just a note on the table

This was it. Nothing else. What could I say?
She probably had my response anyway.

Some preconceived notion she already had.
It wouldn't have mattered, I was already sad.

So what? No kidding. I, at least, had tried. No more, no less.
The part of me rejected had already died.

Rejection is a bitch. There we are... not close.
Do we invite rejection in like a heavenly host?

I decided once to go one with my life.
To wade through the stream that brought me much strife.

Going out on my feet or out on my knees,
this was a thought that brought me to please.

"On my feet", I once said.
And this very notion did not bring me dread.

I long for life, even after I'm gone.
My very being becoming strong.

No one can take me more than away,
my heart, mind, and soul are here to stay.

No fine face-to-face.
No heartfelt good-bye.

Just a note on the table,
so the memories would die.

I say move on, move forward.
That's fine by me.

Here's to life, love, and freedom.
So May It Ever Be!

the moment with mom

The first real clear memory I have of my mother was when I was four. I was looking at the television and saw horses and soldiers coming at me very slowly. I looked at Mom and she was laying prone on the couch with her face buried in her right hand. She was crying and I was confused. Was I making her cry? I looked back at the television and realized what was on TV was making her cry. I went over and hugged her leg. She put her arm around me. The event on television was Jack Kennedy’s funeral procession.

Jane Chandler, my mother, and myself

Mom told me recently that I watched all of television coverage on President Kennedy’s death. I can’t recall watching the other television news items, just that moment with Mom.

One moment is all it takes to make a memory. In Mom's sorrow that day, I realized an understanding. An understanding of feelings, without and within. This came to be monumental. Perhaps difficult to describe, but nonetheless all around me.

I was only four but I had realized that the world had many places and that they aren't as foreign as in the past.

The moment with Mom was poignant. The total spectrum of that event didn't come totally into view then, but as I grew older my vision became more clear.

ullysses

From Ullysses by James Joyce:

"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are portals of discovery."

Buy Ullysses by James Joyce from Amazon.

reference

The Genesis Point. This extraordinary point outside space and time, is the province of God.

maya angelou

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Because it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
                            - Maya Angelou

feel genuine

It’s got to be a weird thing, being an artist and then having to explain a process that’s pretty abstract. 

It’s all open to interpretation, man. It’s the general theory of relativity, man. It’s perception.

Release your most natural power - your mind. Build and grow without limits. Responsibilities are means to push forward toward a purpose. Build.

focus

If you don't define your culture, somebody else will.

4 to do sales items

Sales in general has changed and is changing at a rapid pace. Social Media has led that change it seems. Sales increases are more difficult to get, but also, more difficult to keep.

Realize you must understand the person you are talking to and know the organization they are with. At one time or another we all need things. There is a good possibility who you call will need what you have to offer.

• Ask the right questions; understand what they want and what they need. This allows you to explore.
• Listen to their problems
• Become a consultant. Understand their situation.
• Give ideas. Show your prospect that you can solve their problem(s). This obviously may take time, but use this to your advantage as you'll have plenty of reasons to stay in touch.

Concentrate on thinking at their level. Show caring and knowledge.

Sell smarter, stronger, and more successfully with these titles from Amazon. Click here!

the best ideas evolve

Great ideas don't just happen.
They evolve.
You think and work fast.

 

Vision everything.

5 attention items

The key to attention is to focus on attention. For something to exist and persist in our reality, we must pay attention to it. Focus on the task at hand to get a start on finishing that task. Focus on your energy and attention on something to exist in your world. Focus your attention on the "feel good" thoughts the most.

5 items to focus your attention on:

1. Focus attention on abundaance to get more abundance.
2. Focus attention on a positive feeling so that feeling grows stronger.
3. Focus attention on beautiful eyes so that they become more beautiful.
4. Focus attention on love because feelings of love will attract love to you.
5. Focus your attention on how good your situation is for it to get better.

Good feelings mean, moment by moment, you are thinking good thoughts to attract good items to you. If you don't like what you are attracting to your life, change your thoughts. When you change your thoughts, you change your feelings.

mind happiness

Our brain and body, by design, can deceive us into thinking we need something we do not want, or avoiding something in our best interest to do.

A wise use of energy to chart our direction is to realize all we can be as individuals, and holding that vision in the moment. This is infinitely more powerful than hashing over details.

Our mind is a complex structure that can be our very best friend or worst enemy, when it comes to happiness.

Success is the ability to ride any disappointment like a wave and learn to enjoy the ocean.

We have to prepare for any journey that prepares us to succeed any destination. When we discover miracle-making power we have to shape the experience of our life.

