I was at a party at a neighbor’s house and it was crowded, with about twice as many people as the space comfortably fit. Like a typical neighborhood event we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Within the crowd was my neighbor’s dog and of course it was underfoot and got stepped on […]
I look at my life in three distinct time periods (so, a hockey analogy as opposed to my standard football one). The first 25+ years were about investing in myself – the focus on growing, maturing, being educated, becoming an adult, building a strong mind and body; and starting a career and being a contributing
I just spent the last two weekends amongst family and friends. The first weekend was with my best friends from high school and their wives, 8 couples in all; the second weekend was camping with my brother and his family. This high school group of guys, we called ourselves “The Association”, was a life changer
The Company We Keep Read More »
I recently had an experience with someone who is a very black or white thinker. In their world it either ‘is’ or it ‘isn’t.’ To me that is a tough way to live especially when interacting with other people. It can lead to a lot of frustration. I’ve read that frustration occurs when someone does
Black or White Thinking Read More »
Early in my sales career I was told that a main part of my job was to turn a customer’s want into his need. Someone may want to purchase your product or service, but until they feel the need they likely will not. When I was discussing this adage with my Dad, a career salesman,
Turn Want into Need Read More »
Forty years ago, my Dad shared a poem, The Station, with me. I have been an advocate of focusing on the journey and its passengers ever since. There is symbolism in the vehicle for the journey, a symbolism especially found in songs. Two major images for this vehicle are trains and boats. Trains have been
A well-used tenet in coaching football is the adage “low man wins.” It applies to line play as well as defeating blocks and tackling. It is all about pad level, getting into a low position enables a player to have more leverage on their opponent. Being lower to the ground provides a stronger base, more
Measure twice, cut once is an adage I heard my father say over and over during the many home improvement projects we worked on at his house, as well as mine. It is a carpenter’s creed to double-check measurements for accuracy before cutting a piece of wood; otherwise it may be necessary to cut again,
Measure Twice, Cut Once Read More »
One of my favorite movies is Field of Dreams. So much so that on a business trip to Iowa, I added in a 3-hour diversion to visit the site where the movie was filmed. It was well worth it. Near the end of the movie, James Earl Jones character, Terence Mann, says the line, “for
For it is Money They Have and Peace They Lack Read More »
Stephen Covey’s 7th habit is called ‘Sharpening the Saw.” His point is that if we are too busy cutting to take time to sharpen the saw blade, it gets dull and takes more effort to accomplish the task. Eventually the blade gets so dull, it becomes impossible to cut. Similar analogies are taking time to
