The other day I wrote about how annoying someone saying “Why are you getting hung up on just one word?” sounded. Then I noticed a friend using some other annoying words and phrases in conversation that sounded annoying and decided to share them here. I don’t think she realized how annoying she was. So I put a few more annoying things, not as a how-to, but for people who might[…] Keep reading →

Leadership and politics overlap. I generally try not to take political positions on this blog to make it accessible to more people, but the push to increase surveillance and erode protections like habeas corpus seem enough like ineffective leadership that I feel compelled to cover them. In response to this article stating that Congress granted the president the authority to arrest and hold individuals accused of terrorism without due process[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on my daily exercise and starting and keeping challenging habits. If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] While writing yesterday’s post on accepting my friend Dave’s challenge to do one hundred burpees in thirty-seven minutes I ate a banana for energy and mentally[…] Keep reading →

[This post is part of a series on my daily exercise and starting and keeping challenging habits. If you don’t see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you’ll get more value than reading just this post.] Today’s post combines a few key things that result from and help create a great life. Having good friends who challenge you Sharing your passions Exercising[…] Keep reading →

I saw two people debating some point at a cafe. The dynamic between them seemed common enough to examine for future reference. One kept saying to the other “Why are you getting hung up on just one word?” I couldn’t hear other details of their conversation, but I could tell enough to tell this: The person saying “Why are you getting hung up on just one word?” was trying to[…] Keep reading →

I keep reading the phrase “jobs Americans wont’ do,” as in “illegal immigrants do work in jobs Americans won’t do.” Search on the phrases in quotes and you’ll find plenty of articles on the topic. Economists, politicians, and pundits use the tools they use to analyze jobs — labor supply and demand, wages, competition, and so on — to understand the situation. These articles never seem to question the existence[…] Keep reading →

I read that when considering officers for promotion, Napoleon would ask if the man was lucky. Napoleon responded “Give me lucky generals,” aware that “luck” comes to leaders who recognize opportunity and seize it. Consider all the words he could have used instead of luck. Louis Pasteur, pioneer of the Germ Theory of Disease, said “In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.” How do you reconcile[…] Keep reading →