In some things, I think most of us strive for 'above-average'. We want to get A's and B's in school, as a C and below are usually considered quite poor performance. I want 5's on my AirBnb ratings, I would be horrified if someone rated us at 3, and I wouldn't stay somewhere with an [...]
Category: Musings
Leaving money on the table.
Life is complicated! Employees used to have pensions. They didn't have to think too much about retirement because their employer (that they worked for their entire career) would pay them well until they died. Some employers still do, but many do not, and the nature of worked has changed. We need to start planning. And [...]
The feeling of being alive.
You have probably heard the saying: Don't ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Or something along those lines. I am continually in awe of watching others come alive at something. We truly all have different strengths and passions. It is easy to be doing something and [...]
Businesses closing, businesses opening.
I recently had a conversation with a neighbor about many local businesses she is aware of that are closing. But so many are also thriving. Others are starting. More will start, including some that will go on to become thriving businesses employing many, many people. It is a really crappy time for many industries, and [...]
Is leaving the best option?
We can stay and get upset or we can leave. There are always options about how we choose to respond.
Healthy competition.
It seems that some people are more naturally competitive. I am not one of those people in most areas of my life, and it is easy to look around and to convince oneself that to be successful, however defined, requires competition. I think it depends on you. For some, competition is what drives them each [...]
Making an ass out of you and me.
When I was a kid, I learned that to make assumptions makes an ass out of you and me. It was cute and funny as a kid, but I wonder if that lesson is not one of the most important in terms of how we interact with each other? Being aware of our assumptions is [...]
Permission messaging.
Each morning, our email inbox is full of different messages. Some personal, some mass but interesting, and most of them uninteresting - the type that we delete without ever opening. When we buy a product or donate money to an organization, we probably will end up on their list. While they must get our permission [...]
Is your learning finite?
What are you trying to learn? It is likely that there is a finite amount of information that you will need to learn to become the world's expert. Each piece of knowledge you acquire along the way gets you closer to knowing what is out there. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. With [...]
Getting it right often requires failure.
Thinking about someone that I admire and what makes them able to do what they do. One answer is that they act without fear. Generally we get a lot of chances in life. If you look at people that have done amazing things or built amazing businesses, they usually do not get it right on [...]