Personal
Do You Stand Out From the Crowd?
I was standing in line for a roller coaster at Silver Dollar City this summer with my two oldest boys. We were getting bored and I was trying to think of something fun we could do to pass the time. I noticed that the kid in front of us had a “Class of 2006” shirt on and the back of his shirt listed all the students in the class. I asked him if he was in the “Class of 2006” and he responded “Yes sir, I am.” We thought it would be fun to try and guess who this kid was. There had to be at least 400 names on the shirt so we thought it would definitely chew up some time. He agreed to let us guess his name so I started skimming over the massive list of names and stopped at the first guy name that caught my eye. more »
Good works!
Think about it. more »
Discpline or Limitation?
Yes, I admit it. Moderation is a discipline that continues to elude me. My elder role-models have on many occasions scolded that “moderation is the key to life.” The “key”? Hmmm. While I readily agree that moderate living, be it work, family, finances and the like holds rich wisdom, I propose that constant pursuit of “moderation” (however one personally defines it) continually yields moderate results. more »
Taking the Facebook Plunge
I resisted while others persisted. I hesitated while others activated. I cowered while others powered. And finally, taking a deep breath and big swallow I entered the www.facebook.com site onto my browser and waited. more »
Reba McEntire / Kelly Clarkson On Tour
Brian Kagan’s branding work with Reba McEntire paid dividends Saturday night as a few of us were able to enjoy a concert in Rockford, Illinois, starring Reba and Kelly Clarkson. Backstage passes, awesome seats and a great duet performance led to a perfect evening. more »
Jump in the Pool
Last weekend, my family and I took an overnight trip to Cincinnati. Monday was a big day, because it was my son’s birthday AND my kids had the day off school. We celebrated both of those by doing something that kids everywhere seem to enjoy in the wintertime: stay at a hotel with a pool. more »
Good Tension Leads to Good Stuff
A friend of mine (Kenny Haas #25) gave me some advice on fishing once. He told me to think about edges. Cast you line on the edge of the shadow areas, along the edge of the weeds, where the calm water meets the rapid water. Fish on the edge of a storm or weather change. We think this works in business as well. Put a few people in a room, attack the process (not the people), watch ideas fly and creative tension happen ... and then GOOD STUFF HAPPENS. Look at life. Nothing really happens when we’re comfortable. When the right tension stretches us we become better people. more »
I Can’t See My Neck
Recently my son randomly said to me, “Dad, I can’t see my neck without a mirror.” I tried to hold back the laughter and said, “You know what? That’s true of every person in the world.” We all have parts of ourselves that we can only see with outside help. And I ain’t just talking about our bodies. To truly be self-aware, we all need someone or something outside of our own perspective to give us insight. more »
