SHHH.

I’m going to tell you a secret.  You don’t have to act on it – but you can.

Mike Caro told it to me.  He’s pretty famous, although only in his circle.  He has written some books, is a regular contributor to magazines, and runs  a website http://www.poker1.com/  .  He didn’t tell me in person, but he told me through some of his articles.

Mike is a poker player and teacher.  One thing he has discovered is that most serious poker players have a pretty good idea of how to play.  But they don’t play their best all the time.  They get tired, or bored, or emotional.  That’s when they make mistakes they know they shouldn’t make.

There is something similar that happens in the daily transactions people make.  They know what they SHOULD do, but they do something they SHOULDN’T do.  Buy the Starbucks coffee or make their own.  Get take-out or make dinner at home.  Grab that candy bar in the checkout line or not.  Buy a book or get it at the library.  They deviate because they are tired, or bored, or emotional.  They are making mistakes they know they shouldn’t make.

Mike told me the secret.  And now I will tell you.

It’s OK to do your best and make the decisions that you know you should make.  Every time.  You can just pass on the chance to make mistakes that you know you shouldn’t make.

It’s simple and profound.  But few people do it.  Very, very few people do it.

But the Independent Penguin makes it a habit.

In the volume 49, issue 9 copy of Sports Illustrated (August 28, 1978) there was a story about a 28 year old swimmer who tried to make the 110 mile swim from Cuba to Florida.  The picture that heads this post was taken from that article.  That’s the young Diana Nyad in closeup on the right.

The journey is incredibly tough.  There is the sun and weather on the open sea along with the cold salty seawater.  Not to mention sharks and jellyfish, too.  In fact no one had ever made the trip without a shark cage to swim in.  Until Diana just did it. http://www.diananyad.com/

At 64.  On her fifth attempt.  Almost exactly 35 years from the time that SI article was published.

When asked what her mantra was for the trip, she replied that it was “Find a way”.

What a mantra!  FIght through each pain and trouble. Keep going.  Don’t let anything stop you. Dig deep.   Just keep moving.  Push forward.  Find a way.  FIND A WAY.

She (and her team) implemented an electric field to ward off sharks without a swimming cage, developed a cream to ward off jellyfish stings, developed a silicone mask that could protect against nighttime jellyfish stings (although this ended up bruising her mouth badly), developed silicone protection for her feet and hands to protect against jellyfish,  implemented a guide system to keep her from  becoming disoriented and veering from the path to shore, had mobile medical monitoring, mobile feeding, and jellyfish and shark sweeping lookouts.  Lots of hurdles to overcome – many found through the failed journeys of her past.  But for each, they found a way to overcome the problem.

FInd a way.

When asked what the hardest part of the 53 hour journey was, she replied that it was the first night when the jellyfish came out.  It was when the trip had just started!  She had to fight through that, and realize that it was just the beginning.  That she had a couple of days to go.  She had to find a way to continue even though she knew the pain that was coming.

Find a way.

An iceberg isn’t easy to construct for a penguin.  There are many problems to overcome and unexpected hurdles that arise over the course of a lifetime and vicissitudes of the economy and markets.  The Independent Penguin thanks Diana Nyad for the inspiration to always find a way.

What percent of an iceberg is visible?

It’s a simple question.  But like many questions in the real world, nothing is as simple as it seems.

The reason that ice floats is that there is a density difference between the ice and the water.  And that density difference determines how much ice is above water and how much is below water.  The density of the ice can be affected by any occluded bubbles, any rocks that are being carried along, and even any algae that is growing on it.  The density of the water depends on how much salt is dissolved and the temperature.  Different icebergs in different parts of the world will have different amounts above sea level.

The estimates range from about 1/7 to about 1/10.  That should be good for almost all real icebergs.

The Independent Penguin sits on an iceberg constructed in my imagination as an ideal goal.  There is no need to consider bubbles or rocks or algae or salt. There is no need to estimate.  It’s my world. Your Independent Penguin can live in your world.

My Independent Penguin sits on an iceberg that has exactly 1/9 of the volume above sea level.  It’s a very special point.   Assuming that one can get a 5% return on investments and that one can safely spend 2.5 times the yearly income on the purchase price of a home it represents the  point where the penguin can maintain it’s living standard with no earned income  (8*0.05*2.5=1).  That’s the point where the penguin becomes the Independent Penguin.