November 2011
1 post
The Capacity to Care
Something happened at work the other day that got me thinking about our capacity to care.
A project that was my responsibility wasn’t being delivered in a way that exceeded expectations. Heck, it didn’t even meet expectations. Truth be told, it disappointed those who were counting on it. And that is not the Pro-Tech way. It’s not my department’s way. And it’s not my way.
Luckily, the timing...
August 2011
1 post
Week 5 Writing Exercise - You have incredible...
You have incredible power over your children. No matter what age they are. Or what age you are.
With it you have a responsibility to teach. Through your actions, your words, your emotions, your attitudes, your beliefs – you will shape them, you will mold them, you will color their world. Even when you think you are not. Especially then.
When you are quiet, they will hear you most.
When you...
July 2011
1 post
I’ve Become the Runner I Once Despised
Racer Turned Fitness Runner
Ok. I admit it. I am now a “fitness” runner. The very thing I once despised.
Let me explain.
Back when I was a walking, talking idiot (high school days) – I thought that if you didn’t run to race, you were a loser. You were in some other category of runner that had no value. It was something I just didn’t understand. One, because I was young and naïve. And two,...
April 2011
2 posts
I Just Kicked Monday's Butt with this Workout...
Current age / weight / height: 43 / 155 lbs / 5’8”
———————————— Core:
100 reps Bench Press:
155 x 10
175 x 8
195 x 4
175 x 8
155 x 12 Military Press:
70 x 10
80 x 8
90 x 4
90 x 5
70 x 12 Incline Press:
125 x 10
135 x 8
145 x 8
155 x 5
125 x 10 Core:
100 reps Pull-Ups:
10
8
5
5
5 Dips:
10
10
10
10
...
Grit – and Other Words I’ve Been Thinking About...
Grit – it’s been on my mind a lot this week. After reading an article in ESPN magazine (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6299428) that concluded the number one factor in determining how successful a quarterback will be in the NFL is Grit – I’m convinced it’s the number one factor in determining success in most everything else.
I don’t think Grit can be taught, learned...
March 2011
2 posts
Joe Fresco - Franchise Concept - It was going so...
This is the “Joe Fresco” pitch I was making to Guy Kawasaki in my dream last night. My alarm went off just as he was smiling and shaking his head, “yes, yes” - and probably about to hand me over millions in venture money. Damn you alarm clock!
It’s basically taking TLC’s “What Not To Wear” concept and turning it into a brick & mortar store franchise – for men.
- ...
How Do You Provide Value When None is Given?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately.
First of all, value is not given – it is earned. Whether you like it or not.
And whether or not you are valued sometimes has less to do with you, and more to do with the other person or people involved, in whatever relationship dynamic is at work.
If what you are providing is not perceived or understood as valuable, then you have a big...
February 2011
2 posts
What I've Learned ... So Far (good writing...
Living legends are not as rare as I once thought Whitman must have experienced little or no resistance or friction as his words traveled from his mind to his pen. The path mine take are riddled with obstacles Whether you are a boy or a man, one of the hardest things you can do is to tell your father that you love him There is a freedom and a joy in running that I have never experienced...
The First 100 Books for Our New Corporate Library
1 Rework - Jason Fried
2 The Orange Revolution - Chester Elton
3 Crush It - Gary Vaynerchuk
4 Let My People Go Surfing - Yvon Chouinard
5 Behind the Cloud - Marc Benioff
6 Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh
7 It’s Your Ship - Michael Abrashoff
8 Influence - Robert Cialdini
9 Economics in One Lesson - Henry Hazlitt
10 You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader - Mark Sanborn
11 The Fred Factor...
January 2011
3 posts
How to Get Your Boss to Sign Up for Social Media: ...
Current Phase – Not Using Social Media
1. Have two people stand outside her doorway and start a conversation.
2. Shut the door.
3. Tell her the people behind that door are talking about her, but she doesn’t know what they’re saying and she can’t engage with them in any way.
No awareness of the conversation
Phase 2 – The Start
1. Open the door.
2. Have the two people continue the...
The 75 Greatest Walt Whitman Quotes
If there was one book that “spoke to me” - it was Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Perhaps some of these quotes will do the same for you.
1. One’s self I sing, a simple separate person, Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse
2. I project the history of the future
3. Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved, Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of...
December 2010
2 posts
I Hate Winer, but Love Winter Running. Read this...
I do, I really hate winters. My soul belongs in the Southwest, but for whatever reason, my body is living in the Northeast.
But as a runner, I love winter running.
Maybe it’s the purity of the snow covered landscape. The clean white blanketing everything.
Maybe it’s that everything is a little quieter. Sometimes eerily so, save for my crunching steps and the peeps of birds.
...
Never Give Up on the Possibility
Recently I attended an employee recognition dinner where I heard a nice story that recounted the hiring of one of those being honored.
The manager telling the story said he interviewed this employee first, and was so impressed he begged HR to cancel all the other interviews - as he found “the guy” on interview #1. It was a great tribute to the employee and we all were impressed that someone...
November 2010
1 post
Inspired by @DavidMcGraw’s tweet thread, I’d like...
- To my oldest son Nathaniel, thank you for giving me the gift, the ability, the capacity and the chance to care for someone else more than myself. While the majority of our life together was on a part-time basis, you never, ever made me feel less of father to you. You’ll never know how generous that makes you.
- To my youngest son Shane, thank you for continually showing me that one of the most...
