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Tim McGraw
This 2004 song by Tim McGraw was a smash hit because it spoke beautifully to the fragility and beauty of life and reminded people to prioritize what is truly important. Too many of us take too many days for granted and waste too many opportunities for love and fulfillment. As for me, I won’t be going skydiving anytime soon, but I will try to Read the rest of this entry »
At thirty-four, Lawrence Beamen knew that his dream was slipping away. That’s why I like shows like America’s Got Talent. They provide an opportunity for truly talented people to step out of obscurity and into the spotlight where they can share their gifts with the world.
Lawrence not only sang beautifully during his July 7, 2009 audition, he touched everyone’s hearts through his passion, vulnerability and authenticity. Talent is one thing, being able to intimately and emotionally connect with an audience elevates a performance to a much higher level. I suspect that Lawrence Read the rest of this entry »
More than a decade ago, I was one of many writers at a Minneapolis catalog company. One of the art directors there, an older fellow, was a bit quirky and not very social. One day, I called out to him as he passed by my cubicle. I had just been paired with him on an assignment for the first time and I had been impressed with his work ethic. When he stopped and turned toward me, I said, “Jim, I just wanted to say I appreciate your conscientiousness. I enjoyed working with you because you weren’t satisfied until everything was as perfect as you could make it.”
For a moment, he was silent. When he had regained his composure, he thanked me and said that his father had taught him to always give his very best effort. I got the impression that no one had ever complimented him quite like that before and that my two simple sentences carried more weight than I could imagine.
Let’s turn the tables. How would you feel if Read the rest of this entry »
You’re driving down the road when you see a familiar figure walking on the side of the road. You slow down and offer a ride. The stranger accepts, opens the door, sits down, turns to thank you . . . and you discover that this familiar stranger is the person you used to be twenty-five years ago!
You now have an hour of one-on-one conversation with your former self. What advice would you give this earlier version of yourself? What changes do you wish you would have made twenty-five years ago that would have enriched your life and made who you are today even better?
If it were me, given my lack of wisdom and maturity at twenty-seven, I’d be careful not to exceed my younger self’s capacity for understanding and absorbing my wise counsel. That said, I would advise my younger self to: Read the rest of this entry »
If you could recommend just three books to all your friends, which three would you choose? The only rules are that they each have to be very different from each other (different authors, genres, etc.) and your list cannot include the Bible.
Here are my three:
Reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda at the age of forty-two was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. From the beginning chapter, I felt like I had finally come home. This was the life I had always wished was possible but never dreamed it could be. Read my full post on this book.
Picking up a battered old copy of Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t know much about dancing, but I do know joy when I see it. And this performance by thirteen-year-old Arcadian Broad on the June 24, 2009 edition of America’s Got Talent is truly a triumph of Read the rest of this entry »
What I like about shows like America’s Got Talent is the unexpected. Here’s a thirty-five-year-old country boy who walks out on stage on June 30, 2009 and pours out his heart in song. Does he have a great voice? Hard to tell. What he does have is the courage to follow his heart in pursuit of his dream. Talent is essential, but talent can only get you so far.
Travis Tritt
There are good music videos, there are great music videos, and then there is this trilogy of Travis Tritt music videos. Each one is a mini-movie, following the lives of the same three characters: wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet Mac Singleton (Tritt), his wife Annie, and Mac’s friend, Al. The production values, acting and music are all top-notch. No matter how many times I watch these, I am profoundly moved and brought to tears.
Bravo!
ANYMORE
done
TELL ME I Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve always loved magic and, in fact, wanted to be a magician when I grew up. Fortunately, I suffered no illusions about my talent for the stage. But I still enjoy watching head-scratching, how-do-they-do-that illusions. And this one, from the June 24, 2009 edition of America’s Got Talent, is a dandy! That’s why I like shows like this—it’s a Read the rest of this entry »
Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, why? Is it because you meditate regularly, enjoy nature walks, or like books by Deepak Chopra or movies like The Secret? Those things are all quite wonderful, but spirituality is about far more than what you believe or know or do. Spirituality is about how you show up in the world and how you relate to your fellow human beings.
If you are not naturally and consistently expressing the following thirteen qualities,you may not be as “spiritual” as you think. We all have lots of room for improvement. If we’re not careful, it’s all too easy to fall prey to self-absorption and an unwarranted sense of spiritual superiority. Make a habit of checking in with yourself to make sure you’re interacting with others with:
ACCEPTANCE
Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.
Friedrich Nietzsche
APPRECIATION
People will forget what you said, people will Read the rest of this entry »
I loved my job as operations manager for a small investment management firm. Numbers had always been a second language to me, and the work required me to be logical, methodical, and organized—useful traits which continue to serve me well.
Four years after my high school friend, Neil, had hired me, however, my calling came calling. I gradually became consumed with the need to write and express my creativity. The work I was being paid to do no longer held my interest. I didn’t have a computer at home so I stayed after work to type my magazine articles and greeting card ideas on my work computer, an arrangement which Neil had approved.
Soon, however, my personal use of my work computer began spilling over into my work day. I rationalized that this was okay because it was only for five minutes here and there and I was still getting all of my work done. I was so absorbed in my new passion, however, that Read the rest of this entry »
A friend recently confessed that he had resumed an addiction he thought he’d conquered years ago. In the not-too-distant past, I would have reacted judgmentally. Instead, my heart went out to him, imagining the shame and vulnerability he must be feeling.
In the last few years, I have been so humbled by life that judging others for such shortcomings has become unthinkable. I’m very happy with the life I’ve built and with who I am, yet there are areas of my life in which, from all objective standards, I have failed miserably.
True, I’ve Read the rest of this entry »
I like watching shows like America’s Got Talent because you never know who’s going to walk out on stage and make some magic happen. This brother-sister team of Michael II, Avery and Nadia Cole not only sing beautifully, their backstory is profoundly moving. This was one of those rare times when all the elements came together to create a truly touching and memorable moment. As judge Piers Morgan so aptly said afterward, “That Read the rest of this entry »
It was refreshing to see this sister act on America’s Got Talent on June 23, 2009. Eleven-year-old Haben Abraham can belt out the tunes, and she and her sisters—fourteen-year-old Salina and fifteen-year-old Lianda—are genuinely close, as is their whole family. Haben already has her own website and has appeared on some Read the rest of this entry »
The recent and sudden death of one of my very best friends has added a measure of urgency to my life’s work. While listening to all the wonderful eulogies at Neil’s memorial service, I wondered how many people leave this world with unfinished business—damaged relationships, loving words unspoken, hurts and resentments unforgiven.
Neil and I had talked about that. We both prioritized our relationships with friends and loved ones and I am confident that he would be at peace with the way he left things.
If there are any relationships in your life in need of repair, I hope you take these eight very important words to heart:
There is still time to make things right.
Please do Read the rest of this entry »
It was unthinkable to miss a New Year’s Eve party at Gibson and Joan Carothers’ house in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. At the stroke of midnight, spoons at the ready, everyone would dig into a bowl of Joan’s black-eyed peas and wash them down with a glass of bubbly. It was an old Southern tradition, said the Louisiana natives, that good luck would surely be yours if the first thing you swallowed in the new year was a spoonful of black-eyed peas.
But one year, I had a deadline to meet and could ill afford to lose a day spent recovering from a late-night celebration. So I called Gibson at his office, explained the situation, and gave my regrets.
A couple hours later, Read the rest of this entry »
