Category Archives: Tips

This week’s selected media, November 24, 2024: A People’s History of the United States

on November 24, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn: This book came out swinging, on Columbus, and kept on punching. In my opinion, every American would benefit from reading this book. If you believe government should solve social problems, this book will bring depth and history to help you understand your cause. If you believe government shouldn’t get into an individual’s business, you’ll see how[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, November 17, 2024: Commentary on Wealth of Nations

on November 17, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Giants of Political Thought: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, volumes 1 and 2, read by Craig Dietschmann and a Supporting Cast: This audiobook isn’t the Wealth of Nations, but is a summary with many quotes from it. I got it from the library as a quick review. I don’t think I’ve read any of Wealth of Nations since college and never read it cover to cover.[…] Keep reading →

“Have you learned to love not flying?”

on November 9, 2024 in Nonjudgment, Tips

I’m always working on more effective ways to lead on sustainability. Recall my definition of leadership: helping people do what they already wanted to but haven’t figured out how. To help others, I have to learn what they want, the opposite of opposing my values on them. Most people I ask tell me they support sustainability and are doing their best. They seem to think they aren’t anywhere close to[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, November 3, 2024: Be Useful, the Power of Negative Thinking, How to Be an Antiracist

on November 3, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, by Arnold Schwarzenegger: I got this book expecting something to pass the time and got much more. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it easy to forget how Arnold Schwarzenegger is just a regular person like you and me who has achieved a lot. He isn’t lucky. He wasn’t born rich. He didn’t have any special advantages. He isn’t[…] Keep reading →

Want quality? Start with the corners nobody notices.

on October 31, 2024 in Habits, SIDCHAs, Tips

When I mopped, I used to think I should start with the middle of the floor. That’s where I spend the most time and the saw the most. I’ve included mopping in My sidchas, standard operating procedures, and preferences on one day of my six-day exercise cycle, meaning I haven’t skipped or missed mopping every sixth day for years. Performing a task with a measure of quality teaches a lot[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, October 27, 2024: The Cost of Discipleship

on October 27, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Two podcast guests created works on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Eric Metaxas wrote a book on him. Martin Doblmeier created a documentary. I confess (no pun intended) to have learned about him only recently, but everyone who knew about him valued his influence on their lives. Learning about him as a Lutheran helped me understand things about my mom, who was[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, October 20, 2024: Serpico, The Road

on October 20, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished two great works: Serpico, by Sidney Lumet starring Al Pacino about Frank Serpico: I watched this movie again since starting volunteering as an auxiliary, not that I see anything like what this movie covers. Before commenting on the content, Pacino’s acting made watching the movie watching him. He didn’t upstage others. He just played the role masterfully. On par with Pacino’s acting is the story of[…] Keep reading →

Environmentalism, Coercion, and Authoritarianism

on October 14, 2024 in Education, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Tips

Interviewers often ask “If you were a benevolent dictator, what would you do to solve our environmental problems?” They all frame sustainability as something you have to convince people to do or use coercive, authoritarian tools like passing laws that don’t yet have popular support. I identified a big fork in the path of people promoting sustainability. It comes if you’ve found, as I have, that the more you live[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, October 13, 2024: Sustainability Simplified and Lifegasm

on October 13, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Sustainability Simplified: The Definitive Guide to Understanding and Solving All (Yes, All) Our Environmental Problems, by (me) Josh Spodek: The copies below are called “advanced reader copies” or ARCs in publishing. They’re proofs that may still be edited, printed early for people in the industry, like journalists, bookstores, and podcasters. Still a milestone to hold a printed copy in my hand. Several rounds of proofreading has[…] Keep reading →

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