October 2010
5 posts
Fear Exposed (Your Decision Making Sucks) →
Check out my guest post on the Middle Finger Project
What Do You Think of the New Gap Logo? →
Horrible. What are they thinking?
Walking is the Key to Running
I’ve heard this before, specifically for marathon running: walk thru the water stops, walk once a mile, etc.
But it never really made sense to me. If you’re RACING, why the heck would you walk!?!
It wasn’t until Christopher McDougal put it in the context of the ultra-runners that it finally made sense. If you’re running a 135 mile race, why kill yourself on a steep...
Groupon Revealed: The Pros and Cons of Daily Deals →
Another great info graphic.
Scientists finish first sea census →
Fascinating: Scientists wrapped up their first global census of sea life today, documenting an underwater world that turns out to be livelier and more connected than they thought it would be when they began the project 10 years ago.
September 2010
7 posts
Vibram Five Fingers - finally found some great...
I stumbled upon these great notes from Steve Dam - in a LinkedIn running group.
Thought I share it with you.
Vibram Five Fingers for Running?
With out a doubt, shoe manufactures have made and marketed their shoes for one reason, to sell shoes. There is very little research to back up that all the pads, shocks, and arch supports actually prevent injury. Majority of the evidence actually...
LED Zippo Flashlight →
I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!
ART IMITATING LIFE . . . IMITATING ART →
Interesting read.
Today I Saw a Hothead 'Take a Minute' - and I...
I was at the gym this afternoon when a brief commotion broke out - and I can’t stop thinking about it. For many reasons.
I must have missed the first few seconds of it - but what I caught was this.
Guy A took some equipment Guy B was using. Guy A probably asked to use it and some miscommunication took place. Guy B says something, Guy A throws equipment toward Guy B.
Guy B gets...
Focus on the Can
Focus on what you CAN do, and the can’t will soon disappear.
Recently I suffered a minor sports injury that prevented me from doing many things. OK, most things.
I couldn’t do sit-ups, I couldn’t lift weights, I couldn’t run. I couldn’t exercise in the ways I liked. I was bummed to say the least.
Feeling that I couldn’t do anything, I threw in the towel...
What I Stand For - draft 1
What I Stand For
Teaching.
Not necessarily classical classroom teaching, but yes, that too.
I stand for the sharing and giving of your knowledge to the world.
Teaching is a gift. It is a way of giving back.
It can be your legacy. A way to prove the existence.
It is mentoring.
It is a way to provide growth and movement forward.
Where I Draw the Line
When limits or barriers are...
August 2010
9 posts
Reading - Character Amnesia: Forgetting Culture In... →
Orville Wright diary/1902 →
Fascinating
Top 5 Ways Big Brands are Using Foursquare →
Her Writing is Beautiful. →
Of the things I find beautiful in this world, her writing is one of them. I love the way her mind works.
Of all the people I follow online, I would give them all up - in order to keep reading Penelope Trunk.
Greatest Thing I Said This Week
When I see a person, or a group of people, or an organization that no longer believe in going “all in” - somewhere along the way there has been a terrible failure.
Reading, Net Neutrality: Reading Between the... →
Reading: 15 Excellent Corporate Blogs to Learn... →
July 2010
1 post
Ridley Scott Plans User-Generated YouTube... →
Scott and director Kevin Macdonald will compile footage from users all over the world for ‘Life in a Day.’
June 2010
5 posts
My Life in Quarters
My first 21 years, I played. Rarely did I look beyond the next day.
My second 21 years, I left life dictate my path.
The next 21 years, I will be in control. I will dictate my path. I will simplify. I will do something great. I will build my legacy.
The following 21 years, I will mentor. I will teach.
Listen
“Losers who don’t put shopping carts away: thanks for making it easy to remind my...”
“The more I learn, the more ignorant I feel.”
Derek Sivers: How to start a movement →
You need to have a First Follower! Be brave. Be that first follower!
May 2010
4 posts
After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain... →
The great American writer left instructions not to publish his autobiography until 100 years after his death, which is now.
New apps emerge to reset Facebook privacy settings →
Several new applications have launched this week that are designed to easily reset a Facebook member’s privacy settings, following new changes from the company that make a sizable chunk of profile content public by default when it was once kept under lock and key.
Time to Rebrand? 8 red flags for brand development →
A few nice tips from the folks at fuelnet.
April 2010
5 posts
Running is the Toughest Sport
It’s You against you. And you really wants to quit. But You won’t let him.
There’s no seventh inning stretch.
There’s no oxygen on the sidelines.
No timeouts.
No commercial breaks.
It’s You vs. you.
Who’s gonna win?
There’s no skill. No finesse. Just guts.
It’s pushing your face to within a hairs width of the wall, it’s going...
State of Race = Uncomfortable
I recently came across a news item about “Stop the Sag” billboards. You can read all about it HERE.
It’s a billboard campaign being run by New York State Senator Eric Adams urging young men to pull their pants up. The text on the billboard states, “We are better than this! Stop the Sag!”
What struck me right away was the “We”. And I immediately felt...
Good Vibrations = Hired!
I just had the pleasure of meeting two very cool PR professionals who came in to pitch their services.
I knew within a very short time, that 1) I liked them and 2) they were sharp. And 3) I wanted to work with these guys.
To me, hiring a vendor or service provider is pretty simple: if I get a good vibe, then I’m in.
Of course I do my due diligence and get multiple quotes, but I...