Meditation has taught me a few things: Meditation is really hard. My mind can go to some weird dream-like places in waking hours. I meditate best when I am powerfully distracted Number 3 has been a surprising finding. The reason […]
SPOILER ALERT: Last night I spoiled the ending of Saving Private Ryan. Now I’m going to have to spoil a good chunk of Les Miserables for you. We Americans love a good revolution. We can’t help it. We’re taught from early ages that […]
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the movie Saving Private Ryan, be warned that I’m about to reveal the ending. In Saving Private Ryan, a squad of Army Rangers led by Captain John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) sets off deep into […]
“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” – Jesus (NKJV) At last. I have been sitting on my outrage for months, and now it’s finally time to let […]
I’ve become fascinated recently by the Danish cultural idea of “hygge.” Hygge, much like our idea of “homey-ness,” is all about the feelings of bonding, peacefulness, comfort, and cheer which you might get at Christmas time when you’re all bundled […]
I’ve been able to get through most of my life without discipline. Like many people, I work hard, I learn, and I’m smart, so I’m able to coast if I try. I can get away with not being ruthlessly disciplined […]
In the last four years, I have spent a lot of time rushing from one thing to another. By choice, I have brought in a lot of challenges and opportunities into my life. Everchanging conditions, urgency, and “hurry” come with […]
Everywhere you look, there’s some person who will tell you to “stay humble,” right after they tell you how they think you should be living in order to become awesome. They’re right of course. “Pride goeth before the fall,” and continuing […]
Waffle cone. That delicious scent is probably the first thing to draw my attention to the ice cream shop. It’s one of the most packed places in a busy Atlantic Station on a busy springtime Saturday night in Atlanta. Sitting outside […]
I most often fail to do the right thing not because the right thing is hard, or truly harmful. I fail to do the right thing because the right thing is inconvenient*. It’s inconvenient to help a homeless person in […]
In my experience, most people do not recognize a moral dilemma if it hits them in the face. However we choose to label them, however, most of us face hard decisions about right and wrong at least several times a day. Given that we […]
Most people know Disney movies for the excellent songs, like “Let It Go,” or “How Far I’ll Go,” or “Under the Sea” (extraordinary song, that one). But less appreciated is the work of the composers who score these films. Here […]
Today is the 365th consecutive day I have written something for publication on my blog*. As I round out this year of blogging, I have asked some of my good friends to send me questions they’d like to see me answer […]
As I round out 365 days of daily blogging (today is day 364), I have asked some of my good friends to send me questions they’d like to see me answer on my blog. Grant Parker asks: What are the values […]
Travel should have an element of adventure, even if it is routine. Sadly, interstates are boring and sterile. Drive them once and you’ve driven them a dozen times – there’s not all that much to see or observe in the […]
A big part of integrity is continuity of character – in other words, being pretty much the same person in all places and circumstances. But how do you know if you have it? Look to your circle of relationships. How […]
High school can be a bleak time. Theatre made it better for me. In fact, I made some of my best teenage memories working with other actors and my director to put on shows. I’m no longer an actor, but the […]
Life is so much better when the people around you are striving to be all they can be. If you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by people climbing up, you shouldn’t take it for granted. You should take time to feed the […]
If you love learning, you understand that it never stops. One of the themes of this blog is “perpetual apprenticeship” – never being done with learning through study and experience. In keeping with that, my weekly email to blog subscribers […]
When was the first time you felt connected to the life of a city? When I was younger, I could see the busy-ness of the world around me – the high office buildings, the businesses, the traffic, the construction, the people rushing […]
So, a competitor is about to launch a competing product? There is some upside in all of this. There’s plenty to be said for Peter Thiel’s case that establishing a natural monopoly (via innovation, not privilege or coercion) is best for […]
I’ve got some 50 years to train for being the best old man ever. They say you should visualize your success, so here are seven things I’m looking forward to about senior citizen status. 1. I will finally be able to say things […]
If you’re trying to convey an immediate sense of who you are to the people around you, you’re probably not going to be able to do it with words. Most people form snap judgments based on appearances, not on careful […]
“All of them deserted him and fled.” “For many gave false testimony against him. . .” “All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” […]
Most types of specialized physical training can be a bit intimidating to outsiders, but yoga is in a category of its own. The connection to spirituality and the weird pose names (“downward facing dog? Child’s pose? Cow pose?) make yoga […]
On the hunt for great podcast content? Sometimes it helps to know not just which shows are good – but which interviews and episodes are the best places to start. I’m subscribed to dozens of podcasts on my Pocket Cast […]
Quest, n. “a long or arduous search for something.” If, like me, you feel like you’re on a quest in your life, it’s very easy to treat other people as background characters at best and obstacles to be overcome at […]
When I met my friend Michelle Morris, it didn’t take long for me to realize that she is a badass. And it’s not just because she puts together some of the best parties in all of Atlanta. It’s because she […]
When I was 19, I had a hard time getting my ideas heard. Granted – at 19, I probably didn’t have too many spectacular ideas. But I did carry a shyness around superiors and elders that often kept me from […]
Software enables companies to move faster than ever. And that’s great. But now companies can make mistakes faster than ever, and they can do it at scale. Disciplined, thorough thinking has never been so important (or in such short supply). On net, […]