YOU AIN'T GONNA LEARN WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW

My Cornfield

 

 

 

I was lost. 

 

 

In the cornfield. 

 

 

This was supposed to be fun.   It was anything but fun for me.   

 

 

I started to panic.   

 

 

I yelled and no one responded to me......

 

 

Where was I?   How did I end up getting separated from the people I came here with, and why could no one hear my voice? 

 

 

The corn was in late season of summer.   The stalks in the field I was lost in were well above my head.  

 

 

 

I started to run. 

 

 

I could not catch my breath. 

 

 

Weird thoughts started to enter my psyche.    Would I die in this cornfield?   How would they find me? 

 

 

Would my body be decomposed when they find me, or alive --  and barely hanging on? 

 

 

It was before cell phones.    I was alone and panicked. 

 

 

Nothing but my brain, my emotions, and my nervous energy -- were with me that late afternoon......in the cornfields of Middlebush, NJ. 

 

 

 

I came out. 

 

 

Found my way. 

 

****************************************

 

 

Being lost in a cornfield is alot like starting a company. 

 

 

You can run everywhere.   You can sprint through the rows of endless cornstalks and still be lost......never moving forward or backwards. 

 

 

Rather, you run in a big circle. 

 

 

Thinking you make progress, but you dont. 

 

But, you dont know it.   You dont know how you are doing.   There is no compass, and there is no daily GPS system to track you.   

 

 

There is no one to tell you.   No one to guide your journey.

 

 

No one to hold your hand. 

 

 

So you wait. 

 

 

You look for signs.  Signs from employees.  Signs from clients.   Signals from prospects. 

 

 

You look at your pipeline of business.   The roadmap. 

 

 

 

And, still you seem and feel as though the cornstalks are super high around your head, not allowing you to see....

 

 

 

You still seem as though you can't see the full path to win, or to remove yourself from the eternal riddle of the cornfield. 

 

 

 

And, you plow on.  

 

 

Nervous. 

 

 

 

Running at times, walking at others  -- but constantly in a state of insecurity.  

 

 

 

Anyone who starts a company that is not a "little nervous" or is not insecure in their concept, execution or path  -- is simply deluding themselves, and others, and they should not be fully trusted.   

 

 

 

We are ALL lost in the cornfield. 

 

 

 

In one way or another. 

 

 

 

The real question for many of us, is -- once you get out of the journey......do you want get yourself back in to the cornfield, to be lost yet again? 

 

 

If you leave the, insecurity of the cornfield too early, do you somehow, someway, or in some weird way --  yearn to feel that "nervous, anxiety ridden, insecure, paranoia" emotion, again? 

 

We all face it.  

 

 

Children who walk out of the door to go to college.   Never to return the same way they left.   

 

 

Leaving a job. 

 

 

Leaving a spouse. 

 

 

Leaving something, anything we cherished. 

 

 

Moving on, personally -- or professionally. 

 

 

It's all a cornfield.   

 

 

We are all in it.  

 

 

Till we are not. 

 

 

And, then once we leave it -- the safety and security we sought, may not exist. 

 

 

In MY PERSONAL CORNFIELD the stalks around me are all are high.   Towering far above my head....

 

 

And, it has become the weird place in my life....

 

 

I am most comfortable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day After......

 

On Monday November 6th 2012, a day before the election, I posted this on my Facebook Status:  

 

my non-political rant, about politics -- "a day before the election." 
well, the vote is tomorrow. regardless of the candidate you support, or the issues that are near and dear to you -- it is entirely possible/probable, that a mere 36 hours from now, close to half of our countries population will be depressed. 36 hours from now, one half of our citizens will be ecstatic -- and the other group decimated with despair. if you win, dont be a gloating obnoxious ass. if you lose, dont be suicidal. we will get through it, and we will survive, together. keep in mind whats important.......and, what true "survival, and living" actually means......

 

I am in the disappointed group. 

 

I supported - and worked (with) for the Republican candidate, Governor Mitt Romney. 

 

If I've learned anything from this campaign -- it's that he would have made a wonderful President. 

 

He is a gentleman, and a man of high character, who displays integrity, passion - and most of all "caring" about this great country of ours -- the United States of America. 

 

 

Mitt Romney's team was awesome, and a pleasure to deal with.   

 

 

At Lotame, we acted as the DMP (Data Management Platform) for the campaign.  We managed the steady flow of information, collected and segmented it into buckets --and used it to, "audience target" that was used to communicate with donors, potential voters, and likely voters.   We aggregated the immense amount of information that was coming into the campaign from a variety of sources of media, (mobile, email, web, video, survey, offline, etc) -- the goal of all of this was to both -- "mobilize" as well as "persuade" voters......

 

The team we worked with at Targeted Victory tasked with this role was simply amazing.   The team at Targeted Victory was the most hard working, diligent, and determined group of people I've ever worked with.   I take my hats off to them, and to all the people who worked tirelessly, but ultimately fell short in their quest to deliver a change.

 

 

As many of you know, I've been extremely lucky in my life.   I've been blessed with good health, a strong family foundation, and extreme luck in business. 

 

All in all -- my life has been blessed, and I hope in some way I can pay back to this great country, all that it has given me. 

 

Today, I salute President Obama and his team.   I say to all the people who worked, and focused -- and delivered on the other side.....congratulations. 

 

Tomorrow, I renew my focus to make our country a better place to live in, for many years to come. 

 

 

Andy Monfried 

November 7, 2012