Category: Commentary

The eyes of the world are on Ukraine, with a lot of uncertainty about Putin’s intentions and the ultimate response of an aligned U.S. and western Europe. 

While the suffering of innocent people is always disheartening – and should be the first thing all of us consider – watching our political leaders and national media continue to take positions on polar ends of the spectrum is disappointing.

Fox News, and especially Tucker Carlson, lean far right… pointing fingers directly at President Biden, despite the fact he’s been in office one year and the positions of his predecessors this century contributed to Russia’s confidence in taking previous actions and embarking on the current one.

CNN always leans far left – with headlines this morning that include: “Putin’s lie: His justification for invasion draws outrage”; “Trump defends praise of Putin even as he calls Ukranian President ‘brave’”; “The invasion of Ukraine changed everything on Wall Street”.

The rhetoric and positioning of Republicans and Democrats is typical, expected and rooted in capitalizing on a crisis – similar to how it plays out Every. Single. Time. 

Somewhere, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and Peter Jennings are shaking their heads… wondering what happened to journalism and where we go from here. 

Recently I facilitated a leadership team retreat during which the host played a video of a ‘Super Soul Sessions’ talk from about six years ago by Brene’ Brown. The noted writer and lecturer spoke of ‘BRAVING’ – her acronym about building trust. She also said whenever a word doesn’t exist, like that one, she just makes it up to fit her needs.

While her creation of new words is intentional, lately I seem to be doing a lot of it without purpose. Perhaps it’s a sign of aging. Maybe it’s a lack of focus. Could be my RAM needs rebooting. Nonetheleast, some of the words coming out of my mouth aren’t exactly what I’m intendering.

Sometimes my verbalizeration is simple: “Kelsey said she’ll be here by five,” when, in fact, it was our other daughter Kirsten. Occasionally, I’ll reverse syllables: “You might want to check out this show ‘Luficer’ we’re watching on Netflix.” Then there are times the word is stuck in neutral: “I noticed we haven’t gotten a check from… from… from…” I can clearly see the company name, but I can’t speak it.

With perhaps three-quarters of life behind, I’ll admit to thoughts of the mind and body decline. As a writer, I can wait for the right word to flow through me… or, at the least, spellcheck or use an online dictionary. As a coach and speaker, well… this could be a problem.

Of course, the late comedian and ‘Master of Malaprop’ Norm Crosby made a career out of misspoken words… and Yogi Berra seemed far better known for his challenges with the English language, especially to later generations, than his Hall of Fame baseball legend. So maybe the inagility to say what I’m thinkering isn’t all that bard.

Part I of III

Since 2007, I share my biggest lessons from the previous 12 months during December. This year meant change and adaptation for most everyone. Here are my personal learnings:

Still Waiting – The Covid journey continues… 21 months and counting. We are enduring the challenges of health care crises, supply chain disruptions, return to work, and the great resignation. I believe all this perseverance will be rewarded when the universe rebalances. Here’s wishing wonderful blessings to all those on the frontlines, especially doctors, nurses, hospital workers and the many researchers who delivered vaccines in record time.

Wanna Catch? – Sitting on the bookshelf next to where I type these words is “The Iowa Baseball Confederacy” by W.P. Kinsella, author of “Shoeless Joe.” That novel was the inspiration for the 1989 film Field of Dreams… the only movie I ever saw at a theater with my father. Thus, as the Yankees and White Sox warmed up for an August game at the Lansing Family Farm where they filmed the movie – and when Kevin Costner walked through the corn and into the specially constructed stadium – I had tears in my eyes. Can’t wait for the Cubs and Reds to return on August 11, 2022.

Crazy Genius – Wished I had bet on Elon Musk’s adventures back in May 2011, when I wrote about his creativity the first of three times in my monthly newsletter. He made a lot of early believers quite wealthy. During the past year, his untimely Tweets, panned SNL appearance, and outlandish style gained a lot of headlines. The biggest came when he revealed the need to sell $14 billion of Tesla stock… to pay an income tax bill he said is $11 billion, likely more than any American in history. While the world’s richest man may not deserve to be TIME magazine’s Person of the Year, he clearly keeps reinventing new ways to stay in the news.

Part II of III

These are more of the best things I learned during 2021:

Better Investor – George Lucas bet on himself way back in 1976. Offered a large sum to direct Star Wars, he opted instead for a $150,000 salary; however, he negotiated with Fox to keep merchandising rights. Since Fox recently had taken a series of losses on other movie-inspired toys, they agreed. Lucas made $45 billion off that decision. 

Go Figure – Here in Texas, the AG requested more funding for tracking and prosecuting election fraud. The Legislature authorized $2.2 million dollars and approved hiring two additional attorneys. The result? That team of crack investigators closed three cases during the year. Yes, three… as in one less than four. There were 11 million votes cast in the Lone Star State for the 2020 presidential election. 

Word Knowledge – Think I read more than 20 books this year – mostly using the free ‘Libby’ app. (Think: electronic version of your local library card.) Still, there are nearly a dozen sitting on the shelf untouched. The Japanese word “tsundoku” refers to acquiring books and letting them pile up without reading them. Note to self: change this habit during the year ahead.

Sage Advice– The best quote I saw all year came from that legendary philosopher… Matthew McConoughey: “Generosity breeds gratitude then gratitude breeds responsibility, which then breeds freedom, because the more things you are responsible for the more meaning you have in your life. That then sends you into the world with an identity. You’re about something.” Alright! Alright! Alright!

Part III of III

Rounding out the many things I learned this year:

Game Changer – My favorite video of MTV’s heyday was ‘Take on Me’ by A-ha. You may recall the creative rotoscope animation that took 16 weeks to draw. What I didn’t know until recently is the EV revolution origin story is tied to the Norweigan band. Three years after taking home six Video Music Awards in 1986, lead singer Morten Harket and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen were in Switzerland, where they bought a Fiat Panda that had been converted to run on a battery and shipped it home. Then they started driving in bus lanes, parking illegally and skipping paying tolls to gain attention and encourage classification of electric vehicles. It worked. A year later, the government changed the law. Today 87% of cars sold in Norway are rechargeable and 98% of its electricity is renewable. Turns out A-ha wasn’t gone in a day.

Standing Out – When tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon, it made international sports headlines. When gymnast Simone Biles – the GOAT – chose not to participate in several events at the Summer Olympics, the mental health of athletes became front page news. It is an issue that impacts everyone, not just famous athletes; however, when those at the height of their profession show the vulnerability and candidness to openly discuss their challenges, it benefits all of society. The Houston-raised Biles definitely deserves to be TIME magazine’s Athlete of the Year.

Gift Giving – While there still are no grandkids in our family, our youngest gifted us this year with the most wonderful grand-dog: a German Shepherd/Beagle mix. He’s just about the smartest dog on the planet. Austin Pets Alive! is a no-kill rescue in the largest no-kill city in the country. When it began in 1997, the kill-rate in the Texas capital city was 87%. Today, the save-rate is 97%. Whether there or in your community, consider contributing to a no-kill shelter. Your gift might lead to a child – or a wannabe grandparent – getting a rescue dog or cat they’ll fall in love with… just like I have with Moonshine.

I’ll conclude, as always, with a quote about the most wonderful time of the year: “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Seasons Greetings. May the year ahead bring many blessings and much joy to you and your family… and continued success in all things.