my childhood. I immediately get along with you, I feel so comfortable and at ease in your company. You radiate such calm and warmth. Loyal. Dependable. You are a solid rock in a world that doesn’t stand still. You move slowly but when you do have taken a decision you follow through. You possess unbreakable, indomitable inner and physical strength. Everything you do is meaningful, you do not like to waste your time or resources. Very stubborn but you usually know that you are and don’t want to be. Self-reliant to a fault. You are so peaceful and sweet, and you put up with so much before you lose your patience and speak up. You rarely get angry but once the bottled up rage finds a way to the surface it’s like hot lava, it burns everything in its path. You are a powerful and terrifying creature, embrace it but use your strength wisely. Once you have invested time and energy in something you cannot let go, even when that person or relationship hurts you or has stopped serving a purpose in your life. You give so much to others, you are allowed to put yourself first every once in a while.

Gemini: Masters of mischief and communication. So funny and energetic! They hate boredom. Like to show off. Literal goofballs and dorks. A million different hobbies and interests. Usually are into traveling, they want to engage with the world. So curious and charismatic. Sometimes distraught and absent-minded. Lives in their head. Wants to get to know everyone, will ask you so many questions on literally every topic, likes to use their hands when they talk. Everything they say sounds smart and they know a bit about everything. Easy to open up! Words are your weapon and if you harness and develop that gift the world is at your feet. People will tell you over and over again that you should focus on one thing in life, don’t listen to them. Versatility is your strength. So are connections, both in your head as in relationships. You manage to connect everything and create a bigger picture based on small details. You guys are walking mindmaps. Listen to your gut more! You make sense of chaos, you thrive in it. Embrace it.

Cancer: Undervalued gems. Your life always seems to revolve around pain, either your own or that of others. You are sweet and sensitive and people like to underestimate you because of that. Too bad, they won’t see you coming when you get sneaky and come from the side. Your indirectness is not a weakness, don’t let anyone tell you differently. You are sooo receptive. To other people’s moods, their burdens, their struggles, you go through life sensing what other people see. Your protective shell is your weakness and strength at once, depending on how you use it. Once you have it on nothing and no one can hurt you, you become unbreakable, unreachable. This is such a magical gift, use it wisely. But also don’t forget to take it down and experience life every once in a while. You will never be able to avoid all the risks, no matter how hard you try. You will only keep yourself from living truly and intensely. You are at your strongest when you protect and nurture, either yourself or those you love. You are soft but not weak, you are not afraid to feel, to hurt, to cry. You can find strength and wisdom in that like no other. You are the Gabrielle to someone’s Xena, this is your archetype. You hold up others so that they can heal, and by healing others, you heal yourself.

Leo: Natural performers and entertainers. Most comfortable when they are the center of attention, also at their best. You were made to be in the spotlight, you can’t seem to help but shine, it’s such a superpower. You are so good at expressing yourself creatively, you aren’t afraid to be bold and to take risks. You possess so many talents and you are crazy attractive. (You always seem to have the most amazing hair too, wow.) You are hard workers and proud of what you do and accomplish. You do naturally what other people need to learn, to demand to be treated with respect and to ask for well earned validation. But don’t forget that you are at your strongest when your validation and self-respect comes from within, not from outside sources. You can only become your most powerful self once you detach yourself from that need to seek applause from everyone you meet. Once you have that stability and that strong ego that comes from within, nothing and nobody can stop you. You are such natural givers, and because you are so positive and shine so brightly you always seem to get back even more. But there is a fine line between a strong and healthy ego and arrogance and learning the difference is your biggest life lesson.

Virgo: Natural healers and educators. You have such passion and strive for knowledge, and you always want to serve and offer your gifts to others. You are truly amazing. If you need emotional nurturing go to a Cancer, if you want a solution to your life’s problems go to a Virgo. You are great organizers and you can literally juggle so many things at once it boggles my mind. You never stop thinking and analyzing and working on yourself. Other people sleep at 3 in the morning, you work and are on some kind of mission that will either improve your life or that of others. Adulting is something that was made for you. You are at your strongest when your life and your environment is clean and devoid of unnecessary clutter and distractions. You strive the most when you help other people organize their lives. You are here to help, to serve, to be useful, this might be unhealthy for others but you are happiest when you can offer your unique gifts to uplift others. This is how you uplift yourself. Truly stellar and amazingly capable human beings. All the awards to you.

