On This Natal Day . . .

After a certain age, varying widely by individual, comes on horseback the sobering realization that every day of verticality is, by definition, a good day, indeed. Standing up is upstanding; standing out is outstanding. The several decades that have followed Day One have been chock-full of ups, downs, jump-arounds, highs, lows, surprises, excesses, gain, loss, surplus, despair, elation, and high jinks in low places. Each and all have provided learning opportunity and life lessons.

Beyond verticality, the other operative command dates from a simpler day of acceptable ethnic jokes, in which immigrants putting down sod are constantly admonished, "Green side up!" So, clearly, it's not enough to be upright, the good stuff also needs to be on top.

These little reminders apply, too, to work life and professional progress at any age or stage of the game. It's not enough to simply show up, and be vertical. The green side needs to be up, too, with the right stuff in play. Being present is a good start, but you've got to be making contributions of good thinking — applying the green side — to have, hold, and keep relevance in career and relationships. Whoever suggested that showing up is half of success was not living in the real world. When you show up, you'd better bring something with you.