Six years ago, I stood up on a ten foot board of fiberglass and immediately fell into the ocean as a giant (three inches high) wave toppled me over. I was hooked. Paddle boarding quickly became one of my favorite past times even after I learned to stay upright. I have always loved the water, but when I discovered stand … Read More
Good Failure (Part 3): Making Failure Fun
We can all relate to a certain “F” word that often accompanies failure. I am certain the word “fun” was not the first word that came to your mind. As I discussed in my first post in this 3-part series on failure, we as humans are hard-wired to avoid mistakes. Our self-preservation programming is set to avoid unnecessary risk. This … Read More
Good Failure (Part 2): Fast & Flexible
If you think simply learning from your failures will lead to success, you are wrong. “Wait just a minute,” you might say. “Grandpa Wilbur’s axioms of life never steered me wrong when I lost the little league game while trying to catch a fly ball with my face.” We all remember when someone picked us up when were down by … Read More
Blankets & Telescopes
Have you ever stared up into the night sky and let your mind wonder “what if….”? When I was in college, I explored several academic disciplines beyond my major in public policy. One of those subjects that drew me in quickly was astronomy. I became fascinated by the vast openness of the universe. More importantly, my other studies were focused … Read More
Focus & Just Say No!
The recent death of Nancy Reagan caused me to reflect on three of her most famous words, “Just Say No”. As any child of the 1980’s will remember, these were the words Nancy Reagan told us to remember in an effort to stem the drug epidemic sweeping the country. As I reflect back, however, the First Lady’s words may have … Read More