Archive for March 2024

An Easter memory… Eight years ago. Easter morning. My Jewish children are scampering around the house, searching for Easter eggs. Clara, a seven-year-old at the time, says: “I think Easter is about thinking sweet thoughts. That’s why we get candy. To make us think of sweet things.” A few minutes later, Clara tells me that…

Chicago has a long-standing adversarial relationship with ketchup. It’s a time-honored tradition in Chicago to insult people who put ketchup on hot dogs, and some restaurants honor this tradition by refusing to offer ketchup in their establishments. Some restaurants will even ask you to leave if you request the condiment. For the record, I don’t…

“The Tip of the Iceberg” concept in management, developed 25 years ago by Sidney Yoshida, indicates: 4% of the problems are seen by executives 9% of the problems are seen by managers 74% of the problems are seen by team leaders 100% of the problems are seen by staff Anyone who works in any kind…

Benjamin Robert Haydon was a 19th-century British artist and writer who kept extensive journals throughout his life. He wrote the following entry in April 1845, when he was 59, and still determined to create art regardless of the many obstacles he faced. Tragically, just a year later, he would take his own life. His final…

Last night, after more hours than I wish to remember, I finally finished recording the audiobook for “Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Brand.” This was the third audiobook that I have recorded. Professional narrators record my novels, but I have recorded all my nonfiction. After days spent in recording booths and…

“The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” ― Vladimir Nabokov Thanks, Vlad. You’ve found a new and even more terrifying way to frighten me about my already terrifying and ever-present fear of death.  

Elysha, Clara, Elysha’s father, and I went to Broadway this weekend to see “Little Shop of Horrors.” Charlie had a play of his own – the last show – and needed to stay behind to operate the spotlight. One song before the first-act finale, the curtain suddenly dropped, and it was announced that the show…

I took Charlie to his first concert on Friday night: Styx at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut. Charlie and I fell in love with the song “Come Sail Away” last summer, and it began his journey into loving Styx. Soon, songs like “Mr. Roboto,” “Renegade,” “Lady,” and “Babe” entered frequent rotation on our playlist.…

I’d like to add one item to this Genx Playground list: No water bottles. Not a single water bottle could be found on any Gen X playground. In fact, most convenience and grocery stores DID NOT SELL WATER IN BOTTLES when I was a kid, and no human being was walking around with a water…

Storytelling, when done even marginally well, can do many things. It improves communication. Assists the storyteller in connecting with their audience. Helps the storyteller be more trustworthy and convincing. It also makes the storyteller more memorable. More engaging. Far more entertaining. Telling a story can actually alter the audience’s brain chemistry. Stories trigger the release…