We feel joy, love, and trust will be our constant companions.

This allows us to rule our world and to be one with the world.

Click to get books about success from Amazon

the best ideas evolve

Great ideas don't just happen. They evolve. Your own development allows you to think and work fast.

"center" on content

I came across an interesting concept for content marketing. This was from The Sales Lion in a post that introduced me to The Learning Center. This concept has also been called "content buckets", but I like learning center better. Marcus Sheridan wrote the piece, which I find compelling. Content is, to me, a broad term. It is generally information from an organization which has been published for various reasons.

Content comes in many forms. We usually put our content onto a blog in the form of a post. This introduces us to the information. After that, then what? Well what?

Blogs have generally used categories to organize the information. This is popular and I suggest using categories. Sometimes labels are used.... some bloggers may feel they are the same thing. But is that enough? Probably not. That's because your info, your content could be difficult to find. Blogs usually have search boxes.... but I'm thinking of presentation. Presenting your information as research or resource content. The Sales Lion post strives the same notion. Why? Because there is so much of it now. And the amount is growing.

The Sales Lion post gives an excellent example of a learning center. I find that the format is a recognizable blog format that can be found on Tumblr.

If this is not to your liking, your content resources may be put in the sidebar of your blog or you could create a learning center page and have a link to it. The possibilities are numerous.

What ever format you go with, keep focused on the learning center model. Your readers and others will appreciate the organization.

how to get ideas and make then work

Coming up with ideas may be a struggle. Here's 3 items that will help.

1. Write down on paper your three greatest wishes, numbering them one, two, and three. Look at this wish list every day.
2. Spend one hour every day analyzing and studying your job. Do this often and in less than five years you will be an acknowledged expert on that job.
3. Spend one hour every day with a white sheet of paper in front of you and write down every idea you can think of. You will get surprising ideas that will improve your job and performance.

mission strategy

The message is clear. If you wish to get ahead, you must think and speak strategically. Organizations need a leader who is a strategist; one who serves.

We all contribute operational expertise towards a mission, vision, and value. To possess a strategic plan and way of thinking helps analyze and manage interaction, benchmarking, and system set-up.

Shifting your mindset from functional to strategic is a transformation that helps share vision and position.

Thinking strategically helps to see every part of the organization. This helps build strategic insight. More focus on business, market, and industry is needed to develop a strategic point of view.

MISSION STATEMENT

General Eisenhower

During WWII, the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) had a mission statement. It was the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. That mission statement did not change. SHAEF didn't waver or waffle from it. The Allies' goal was crystal clear, from General Dwight David Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of SHAEF, to the children collecting old bicycle tires in America for recycling, and everyone in between. The mission statement was short and simple, easy to remember, and projected a vision which was unforgettable.

KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY

SHAEF knew how many men, tanks, planes, trucks, cannon, guns...... well, you got the picture.
Do you know your picture? If not... paint one. Know your inventory. Know the managers who are in charge of the various departments. Learn and know this now! You can't be a strategic thinker and develop a plan without knowing your resources.

Know the market and anticipate where the general, overall market is going. Have a general idea of technological changes and how these advances are being applied. Don't be shortsighted.

TALK STRATEGY

 Your mission and vision won't get you very far if you can't talk the talk. Develop a network of those you feel  are valuable to your organization. We've all heard the value of networking. Put what you've heard into practice. Networking should be ongoing. If you need outside sources, find these folks with LinkedIn and other Social Media platforms. Don't do networking as an afterthought. Instead, develop a network that will serve you as a means of support.

Talk with decision-makers who have a firm grasp of command and control throughout their own organizations. Groom mentor relationships by volunteering your expertise to keep the conservations going. Make this part of your plan and keep to it.

CONCLUSION

There is a leadership component in all of us. We all have a vision. Perhaps at times it's a bit blurry, but that's where your mission statement comes into play. Becoming a strategic thinker allows you to share the mission, vision, and value of your organization from within and without to customers, prospects, and colleagues.

why be a mentor

There is no doubt mentors can have a huge impact on people, especially younger members of an organization. Being an effective mentor is a skill in and of itself. Rather than solve problems, coach your mentee to find their own answers.

Become the guide on the side.

Mentors need to ask probing questions to challenge the mentee. Be supportive and nurture.

As a mentor, you'll discover that your relationship will benefit you and the mentee. You'll become more energized and learn new things. You'll develop new managerial skills that will help you and your organization's performance.

