Someone sent 2,096 of my friends and colleagues an email Friday trying to sell electronics devices. If the message made it past your spam filter, sorry for the intrusion. I discovered this state of affairs tonight–didn’t pay much attention to my email over the weekend. But I stayed unusually cool…all on account of an inspiring […] Read More

This is an invitation. At this auspicious time of year, what would you like to promise yourself to boldly and resolutely do? I invite you to make that decision public here in the comments some time before the end of Friday. And I will do the same. The more specific the goal, the better. Example: […] Read More

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy New Year! If you like this post, please bookmark it on del.icio.us, share it on StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg. Thanks so much. Read More

I just started listening in my car to an audio version of the book The War of Art (a clever spin on Sun Tzu’s classic Art of War) So far I’ve only heard the first disc, and I’ve listened to it twice!! though I just got it yesterday!! Such good stuff. This is the second […] Read More

Though I’ve had a lot to say here about holiday prep, the fact is I’ve done what prep I’ve done in about 12 minutes and otherwise have been working like a coal miner on client projects, mainly one very large one. Saturday I took the first full day off from any writing/editing for quite a […] Read More

Mamie, who contributed yesterday’s Goethe quote, has found us another bit of get-up-and-go inspiration: “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozey, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” Billie Jean King As matter of fact, Goethe said something similar: “A clever man commits no minor blunders.” (from Brainyquote.com) It’s […] Read More

Mamie, a most-welcome regular bold participant here, has sent us a quote: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”– Goethe I’ve read this before, but as I told her, am always glad to be reminded. I also had the thought: Wonder if Goethe […] Read More

I once heard a woman say in the flurry of “doing” Christmas that she’d decided one afternoon to “be the gift.” Often a phrase like this means giving a gift of time: changing someone’s lightbulbs or hanging out with them or some such. But this woman was thinking of it differently. And she was on […] Read More

Got past the day of holiday agitation. Now it just feels like I’m happily and confidently in the process of landing a small plane, for maybe the second or third time, never mind that this is my 59th Christmas. I take things too damn seriously. And I doubt if that’s going to change a lot. […] Read More

A few days back, I was excited at finding out about a book called The Courage to Teach, by Parker Palmer. Reason: though my classes seem to go well, I always feel a fear of teaching return afterwards. That’s so weirdly specific: like being scared of heights only three or seven stories high. And I […] Read More