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Activity versus Accomplishment
"Don't mistake activity with achievement." - John Wooden Have you ever heard the expression "running in mud"? It implies that the harder you try to run, the more your steps slip away...and end up taking you nowhere. This is one of the biggest challenges that I've...
This White Guy Can’t Jump, and Sometimes…he can’t Listen Either
Look man, you can listen to Jimi but you can't hear him. There's a difference man. Just because you're listening to him doesn't mean you're hearing him. - Sidney Deane (White Men Can't Jump) Been thinking about some of the habits I've formed, and...
Stay Plastic My Friends
Is he advocating the continued use of single-use plastics? No, No, No, No, No... Hear me out. Please. Did you know: People who rate in the upper reaches of happiness on psychological tests develop about 50% more antibodies than average in response to flu...
You Can Rewire Your Brain and you Will
Did you know: People who rate in the upper reaches of happiness on psychological tests develop about 50% more antibodies than average in response to flu vaccines. Did you know: A Dutch study of elderly patients showed that upbeat mental states...
The Paradox of Character Assassination
If you’ve ever been the victim of character assassination, then you’re probably aware (whether you’ve realized it or not) of what I’d call the grand paradox of character, and of character assassination itself…which is this: When someone attacks our character, our...
Tonya Harding Had Dreams Too
I was thinking about BALANCE this morning. I will often say, on a variety of subjects...that the key to most things is balance. So it got me thinking: Is there really anything that balance does not apply to? Are there certain things that you can't have too...
The Laughing Heart
There is what we know. What we experience, consciously.There is what we know, but that is most often hidden from us. What we keep unconsciously.And there is certainly much that we do not know. I don't truly understand poetry and its many forms, but I recently...
The Root of All Virtue
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway There is a slippery slope that exists between confidence and arrogance. Make no mistake...if you're on that ridge, between the...
All the Kenyan Farmers I Know Think America is the Greatest Country in the World
While walking through the airport last week, I stopped to get my shoes shined. You know, because the airport is really the only place I know of to actually have my shoes shined…for me. I began making small talk with the gentleman attending to my loafers, and I asked...
To the Women of St. Baldrick’s
In Christian accounts, it is said that the mighty Samson would lose his superhuman strength if he cut his hair. Likewise, the Rastafari believe in an inner strength, symbolized by the Lion of Judah, and embodied in their dreadlocks. Native Americans believe that their...
Tips for Winning a Facebook Argument
Facebook can be enjoyable. It can help us stay in touch with family and friends, it can keep us informed of the world, and it can even give us moments of joy. Facebook can also be annoying. It can give us unrealistic life expectations, it can expose us to babies that...
That Moment You Realize that Your 10 Year Old Son Might Be Listening…Sometimes
I often find strength and inspiration in a simple quote. I'll dissect the quote or passage...gain insight, reflect, and learn. And when I have one of those 'a-ha' moments, it puts some air under my wings. Know what I mean? Take this quote for example,...
The Circle
There is a time for truth, and each day it comesBeneath this earth, what souls may rise?On fertile ground that’s bathed in lifeSurrounded yet, by winter’s gentle sting The base of the tree, adorned in frozen white sandsCarefully sculpted by eternity’s handsIts...
My Long Distance Relationship with Gene Simmons
Behold, the 1976 album cover to the record "Rock and Roll Over" by the band KISS. By some standards, a masterpiece. If nothing else, you've got to appreciate the intricacy of it. Right? Well what if I told you that 25 years ago I became friends with guy...
Zion Williamson Is Trying to Steal My Girl
For those of you who don't know who Zion Williamson is...he's currently the best college basketball player in the nation, and the consensus #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.He's 6'7" tall, weighs over 280 pounds and has a vertical jump that's nearly 45". That means...
What a Beautiful Pile of Dog Shit
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I say, sometimes ugly is just ugly. They also say that when we seek beauty in all things, we not only find it...we become it. (They are really smart, aren't they?) But seriously...all things? Can we really find...
