Are You A Collector? By Dave Blum. What have you collected in your life? When I was a kid—I collected pretty much everything. Most of it was pretty normal: Stamps, Coins, Stickers. That kind of thing. And then there were the “odder” items. For example, my friend Mike and I went through a long period […]

Be the Indy Jones of Your Life   By Dave Blum “Hi.   My name is Indiana Jones!” Okay, I’m not really Indiana Jones who is, of course, a fictional character played by a real actor (Harrison Ford) in a fictional movie (Raiders of the Lost Ark). But wouldn’t it be great to somehow be […]

Trust me By Dave Blum What is it about trust that is so hard to gain and so easy to lose?   It’s 1971 and my Mom is tucking me into bed. I’m wearing my Speed Racer pajamas, my childhood afro spilling out over my pillow.  I’ve got my favorite stuffed animal, Tigery, tucked under […]

You are you wherever you go. By Dave Blum A wise man once told me, “You are you wherever you go.”    Little did I know how true that might be — until disaster struck. It’s 2001, a warm muggy day in southwest Costa Rica.  My travel partner, Donna, and I have just finished our walking […]

“How ya doing, how ya doing?” says the giant as he lumbers into my cramped San Francisco apartment, extending his right hand. “Gre—at.  You must be Mike.” “That’s me!” At 6 foot 5, 250 pounds, his shaven head as shiny as a mirror, Mike Franklin is a man who commands attention. He’s the kind of […]

If I asked you to guess what’s inside this chest, what would you answer? –Jewels? –Golden doubloons? –A Faberge egg? Regardless of what’s actually inside the box, opening it is exciting to think about, isn’t it?  “What could it be?” Your heart beats faster.  Adrenaline floods your system. Your breath catches in anticipation.  For this […]

SCARFing Down Fear By Dave Blum Are you a scarf person?  It’s all right.  No judgement here. To be honest, I’m not big on scarves, myself.  I find them to be hot and scratchy, plus they cover up my long, elegant neck.  😊 I wore a scarf to work today, however, because S-C-A-R-F is a […]

Refreshing Your WHY By Dave Blum I was re-watching Simon Sinek’s great TED talk, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” and realized it had been far too long since I had refreshed my “Why”. Now what do I mean by my “Why”? As you can see from Sinek’s chart above, your “Why” sits at the center […]

Worthy Rivals Who do you think of when hear the word “mentor”? Mr. Miyagi of course!“Wax on/Wax off” Obi Wan Kenobi:“Trust the force, Luke” Yoda:“Do or do not, there is no try.” Why is it in that in movies, the mentors are always old, wise and male? That can’t be right!  In real life, a […]

Not Fair I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust tests. They’re just not fair!  I blame it all on that day in the 4th grade. It’s 1973, Meadows Elementary School, Millbrae, CA. I’m 10 years old and my homeroom teacher, Mr. Ramos announces, “Today we’re going to take a test.   You have 30 […]