We all want to win in our relationships, investments, love. But winning is often counterintuitive. And we can sum it up like this. To win, you must be willing to lose. You see, in relationships, we want to be right or argue our point or make people see our way, our hurts, our pain, our…More
Tag Archives: Love
When I made one of the biggest bets in my life
Sometimes you need to abandon plan b and go all in. I recently read this 2013 article on Steve Job’s presentation of a lifetime. It was for the first iPhone. It was monumental, legendary, historic. Yet the article outlines all of the things that could have gone wrong (how the multitouch, making a call and…More
How you can survive the pandemic
In this pandemic, our best medicine is to face reality. Reality is being true to the situation at hand, you know, that we are in the middle of a pandemic and being with people is highly risky, especially indoors, mask-less. “Facing reality” means more than intellectual ascent, but actually practicing what you know to be…More
Failing as a father
One of my greatest fears is to ruin my kids with my parenting. You don’t have to be a parent to understand that fear. But when you are one, it just makes it more visceral, possible—real. I’ve got two sons. They’re great. They love to play, roughhouse, laugh—all the good stuff kids typically do. There…More
The greatest reward for pandemic risk
Assessing risk is hard anytime, but, in a pandemic, it’s even harder. But it’s paramount. People should think “The coronavirus kills and is unpredictable, so I should wear a mask, especially indoors, and socially distance so I don’t transmit or get infected and become a transmitter.” But many don’t. Especially in the US. People aren’t…More
Savoring life
Life is short; enjoy today. This week an old friend’s wife died. It was sudden—tragic. She was young, around my age, too young to die. They likely had dreams of growing gray together, wrinkled, swinging on a creaky porch swing, talking about their grown kids and grandkids. Now that’s gone. See, life can sucker punch…More
Things got weirder
These past few days things just got weirder. An image of a married couple brandishing firearms and pointing them at people who were peacefully protesting shocked me. They live in my city. They’re not far from me, which only added to the weirdness. These people, who are basically my neighbors, looked like some strange mash…More
Heal your wounds
The key to healing a wound is to move toward the pain. You know the relational or financial or emotional problems that happen in life. They hurt us. We’re wounded. But if you don’t face the uncomfortable, even agonizing conversations you don’t want to have with your partner, friend, mother, it only makes the relationship…More
You are not an imposter
You’re not an imposter; you’re just in-process. You might be a father learning to parent, an employee who is progressing in your career, an entrepreneur hustling to survive, or a couple trying to forge a healthy marriage. That’s good; that’s great. Life is a process. Anytime you try something, do something, go somewhere, you’re not…More
Gain More Gratitude by Doing This
He asked for $50. This week my friend told me a story that broke my heart. The man who mowed my friend’s lawn, came up after he finished his work and told him that he really needed money and asked if he could borrow some. He needed $50. Could you imagine working up the courage,…More
John Pa 