Archive for July 2016
7 much-needed rules for golf according to me (which makes them absolutely correct)
Putt every putt. If the six inch putt is a forgone conclusion, then just putt the damn thing. Conceding putts only serves to assist the players who can’t putt or those who suffer from the yips while marginalizing the advantage of players who excel under pressure. _________________________ Every golfer should have a system for not…
Read More24 life lessons for my children (and perhaps for you)
A small amount of your paycheck should go directly to a savings account every month. You can determine the size of a person’s intellect by the size of things that bother him. Find your passion and figure out how to get paid for it. Giving up or selling out on your passion equates to surrendering…
Read MoreAdvice from a mentor from 21 years ago that I continues to guide my life today
I keep a running list of my life’s most impressive, impactful mentors. These are people who have helped me in a significant and meaningful way and have impressed the hell out of me while doing it. Simply put, they are some of the best people I have known. I plan to write a book about…
Read MoreUnfair assumption #24: Your knowledge of the Supreme Court says a lot about you.
If you can name all nine Supreme Court justices, I consider you well informed and worthy of attention. I will listen and consider all that you say. For every justice you cannot name, I will think slightly less of your knowledge base, and therefore your opinions carry proportionally less weight with me. If you forget…
Read MoreChildren sleeping in their parent’s room: I had strong opinions before I had kids. The results are now in.
The time has come. Prior to the birth of my daughter, I would argue that it was fairly bizarre and unwarranted to have have children sleeping in their parents’ beds for any extended period of time. I expressed opposition to the idea that my children would be spending a significant portion of their sleeping hours…
Read MoreMy kind of princess
My daughter said this today: “I’m a princess who never stays in the castle. That’s because I’m a brave princess and I’m always looking for adventure.” Nothing wrong with a little girl wanting to be the right kind of princess.
Read MorePerhaps a near-death experience is a good thing. At least one therapist seems to think so.
A mental health therapist recently said this in a comment to a post on the blog: “I frequently try to bring on an existential crisis in a client to help them find what is most important to them.” I thought this comment was fascinating. I’ve often said that my alarmingly frequent near-brushes with death drive…
Read MoreDon’t name your child Brenden. I mean Brandon.
This post is not an indictment of the name Brandon or Brendan if one of these names happens to be your name or if you have assigned your child one of these names. I’ve had friends and former students named both Brendan and Brandon, and are perfectly lovely people. But if you’re in the market…
Read MoreUnfair assumption #23: People who water their lawns themselves are aggressively anti-efficient and supremely uninteresting
I see it all the time. Some doofus standing on his lawn, hose in hand, watering his grass. Just standing there, waving his arm back and forth, spraying water on his lawn. Home Depot currently sells a sprinkler for $4.98. More sophisticated sprinklers can be purchased for more. I can only assume (perhaps unfairly) that…
Read MoreThe Portland 54: Embrace uncertainty
On Friday I had the honor of playing in The Portland 54, an annual golf tournament that has been played for the last 17 years. It was started by a group of guys at ESPN who wondered if it was possible to play all three 18 hole golf courses in Portland, CT in a single…
Read More