The father in front of me look frazzled and was losing his patience. He had given his son a choice of Matchbox cars to buy for a birthday present for a friend. It was almost time to put the toy on the grocery store cash register. "Which is it going to be Max? The red... Continue Reading →
Everybody’s talking, nobody’s listening
In a meeting last week, I tried to bring up a key risk that our team needed to pay closer attention. When I went to speak, three other people talked over me. I waited my turn and found a spot later in the meeting to make my point. I work with a great group of... Continue Reading →
Falling for Plan B
My wife has to think that I'm crazy. Last Friday, all I talked about was getting up early the next day and working in our yard. I had big plans to mow the yard and trim some bushes. I even made plans to clean out and rearrange our garage. I was going to get up... Continue Reading →
Just trust me!
I drove off the car dealership in my new car excited about my purchase. My old bucket of bolts had been leaving me stranded for months and I had finally found a new car. I was in my early 20s and had taken my time in looking for the right car that fit my limited... Continue Reading →
What my life might have looked like
When I was a teenager in 1985, the film Witness, starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis, hit movie theaters. In the movie, Samuel, a young Amish boy (Lukas Haas) with his mother Rachel (McGillis) is the sole witness to a gruesome murder at a Philadelphia train station. Police detective John Book (Ford) gets assigned to... Continue Reading →
Choosing another life
I was tired of looking down at my phone. A few weeks ago, I spent the week with my son driving cross country and would be spending much of the day waiting first in Las Vegas and then later in a layover waiting for my flight back home. I wasn't planning on buying a book,... Continue Reading →
The psychology of choice
When the Magic Kingdom in Orlando opened in October 1971, success was far from certain. Oh sure, Walt Disney had opened Disneyland in Anaheim in 1955 and its success hinted at what was to come, but the Magic Kingdom was significantly larger and Walt Disney had passed away five years prior to the opening. When... Continue Reading →
Sailing against the tide
I’m a list guy. On the left-hand side of the page, I had listed out the reasons why I should stay at my job, on the right, I had listed out the reasons why I should leave. I had started the list as a theoretical “let’s get a few laughs” exercise. I had been thinking... Continue Reading →
Worst case scenario
I’m dressed in rags and I look pale and haggard like I haven’t eaten or gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. My wife has left me. My kids have turned their back on me. I’m homeless and wandering aimlessly through town. Of course, I’m playing out this sad scenario in my mind. In reality,... Continue Reading →

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