It's not one-way learning..... it's a great source of ideas.

innovation for success

Collective innovation helps give us a competitive edge. Pulling in fresh ideas is the driving force of
creativity. To distinguish ourselves we've relied on social networks to know our market.

"I believe innovation can come from anywhere."
                                                                                                    - Brian Lillie, CIO, Equinix

 
Innovation programs need processes and incentives to continue creative pursuits. A creative pursuit eventually leads to a project, which needs a plan to proceed. Project plans without adequate resources don't do well. A good management platform is a must to bring a project to a successful finish. Bringing ideas to fruition means a life-cycle is established. Your management platform organizes the specific business issues.

This "organization of issues" needs led by a "small core" that ensures quality. This "small core" entity might use crowdsourcing to reap ideas, however a system to funnel those ideas into an innovative process has to be in place for success.

Project management has a challenging task to undertake. Agility allows projects to be broken down into smaller components. For this to take charge successfully, project teams require good collaboration. Have your components review all their information and data. Good reviews evaluate status to identify current and potential problems. Review to give your project every opportunity to succeed.

Your project components have 3 steps to follow:

1. Innovation Management
2. Technology
3. Incubation

 Innovation groups discuss opportunities and map the strategy. Technologies are then discovered so incubation (start of the life-cycle) begins for a project to start. This is the tactical approach to strategy implementation.

Mapping gives us visualization and the entire process gains support. Each component (project team or individual) enters into the project management process. The innovative initiative is born to present and promote a project.

Innovation like this helps bring ROI into the mix to focus your business forward.

Resources, both internal and external, help define your processes for producing a good, solid management platform. You'll find project life-cycles are established simpler and sooner for successful conclusions.

BOOKS FROM AMAZON ON THE TOPIC OF INNOVATION

thought conditioners

AURELIUS

CHANGE your thoughts and you can change anything. The world in which we live is not determined by outward circumstances. Although we have a tendency to perceive that our world is that way. Thoughts habitually occupy our minds.

Sometimes we need THOUGHT CONDITIONERS to give us clarity and power. Since happiness and effectiveness depend on the kind of thoughts we think, it is impossible to be happy if we think unhappiness-producing thoughts. Marcus Aurelius said, "A man's life is what his thoughts make of it."

If you put thoughts of fear into your mind, you will get thoughts of fear out of your mind. Displace unhappy thoughts with THOUGHT CONDITIONERS. Fill your mind with spiritual words so they sink from your conscious to your unconscious mind to produce spiritual osmosis, so to condition your personality with spiritual power. This spiritual power will give great value to life. Values that really matter. Values that will be yours.

Here are some THOUGHT CONDITIONERS:

• Peace I leave with you, peace I give you
• The things which are impossible to us, are possible with God
• Renew a right spirit in us

monarch's metaphor: part 3

She had her nuances. Rick knew that. How? He once had a relationship with her. What would this add to the situation? Nothing much. She had had several relationships. Each filled with drama. She like to be possessed, although most of the time she complained about it. She liked confrontation, conflict, and turmoil. Why is that? Rick thought that it was the "bad boy syndrome" that many have. They like that aspect. They like to be told what to do. They liked to be manhandled. They liked the tension. Rick often made comments in several women's files on this aspect of their lives.

But that wasn't all. They often liked to show it off. Complain about being possessed and then show off that they are being possessed. Go figure.

That component made good operatives. They could be controlled better. Especially if they had a lot of drama growing up. Especially abuse. When a potential operative was interviewed, usually two people were conducting the interview. Rick was in on plenty of these. The "other", as Rick's interview partner was called, could work off of a series of cross-references questions. Done correctly, the answers would produce a series of "triggers" that were used further in the interview or in the lie detector phase.

As Rick opened her file, his head filled with several memories.

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

- See more at: http://westhamlet.blogspot.com/#sthash.tCktfxn0.dpuf

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

- See more at: http://westhamlet.blogspot.com/#sthash.tCktfxn0.dpuf

monarch's metaphor: part 2

As the three men moved up from the table, they veered out the two-way mirror. All three of them wondered who was watching and listening on the other side. Someone was, but they didn't know who and they would never. know. That part of the business too. Your always being watched.

Rick was the main man on this one. He 51 years old, had been with the Agency since he was 23 doing data entry work. He remembers vividly when he came across a name in those early years. Osama Bin Laden. An asset then. Osama was passing information to U.S. intelligence personel on Soviet tank movements in Afghanistan. We kept track of them all. Just in case. Whatever that means. A lot of "just in case" stuff in this business too.

