Blogs

Mardi Gras seemed to come and go this year with little fanfare. In fact, if New Orleans hadn’t been featured as a backdrop to some of my favorite TV shows, I might not have noticed its arrival and departure at all—though I do recall seeing an online feature on Rio de Janeiro’s “Carnival” celebration .…

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” These are words we’re all likely familiar with, even if we don’t know their source or true meaning. Attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in a 1943 sermon, the roots of…

It’s State of the Union time again. Looking back over the past 12 months at the big picture, it’s hard to say much has changed other than dates on the calendar, a few faces here and there, and the size of the national debt. The economy has shown signs of recovery, only to sputter now…

There was no warning. No “brace for impact” alert. There was nothing—literally. The failure rate of computer hard disks is about 1% per year. And last week, while the whole country was about to give thanks, my computer’s hard drive decided to call in sick—permanently—making me one of the 1%. There was no blue screen…

Two years ago, as Thanksgiving approached, I wrote a blog about gratitude, service to others, and living life with enthusiasm. I was going to do another this year, but looking back, I found there’s really not much new I need to say. Gratitude for what we have, service to others, and living life with zeal—that’s…

Yesterday I read that a survey found 45% of Americans across all income levels would rather skip “Christmas” because the holiday season simply brings too much financial pressure. Many blamed retailers for over commercializing the holiday to the point where consumers have to go into debt just to keep up with “The Joneses”! That’s just…

Watching “Superstorm Sandy” roll up the eastern seaboard last week—albeit from the comfort and safety of my west coast apartment!—got me to thinking about crisis management. Namely, what would I do if disaster struck, natural or manmade? How would I respond personally, professionally? Of course, living in California means I should already be quite aware…

Sometimes we’re just doomed to have a bad day. For most of us, we can simply slide by under the radar until things start looking up again. For others, especially those on bigger stages (presidential debates, anyone?), it’s not so easy to lay low. But being dealt lemons rather than sweet oranges doesn’t have to…

Encountering a problem is not always the end of the world. Sure, it’s likely we’ll all encounter a catastrophic situation at some point in our lives, but by and large, our day-to-day business and personal problems can be managed and overcome. It’s how we react to these challenges that quite often determines success or failure.…

Some days, the work never seems to end. You’re going 100 miles per hour and getting nowhere, trapped in a whirlwind of activity. Other days, idle time leads to pacing, anxiety, and lack of focus—there must be something I could be doing! You find it hard to relax, to take advantage of downtime. How can…

We’ve all had those projects/business ventures that just don’t feel “right” from the start. They seem to make sense at conception—they may even get us jazzed—but once they get underway, the momentum just sort of fizzles. For every one step forward, you seem to take two steps back; for every one hour billed, you seem…

This time of year people tend to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays that they are often unable to enjoy them. Are you one of these people? How about switching things up this year? As a starter, I invite you to hop off the post-Halloween holiday treadmill, take a…