In our civilian engineering-oriented jobs we receive a pay check and some psychic income from a job well done.
In our Navy Reserve calling we receive psychic income for performing a patriotic duty for our country - and a pay check, too. Both job and calling require a great deal of technical and engineering experience and education.
How do you put that into balance and remain a whole person? It is a challenge to establish priorities and allocate your own personal resources to juggle the parts of your life. You have family responsibilities, your job, your Navy participation, keeping up with technology changes in your specialty, spiritual matters, and recreation.
Where do you get the time to do it all?
Excellence is knowing when not to be perfect.
A version of Pareto's law says that you get 80% of the results in a project after expending 20% of the resources. So determine which projects can beconsidered finished enough to satisfice. "Satisfice" means satisfactory and sufficient - not perfect.
Admiral Gorshkov, the longtime CNO of the USSR Navy, used to say, "better is the enemy of good enough."
Perhaps there is an art to knowing what has to be done, what is nice to do, and what can be left undone. Our community is lucky to have Bill Kastner as our guru. He has his focus, balance, and time in control.
He raised six children; was president of a volunteer fire department; participated in RDAC; was president of a Navy League council; was president of his church council; and was active in ASNE, NRA, ROA, and ASME - while he earned a living and became an NRED Captain in the Naval Reserve. Bill drilled for 17 years at no pay: 204 months, in the early years when NRED's were in non-pay units. For recreation he has built dozens of museum-quality ship models.
So, take Bill as an example and focus on what is important - try to maintain a balance among your responsi-bilities - and use your time wisely.
Patriotism is alive and well in our community! Keep our balance and your time - everyone gets 24 hours each day.