Published in ILLUMINATION·Sep 8, 202250 Observations From 50 Trips Around The SunIn celebration of my reaching the milestone of quinquagenarian today, here are fifty things I’ve noticed on this wild and wacky ride we call life. Disclaimer: These are simply my observations. I may be wrong about any number of them (except for the examples cited in #12). Enjoy! *** 1…Birthday7 min readBirthday7 min read
Jul 8, 2022The Best Decision You Ever MadeYou step inside the time machine and contemplate how far back you’ll go. Ten years? Twenty? Thirty? The choice is entirely yours. Your mission is simple and singular: you are to share a message with your younger self, so that he might benefit from the wisdom you have gleaned in…Decision Making4 min readDecision Making4 min read
Jun 7, 2022Laziness is Not the IssueRecently, I asked a coaching client what was stopping him from taking action on a task he had given himself to do but had not yet seen through. His reply: “It all comes down to one big reason: laziness.” Laziness. Is this accurate? Or could it be that “laziness” is…Laziness8 min readLaziness8 min read
May 12, 2022Your Life as a Labor of LoveBack in 2001, I took acting classes at a well-regarded studio in Los Angeles. The format of these classes was “scene study.” …Acting4 min readActing4 min read
Dec 9, 2021On Giving Birth and Pursuing DreamsTwenty-five years ago this month, I gave birth. To an album of original songs. Back in those days of yore the Internet, at least in terms of wide usage, was in its infancy, and the compact disc (CD) was the go-to format for both purchasing (yes, purchasing!) …Pursuing Dreams4 min readPursuing Dreams4 min read
Nov 9, 2021The Sky Always WinsWhile vacationing in Utah several years ago, my wife and I found ourselves in the visitor center of Arches National Park, watching a film on the area’s dramatic natural history. The narrator was explaining the forces and processes that, over tens of millions of years, created the confounding and awe-inspiring…Arches National Park3 min readArches National Park3 min read
Aug 31, 2021KindsightHave you ever noticed it can be far easier to treat other people with kindness than to do the same for yourself? …Compassion4 min readCompassion4 min read
Dec 30, 2019Four Aspects of a Great LifeWhile on a silent meditation retreat in October 2019, I spent some (non-sitting) time pondering what a “great life” consists of, if broken down to its most essential qualities. Obviously, different people have different values and therefore different aspirations for their lives. But I wanted to distill this down to…Living A Good Life9 min readLiving A Good Life9 min read
Aug 6, 2017The Parable of the Hummingbird in the StairwellYesterday as I was nearing the top of the stairs to my second-floor apartment, laundry basket in hand, I heard a buzzing sound from above. Expecting it to be a large moth, I looked up and saw a hummingbird flying around in the square opening just below our building’s skylight…Circular Reasoning3 min readCircular Reasoning3 min read
Feb 16, 2016Achieving the Impossible“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” — Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788–1860) *** I am willing to bet that at some point in your life you have already achieved the impossible. How am I…Achieving Your Dreams7 min readAchieving Your Dreams7 min read