Libra: I always seem to draw you into my life. You are so enchanting and beautiful, inside and out. Natural diplomats, you are able to build bridges where others only see differences and odds. So skilled with words. Obsessed with being detached and objective. Flirting is your way of connecting with people and some will not get that. You are so well spoken and good-natured. You are so perceptive and observant, you literally see everything. You like to make other people feel as desired and wanted and comfortable as you want to feel, and it’s the biggest tragedy in life that most people either fail to appreciate that, or won’t return the favor. You are so accommodating and never want to be a burden to anyone. You always have your guard up, and you are so good at becoming what other people want from you that you forget what you want. You are at your best when you counsel people, or educate, you read others so well, you are so good at telling people what they need to hear to become the best version of themselves. Recognize where your strengths and weaknesses are and do what you do best, build bridges between them and solutions that make it a win win for everyone, yourself too. You are such a force for good and for justice in this world, you deserve so much. Don’t be afraid to ask for reassurance, the right people will be happy to give it.

Scorpio: Literally my favourite people in the world. Endlessly loyal and steadfast companions. I genuinely don’t think they are capable of anything but good intentions. Once they have chosen you they will stick with you for life. They have endless depths and abysses inside of them and they aren’t afraid to brave them. Crazy intuitive. Obsessed with sex and food, the rumors are true. They are a cute dork and a sensual siren all at once, usually at the same time. They see and feel more than anyone else I know. Usually very good with animals. Spiritual. Endless advocates for the good in people. Could be mistaken for being naive but don’t be fooled, it is bravery to choose optimism and kindness over and over again like they do. Have sometimes trouble expressing their deep thoughts and emotions with words, they always feel like they don’t suffice to convey what they want to express and in their case it’s true. They can be afraid of their own intensity, or of being rejected for it, and since so much happens subconsciously for them they often don’t understand themselves very well. They are first class people. Always helpful, always forthcoming, and their life always revolves around sacrifice, about giving up something or someone. Sometimes they end up sacrificing their own happiness for someone else. They often can’t help but choose a path of self-destruction, but nobody else can surpass obstacles and tragedy like they do. Scorpios, your archetype is a Phoenix. You can burn yourself to the ground one day and build yourself up the next. Your superpower is evolution and regeneration. You can withstand destruction because you are not afraid to start anew. Every day if necessary.

Sagittarius: Travelers and seekers of experiences. Always on a search for enlightenment and self-improvement and growth. You want to expand your horizon, you need spirituality in your life, the bigger picture, meaning. Natural philosophers. Idealists. Want to change the world. So fun to be around and great friends. The most non-judgmental people on this earth, probably. They will analyze you and adapt whatever life hacks you have and they are eclectic when it comes to spiritual practices or world views. They pick up whatever works for them and they don’t care about being traditional or old fashioned. They can talk and connect with everyone, regardless of background or social status or nationality. If you want good advice and an unconventional perspective they are your best pick. They have so many acquaintances and good friends, it doesn’t matter whether you haven’t seen them for a day or a couple of years, it’s so easy to pick up exactly where you left off with them. They are so bold!!! Total adventurers. The first ones to say yes if you suggested a bungee jump or paragliding. Take them on a vacation with you and you will be sure to get the best experiences out of it. But don’t expect them to be very romantic or overly interested in love, at least not in the conventional sense. They don’t like to feel trapped in relationships. Always have a window open when you are with them, figuratively. Don’t be too clingy, make them feel free and they will love you for it.

Capricorn: I have never had many Caps in my life for some reason, but I’d love to change that! My perspective on you is probably limited for it but here we go. You have a reputation for being sarcastic and closed off but that is not the impression I have of you. Most Caps seem to be deceptively funny and have a hidden penchant for humor and comedy. Perhaps that is a direct result of you having no illusions about the world. Life is a tragedy to those who feel but a comedy to those who think, and you have such a sharp mind. You are so analytical and you see everything exactly how it is. Pure realism and sometimes negativity but I think you take strength from that. You always want to protect yourself, from disappointments, from rejection, from failure. It’s hard to get to know you, you only let people in that have proven themselves to you. And you do not hesitate to cut people off that don’t respect you or your priorities. You have no time for bullshit and you do not tolerate fools. You aren’t very diplomatic about that either and most people cannot handle that. You are direct and straightforward and you will make an effort for those that you love but you are not known to mince words. You do not offer pity or compassion to those who you perceive as weak or that are responsible for their own unhappiness. You have no patience for people who are unhappy in a relationship but refuse to leave. You can seem unfeeling when the opposite is true, you care so much but you show it differently than people expect or want. You look for dependability and strength and self-reliance in others. You only respect those that respect themselves. There are a lot of life lessons in this that other people should learn. You often feel alone because you tend to push people away and you have trouble asking for help. There is strength in showing weakness sometimes, perhaps that is something you will learn too, when you are ready. Also, how do you do it, you literally never stand still??? You constantly have projects going on, sometimes several at the same time, and you have so much energy?? This never ceases to amaze me. You guys invented productivity.

