Apr 30Member-onlyWhy I ran the Boston MarathonThere are at least two reasons we do anything. The most obvious is what we think we should do, like “Some expert on a podcast said I should eat more blueberries.” Then there is the second, less obvious reason, like “I want to feel better about my health.” Last week…Marathon5 min readMarathon5 min read
Mar 19Member-onlyLife is Hard and That’s a Good ThingI have a hard time with people who sugar-coat the truth. I was on a webinar this week that promised to reveal the secret to becoming an author. Given that I published my book a decade ago I thought I needed a refresh. Instead of advice, or sharing actual steps…Stoicism4 min readStoicism4 min read
Mar 5Member-onlyWhy You Need to Tell More Stories“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.” — Seth Godin Cruising garage sales one weekend, researchers Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn spent the morning collecting dozens of random items including a common office stapler, a box of birthday candles, a pair of shark and…Stories4 min readStories4 min read
Feb 26Member-onlyThe Salesperson in You“Never mistake a quantity of calls for a quality of salesmanship.” — David Ogilvy The speaker before me is brilliant. They are an encyclopedia of knowledge, spilling out facts, statistics, and convincing arguments. Slide after slide delivered brilliant graphs and bullet lists that would make a university professor proud. I’m…Selling5 min readSelling5 min read
Feb 18Member-only5 books that taught me how to age better“What is a normal goal for a young person becomes a neurotic hindrance in old age.” Carl Jung It was July, we were hiking up to the third floor of my favorite bookstore, Powell’s City of Books in the old Pearl district of Portland. Picture a labyrinth of wall-to-wall books…Book Review4 min readBook Review4 min read
Feb 15Member-onlyGet On With ItOver the past month, I’ve been frustrated — more than usual. During dinner with a close friend, I patiently listened as he complained about his partner. We’d had this conversation before and it always ended the same way. Lots of talk — not much action. Over beers, another friend shared…Honesty5 min readHonesty5 min read
Feb 5Member-onlyThe big gunfight, in my mindI woke up this morning from a dream. Poured a coffee and sat down at the keyboard. An hour later I had this. Enjoy. The sun was dropping low, boots kicked up dust and sage bush rolled slowly down the street. There were three of us, hats pulled low, hands…Letting Go4 min readLetting Go4 min read
Jan 20Member-onlyThe bright side of my aging brainI am getting forgetful. I’ll be on a run listening to a tune I’ve heard dozens of times but can’t come up with the artist’s name (it was Joe Walsh). Or I’ll greet a friend I haven’t seen for a while with the wrong name (very embarrassing.) …Age4 min readAge4 min read
Jan 3Member-onlyWhy you don’t need more adviceThis summer I built a bookshelf for my office. It was too small. So after filling the bookshelf I stored more books in a cupboard. Now, it’s too small. I love books. They have taught me about life, leadership, love, and — more recently — living healthy longer. I used…Habits4 min readHabits4 min read
Dec 19, 2022Member-onlyWhy you need to look back before you look forward“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will — then your life will flow well.” — Epictetus How weird is this… Stores full of shoppers without masks, teams meeting in person (like it’s a new thing) —…Resolutions4 min readResolutions4 min read
