I’m an uncle, not a parent, and a college educator, not a grade school teacher, but I look at how people live their values in raising kids and wonder. I tried to pair questions suggesting differences between people’s values and behavior: Would you blow smoke in a baby’s face? Would you pay to put 10 tons of CO2 into the environment by flying? The pollution from flying is millions of[…] Keep reading →

Writers say “writing is easy. You only have to sit at the typewriter and bleed.” They’re talking about sharing vulnerability, I believe. It also hurts physically. I just sent my editor my third draft of my second non-self-published book. Writing takes enough effort at home. Traveling makes it that much harder. In any case, my butt hurts from sitting so long. My eyes are red from watching the screen so[…] Keep reading →

At this past weekend’s performance a couple developments. The first is that I no longer feel like a beginner. I’m far from mastery, but I’m not sweating just to go on stage, nor struggling to work up the nerve to write, nor wondering what to work on. You learn fast when everything is new, though it’s hardest then. I’m still at the stage of learning fast since I have so[…] Keep reading →

Several people from the audience said they liked the second part of this performance, saying it spoke to them, or something like that. I should be writing my next book, with the deadline for my first draft approaching, but I had the idea for these bits and couldn’t resist trying them. It’s funny that my first attempt, only a few months ago, took me months to prepare. This one I[…] Keep reading →

I’m happy with my latest performance despite the flub in the last seconds. My stage delivery didn’t get as many laughs as the times I practiced the routine with friends, which I attribute to inexperience and needing to practice more, but I’m forgiving about the result. Of the million things to learn to master it I can only learn a few at a time. I’m discovering value from developing the[…] Keep reading →

I lost my place for a few seconds, but otherwise, I think, improving. While I hope to improve my skills at making people laugh, my long-term goal is to develop more social and emotional skills of leadership, as I teach and coach my students and clients. I live and practice what I teach and coach. I’m doing this to Face and overcome anxiety Empathize with people Find and express universal[…] Keep reading →

I didn’t always love performing. Before writing a sketch and performing in the sketch comedy class play in business school, called Follies, I avoided the stage. That performance experience became one of the most amazing, transformative experiences of my life. It opened me up to emotional awareness and expression beyond any expectations. I knew I would perform more, despite the anxiety the mere thought of it created. Taking Meisner technique[…] Keep reading →