Happiness As A Goal
Happiness as a goal gotta include happiness as a path
Life Lessons
Teach your children it’s okay to be stupid
Every adult is stupid in some subject. And every grown child wishes an adult told them it’s okay, instead of growing up being scared and ashamed and embarrassed.
Frustration As A Tool
Frustration is a compass that’s sewn into your heart. And it blasts a siren every time your life gets off course. Like, “Shit, you’re veering off course. Get the hell back on track!” That’s the power of frustration when it’s used as a tool.
How can I cope with embarrassment?
Smile and take a deep breath! Embarrassment is like a plot-twist in a movie that you didn’t see coming – it’s a shocking surprise. And like Simon Huggins mentions: ride it out. When you feel embarrassed: smile, breathe, and allow it. Let the moment live. Then get right back to building your startup, writing your book or …
The Price of Becoming a Badass
My friend Zoe Ventura was showing off her new roller skating jump, then fell on her ass shortly after landing. She got back up, dusted herself off, and skated around the Reno skate park and executed the exact same jump – this time balancing herself differently after her landing. And all’s well – minus a …
Using “No” To Stay On Your Path
Sometimes, misery comes from saying “yes” to something/someone you should have said “no” to. Then you have to back out of it and reestablish your “path.” Sometimes family and friends will make you feel guilty, be angry with you, make fun of you or ignore you until you “give in” to something you really should …
It All Starts With A Single Pebble
As I update my life’s bio, I gotta give a big shoutout to William Hanford Lee Jr. In the summer of 1983 or 84 (I can never remember), we were all standing in the parking lot of Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento, CA, just after performing in The Best of Broadway for a couple’a …
Losing vs Loser
Has your favorite sports team ever lost? Losing is part of the game. All hail the game! I lost this weekend’s District 39 Toastmasters International speech contest at the District level (round 4 of 6). Didn’t even place. And when the top-three winner’s were announced, and I wasn’t one of them, I was immediately handed two options: 1. …
An Important Lesson About “What’s Best”
April 3, 2017, I presented my 2017 Toastmasters International Speech Contest speech for the first time out loud in front of my Capital City Toastmasters club. Plenty of rough-and-tumble mistakes, including a totally botched opening. It was awesome! You can view the full “Mistakes & All” video here. The third point in my speech was discovering the …