A respite from the many coronavirus messages you’ll read today…
My Uncle Andy was one of those larger than life characters. Everyone knew him. And as far as I could tell, pretty much everyone loved him.
I had great experiences with him while he was living. Yet, there’s something I learned from him after he died that I lean on most often.
…[Continue Reading]
There she stood, exposed like few humans ever are.
On September 16, Kate Flannery was of the 12 contestants who began Dancing with the Stars latest season. Kate, best known as Meredith from The Office, is a friend of Brenda’s and mine, so we’ve been lucky to witness her experience up close.
Kate’s previous dance experience is mostly at wedding receptions. Yet, with 8 MILLION people watching on live TV and with only a few weeks of dance lessons under her belt, she stood ready to dance a very intricate cha-cha routine on an enormous ballroom stage. 8 million self-appointed dance experts waited, ready to judge her.
To add to the pressure, three professional dance judges would evaluate her dancing while the entire audience listened in. And one of those judges is known for crushing people with extremely harsh, critical feedback.…[Continue Reading]
The recent launch of my new book, Free the Genius, was a tutorial for me in how to stretch beyond old limits to my own “big next.”
If you’re building something new and different, let these universal rules-of-the-road help you stay on track and in motion.
What is a “big next”? It’s that idea, dream, or contribution that you must bring to life. It may feel impractical and difficult to achieve . . . yet, it won’t leave you alone until you begin. It’s your big next.
Here are five principles I just learned and re-learned that you can apply to bring your big next to life:…[Continue Reading]
I had the chance to have a brief conversation with celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Ron Chernow, recently.
While we spoke, he made a comment that rang a bell in my head that will no doubt be valuable for you, too, if you intend to make a meaningful impact in your world.
He’s a true virtuoso.
Chernow is best known for writing the book, Hamilton but every book he writes is an award winner. Chernow’s biography, Hamilton, inspired Lin Manuel-Miranda to write the earth-shaking musical of the same title.…[Continue Reading]
Mel asked me to meet him for a drink at an out-of-the-way dive bar. He wanted to talk away from the office where people wouldn’t overhear us.
After a quick hello, he jumped right into why he wanted to talk.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Do you think I’m losing it? I’m beginning to think I must be crazy.”…[Continue Reading]
Willson Contreras, the 26-year-old catcher for the Chicago Cubs will play in his first All-Star game tonight. That’s one of the biggest honors in his profession. When he found out he’d made the team, he cried.
You probably would have too if you’d have worked that hard — especially if one of your idols had tried to hold you in place, telling you to “respect the ranks” as you started gaining ground.
Regardless, you can steal his path to all-star status starting today. And perhaps your success will threaten some of your idols, as well.
Playing in the All-Star game was a predictable outcome.
Contreras used a method that almost every superstar or uber performer in any field, including business, has used since the beginning of humanity. …[Continue Reading]
Teachers appear when you need them. Rarely do they take on the form you were expecting.
My cab driver to BWI airport turned out to be a Yoda with dreadlocks. His name is Naod.
I was strangely sad we didn’t hit more traffic because the ride and the conversation ended too quickly.
In November 2013, I spent 10 days in Nepal trekking in the Himalayan Mountains. There were no paved roads above 10,000 feet, which meant no motorized vehicles.
It was just silence and the unfamiliar.
Beneath the quiet sky, we ascended, descended, and ascended more, for hours each day. Around every turn was wind, sun, and endless ranges of jagged peaks shooting toward the heavens.…[Continue Reading]
I love reading biographies of great people — warriors, titans, artists, athletes, crusaders for a cause. There’s a theme that runs across them.
Not only did those people have historic impact. They’re full of foibles and flaws.
Sometimes, it’s shocking what poor judgment or bad behaviors such brilliant people could exhibit. That is, at least when they were out of the public view.
And still, they changed the world.…[Continue Reading]
I sat and listened intently as my mentor shared with me some pretty amazing wisdom. His perspective and experiences were so different than mine that I needed to stop him every few minutes and ask for clarification.
Not everything he said made sense, but parts of what he shared was exploding in my brain. I’d just never thought of things the way he was describing them.…[Continue Reading]
![By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Willson Contreras, Jake Arrieta) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.davidmartinco.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Willson_Contreras_in_2017_cropped-245x300.jpg)
