Category: Personal Reflections
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When I was a young boy, about 13 or so, I decided one Sunday morning to go to church by myself. I did not grow up in a religious family, but I had a curiosity and wanted to understand more. It was an awkward and unnerving experience, I had a hard time following along. Fortunately…
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The Difference Between Average and Exceptional Experiences
“Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” – Robert Kiyosaki We live in a time of change where the established patterns of consistency and sameness are being challenged. The new mediums of the web and social media are positioning everyone to contribute to the next big cause, the next…
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Showing That You Care
Saturday evening, I was traveling home in an Uber after a long day. I was tired and ready for a good night’s rest. My best friend had given a podcast on meditation, mostly related to the mind-body connection. The two hosts had those dreamy, serene voices that you’d expect when talking about meditation. Although tired,…
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Passion
We are only gated by our ambition. I was chatting the other day about my heroes and what I found so remarkable about them. I was recounting the first time I met Richard Branson, and what amazed me most was the way he thinks in terms of “Why not?”. The guy realizes that airplane travel is…
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Maybe So
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein Maybe So My mentor at Microsoft used to share this Chinese proverb occasionally as a reminder that things are not always as they appear to be… more to follow after you read the proverb. One day in late summer, an old farmer was working in…
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Make Your Bed
“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” – Ray Goforth Make Your Bed There is an old saying… “The difference between people is the books they’ve read and the people they’ve…
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Look For Opportunities to Learn the Best Quality of Every Person You Meet
“Each and every one of us is a leader. Some of us just don’t know it yet.” – Umair Haque Opportunities “Don’t look for opportunities to compare yourself to others, but look for opportunities to learn the best quality of every person you meet.” I wrote this down one day when I was a young manager at Nordstrom.…
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Fearless
“Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them… they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.” – Orison Swett Marden Fearless Hi Everyone, I hope you…
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Optimism…Nature v. Nurture
Some people say I am optimistic, others say I’m too optimistic. I am certain the second group says this only because they don’t want me to get my hopes up and then be disappointed. Either way, I am optimistic by nature, but what does that really mean? I am currently reading The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker.…
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It’s Not All Digital Marketing
I like writing about economics, cultural concerns, technology, and of course digital marketing. I realize that sometimes I can be a bit pithy and more aspirational than reality. So I am going to depart from my norm and talk about one of my passions: Barbecue! For the better part of 20 years, I’ve been traveling…