Last year Todd and I went to see Neal Stephenson at the Bagdad. He was reading from his latest and thickest book “ReadMe.” The book sounded intriguing, and I would have been happy if he kept reading for the entire time. After the reading, he moved on to Q&A, which turned out to be incredibly entertaining. One woman thanked him several times for writing “Snowcraft,” and he said “Thanks. I know what you mean.” Read more…
I came across a couple Christmas related videos that really got my attention. One was a collection (and song) of “deprived” people tweeting about not getting the gifts they wanted for Christmas. It’s one of the clear effects of our culture becoming more entitled and narcissistic, turning into Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. It’s actually really interesting and there’s a great book called “The Narcissism Epidemic” that really gets into what’s going on and might be done about it. Read more…
I was watching a great video that gives an excellent re-frame for thinking about problems. In the video, KB quotes William Meader, saying: “Chaos is a prelude to the evolution of consciousness.” This is the same message that was in the synopsis of “A New Earth” that I listened to a while back when I was feeling angry: ”Suffering has a noble purpose: the evolution of consciousness and the burning up of the ego.”
I don’t have enough adventures. That is what is going through my head as I decide to help out with moving Aaron and Carolina Warkentin to Fort Wayne, Indiana. They were living in Las Vegas, being way too warm in the city of sin. Read more…
Bob is absurdly wealthy. His currency is the spoken word and he spends with the ease and grace of Paris Hilton. When I sit down next to him, he’s clearly just warming up. He’s in the middle of a story, about – I’m not sure what, but he’s speaking with the authority of a president. I immediately become part of his valuable audience and he goes on to the next story about a business conversation he had with Ted Turner. He was very clear to let us know that he didn’t call Ted, Ted called him. Read more…
A couple weeks ago someone very wise was saying it’s painful when we do not accept whatever is happening. Another way I’ve heard it said is: “to argue with reality causes suffering.” What an easy thing to forget. It’s simple to understand but difficult to live or embody. It’s definitely another thing to add to the list of endeavors that are the work of a life time. Read more…
I love the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology by David Allen; it’s helped me to keep track of and stay on top of anything that comes my way. If you feel like you want to jump in, here is probably his most succinct explanation of what exactly the methodology is: Read more…
Another fantastic interview from the Ultimate Men’s Summit is by Terry Patten called “Growing Altruistic Balls.” Here is an excerpt from the very beginning of the interview:
“…I think we’re in a time now in history where those who have broken with the old model of masculinity and power are beginning to realize that we’ve dis-empowered ourselves, we’ve left the “B” team in charge of the world. Read more…
Recently, there was an “Ultimate Men’s Summit” tele-course, where a hundred speakers or so spoke to personal development. I listened to ten of these talks and one called “Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power for 21st Century Men” by Gary Zukav really caught my attention. A few years ago I read his book “The Dancing Wu Li Masters” which I thought was okay, but his talk was really outstanding. Here is a thought provoking excerpt: Read more…
I’ve been thinking about Yin/Yang in life and work a lot lately. Yang is fast paced and hard style. It’s focus and structure. It is a healthy exhale, or natural expenditure. To keep it natural and healthy, a good question to ask might be: Is what I’m spending my time and energy on beneficial to myself and the world? Am I focusing what is relevant in life and am I using good “technique?” It’s plans rather than daydreams, and a quick snap back on track if you find yourself wandering. That’s Yang Mode. Read more…