On the office wall of my junior high school guidance counselor hung a poster featuring a bright red 1969 Camaro RS. The caption below read something like, “Is this car really worth the $1.2 million it will cost you?” Then…
Ivan spent his life hiding. He hid from life behind alcohol. He hid from death behind his denial. Life never found him, but Death did. When I was twenty four years old, Ivan’s nephew called and asked me to help…
In 1937 Patrick McDonald opened up a restaurant near the airport in Monrovia, CA. Hamburgers were a dime and orange juice was a nickel. In 1940 his sons, Maurice and Richard, moved it to San Bernardino and renamed it McDonalds…
There is a Hindu proverb that compares the development of our character to the waves and sandbars on a lake. Wave after wave builds up and shapes the sandbars. Over time, however, the interaction between the waves and sandbars reverses. …
Into every life some stress must come! Things go wrong. Disappointment happens. Setbacks occur. Relationships get rocky. Conflicts pop up. Plans get derailed. Progress gets stopped. We make a mistake. Work gets undone. It’s going to happen. When those things…
While roaming the fairgrounds at the Iowa State Fair when I was a young teen, I was fascinated with a family that was offering elephant rides for five dollars. I found a spot in the shade and watched the elephant…
Long ago a little boy named Arthur became orphaned at five years old. His elderly aunt and uncle heard of his plight and journeyed three days through the thick forest to take him back with them and raise him as…
When Thomas Edison was developing the light bulb reporters gave daily updates on his progress. One day, after several months and hundreds of failed attempts to find a material that would stand up to the heat generated by the current,…
Victimist Body Art? Victimist thinking is becoming commonplace, routine, and even expected. I was amazed the first time I saw a tattoo that read “Born to Lose.” I have observed lately that this belief has become all too common. I…
Our approach to nearly every daily activity is shaped and influenced by some sort of “comfort zone.” Just think about that for a moment…we are wired from birth to reject anxiety and discomfort. It is our tendency to behave in…