Archive for April 2017
Current career listing: Perhaps you require my services and just don’t know it yet.
I recently met a woman who went from corporate executive to personal chef to a host of other highly successful careers. As she described her work history, one thing emerged as most impressive in my mind: She quit each previous job. Left them behind. Never looked back. Unlike her, I tend to collect occupations. I…
Read MoreWhen I was my daughter’s age, I did not know that the Supreme Court existed. Her knowledge is slightly more expansive.
I was playing 20 questions with Clara – age 8 – in Panera last night while waiting for our dinner. Clara’s questions to me: “Is it a person?” (YES) “A woman?” (YES) “Is it Clara Barton?” (NO) “Did you know Clara Barton had a lisp?” (YES – she had told me this ten minutes before) “Did…
Read MoreDecoding century labels shouldn’t be this difficult
It annoys the hell out of me that centuries are identified by one number greater than their actual number in the hundreds place. The 1800’s are referred to as the nineteenth century. The 1900’s are called the twentieth century. I understand the accuracy of these labels. Yes, the sixteenth century is technically the seventeenth century, but…
Read MoreSleeping less is not the secret to my productivity. Television is.
As a person who teaches elementary school, publishes novels, writes for magazines, owns and operates a wedding DJ company, runs a storytelling organization, and performs onstage regularly, I am often asked how I manage to get so much done. This question is almost always followed with this assumption: “You don’t sleep much. Do you?” Yes,…
Read More19 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Was 20
Limited time and money are obstacles easily overcome with long days, hard work, and a clear vision. People will die unexpectedly. Stay connected. Don’t assume there is a tomorrow. Every pound you add to your body will be ten times more difficult to remove. Every problem has a lifespan shorter than your own. Have…
Read MoreRogue One on VHS: A taste of the perfect childhood
I am happy that I live in a digital, HD, Internet-infused world. I am also happy that I grew up in an analog, low-definition, Internet-absent world. I did not touch a computer or the Internet for the first 18 years of my life. After graduating from high school, I left home, moved in with a…
Read MoreIf your schedule your meeting for one hour, and then your meeting lasts exactly one hour, you have failed.
If you schedule an hour for a meeting, and your meeting lasts for an hour, you have failed, for three reasons: The efficient person attempts to complete tasks in less than the allotted time. If you’ve given yourself 60 minutes to complete a task and require all 60 minutes to do so, you have not…
Read MoreBe happy. Judge on intent.
A suggestion that will make you a happier person and a more pleasant person to be around: Judge others solely on their intent. One night my friend and DJ partner, Bengi, we were heading to the shore to perform at a wedding. As we wound down a country road, I noticed a pedestrian on the…
Read MoreResolution update: March 2017
PERSONAL HEALTH 1. Don’t die. Still alive and kicking. 2. Lose 20 pounds. I lost four more pounds in March, bringing the total loss to nine pounds. Well ahead of schedule, thanks to consistent exercise, careful eating, and little time for lunch. 3. Do at least 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups five days a week.…
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