Rick was in the center of the table, the leader. He had a notion he didn't want any sort connection with this one. But, oh well. On his left was Nicholas Rosen. Nick was 55 and had been with the Agency for 18 years, being recruited out of advertising and public relations. After all, public relations is professional lying. Nick had been in charge of the main handler in this case, who was missing. He too was wishing that he was somewhere else.

The third man was Vladimir Monesque. An alias too be sure. Russian to the core, having defected in 1973 to the United States via Canada. Gotta love those Canadians. Without them several defects would have not made it to Western Intelligence. Canadians are good at in and out. They proved that when they got several Americans out of Tehran after the embassy hostages were taken there in November 1979. Vladimir had been a minor player in all the Cold War stuff, but had several relatives in Soviet Intelligence. He wanted out out of the Soviet Union by the time he was 14. He couldn't stand communism. The lack of practically everything was slowly but surely driving the Soviet people insane. He was in this for frankly something to do. Lucky him.

These three men make up "the cell". A term used to distinguish a team directed with the successful completion of an operation. That's successful completion. As they made their way to the door to leave, they knew they had to get to work. Rick knew just the starting point.

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

- See more at: http://westhamlet.blogspot.com/2014/03/monarchs-metaphor-part-1.html#sthash.4K9zWBoZ.dpuf

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

- See more at: http://westhamlet.blogspot.com/2014/03/monarchs-metaphor-part-1.html#sthash.4K9zWBoZ.dpuf

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

- See more at: http://westhamlet.blogspot.com/2014/03/monarchs-metaphor-part-1.html#sthash.4K9zWBoZ.dpuf

monarch's metaphor: part 1

The three men looked worn and bleak. They hadn’t slept in about twenty-six hours. A sense of “I told you so” was all across their faces. They felt foolish. So what; doesn’t everyone at one time in their life?  That was it. No excuses. No bullshit. They all knew she fucked them.

Her main handler was nowhere to be found. Contacts were informed all over town, but no response. Sometimes it was better to get no response than a pack of lies. The handler was sure she would stay loyal. No problem. But he was wrong. That’s the way this business goes sometimes. Once you have it figured out, something or someone comes along to fuck it up. What was that something? Or who was that someone? The handler may know.

She was a quirky sort, prone to emotional outbursts that oftentimes made no sense. Why? No one in touch with her would really say. Hard to tell. Her upbringing was complicated. That was put in her file. No getting around that. She got the attention of project researchers when she was ten. Her parents were not bad people. They were just going through life at a time when change was ramped up. Their daughter was the collateral while going through this change. The researchers defined the “change” to suit their own objectives. That’s how it works. Subjects are the “change” and the result of it.

In her case she didn’t react well. That continued later in life. This had benefits and liabilities. The three men knew this. That’s why she was chosen. Take the relationships she had with men. Her track record wasn’t good. For instance, she had left one man to go back with another. This reunion only lasted a little over two months. She ended it. She had to go back to the one she left in the first place. The negatives she had talked about were no longer negative. Now they were justified. Lie or truth? At this time the three men didn’t know. They didn’t really care. Their objective was to get her back in the fold.

First they had to find her principle handler. He was gone. Had someone gotten to him? If that had happened the situation would be difficult. The situation is complicated enough. Complications work out, they always do. People could get hurt or even killed in the process, but that’s the business. The three men knew that by heart.

Working Title: Monarch’s Metaphor

A NOVEL by Mike Bertelsen

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All or parts of this post may or may not be in the finished product.

 

simon sinek: people who believe

The goal is to do business with people who believe in what I believe. Simon Sinek breaks this notion down into about three parts. Enlightening to say the least.

TED - FROM How Leaders Inspire: Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

The Law of Diffusion is explained. It's all about biology, not psychology.

7 questions to end the week

I found this on Facebook from Emily Thomas and I wanted to post.

1. OBSERVE - What pleasant surprises did I discover?
2. REFLECT - What lesson did my work teach me that I can build upon next week?
3. FOCUS - Are my short-term efforts aligned with my long-term goals?
4. BE PRODUCTIVE - What could I spent more or less time doing?
5. HAVE COURAGE - How did fear and uncertainty affect what I did and didn't do?
6. CLEANSE - What mental clutter can I clear?
7. BEGIN ANEW - What is the first logical step for next week?

BJXBNTREAJD4 (this is a claim token)

the sunny side of social

I read a story recently about social proof. Social proof is measured by the number of "likes" ans "shares" on Social Media platforms. The more the better. I don't disagree with this. I, in fact, agree. We all seem to want the post or video or whatever else to go "viral". All of us want our social moment in the sun.

