All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. ~ Nietzsche Over the last few weeks, we’ve been discussing the secrets to longevity based on the observations Dan Buettner made in his 2005 National Geographic article. Mr. Buettner remarks that in particular parts of the world, people are either reaching age 100 at extraordinary rates, […]
The Paradox of Outsourcing Life’s Tasks In Order To Buy Time
If you have a drink in your hand, it doesn’t count as working. ~ Fu Xian Last week, I noted Dan Buettner’s observation that longevity seems to be prevalent in people who “live rewardingly inconvenient lives.” Buettner based those observations on people living in so-called “blue zones*” and for those of us living “modern” lives, […]
The Rewards of an Inconvenient Life
I know it’s true Into each life Some rain must pour ~ Henry B. Glover from his song “Drown in my own Tears.” After writing last week’s piece about Dan Buettner’s book The Blue Zones and the secrets to a long life, I couldn’t help but reflect on Buettner’s observation that longevity seems to be […]
The Secrets to a Long Life
A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits. ~ Dan Buettner During a recent early morning workout at Shueipingwun Park in Taiwan, I couldn’t help but notice how much healthier the older people appeared than those I typically encounter during my travels in […]
Travel By Design
Thanks for the emails regarding my recent thread about staffing and wages as it pertains to aerospace CNC machining. By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, even though we have comments closed on the blog, I welcome your comments via email if you click on the link at the bottom of every post – […]
Goals: The Limiting or Motivating Factor in Small Business Success?
In his book Destructive Goal Pursuit: The Mount Everest Disaster D. Christopher Kayes notes: Organizational leaders and scholars alike advocate setting and pursuing ambitious goals. The unquestionable value of goal-setting has become ingrained in the culture of organizations. Goals have become the theology of contemporary leadership; evidence to support their effectiveness is abundant. As a […]
Losing Too Much To Win
The best thing a human being can do is help another human being know more – Charlie Munger Until two years ago, I spent much time and energy focused on setting and attaining goals. As the result of a pivotal event, my energy is now better directed towards encouraging awareness and facilitating learning. I’ll explain. […]
Life Engineered by Design™
I’ve survived another school year and, feeling celebratory, today seemed like a good day for something on the personal side. As I’ve mentioned, my wife’s career requires her to travel out of state nearly every week. Consequently, unless I get help from my parents, for the three to four days a week she’s gone, I […]
The Wisdom in Not Doing Much
Last week I proposed that in search of happiness, you’ll be better served by wrapping your life around three things rather than just one singular focus. If that’s the case, and three is better than one, why not say “yes” more often? I meet many people who seem perfectly content saying yes to everything (God […]
Harnessing The Power of Three
Security is kind of death, I think. – Tennessee Williams Last week, we talked about the danger of limiting your life’s energy to one thing. Whether you’re an entrepreneur focused on your business; a stay-at-home parent focused on your family; or an athlete focused on your sport, there are risks to living a monolithic life. […]
