CHIPS by Mister Time (aka Dave de Sousa)

When the pioneers reached the west coast and discovered the giant redwoods, they had a problem: how to cut these monsters down to make their homes. They used an ax. Now if you take an ax and strike a redwood in any old place, and then move a little and strike it again, you will probably grow to old age and pass away while still trying to cut it down. BUT, if you learn how to make a CHIP with your ax by striking one up slanting blow and then one intersecting down blow, you will have taken the first important step to cutting this giant down. Now, if you make enough CHIPS, in the right place, the tree will come crashing to the ground. The pioneers started to use long cross cut saws along with their axes to help. Saws also make CHIPS. When you look at saw dust under magnification you will see that it is made up of tiny CHIPS created by each pair of teeth in the saw blade. One tooth makes a small down slanting cut and the next makes a small up slanting intersecting cut. A tiny chip results. (Even today's powerful chain saws make CHIPS. Up to 600 per second.!) The trees were then taken to mills to make lumber where more special saws were used. More CHIPS were made. Houses, barns wagons, commercial buildings, retail stores, etc. were all put together using more saws which resulted in still more CHIPS during the construction.

You might say the speed at which our country was built was directly proportional to our ability to make CHIPS.

• If you are reading these words in some type of printed form, you are looking at another result of CHIPS. Paper is made from wood. The trees are first cut down using CHIPS and then CHIPped up and processed into paper. Not only was this country built on our ability to make CHIPS, it also runs on CHIPS, paper work! Still not a believer?
• What did the pioneers use to keep warm and cook their food with when they reached the prairie and ran out of trees? CHIPS! If you remember your high school history, you might recall the discussion about buffalo and cow chips.
• What is it that all computer manufacturers continually search for so they can construct a faster, more powerful computer? CHIPS.
• What do you count after you play poker to determine whether you have won or not? CHIPS! What color CHIP is worth the most money? The blue CHIP.
• What are the most dependable stocks on the stock market? Blue CHIP stocks.
• The most famous police department in the US. is the CHIP (California HIghway Patrol).
• What is the most devoured cookie in the world? The chocolate CHIP.
• Oh, and lest we forget, the most ever popular hors d'oeuvre in the entire world! Eaten plain or with dips of various kinds. Of course. The lowly potato chip.
• There are also many, many different other kinds of CHIPS on the market. If you are a golfer, I think you will agree that the most important shot which determines whether or not you will one putt after you are on the green, is the CHIP shot.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea by now. Our ability to Chip away at any job determines how good and fast that job gets completed.

What kind of job do you have? What are your CHIPS? If you are a manager, every phone call you make could be considered a CHIP. Your reading, writing and your actions are CHIPS that you use to complete your job. When you complete a project it was nothing more than putting your different CHIPS together in the right order at the right time to make it happen. Are you a salesperson? What are your CHIPS? Cold calls, writing, presentations, driving, grooming, follow up, etc., When you are successful it is because you were able to put all those CHIPS together.

House person? Ironing, washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, planning, driving, errands, etc.. When your house is looking good and the kids and spouse are fed and neatly dressed, it is because you put it all together using your CHIPS. The same holds true for all the trades, jobs and projects in the world. It is simply a matter of learning which CHIPS go with which job and in what order. Each CHIP by itself usually does not complete a job. But the combination of CHIPS (tasks if you will) does. Thus the acronym C.H.I.P.S., Chips Have Individual Power and Synergism.

One CHIP with an ax taken from a mighty redwood, by itself, will not cut it down. One thousand CHIPS made with an ax at random all around the tree will not either. Only when those one thousand CHIPS are on target; only then will the tree come crashing down. The synergism you can create by putting your individual CHIPS together to reach your goals is tremendous. The synergism your business team, family, or club, etc. can create by combining everyone's CHIPS is awesome. Think about the things you do in your job. Are your CHIPS in good shape or do they need a little adjusting? Are the CHIPS you take out of that rdwood on target or do you need to zero in on the bull's eye? Keep your work, your goals and aspirations in focus and take one CHIP at a time. That is the only way to get there. There are no short cuts.

The CHIP is the one thing that had the biggest impact on the history of the United States. Your personal ability to use your CHIPS will determine your success. Just like Michelangelo said, when asked how he could make such a beautiful statue out of solid marble, "The figure is always there. One just CHIPS away until it appears." Happy CHIPping!

The purpose of the previous discussion about CHIPS was to set the stage for the introduction of the "physical task". The CHIP that makes my time management system work so well.

You can write to me at MisterTime Dave

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