While searching for videos on Lou Gehrig for yesterday’s post, I happened on a short video on John Wooden, one of the great coaches of any sport. According to Wikipedia John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the “Wizard of Westwood”, he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period—seven in a row—as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented[…] Keep reading →

How would you like for your body to weaken for no reason and become unable to do simple things you once could; where you stumble and fall just jogging; to have your weakness on display to the world so everyone sees you deteriorate; then to find out your body will continue weakening until you can’t use your arms and legs or any other muscles, and that you’ll die in a[…] Keep reading →

When people feel unhappy or depressed they often stop doing things. They don’t feel motivated to work or go out so they don’t. You know how when you’re happy, you tend to smile? Most people also know smiling makes you feel happier, at least for a moment. Forcing a smile won’t solve all your problems, but we can build on what it demonstrates. Not only does emotion motivate behavior, but[…] Keep reading →

Are you younger than 89? Can I ask you to think critically. Forget for a moment about logistics and if you have the time or interest to do it. Just ask yourself if you think it’s possible. Do you think you could finish a marathon? Do you think it’s possible? Many people I ask consider their finishing a marathon impossible. Not difficult but impossible. They explain why and their reasons[…] Keep reading →

I just realized I never posted this video of me getting the block and game-winning goal in North Korea’s first Ultimate Frisbee tournament in August 2011 (actually, I posted it on a site I since enjoyed leaving.) I consider it one of the highlights of my Ultimate career not for the level of competition but for living out Ultimate’s Spirit of the Game clause “Spirit of the Game. Ultimate relies[…] Keep reading →

It’s obvious, but still fun to say. Try it. Point out to a friend that you Tour de France as many times as Lance Armstrong. Why point this out? Credibility and reputation count for a lot in business and relationships in general. It seems to me that the credibility and reputations of people who don’t cheat suffer if people who do cheat keep the same quality of credibility and reputation[…] Keep reading →

The other day it rained and I skipped playing ultimate frisbee in Shanghai. It reminded me of playing in college and after. In the Northeast of the U.S., especially in late fall, leading to Regionals, it rained and snowed a lot. Weather didn’t change that you simply went to practice. We practiced and played in snow, wind, rain, etc. I played disc the year I lived in Paris, taking a[…] Keep reading →

Exercise helps everything. I can’t think of any time or situation exercise doesn’t help. Whenever I’m not sure what to do, I think, “exercise can’t hurt.” Even if all I do is a burpee or two, I find it clarifies my thoughts. I’ve never found a case where exercise worsened a situation. Even if I’m in an insane hurry, where I feel every second counts, a push-up or two barely[…] Keep reading →

This post is about one of the best experiences of my life. I couldn’t have planned it, but looking back I realized I had spent years preparing for it. When you’ve prepared, sometimes you only need to show up. One fall in the mid to late 90s, when I was playing ultimate seriously, I was looking for a team to play with. A good friend of mine told me about[…] Keep reading →