If you feel "left out" on hits, clicks, shares and likes, don't get frustrated and disappointed. I feel oftentimes that the traffic on my posts are stagnant. That, however doesn't stop or keep me from posting, researching, and writing. I, for one, enjoy the Social Media space. Many of us do and think of having an audience. Most of that audience comes from platforms like Facebook and Twitter. That's good. That's a start. Be thankful you have an audience. It might not be quantity, so think quality.

Here's a story I picked up that goes along with what I am getting across.

Long ago, a band of minstrels lived in a faraway land. They traveled from town to town singing and playing their music in hopes of making a living. They had not been doing well financially, however. Times were hard and the common people had little money to spend on concerts, even though their fee was small.

 

The group met one evening to discuss their plight. "I see no reason for opening tonight, " one said. It's snowing and no one will come out on a night like this." Another said, "I agree. Last night we performed for just a handful. Even fewer will come tonight."

 

The leader of the troupe responded, "I know you are discouraged. I am too. But we have a responsibility to those who might come. We will go on. It is not the fault of those who come that others do not." 

 

Heartened by his words, the minstrels gave their best performance ever. After the show, the old man called his troupe to him again. In his hand was a note, handed to him by a member of the audience just before the door closed. Slowly the man read, "Thank you for a beautiful performance." It was signed simply, "Your King."

 

Learn Social Marketing to the Business Customer 

Have Mondays in the Sun

Keep concentrating and focusing on your Social Media presence. Discover the sunny side of social. You might just be surprised who is in the audience.

pro vision board

How To Create Your Professional Vision Board

Visualizing has been around for centuries. Here's how to create and analyze your own vision board.

Link to the story:
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/how-to-create-your-professional-vision-board/

---
Sent from Zite, available for free in the App Store.

Sent from my iPhone

file transfer to cloud

E-mail is still the dominant way to send information from one person to another. But when big files are sent performance is lost and there is network bandwidth strain. We all have experienced that.

There is a solution to this problem. It is managed file transfer (MFT) system. This system bypasses e-mail servers and the MFTs are dedicated to transferring large files within organizations, between businesses and customers, or in business-to-business or application-to-application transactions. The market has been estimated to from $700 million to $2 billion a year. Among the biggest players are IBM and Citrix.

Businesses are attempting to build a new cloud-based system where file transfers are done in the cloud. This cloud service allows for even broader capabilities. Activity in the cloud MFT field has picked up. Ipswitch announced a product named MOVEIt, a complete cloud-based system. The trends are going toward "anytime, anywhere" products. Consumer applications such as DropBox and Box (which I use) have seen increases in the amount of storage they offer. The trend isn't slowing, especially with the Big Data buzz going around cyberspace. MFTs are seen as a way to manage the flow of big data.

Most MFT system technology runs on traditional hardware and need no dedicated infrastructure, but the systems require high-memory servers. The servers generally require more processing power for Big Data, encryption, and compression. The file size which warrants an MFT is a 2MB newsletter to 10,000 recipients. The smaller e-mails have a link for the recipient to access the MFT server. That way the bandwidth consumption isn't happening all at once.

The Business ans Economic Factors of Cloud Computing

my dad drank it

I came across a post about product placement. In two products' cases the placement is on the show Mad Men. The products are Lucky Strike cigarettes and Canadian Club whiskey.

The article is on avclub.com

One item in the article suggests why we partake in products is because our parents used them.
I go along. I don't drink Canadian Club much, but when I do I think of my dad. Because he drank it.

Books, DVDs
Advertising and Mad Men on Amazon

network performance

"Doing more with less" is beyond cliche'. Challenges include shrinking budgets and increasing workloads. A good rule is that an 18% productivity improvement in performace is needed. Performance enablers are needed. This productivity increase can be achieved with a new approach through collaboration across networks.

The traditional view of successful performance focuses on assignment completion. That's it, nothing more. This view is changing. Goals are more complex with the rise of social media. Discussions and decisions are increasingly driven by data. Workflow requires more collaboration across a variety of platforms, both internal and external. Contributions require capitalization of networks. Their is a strong attraction of network performance and organizational success.

To achieve gains in productivity, better management of network performance is needed. In practice, effective network performers consistently demonstrate behaviors that contribute to their networks. This includes, but is not limited to, harnessing great ideas from other parts of the organization and applying them to one's own work. Opinions and feedback are two other categories in this application.

Concentrate on network performance. Identify connections and cultivate relationships by identifying influencers. They help with priorities.

Only through a new perspective of network performance will we be able to achieve better productivity performance.