Month: September 2018

Sunshower

by The Stoic

Memories of lost loved ones can be bittersweet.

Even the happiest ones can make us laugh through tears.

That is why memories are like sunshowers.

Where the sky doesn’t know whether to smile or cry.

If the sky can find a way to do both at the same time, I suppose, so can we.

273 blog posts down – 92 left to go…

You Can’t Buy Integrity

by The Stoic

My son was recently assigned a group project at school.

I came home to find him diligently working on it – all by himself.

He informed me that his assigned teammate offered to pay him $25 to finish the project.

My son then spent the next few hours working on the assignment.

When my son showed me his completed work, he was beaming with pride.

After his “team” handed in the assignment, his teammate reached into his pocket to pay my son.

My son told him to keep his money.

Shocked, the boy said, “Wow, I never saw someone turn down money before.”

Smiling, my son replied, “You must know too many politicians.”

270 blog posts down – 95 left to go…

The Lie Detector

by The Stoic

I hear a lot of people discussing the accuracy of lie detector tests.

Unfortunately, such machines are unreliable.

While it can send a ship to Mars or calculate Pi with precision, technology is presently incapable of pinpointing falsehoods.

Maybe one day that will change.

Until then, the only infallible lie detectors in existence are irrefutable evidence and the mirror.

267 blog posts down – 98 left to go…

Biggest-ticket Items

by The Stoic

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” – Derek Bok

If you think a lie is costly, try doubling down on it.

If you think mistakes are pricey, try not acknowledging them.

I could probably go on and on.

But I won’t.

It costs too much time.

266 blog posts down – only 99 more to go!

Yup, only 99.

Are all Memories Created Equal?

by The Stoic

This morning my daughter was telling me about an animated movie she once saw where a child’s happy memories were accidentally lost.

Although memory is an emotional subject for me right now, together we pondered whether losing our “good” memories is worse than losing our “bad” ones.

I think all memories are created equal and that losing the unhappy memories would be just as detrimental as losing the happy ones.

Both complete us.

While the wonderful memories fill us with joy, the painful ones are needed for us to progress.

She agreed. And although she is just days away from turning 11, she is way smarter than me. And a lot cuter too.

264 blog posts down – 101 left to go…

Things We Share, Borrow & Own

by The Stoic

I’ve been doing a lot of research on sharing economies for a report that I am working on.

The statistics are staggering. People are sharing more and more stuff – like car rides, office space, residences, hand bags, watches etc. The list goes on and on.

It got me thinking not only about the things we share, but about the things we borrow and the things we own.

And I’m not referring to the superficial stuff that money can buy or that people could steal.

I’m talking about the things that matter.

The things we take for granted.

Out of all of the things that we share, borrow and own, the most important are the items most presupposed.

Love is the most significant item that we share.

Time is the most critical item that we borrow.

And our actions are the most salient items we own.

While these things may not directly fuel the growth of sharing economies, they will endlessly nourish sharing societies – so long as we recognize their value.

263 blog posts down – 102 left to go…

Colors and Forgiveness

by The Stoic

Today, during services, I was moved by the following passage:

20180919_173916.jpg

It made me think of a poem I wrote many years ago seeking forgiveness for failing to recognize life’s less discernible treasures – like colors.

“Is it possible
to forgive me
for what I forget to notice
and at times fail to see?

like a Summer’s day
at the end of Fall
and a place for a window
in a concrete wall

like the red, blue and greens
in a black and white
and the wonder of earth
from a turbulent flight

like the taste of reality
in a most bizarre dream
and a whisper of meaning
in an undisclosed theme

like a sense of freedom
in a confined space
and the touch of youth
in an elderly face

like a hint of submission
in an untamed heart
and a blissful ending
to a rocky start

like a Summer’s day
in the beginning of Spring
and, yes, even a trace of love
in a meaningless fling…9/18/00”

I can’t think of a better day than today to post about colors and forgiveness.

262 blog posts down – 103 left to go…

Achieving Goals

by The Stoic

I don’t understand why so many people struggle to achieve their goals.

It is the easiest thing to do.

In fact, everyone is doing it.

Even the laziest person on the planet has masterfully achieved his lifelong goal of doing as little as possible.

If you’re not achieving your goals, you’re just not aiming low enough.

261 blog posts down – 104 left to go…

When Fear Becomes Enthusiasm

by The Stoic

Today, as I was penning a new industry article, I was thinking about how so many people who had once feared cryptocurrencies have now become such staunch advocates.

Some will credit FOMO (fear of missing out) for this phenomenon.

Others will argue that the more popular something becomes the easier it is to jump on.

But, I give people more credit than that.

I can sum up the growing enthusiasm in one word: understanding.

I believe that people fear what they don’t understand far more than they fear missing out.

The greater our understanding of something, the less fearful of it we become and the easier it is to accept.

It’s as simple as that.

This is why education is so crucial to growth – whether it be financial growth or our personal growth.

If understanding can turn hate into love, think how easy it is to transform fear into enthusiasm.

260 blog posts down – 105 left to go…

Walking on Sunshine

by The Stoic

“I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
I’m walking on sunshine (Wow!)
And don’t it feel good (Hey! Alright now!)
And don’t it feel good (I’ll say it I’ll say it I’ll say it again now)
And don’t it feel good (Hey yeah now!)
And don’t it feel good (Don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it, don’t it)
Feel good
And don’t it feel good
And don’t it feel good
And don’t it feel good
And don’t it feel good
Now don’t it feel good” – Katrina and the Waves

Sometimes life is best expressed with the most simplest of lyrics.

258 blog posts down – 107 left to go…

The Real Courage

by The Stoic

People do not fear being weak.

They fear being strong.

For, weakness provides an escape.

A safety net.

An excuse for assigning blame – anywhere but within.

It takes strength to shoulder the weight of one’s actions.

To take responsibility for one’s failures and misdeeds.

This is why the real courage is not in acknowledging one’s weaknesses, rather it is in admitting one’s strength.

#OwnIt

257 blog posts down – 108 left to go…

Unity is not Uniformity

by The Stoic

“Unity is not uniformity.”

We don’t need to be identical for there to be unity.

We can disagree on policy, yet still be united as Americans.

We can be diverse and still be unified as human beings.

We can be different – even quirky – and still integrate.

Eccentricity and discourse are essential for progress.

And, without them we are nothing but little boxes on the hillside made of ticky tacky.

And being a box is even worse than thinking inside of one.

255 blog posts down – 110 left to go…