There Is Try
My friend cackled as I lay on the ground, frozen. My shoulder ached. I was losing our game of ice…
Category: 30-for-30
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.…
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…
Too Much Stuff? Apply the Joyfilter.
Marie Kondō’s book, the life-changing magic of tidying up, spoke to me. I’d discovered Stoicism and had started a simple…
What Will We Create Today?
Following your passion is questionable career advice. Converting your passion into a career is risky — whether entrepreneurial or artistic…
A Quiet Capitalist
My grandfather was wealthy by any measure. He had good friends, work and hobbies he loved, civic connections and money.…
“You Can’t Make Old Friends”
I was fortunate to have a Zoom call yesterday. Yes, even after living for seven months in Zoomtopia, I was…
Saturday
Saturday is my favorite day. When I was younger and lived back east, I loved Saturdays in the Fall. Autumn…
Seahawk for Life
People often ask, “Are you from Seattle?” “No,” I’ll reply, “I just love the Seahawks.” I even tried to quit…
The Joy of the Middling Athlete
I crossed the 5k finish and threw my hands up in victory. Twenty minutes later, the race organizers posted the…
Are We “Amusing Ourselves To Death”?
Cultural critic Neil Postman and author of Amusing Ourselves to Death worried that we might be creating a Huxleyan Brave…
Star Wars: Dad Knows Best
“I want to see King Kong 2!” I griped. My dad pointed to a different movie ad in The Newark…
And The Worry Begins Anew
Did you ever try the “hour-of-power” when you were in college? The challenge begins with a shot of beer every…