A Little Bit of Lost Humanity

As we recover from COVID-19 apace, there is a stubborn habit that many have retained and oddly, it is outdoors, where the risk of infection is probably the lowest. I like to walk. Perambulate. Saunter. Hike. Stroll. Jaunt. Hoof it. I also like to be friendly. Downright neighborly. So here is the scene. As I [...]

By |2021-07-15T13:29:24-04:00July 16th, 2021|Health & Wellness, The Human Condition|Comments Off on A Little Bit of Lost Humanity

Some Zzzs

If you are having trouble sleeping, for Pete's Sake, don't worry about it. Study after study points out that the human beings, no matter how sleep deprived, will eventually sleep. If you have one, two or even three days of poor sleep, rest assured [ha!] that it won't be long before you get a nine [...]

By |2018-09-12T07:58:59-04:00September 12th, 2018|Rest, Stress, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Some Zzzs

We Could Be Heroes

I met a man of the cloth at a party. I was struck by the man's charisma, his charm, his wit and his aura of grace. This man gave me courage and hope: if this is what Catholicism as all about, I am proud to be part of it! His name was Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. [...]

By |2018-08-26T11:12:13-04:00August 26th, 2018|Catholicism, The Human Condition|Comments Off on We Could Be Heroes

You Can’t Force It

In his book, Willpower Doesn't Work, Benjamin Hardy argues that creating environment, not the will to succeed, is the way to create new and positive habits. Let's say that you want to write every day, which is, not coincidentally, a goal of mine. In the past I tried to force myself to write. I left [...]

By |2018-07-19T08:01:08-04:00July 19th, 2018|Art, Blog, Change, Creativity, Future, Habit, Personal Development, Planning, Success, The Human Condition|Comments Off on You Can’t Force It

A Blessing

She can't walk like other people. She has to throw her upper body back, and her gait is rocking, unsteady and tentative. It is awkward. And painful sometimes. Sometimes she is self conscious. But not today. He was a little fussy, but he stopped and stared at the kindly priest, dazzled by the lights and [...]

By |2017-12-08T09:27:20-05:00December 8th, 2017|The Human Condition|Comments Off on A Blessing

Path Dependence

Path Dependence is a fancy way of saying, "We have always done it this way." It is defined by the Business Dictionary as, "Tendency of a past or traditional practice or preference to continue even if better alternatives are available." Examples of Path Dependence include the QWERTY keyboard, Microsoft Word (if you are going to [...]

By |2017-08-30T09:44:45-04:00August 30th, 2017|Books, History, Jargon, Real Estate, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Path Dependence

A Little Freaked Out?

Feeling overwhelmed? It happens all the time, you are not alone. I suggest you do what is in front of you. Today. Right now. And nothing more. If you feel freaked out, this is not the day for big decisions. Give it time. It will pass. And the big decision will make itself.

By |2017-08-07T08:53:28-04:00August 7th, 2017|Stress, Tactics, The Human Condition|Comments Off on A Little Freaked Out?

No Sooner Than You Make A Commitment…

...that the Universe tries to thwart your efforts. It is not only your personal Lizard Brain that can work against you, the entirety of the Universe seems to want to put you in your place for daring to create something. Want to write every day, smart guy? Ha! Crashed your computer! The Universe knows that [...]

By |2017-07-06T08:36:40-04:00July 6th, 2017|Art, Blog, Creativity, Planning, Risk, Small Business, Social Media, The Human Condition|Comments Off on No Sooner Than You Make A Commitment…

What Is Worth Losing Sleep Over?

The short answer: Nothing, we tend to blow things out of proportion at night when there is nothing else to think about. Here's an exercise worth trying. If anything is giving you anxiety, that oh-so-special tightness in the chest, especially at night, write it down. Two weeks later read what you wrote. I guarantee you will [...]

By |2017-01-09T09:54:31-05:00January 9th, 2017|Health & Wellness, Humor, Personal Development, The Human Condition|Comments Off on What Is Worth Losing Sleep Over?

Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line

One fine day last summer I was listening to Radio Margaritaville on SiriusXM when a song by Paul Thorn called Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line came on the car radio. It is a fun, bluesy song and I drummed the steering wheel for all I was worth. But as I listened I realized [...]

By |2016-01-21T10:10:59-05:00January 21st, 2016|Business, Small Business, Success, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Everybody Looks Good at the Starting Line

Robin Rumble

It is springtime and the Gagliano back yard is the scene of an ornithological Battle of Thermopylae. It is mating season and it is time for the Robin Rumble. And these little guys really go at it. They battle briefly and return to their corners, eyeing each other coldly. Until one guy makes a move. [...]

