Jul 28, 2020The Myth of a Simpler Life“Life was so much simpler when I was young.” Have you ever heard somebody say that? Have you ever thought it yourself? I certainly have. And yet, thinking about it, was life really all that simple for me when I was young? Let’s see, my parents divorced when I was…Storytelling5 min readStorytelling5 min read
Jul 21, 2020The Trouble with Roller CoastersTo be clear, I’m actually a big fan of roller coasters. Except for the oddly-named “Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit” coaster at Universal Studios in Florida, of course. That thing was brutal. …Storytelling5 min readStorytelling5 min read
Jul 13, 2020Kill Your Darlings, Reclaim Your Narrative“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” Stephen King offered this advice in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. It’s not original to him, of course. Or to William Faulkner or Oscar Wilde, who both expressed…Storytelling4 min readStorytelling4 min read
Jul 3, 2020Simple Plans Make for Boring StoriesA few weeks ago, somebody on my LinkedIn feed posted this meme, which has been making the rounds on the internet for years now, in blog posts and on social media. It illustrates the difference between “your plan” and Reality. Most people who see this for the first time either…Storytelling4 min readStorytelling4 min read
Apr 9, 2020The Sound of an Anvil DroppingLate last night, after a long day, long week, and even longer month, with the family room to myself, I sat down and did something I haven’t done in a while. I started flipping around the TV channels. Normally, when I do watch TV, it’s something available on demand, or…Storytelling6 min readStorytelling6 min read
Mar 26, 2020A Tale of Two Normals: Life and Business Under QuarantineTo be honest, I’ve had a hard time writing these past couple of weeks. Yes, I had to deal with a sinus infection, and yes, our hot water heater died last week, and yes, it’s tricky when the two breadwinners, a college student, and a high schooler are all trying…The New Normal5 min readThe New Normal5 min read
Mar 17, 2020Stories Interrupted … and the Grief That FollowsHalf a life ago, my sister passed away at the too-young age of 31 as a result of complications that inevitably arose from being a juvenile diabetic. And then, as if that weren’t enough, the following year, my biological father took his own life. Needless to say, for the few…Grief6 min readGrief6 min read
Mar 12, 2020The Story We Tell About Working from HomeThe stories we tell ourselves often exist to bring us comfort. Predictability. Certainty. Even in the face of change or crisis. Or maybe because of it. For instance, some companies don’t like the idea of letting their people work from home. It simply doesn’t fit the business story they tell…Working From Home5 min readWorking From Home5 min read
Jan 31, 2020Telling Your Story One Drip at a TimeThe other day, as I sat at the kitchen counter, I happened to look up, and saw that what had been a rather small yellow stain on the ceiling the week before was growing. This filled me with dread, of course, because it meant we probably had a water leak…Storytelling3 min readStorytelling3 min read
Nov 21, 2019A New Pair of GlassesAs we head into 2020 soon, it seems like a good time to talk about vision. Growing up, my vision was always 20/20 or better, and it stayed that way throughout my childhood and teenage years. But the thing is, I read a lot of books back then. Let me…Clarity5 min readClarity5 min read
