My muse likes sugar.   I like sugar also, which makes for a great partnership. Often when I sit down to tackle a particularly ambitious piece of writing, something that is going to keep me at my laptop for a couple of hours, it helps to dose up on sugar first.   Sugar appeases the muse, jump starts my mind and gives me that boost[…]

When it comes to success, it seems like I am always looking for some secret formula to follow, some prescribed set of steps that will guarantee my outcome. When it comes down to it, I just want someone to tell me what I need to do that will make me successful. If I do XYZ,[…]

I watched the solar eclipse yesterday. Although it was a total eclipse for a swath of the continental US, from my location in Salt Lake City, it was a 90.3% eclipse. Those who traveled north into Idaho had the opportunity to experience the whole enchilada. The Totality. I work at a place full of science[…]

The late and great Zig Zigler was known as one of the greatest sales and motivational speakers of our time. I recently finished reading one of his books, The Secrets of Closing the Sale: Included Bonus: Selling with Emotional Logic, written by both Zig and his son Tom. Actually, I listened to it, mostly on[…]

I just finished re-reading another great little book, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield. I have read it several times now. This time I read it for a book club. It’s a guy’s book club. Not that women aren’t allowed or have not been invited. But so far, only guys have shown up. We[…]

If you read my last post, you know I have been writing about attitudes—and shoes. If that doesn’t make sense to you, go read the post. I am going to address why I have been thinking about attitudes so much lately. It was a year or so ago, but who is counting? Actually not a[…]

I have found that shoes and attitudes have a lot in common. I like shoes. It comes naturally. My father was a shoe repairman, as was his father, and his grandfather. Shoes are a family business. I grew up going to my father’s shoe shop and playing with equipment that would send shivers down a[…]

“How you doin?” I picked up this little phrase on my most recent trip to New York City. Not that I hadn’t heard it before, but it was on this last trip there that I decided to make it a part of my occasional vocabulary—much like “y’all” became a part of my vocabulary after living[…]

Here in Utah, we celebrate two significant holidays in July. Both have roots in lofty declarations made by men with big dreams. The first holiday, Independence Day, is of course celebrated by the entire country. The second holiday is Pioneer Day, a regional celebration.   As we all know, in July of 1776, a bunch[…]

Are you a morning person? You know who you are if you are one and although I don’t understand you, I can respect you. There is a reason why morning and mourning sound alike, even if they have different meanings—it’s because they are actually related to each other. To me, mornings are a struggle. It’s[…]