Aquarius: Creative oddballs, proud misfits!!! Why do things a certain way when you can do it differently? I used to have an Aquarius acquaintance who only walked around barefoot even in snow and randomly burst into song and unpromptedly composed serenades for his friends, I think that captures the experience with you. Not afraid to be different, but sometimes different just for the sake of it. Unconventional and always against the stream. Always expressing yourself, always on the move, always doing something lovably weird. Never the same, never predictable. And you know so much, about literally everything? You guys seem to have the most eclectic books at home, it jumps from space to architecture to a manual on how to make your own soap. And I’ve observed that you do what some people never will be able to learn - at your most evolved you achieve a perfect balance between intellect and emotions. You are visionaries and underappreciated geniuses. I don’t always understand you and you might not always make sense either but you are very intriguing to me.

Pisces: You are so hard to find in the world! I desperately want more Pisces friends. I love your sign. You are romantic, sensitive, sweet, creative. Old souls. Soft and dreamy. So good with words it makes my heart ache. If I immediately get enchanted by someone that person usually has Pisces somewhere in their chart. You are dangerous to me, you draw me into your own world of dreams and wisdom and beauty. You remind me of old gods and stags wandering cemeteries in the twilight, walks in the moonlight, poetry and impossible love. You are otherworldly and captivating. You can be hauntingly shy and elusive but I adore that about you. You are such gifted writers. You find words for concepts that are foreign to people that aren’t dreamers. The world is in desperate need of people like you, I see you and all the power to you. I know you don’t want it and that’s why you deserve it.

#zodiac #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces #aries #ramblings #literally no one asked but #there you go

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jonlawsonfullsail · 7 years ago

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“Key Qualities of a CEO at Gridsquare Media, LLC”

I have had the honor of a military background and a 14 year success model for leadership roles. It is because of this, I believe in the element of applying such leadership principals to the criteria from which a CEO should be selected. In a memorandum that would be seeking the position of CEO to be filled, It would seem I would seek to have a person with elements such as:

- Motivated leader capable of handling stresses and rigors of running (X) Company.

- Look beyond the strengths and identify the weaknesses

- Work with founders that will broaden you business horizons, not stunt your growth.

- Look for a generous spirit and avoid the know-it-alls or credit seekers.

- Question how they will support you, not only how you need to support them.

- If you’re not interested in having a drink with them, don’t assume you want to work with them.

And this would get potential candidates in the door for review if I professed these elements, or give me a stack of internal candidates/employees to review for such a position.

But what criteria would be used to evaluate these elements? “Drinking with who??” What? I don’t drink, I don’t fraternize and the idea is ridiculous with no relative degree of relevancy on key aspects of a leader whatsoever. So in all honesty, I am going to describe the principals I would be looking for in a person to take the reigns as captain of my ship, my company. These referenced item points above are garbage and I have no restraint or reservation in saying so. I honestly would eat the CEO who goes by that concept of those as a form of daily mantra or criteria. It is not to say that without mention here, but the location at which these were derived was by an author who explicitly claims she is not a leader. I have had the fortunate honor of being a leader in several pursuits, some with success and others not so much. I have had the opportunity to learn form mistakes and re-grain myself to be forward thinking in the concept of leadership. So what does that mean for a CEO? Principals… I want to see and expose their principals. Establish principals and guides that form the foundation of a company, have those become a “founder’s intent” to which a CEO will derive and compose all manner of direction from, create guidance by and apply their own personal attributes to on a daily basis.

These principals I look for are an exact mirror to those that are tried and true (in the military) and to the professional development of myself, as well as others and serve to be pretty ironclad. They are as follows:

- Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement

- Be Technically and Tactically Proficient

- Know Your People and your Company and Look Out For Their Welfare

- Keep Your Personnel Informed

- Set The Example

- Ensure That the Tasks and Company Positions are Understood, Supervised,

and Accomplished – also known as: “Inspect What You Expect”

- Train Your Employees as a Team

- Make Sound and Timely Decisions

- Develop a Sense of Responsibility Among Your Subordinates

- Employ Your Command/Position/Company within its Capabilities

- Seek Responsibilities and Take Responsibility

Leadership is the most commonly used term to describe the necessary criteria for a Chief Executive Officer in just about any vocation. Yes, it has its purpose and is necessary, but you also need to possess leadership in the lower echelon levels of executive management as well. Does that make every person with leadership qualities CEO material? The answer is a resounding “no”. A leader is a leader is a leader, by any name. In the understanding of that, there is a specific level of criteria that sets the CEO candidate apart from other leaders within a company or an industry. These criteria and characteristics are both professional and personal and reflect heavily on the daily activities of such a person and the challenges they will face. It’s not just about being the caliber, but also about the power that person brings to validate that caliber in the first place.

