How have cultural expectations shaped you?

April 30, 2017

People like us don't do things like that. You should or shouldn't do what you are about to do.

Our culture provides an onslaught of must do's and better not's, but are they really for our good or just a set of guidelines to be considered.

I am a fan of "men being men" and the differentiation between the sexes, but what did the common refrain from the John Wayne era movies, "boys don't cry" actually deliver? Did the fruit of this mindset give rise to the silent veteran forbidden from openly...

How are others showing love to you?

April 9, 2017

A review of our social media highlight reel makes it easy to recognize how lovable we are. After all, look at all the selfies in just the right light, with the perfect smile. We have curated just the right online profile that shows us at our best.

We may be working on being generous to ourselves, but at least we know how we give and receive love.

What happens when we think we deserve love from those around us and it...

How do you know your commitment will last?

April 2, 2017

I have read a lot of books and attended countless conferences. My emotions carry me away with each turn of the page or charismatic speaker. I make grandiose plans to stop doing some things and start others. The resulting commitment lasts about as long as a New Years resolution.

The newest lifestyle decision I made that stuck, had a notable characteristic. I have dabbled with the gluten-free choice for several years. Two months ago, I decided to move forward and restrict gluten from my diet. The notable feature was the...

When do you expand your vocabulary?

March 26, 2017

Every new job comes with a new round of acronyms and the secret language of the existing culture. The new love interest is different than the last and leaves one yearning for King Ptolemy to commission another Rosetta stone and share the cryptic expressions of love. Learning a foreign language is well, like learning a foreign language. We listen intently to piece together the unknown and known.

A friend was reflecting on her relationship with her daughter and wanted to take decisive steps to improve this connection. She decided to start with...

What sales job do you dread?

February 26, 2017

Every day we sell our ideas. Mom sells her five-year-old on the need to finish his brussel sprouts, the awkward teenager pitches attending the prom to a love interest, and we lobby for our favorite restaurant on date night.

The confident sales rep knows her product will genuinely change the client's life for the better. This pitch is easy.

What about the other circumstances?

The anticipation can feel like you swallowed a millstone for a mid-afternoon snack.

What does it look like to:
Build a case for full...

How do you display unity?

January 24, 2017

Age
Cars
Rings
Money
T-shirts
Mission
Country
Uniform
Language
Safety pin
Fight song
Brand name
Greek letters...

How do you define unity?

January 23, 2017

I snapped a picture of the flyer because the words were toppling with irony. The coffee shop flyer announced a get-together celebrating "unity" and a bulleted list of those to whom it applied.

The list did not include my demographic.

Thankfully, my love cup was not chipped.

If I crashed the party, were welcoming arms awaiting me, or would I have been the lone guy in the corner receiving sideways...

How is your dash?

January 21, 2017

Humanity expends considerable resources to cancel the effects of aging and fighting death. To date, there is not a remedy. Dwelling on death provides motivation for today.

You and I choose every moment how to use the minutes that comprise the dash between our dates of birth and death.

Picking out a handsome headstone this weekend will calibrate our thoughts about the time invested in replying to the click-bait opposing political comment on social media. The anger infused passionate argument is justified at the moment.

You click "submit" and your time is gone.

Is it worth investing your precious life on this post that will be buried in tomorrow's deluge of bickering? Your dash isn't big enough to include a cut and paste of your carefully crafted witty comment.

When was the last time you walked through a cemetery and considered the shortness of life? Where are you wasting your life? What changes need to be made to make the most of your time?

Soon, you will exhale, and the stone cutter's hammer will rest with the dash complete.

How can you create beauty that will outlast you and me?

How do you look beyond your current trial?

January 21, 2017

Being stuck in the middle of the storm sucks.

It is scary.

Uncertainty abounds.

The feeling of everything you have is slipping away and never to return spikes the urge for fight or flight. The need to lash out at those closest to us causes long-term damage. Shortness of breath and the inability to sleep sends us deeper into the death spiral.

However, popular memes and business seminars quip...

When was the last time you laughed so hard you...?

January 5, 2017

spit across the room? or
blew your drink out your nose? or
peed yourself? or
hurt your abs? or
fell off the furniture? or
cried?

The side effects of laughter, I mean the magnificent kind, can be dramatic.

The last live show I attended was fantastic, and I left

How has your humor evolved?

January 4, 2017

The graduation reunion is intended to relive the good old days. No longer a homogeneous group that follows the same leader, the status quo is disrupted, and disagreements surface. Accusations fly "you have changed," and "you are not the same since you left."

Isn't that the point?

We are born to continue to develop and grow, becoming more than we were before. Just as our palate and musical taste become diverse, what tickles the funny bone, is bound to evolve.

I asked the gentleman next to me in the sandwich line, about the inquiry and he thought of his...

Where do you seek humor?

January 3, 2017

Humor is everywhere; if you are looking. Even in the mundane.

My dog's urgency to pee is tied to the weather. When it is warm and sunny, it is a quick trip. The more miserable, the more often she needs to go outside and prance around until the deed is done.

Getting angry solves nothing, but only prevents the job getting done. Anger will only deliver me back out to the bitter weather 23.5 minutes later, for another attempt. Perhaps the dog's bladder has a Bluetooth connection to someone either developing my character or...

How do you care for your future?

December 31, 2016

When study subjects encountered themselves through age-progressed renderings, they were more willing to change their behavior and increase their savings. The study found that someone who has engaged with their older self will forego the near-term satisfaction to benefit their older self.

Technologies ability to generate our future self will only become more lifelike. Imagine standing at the Burger King counter and your future-self pops up on the screen and asks you to reconsider the BK triple meat, bacon, and cheeseburger, for the salad. The future-self can morph into how you would look if the trend continues. The extra pounds riding in your mid-section, a few more gray hairs, and your Life Expectancy Indicator drops...

How do you care for your health?

December 30, 2016

I was detailing the benefits of a mobility practice to a co-worker and mentioned the material Dr. Kelly Starrett has produced. His response was, "I can always find a doctor that will promote anything." Evidently, my sales pitch needs work, sorry Kelly.

The latest scientific evidence says... only to be overturned a few short months or years later. The average human body is 57-60% water and that we can agree. However, debates will rage about how to feed it, exercise it, and care for it.

Then Seth Godin recalibrates reality again when he says, "when everyone is in favor...

How do you care for your kids?

December 29, 2016

First, we need to clear the air. Nope, not here to pile on guilt and tell you you're doing it all wrong or deliver 187 quick and easy steps to make everything perfect.

Every parent is aware of shortcomings. I was confident I was going to be the one exception, and I was wrong. I think it will only take each of them one lifetime to get over my shortcomings. Not bad, it could have worse and required two lifetimes.

There will be no trophies or fake Internet points...

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