My father is a master carpenter and he raised a family of hands-on kids. Some of us, like both my brothers, actively use their hands-on problem solving skills every single day in their chosen professions. They are awesome to watch. Others of us, like me, enjoy working with tools and Continue reading “There’s Heat In That Wood”
Author: johnny88keys
Optimistic idea enabler mindfully seeking rapture
Prosperity Mindest
Two hallmarks of prosperous people are their commitment to save/invest their money and their generosity with their resources. Prosperity is a mindset.
This is not how I’ve historically behaved: I’m good at saving, mediocre at Continue reading “Prosperity Mindest”
Value is a Feeling
Paraphrasing what I’ve learned (so far) from Seth Godin about marketing.
What marketing is about is helping someone tell themselves a story about maintaining vs changing their status. We are all operating within a status – Continue reading “Value is a Feeling”
Happy Birthday
I like birthdays. I know today is Valentine’s Day, but at the minute I feel compelled to write about birthdays.
Everyone deserves to have their own special day. Sure, you might share yours with 21 million other people (the world’s population divided by 365), Continue reading “Happy Birthday”
When Debating, Choose Kindness
When debating, there is constant back-and-forth. The robust exchange of ideas naturally triggers our passions. Emotional responses are expected and perhaps are even required for highly productive debate. However, there is a point when debate devolves into bickering or arguing – there is an element Continue reading “When Debating, Choose Kindness”
Romeo & Juliet
What makes us like a song? The first time I heard Romeo & Juliet was a cover version by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. It’s a raw version and I was gripped by the naked emotion of Ray’s voice and her exposed acoustic guitar. In college this song was on my top-10 favorites list, and years later Continue reading “Romeo & Juliet”
One Breath Around The World
Here’s one of the delights of parenthood. It’s late on a Sunday evening with my son and my daughter. Showers are being taken, lunches packed, teeth brushed. I’ve been nursing anxious feelings about the work week ahead for much of the afternoon – mostly successfully holding them at bay to stay Continue reading “One Breath Around The World”
Chasing the Sunset
As I write this I am flying home from a work trip to Germany. My itinerary included a short layover in Reykjavik, Iceland. We took off from Reykjavik half an hour before dark and we have been chasing the sunset ever since. A few minutes ago, we began crossing over Greenland. I had no idea these Continue reading “Chasing the Sunset”
Love Languages
At the risk of venturing into cheesy territory (too late, mister!), I have had positive experience with The Five Love Languages, based on the book by Gary Chapman and written about extensively across the internet. Two observations on this. First, how do you figure out your partner’s (or your Continue reading “Love Languages”
X Factor
One fun aspect of traveling, at least for me, is discovering how people in other parts of the world have solved everyday problems. This week I’m visiting Switzerland and Germany for work, and this morning I had to figure out how to get the shower working. I’m slightly abashed to admit it Continue reading “X Factor”
#100
This is my 100th post on this blog. I suppose that is a milestone of sorts. I started writing to this blog on October 31, 2018 with a post about Halloween and have kept up every day since. According to Seth Godin, the first 1,000 are the most difficult. Actually, it was on recommendation from Seth’a blog that I Continue reading “#100”
Moments of Grace
I’m imagining a place of profound rest. This is not the afterlife, it is most definitely an experience in this life: a moment or span of moments when I set down the burden of striving. And a sense of well-being spreads like warm sunlight into every corner of consciousness. There is nowhere else to Continue reading “Moments of Grace”
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