There is a rather graphic, old saying that I have frequently referred to during the course of my 40 year career in business. The saying, and it is really an excellent piece of advice on how to manage your career, goes like this. “When you are up to your behind in alligators, it is difficult … Read more
I am a B+. Throughout my life, I have consistently performed at a B+ level. Sure, for short periods of time, with great and consistent effort, I have managed to push myself into the A minus or even, dare I dream, to the A and A plus level. These almost unattainable levels of performance take … Read more
At the end of our days, as we stand before our Maker, he will almost certainly ask us “What have you done with your life?” I do not believe he is expecting us to tell him how many widgets we sold or how we achieved budget 16 quarters in a row. No, I think he … Read more
I am a proud member of the baby boomer generation. Baby boomers are usually defined as the cohort of people born between 1946 and 1964 and our path through the decades has been widely documented and often criticized. No matter how you slice it, though, we have witnessed quite a slice of history and, as … Read more
One bright summer morning Ronnie the robin was doing the usual things that all robins do. He had recently flown north from his winter home deep down south and was cheerfully bobbing along on the grass looking for his favorite breakfast of earthworms. How he loved those succulent delights! You see, Ronnie really was the … Read more
Dolly entered our lives on a bright summer’s day, the kind of day where you are just beginning to get hints that summer is soon coming to a close and the first winds of fall are rapidly making its true intentions known. She left us early yesterday afternoon, as the faintest hints of summer were … Read more
The past year has delivered its share of terror, pain and misery. People, including very small children, have been murdered in Colorado, Connecticut and most recently, Boston. Not so long ago, terror arose in Tucson Arizona and a United States Congresswoman was shot in the head, effectively ending a promising political career. Families everywhere grieve, … Read more
This past week I was listening to the late great George Carlin and his classic routine comparing baseball and football. I think it is one of the most outstanding comedic observations of all time, rivaling even the oft-quoted ‘Who’s on First?” Abbot and Costello piece on baseball nicknames. Carlin’s masterful observations got me thinking about … Read more
A few months ago, a very special priest at our church delivered a powerful homily about the value of silence. In his sermon, our priest challenged us to devote at least 5 minutes a day to quiet reflection, introspection and simply just relaxation. He described the virtues and benefits of merely doing nothing while listening … Read more
At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, I fear that our society is losing the “human touch.” We text, email, leave voicemails, speak to computerized voices, conduct our banking without ever seeing a teller and even checkout our own groceries without ever seeing any signs of a cashier. I was watching a spring training … Read more