I received an email the other day. It was from someone who I once had a secondary connection to. While this person is certainly an intelligent, thoughtful person, their email was another one of those Henny Penny, “the sky is falling,” type of screeds. I read the email and the link attached and felt powerless. There was nothing I could do to change the problem being highlighted because it was too big for me. It was a macro level problem, and I need to stay focused on the micro level realities of life. Continue reading
Tag Archives: 30 Minute Writing
The Devil’s in the Details
The Devil depicted in the Temptation of Christ, by Ary Scheffer, 1854.
There is a story about Martin Luther, the esteemed 16th Century Protestant theologian, where he was said to have turned from his desk, and hurled the ink well he was using at the Devil, who he thought was standing behind him, ready to cause him harm. This may actually be apocryphal—but it does indicate that for men like Luther, the Devil, aka, Satan, was so real that waging warfare against him and all his works occupied their waking hours. Continue reading
Does Your Brand Matter?
How’s your personal brand stack up?
I receive Seth Godin’s daily email. His stuff is short, but packed with power.
Some people don’t get Godin. Generally, those that don’t can’t see the efficacy of change, or why effective change entails taking a risk. If you’re vested in maintaining the same old, same old (aka, the status quo), then Godin doesn’t resonate with you. Continue reading
Keeping Quiet
Blogging has been an outlet for me to let off steam, work out idea prototypes, or just reflect. There have been times over the past 10 years where I’ve used this space and others to lash out or criticize. I rarely do that anymore.
Being critical is easy. Raising the bar impossibly high for others makes more sense than holding yourself to the same impossibly stringent requirements. We all do it. Continue reading
Blueberry Baron
Last year for Father’s Day, Mark, our son visited and brought three small blueberry bushes. He thought his dad needed some blueberries to tend.
Mark used the landscaping skills acquired during his college stint working for Anderson Landscaping. He dug out the holes, planted three plants, and added some compost from our bin. Continue reading
Empower Yourself
I believe that many are lacking something that makes them feel alive, or gives their life meaning. Merely working 40-50 hours each week for a paycheck isn’t meaningful; it’s survival.
I’ve written about my quest to learn to swim. I decided that I wanted to complete a sprint triathlon in June. Mary’s been competing in these for the past three years and I wanted to join her. I only had one problem; I haven’t been in a public pool since I was 12 and I could barely make it down the pool and back. I certainly had no technique. Continue reading
Careful What You Say, But Think What You Want
It’s ok to hold contrary views and opinions, except when it’s not. Actually, we live in a fairly buttoned-up time when it comes to tolerating alternative narratives about politics, economics, work, family relations, etc. If you don’t think so, try going against the grain once in a while.
I know only too well that “thinking outside the box” basically gets you left out in the cold, and marginalized. Or, you get the “whispers behind your back” treatment. No one really wants the actual moving out of the box, or new ways of doing things; they just like talking about it. Continue reading
I Don’t Have a PhD
I lost a training bid to teach technical writing to someone with a PhD.
I learned to write by writing. I’ve written something almost everyday for the past 10 years, have three books in print (and a fourth on the way), blog regularly, etc. My competition has a blog that hasn’t been updated in almost a year and has a total of six blog posts over the past two. As far as I know, their total book output is 0. Their online presence is pretty lame. Continue reading
Content for People Who Tweet
Last night, I had a drink with someone with a lot of tweets. He has lots of tweets he told me because he’s been tweeting for a long time and he got in while the tweeting was good. I got in after he did and I don’t have as many tweets, or people who follow my tweets. Continue reading
Saturday Streaming
Is it nature or nurture? Are we a product of where we’re from, or can life’s lessons mold and shape who we become?
I wonder about all of this from time to time, especially when I’m living inside my head. Continue reading