My wife walked in on me last week. I’m guessing I’m not the first man this has ever happened to, but it’s embarrassing all the same. I was standing in the upstairs bathroom with the door mostly – but not completely – closed. I thought I was alone in the house. Suddenly, and much to my surprise, Linda burst in, took one look and said, “What are you doing?!” Listen To This Post Don’t worry, it’s not what you were […] Click to read more…
Posted in E-newsletter Fundamentals
Do you know what I’m going to do at the end of this month, on March 31st? If you said, “Put you son Jonathan’s cereal bowl in the freezer overnight so it’s a big block of ice when he tries to eat breakfast on April Fool’s Day,” I’m going to give you partial credit. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Rather, on March 31st – the end of the quarter – I’m going to change the blade on my […] Click to read more…
Posted in E-newsletter Fundamentals
Back in the late 80s, my future wife and I signed up for the 14-week Dale Carnegie course in public speaking. Once a week on Tuesday nights, about 40 of us would gather at the Sheraton hotel in Boston for a three-hour class. It was challenging – but terrific. And I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that although I began the course scared of public speaking, by the end, I was loving it. I’m sure I internalized many of […] Click to read more…
Posted in E-newsletter Fundamentals, Effective Writing
School is back in session, which can only mean one thing: SPORTS! Everywhere you look, high school kids are outside: running, jumping, kicking, hitting, throwing … and driving on my lawn, but that’s a different topic. And, as it always does, watching today’s young athletes reminds me of my own illustrious – assuming “illustrious” means “unremarkable” – high school career. Because while it’s true that I did manage to earn a spot on the varsity basketball team, I averaged a […] Click to read more…
Posted in E-newsletter Fundamentals, Effective Writing, Voice/Tone/Trust Building
10 years ago last month I was observing my five year anniversary as a solo professional (sorry, too much math?). That’s when my coach at the time asked me a simple question: “What are you going to do to celebrate?” I hadn’t given it any thought and so I said, “I don’t know, go home early?” Fortunately, she wouldn’t let me off the hook that easily and a couple of days later, the idea for a Blue Penguin ice cream […] Click to read more…
Posted in E-newsletter Fundamentals