Something for God to Consider
Some of you may find disrespect (to put it mildly) in the mere notion of this headline. But please understand that this is not the case. And please, hear me out. I am not a regular Church attendee. I am not a traditional believer. And I am certainly not what many...
Would Dr. Seuss Embrace the Day? Will you?
I was feeling a bit Seussical today my friends. I hope you crush your Friday. Imagine being told todayThat you might live for just one dayToday’s the Day, as some might sayFor after this, you cannot stay Go pray, they’d say, or just give wayTo rage or...
I Packed My Sons Lunch in a WalMart Bag, and THIS is what happened
Dressed and ready for school - Check Brushed Teeth - Check Combed Hair - Check Lunch Packed - um...wait...oh, lunch boxes are at Mom's house. Hmm... OK, I certainly don't have one of those brown paper lunch bags. You know what...I'll just use a plastic shopping bag....
A One Legged Man Just Kicked Me In The Ass
William Earnest Henley was an influential 19th century English writer, who lived from 1849 to 1903. As the editor of several literary magazines, it is said that he had quite an impact on the culture during his time. In 1875, Henley had one of his legs amputated, due...
Our Internal Fire, Our Immortal Fire
Last night I was watching a documentary about the Spanish Civil War of the 1930's. The country was ultimately taken over by a brutal, murderous dictator who ruled with fear, torture and murder for over 30 years. At one point in the story, film footage of...
Everyday is the Superbowl
I think that many of us measure ourselves, and in fact ascribe our sense of happiness (or at least contentment) by...progress. I can definitively say that I have observed myself to be happier, when I feel I'm making progress. Towards my goals, and towards...
All the Small (and Selfish) Things
It is the grand champion of paradox: SERVICE Most people don't realize that it is when we seek to serve others, that we receive life's greatest gifts. And for that, service can be both selfless, and selfish. A wonderful, win-win paradox. For no one (at least...
The Groundhog: Prophet or Pariah?
Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures & New York Times. 🙂 Most are familiar with the popular 'Groundhog Day' tradition... Using the shadow of a large (albeit cute) rodent, to predict the onset of spring weather. And most, at least reading this blog, are probably...
Millions Devastated by Recent Temperature Rise
In today's technology and social media age, there are an unprecedented number of companies, organizations, people (and even bloggers) vying for your attention...every, single, moment. One of the ways they do this, is called sensationalism. Every snowfall is...
I Suggest You Quit Your Job Immediately
What compels people to ACT? What compels YOU to take action? ANSWER: Emotion. Logic (which I love), can certainly prompt you to act. You can have a moment of logical clarity that leads to excitement and action. But...real action...SUSTAINED action, only...
What the Polar Vortex can teach us about Achieving Our Goals
There’s a message that I’ve heard (often) from various ‘thought leaders’ about goal setting and personal achievement, which I think can be both aggregated and summarized as such: RAISE YOUR STANDARDS. I.E. - Set your goals higher than they currently are. Set your...
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I’m afraid of my Email Inbox – [ The War of 1812 ]
While at war with Napoleon's France, the United Kingdom constructed a naval blockade to choke off their international trade. This was a cunning economic wartime strategy, but there was one problem...they needed more manpower. So...in order to maintain the blockade,...
One Middle-Aged White Guy’s Thank You Note to Martin Luther King Jr
I must admit this: I don’t know very much about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I certainly know that he was an integral figure, to say the very least, in the civil rights movement…and I know that he was assassinated several years before I was born. There are some other...
What I Learned at the Second Grade Spelling Bee
Inch-by-Inch is a Cinch, but Yard-by-Yard is…HARD.Remember that saying? Well if there is one principle that I wish I had learned sooner, it is this.And as I think about it, there’s probably a better way to say it. Let me rephrase:If there is one...