Category: Start With These

A Snail Mail Tale

(Listen to this post, here.) Up until I turned 40, I never earned a cent that didn’t come in the form of a paycheck. But when I finally left my last job, I realized something: I prefer working alone. Before that, working in restaurants through college and in companies later on, I was always involved in some sort of group effort. It was fine. But for me, I now realize, doing my own thing is a better fit: I make my own hours (10 – 6); I decorate my own […] Click to read more…

Their Marketing Does Not Apply to You

(Listen to this post, here.) When it comes to watching sports, I am far from what you would call a “superfan.” Football? Occasionally. Baseball? Only if I’m at a live game. Hockey? No interest. Looks like something a bunch of middle schoolers invented after their moms told them to turn off the TV and go play outside. But basketball … that I like. Plus, because I play each week in my town’s middle school gym, there’s some potential for me to take what I learn from watching the professionals and apply […] Click to read more…

Lessons From 500 Newsletters

(Listen to this post, here.) You hold in your hands (sort of) the 500th edition of this newsletter. I published the first one in September of 1999. Just to put into perspective how long ago 1999 was, in that same year, Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France; Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” went to #1; and Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was just an annoying, self-important adolescent (okay, not everything has changed). But I have learned quite a few things in the course of publishing 500 newsletters. So, I thought I might […] Click to read more…

It’s Not Me, It’s You

(Listen to this post, here.) My son Evan can juggle five balls (simultaneously). My daughter Emily finished a half marathon with an average speed of 8:04 per mile. My son Jonathan is lead singer in a band that won “Battle of the Bands” two years in a row at his college. Do you care? I didn’t think so. You’ve got your own life. And while reading about the skills and accomplishments of other people’s children might occasionally be interesting, it’s not something you’re likely to go in search of. As […] Click to read more…

Georgia On My Mind

(Listen to this post, here.) I don’t mean to frighten you, but I’ve got $45 worth of fresh peaches in the back seat of my car. Is it because I love peaches? Not especially. I’m not even sure they’d make it onto my top three “All-Time Fruit” list. Rather, it’s because the “Georgia Peach Truck” arrived today at our nearby garden center and my wife, Linda, asked me to go over and pick some up. And, since the Georgia Peach Truck only sells peaches in increments of “crate,” I had little choice but to […] Click to read more…