Category Archives: Toward Growth

In modern American society, it seems the common wish when people contemplate death is that they go quickly, with little suffering and no time to be distressed about the situation. If my remembrance of history is correct, people have in the past prayed the opposite, that death would not come unless one had time toContinue reading “I’m ready now”

As a friend and I were nearing the end of a long run, I asked her the following question: “What do you do to be at your best? In other words, what is it that is necessary for you to feel happy, content, and at peace?” Her response, included below, indicated that balance was essential for her.Continue reading “Being your best”

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.” Every day, you make decisions about how to spend your time. Moreover, you determine the tenor of your life by how you choose to live out each minute. When you are young, time seems to be abundant. ByContinue reading “The time is now”

The skills that have most come into play in my career are those that aren’t technical in nature. These can be done by anyone, anytime regardless of education or training. In no particular order, these include: Smiling — A powerful way to say so much. Efficiency — I truly believe that the amount of timeContinue reading “The non-technical secrets to my success”

This is a picture of my stapler. Although I do use it once in a while, it’s become a symbol of something bigger. When I first started at my job in 1991, the department admin, Louise, gave me this brand new stapler for my desk (which was actually in the hall) and I felt likeContinue reading “Appreciating what is”

“To me, success looks like faithfulness.”  Kelly Clark, Olympic snowboard medalist Last summer, about this time, several of us were training for a fall marathon, and this training called for us to run long distances in the soup-like North Carolina heat. For three weeks in a row, I ran with a friend and we didContinue reading “Follow the process”

I’ve written before about the need for balance in life, the ideal of the Renaissance man or woman. As a teen, one of my idols was Kris Kristofferson, because he had been a college football player, award-winning songwriter, Army helicopter pilot, Rhodes scholar, actor, and singer. I was not going to match his achievements but I was toContinue reading “First among equals: your physical self”

Shortly after September 11, 2001, I remember a pundit on the radio saying that as a result of the terrorist attacks, we had reached the end of the age of cynicism. Indeed, it seemed for a while a sobriety had come over the United States in which people were more reflective in all of theirContinue reading “Terminally earnest”

“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” Laird Hamilton I believe in placebos. When a doctor gives me a prescription, I’m taking it largely on faith that it will address the problem. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at the clinical trials for the medicine, much less conducted my own.Continue reading “10 mind tricks to make you mentally stronger”