Mike Mueller, Social Media.ist

I've wanted to share with the community just what keeps me sane during my normal business day.

I had to bring my camera to the office just to capture what that essence is. 

For me it's generally all about balance. 

Let’s start with a picture of my desk as I see it sitting in my chair and work to the left.

I keep my desk relatively free from clutter as you can see.

The 30 spokes of a wheel all join at the center. The usefulness of the wheel lies in the emptiness of its hub. -Lao Tzu

On the far left I have my laptop.  It’s a simple machine - powerful, yet unassuming.  It runs virus free, with very few add ons to slow it down.  Much like ourselves, bundling a computer with unnecessary distractions only serves to detract rather than to add to its usefulness.  It doesn't keep me sane.

My computer connects to the office network system via a Cat 5 cable.  Although we have a wireless network running outside the network, the Ethernet cable allows me to access the innermost portions of our network.  The internet doesn't keep me sane.

Just as the value of a house lies in its location,

The value of a mind lies in its depth,

The value of giving lies in the presence of a generous spirit,

The value of words lies in their reliability 

-Lao Tzu

My cell phone, like my laptop is nothing fancy.  It serves its purpose when I am out of the office.  Inside the office, with little reception, it recharges itself in its cradle.  I like to think it’s meditating itself for the coming day.  My cell phone doesn't keep me sane.

My Hoi Toi.  He’s not a Buddha.  He is a Hoi Toi. He represent the Journey. 

I’ll let those who know decipher his message.  He doesn't keep me sane either.

My Calculator – seems a little out of place.   It is cold and uncaring yet it only speaks one language - The Truth.  My calculator cannot lie, it cannot sugar coat, and it cannot disguise its words or tone.  It speaks only in the cold harsh reality of numbers.  This doesn't keep me sane.

The Zen of Balancing rocks,

complimented by some of the photos displayed in my office. 

The balancing rocks are there to reflect the balance in life I hope to maintain.

They are nice but they don't keep me sane. 

Gaining enlightenment is like

The moon reflected on the water.

The moon doesn't get wet;

The water isn't broken.

 Although its light is broad and great,

The moon is reflected even

In a puddle an inch wide.

 The whole moon and the whole sky

Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.- Dogen Zenji

My Daughter.  A truly beautiful person. 

This is her latest picture. I feel fortunate to be a part of her life.

She inspires me, but she certainly doesn't keep me sane.

Living plants are flexible,

In death, they become dry and brittle.

 Therefore, stubborn people are disciples of death, but

Flexible people are disciples of life.

-Lao Tzu

My Business Cards and card of others.  I look at them as a lie.  A necessary lie but a lie none the less.  They are hollow representations of me or those that are named on them.  Names, Titles, Phone Numbers, Websites; it’s all just text.  They don’t tell the holder who I really am, it doesn't tell me who they are.  It’s up to the holder of the card to take the time to know the giver of the card. There's no sanity in business cards.

See that funny little springy thing? You probably didn't even see it. 

Yet it is the single most important item on my desk to my sanity and here is why...

My Father designed this simple looking spring nut.  He was working as an engineer for a company in the '60s that built distribution systems.  The spring nut helped make versatile conveyor systems around the world.  The nut could be placed into a channel with the spring holding it in place until secured by a bolt.

It became a staple in many everyday applications.  If you have ever gone to a quickie Mart and pulled a six pack off the shelf and had the next one slide down to take its place – that shelf was probably held in place by my Fathers spring nut. 

My Father has long since past away.  Last year, while work was being done on our office elevators, I was talking to one of the contractors.  He happened to be holding a box of these spring nuts.  I asked him about those funny things.  For the next five minutes he told me about how these simple items worked, how they saved time, and how he could never imagine working without them.  I never told him about my Father, it wouldn't have mattered.

The spring nut may have been designed by my Father but he never reaped any of the rewards financially.  He designed it as an employee of the company.  It was company property.  Eventually, the company fell on hard times and laid my father off.

It may look like a simple mechanical part to the outsider but to me it’s a symbol of what it's all about.

It proves to me daily that it’s not about changing the world.

It’s not about how much we make.

It’s not about who you know, or who knows you.

It’s about the little things.

The little things we do everyday, both good and bad, that can have profound implications on people we know and so many others we’ll never know.

The little things I do everyday will have profound implications on so many others.

I have the ability to choose what those little things are. 

That’s what keeps me sane. 

Trying to understand is like trying to see through muddy water.

Be still and allow the mud to settle.

 Because clarity and enlightenment are within your own nature,

they are regained without moving an inch.