In the immediate sense of characteristics, I would personally seek the type of person who was first a problem solver. Analytically, cognitively and socially, this person has to be a problem solver. Temperament plays into this as well as a variety of other behaviors do, which are all ancillary to the core output of a person that is capable of solving problems. Do they create more problems than they solve? Are they effective in handling stresses involved in the problem solving actions? Are those actions in the best interest of the company’s mission, or the individual’s? These are questions that surround my interpretation of a problem solver and how to evaluate a candidate who would seek to be a CEO. Most candidates are quick with words and accomplished communicators who have an aptitude of filling ears and air with items they feel a reviewer wants to hear. When it comes to the level of scrutiny in which a candidate is seeking to run a company I personally am involved in, actions are definitely louder than words. There is a lot I need to see in a person before I even want to know what their voice sounds like. Problem Solving skills and their track record of handling problems on behalf of their specific role are one of the first.

Almost in unison and parallel to problem solving, I want to be able to be certain that the CEO candidate can effectively execute the relations of opportunity cost and understand value. Value not just in the company as a whole, but in the minor intricacies of the total operational structure of the company. If a candidate doesn’t understand the purpose of establishing mentoring relationships with our up and coming content producers and the need to nurture such relations, or why; how is that candidate going to understand the value of what our stable of producers bring to the table for the company? Better yet, how or do they understand how to solve problems involving the rate of title procurement and project acquisition models that keep our media library robust and capable of being rotated for subscribers? You may be seeing the aspect of perspective where if they don’t understand or have a good grasp on opportunity cost in relation to the company, a multitude of questions will begin to revolve around their ability to effective solve problems. A candidate for CEO can’t be oblivious to one and expect to shine in the other. They must be a continuous practitioner and exerciser of both.

In further attributes and characteristics, I believe in boldness and having a good level of grit. A leader who understands the concept of “no better friend, no worse enemy” is also the type of person that will always be capable of acting in defense of decisions based within the best interest of the company and its employees in the public spectacle. It is also with this, that I expect to see the action of “leading from the front” in the behavioral confines of daily routines a CEO candidate must possess. You can definitely have a great organizer, a wonderful tactician, or a witty innovator, (all of which we naturally want in a CEO) but the glue that holds them all together is the person that possesses a little of each of these traits and stands in front of their team. Learns from their team and doesn’t profess to be an “all superior entity”, is humble and honest and shares in two way communication with subordinates by listening, more than speaking. Personally in my opinion, honesty is a major personal trait. I hate liars and won’t tolerate them. But in the original context of honesty we also have integrity, which is a leadership trait absolutely necessary within my criteria. Without it, you have no validation, if you lose it, you are done and no one will follow you. If you have it and possess it and pride yourself and others on maintaining it through effort, you can have the world.

A CEO truly must be one of the most talented and capable persons within the entire company, but at the same time, will never say they are. They will promote and show attention to the successes of those who are a part of the company and give respect to every subordinate as they know, that is the company, that is what defines the company and that is what the company is about everyday. The market doesn’t define the company, the people do, the quarterly profit analysis and our break even schedule don’t define the company health, the people working down in the customer support/subscriptions services division, the janitor, the data wranglers and content producers do. The CEO has to be able to nurture and harness the company as a living breathing being because that is exactly what it is. It will have days where it is in trouble and moral will plummet, the CEO has to have the ability to change that. There will be times where competition and adversity are facing the company and threatening either profits, jobs or any key aspect of the company (including professional image) and the CEO will have to rally sentiments and be a force to be reckoned with in defense of the company and its people and customers. Perhaps even go after the competition and be on the tactical offensive in commercial strategies, show no mercy to defeated competitors…a CEO will need to have the intestinal fortitude and know how to navigate such warfare and lead the company through it.

In my final thoughts though, for a Chief Executive Officer, that person whom was to apply or be in my sights to be the CEO of Gridsquare Media, LLC, they would have to be a facilitator. Identify strengths and weaknesses in both the company and its people; enrich the strengths and evaluate solutions to effectively benefit and/or improve upon the weaknesses/deficiencies, compose a plan to remedy that deficiency and execute the plan or policy with ease… and then… supervise. Inspect exactly what they expect. Don’t create policy only with input from the top of the mountain, climb down and speak with everyone from the bottom up. Be a well-rounded contender who is a consummate professional, but underneath is also a very capable and cunning warrior. A warrior that knows that actions and proficiencies in the operational attitude and structure of the company, its workers and the company relation to the market, will be more important than counting the money, because attention to the company and those market relations with the consumer are the true profit. Work on those and improve upon those daily and the money itself will continue to flow as a product of that labor.

Final point… a CEO should be the first person at the office and if need be, the last one to leave. Period. No exception. A person who takes liberties in daily activity is weak of character and weak of constitution and can be crushed easily by the person putting in more hours for their company and its interests. Employees and peers respect the dedicated over the well vacationed every day of the week. COOs and other positions may have their “perks”, but the CEO should be willing to give them all up in return for the honor of running and commanding the ship.

Jon Lawson

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