By |2015-04-16T09:46:44-04:00April 16th, 2015|Humor, Personal Development, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Robin Rumble

Look at the Big Picture

I was fussing and fuming. Things weren't going my way. I was even having stress dreams. Frustrated, I was ready to declare myself a loser. With a capital L. But then I sat back and thought about it. I don't have control over this thing. There isn't a single concrete action I could take to [...]

Don’t Panic

There are times in every business when the ol' backlog gets a little, um, thin. Many business people at this juncture do one of two things: (a) panic or (b) slow down. Both responses are perfectly natural. Panic is simply our fight or flight response at work. Our ancestors would panic when they saw a [...]

1 Percent Better

The Consultant's Consultant, Alan Weiss, often remarks, "If you are one percent better each day, you will be twice as good in 72 days." Besides his obvious facility with compound interest, Dr. Weiss gives us some food for thought. What does 1% better every day look like? Get up five minutes earlier Stay an extra [...]

By |2015-01-22T10:14:13-05:00January 22nd, 2015|Gratitude, Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Service, The Human Condition|Comments Off on 1 Percent Better

Essentialism

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less is a new book by Greg McKeown that tackles the Unimportance of Practically Everything. Or, put another way, if you don't prioritize your life, someone else will. I originally bought Essentialism as an audiobook, but after I got a cold and was forced to stay home (and rest, and drink [...]

I’m Thinking….

A friend recently mentioned that she is reading John Maxwell's How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. She was a little puzzled. What does thinking look like (as opposed to reading, web surfing or sitting like a lump)? Her question brought a quote from Wallace D. Wattles to mind: "Thinking is the hardest [...]

By |2014-10-23T07:45:27-04:00October 23rd, 2014|Books, Creativity, Health & Wellness, Humor, Personal Development, The Human Condition|Comments Off on I’m Thinking….

Mistakes I Have Made

Most of my worst professional mistakes have been the result of one of two bad habits: haste, or wanting to please the client. By pleasing the client I don't mean simply doing good work in a timely manner with a pleasant disposition, I mean the ugly side of this coin, people pleasing. My business can [...]

By |2014-07-11T09:06:46-04:00July 10th, 2014|Business, Communication, Customers, Professional Development, Professional Growth, Service, Small Business, Success, The Human Condition, Trust|Comments Off on Mistakes I Have Made

Only Human

It is interesting that one definition of human being includes the notion that we are of prone to error. We say, “I’m only human,” meaning, “I am make mistakes, therefore I am human.” But why do we have this fallibility? Why is it baked into our nature? What would be its purpose? Is it because [...]

By |2014-03-11T08:14:32-04:00March 11th, 2014|Personal Development, Sport, Success, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Only Human

23.5 Degrees

We’re slightly off. 23.5 degrees off, actually. By some accounts, 4.5 billion years ago a Mars-sized object collided with earth, breaking off the moon and knocking the earth sideways. But were it not for this slight tilt, the equator would be an uninhabitable inferno, and the temperate zones that most people live in would not [...]

By |2014-02-04T16:16:37-05:00February 4th, 2014|History, Personal Development, The Human Condition|Comments Off on 23.5 Degrees

There is No Shortcut to Greatness

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God how you learn.” - C.S. Lewis. Older practitioners often have a calm, self-assured air. One can only wonder, how did they get there? The answer is simple: by making mistakes, screwing up, losing sleep. And later realizing that making a mistake is not the [...]

By |2014-01-14T16:59:11-05:00January 14th, 2014|Professional Growth, Skills, Success, The Human Condition|Comments Off on There is No Shortcut to Greatness

Feeling Anxious?

Feeling anxious? Do something. Move. First, try working directly on the problem. Make some telephone calls, draft that e-mail, confront that person. Nothing you can do about the problem right now? Write it down in a journal. Nothing formal, just a pencil and a scrap of paper. Or take a walk around the block. Read a [...]

By |2014-10-08T15:27:21-04:00December 15th, 2013|Health & Wellness, Personal Development, Skills, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Feeling Anxious?

Anger Management (Barely)

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. - Buddha For years I had myself convinced that I was a pretty easygoing guy. Live and let live. Hang loose. No worries, Brah.* And I recently realized that I was lying to myself the whole time. No lies are more convincing than the [...]

By |2013-05-14T09:18:18-04:00May 14th, 2013|Personal Development, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Anger Management (Barely)

Only With Difficulty Do We Thrive

I was introduced to the concept of spaceflight osteopenia in an episode of the television show, Bones. Spaceflight osteopenia is a condition of bone deterioration caused by prolonged weightlessness. And this made me think a about the human condition. When we struggle, we complain (all right, I complain). I sit on my pity-pot unable to comprehend why [...]

By |2013-04-07T14:39:29-04:00April 7th, 2013|Health & Wellness, The Human Condition|Comments Off on Only With Difficulty Do We Thrive
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