Author Archives: site author

It is well accepted that Leonardo da Vinci was one of the smartest people who ever lived. My favorite quote of his is. “Success lies in the relentless execution of the basics.” For me that’s being in the present moment. No matter what I’m doing, I’m more effective if I am present. A big partContinue reading “My da Vinci Code”

I coached basketball for thirteen years from kindergarten to seniors in high school. Many were first time players. I took pride in my ability to teach the fundamentals. One of the hardest things to teach new players was how to shoot a layup. That’s a shot very close to the basket while moving your feetContinue reading “Inch By Inch”

This saying comes from my Dad. The same man that often said “Why take a chance when you have a cinch?” The two statements seem to contradict each other, but they really fit together like a hand in a glove. They both have to do with evaluating risk. A good reason for taking a chanceContinue reading “What Have You Got to Lose”

About thirty years ago my mom gave me a paperback book called A Touch of Wonder by Arthur Gordon. She wisely didn’t make a big deal about me reading it. She just said, “You might enjoy it.” It cost her $3.95. I’m unable to put a price on the value of lessons I learned fromContinue reading “Next Time”

Growing up I often watched the Olympics on television. I thought that winning a medal would be so cool. As they became more commercialized and nationalistic I had less interest.  Lately I’ve been thinking more about the Special Olympics. What makes it special are athletes being accepted for doing their best, regardless of what thatContinue reading “Special Olympics”

I didn’t have a TV in college. When the baseball playoffs started my roommate and I went to the dorm lobby to watch a game. A few feet from us was the biggest person I’d ever seen. He was 6’8” tall, weighed 280 pounds, and was a freshman football player. He barely fit in theContinue reading “Great Expections”

The favorite part of my morning routine is standing on my back patio for a few minutes and listening to the birds sing. There are a wide variety of songs coming from several places. I’ve come to realize that I usually hear birds singing when I’m outside, if I listen for them. I enjoy itContinue reading “Feed the Birds”

I’ve been a Star Trek fan since the 70s. I thought the original program, Star Trek the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine were all well done. I wasn’t as impressed with Star Trek Voyager, but watched most of the shows anyway. There was a particular scene that taught me something important. Voyager wanted toContinue reading “It’s My Nature”

In several of my posts I’ve mentioned valuable ideas I’ve learned from reading How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It helps me understand people. Rule number one in the book is do not criticize, condemn or complain. He understood it only brings resentment and bad will. I’ve also learned much fromContinue reading “Rule Number One”

I mentioned in another post that my dad was an orthodontist. He was also a rancher. That seems like a strange combination, but he made it work beautifully. I was helping him work cattle one day when I was about ten. Working cattle isn’t easy, in case you’ve never done it. I made a mistakeContinue reading “The World is Going to Keep Right on Turning”