We’re Empty Nesters
I expected excitement. Instead, I found something else.
Author: johnlanza
AI Art Is No More Derivative than Human Art
Perhaps AI is more “human” than we think.
Man’s Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl, Harold S. Kushner, and William J. Winslade
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl survived the Nazi camps by finding meaning in the face of suffering. Frankl later developed logotherapy to…
Russell Wilson’s Reality Distortion Field
Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks stepped up to the podium after a spectacularly bad performance. The perenially NFL MVP…
The Magic of Thinking Big | David J Schwartz
My mind triggers action. I tell myself, “I’m top-notch” before sales calls. I tell myself, “I feel great today!” When…
Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life | William Deresiewicz
A liberal college education ought to be an opportunity to pursue intellectual risk. A chance to develop habits like reflection,…
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life | Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
When we change our perspective and tell different stories than the ones we’ve been telling ourselves, we open up possibility…
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion | Robert B. Cialdini
There are six principles of persuasion. One should give before asking because we are wired for reciprocity and will feel…
The 80/20 Principle, Third Edition: The Secret to Achieving More with Less | Richard Koch
The 80/20 Principle tells us that benefit is asymmetrical. We must focus on the few sources that generate the most…
There Is Try
My friend cackled as I lay on the ground, frozen. My shoulder ached. I was losing our game of ice…
Good Inputs Part 5: Data and Checklists
I just downloaded a new running plan to my Garmin Forerunner 935. Setting the workout in advance frees me from…
What Makes Me Happy?
“I know I’ve made it because I have a two-story foyer.” My friend was thrilled about his new house. He…
Progress Over Success
As a Seahawk for Life, when Super Bowl XLIX ended with the Patriots intercepting Russell Wilson on the one-yard-line, I…
Meditation on Meditation
I began a failed meditation practice about twenty years ago. As an athletic hothead, my goal was to reduce my…
Good Inputs Part 4: Sleep
Our toddlers fought our efforts to put them to bed — like they were missing out on a nightly trip…
Good Inputs Part 3: Long Distance Running Fuel
“I’ve never walked mid-race in my life,” I thought as I hit mile twenty-four of the 2017 Long Beach Marathon.…
Good Inputs Part 2: Information
Meditation app marketers have been sowing confusion. Neuroscientist Adam Gazzely and Sam Harris discussed claims that meditation will change your…
Good Inputs Part 1: Food
(The first in a series about improving inputs.) Roughly twenty years ago, I reduced meal portions to accommodate my slowing…
Renting and Owning
“What do we own? Just our lives — and not for long.” — Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, The Daily…
A Good Walk
I love a good walk. It’s an opportunity to observe the world and think. It can be a good time…
It’s a Numbers Game
I love board games. Pre-COVID, I loved my monthly full-day board gaming extravaganzas. I affectionately called them “nerdathons.” Thirty to…
Make the Time
I was stapling construction paper in the back of Mrs. Aaron’s fifth-grade room. I’d covered up most of the corkboard…
We’re All In Sales
“I hate sales. So pushy. I’m a creator.” That was my brother’s reaction to my joining a large organization’s salesforce.…
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World | Cal Newport
Do deep work and produce value to contribute to humanity and live fulfilled. Deliberately schedule one to four hours of…
An Enormous Head Start
“He’s only there because he’s a great football coach,” noted ESPN commentator Brian Griese about Los Angeles Rams head coach,…
Habit Chlorophyll
When I majored in Biology at Bates College, I loved learning about human physiology. Botany, the study of plants, bored…
A Short Note to My Kids About Education and Mental Adventure
Ladies, The philosopher Bertrand Russell claimed the object of education is to stimulate “the love of mental adventure.” I thought…
What if?
What if more states adopt open primaries and rank choice voting like Alaska just did? Would national political gridlock ease?…
Are We an Experiment?
My daughter and I were arguing about one of my many questionable parenting choices. She snapped at me, “Are we…
I’m Grateful
I’m grateful for my wife and my kids. I’m grateful for my parents, my brothers and my sister. I’m grateful…