Patience
Yoda: Luke! You must complete the training. Luke Skywalker: I can’t keep the vision out of my head. They’re my friends. I’ve gotta help them. Yoda: You must not go! … Obi-Wan: Patience! Luke: And sacrifice Han and Leia? Yoda: If you honor what they fight for, yes! Obi-Wan: If you choose to face Vader, […]
Running One’s Stories
My girlfriend and I are running through the park yesterday on a warm, sunny, California afternoon when my partner — observing my relatively-slow jogging rate — suggests, “Ready to step up the pace?” Nonplussed, I respond: “Give me a break! Can’t you see I’m struggling to keep up?” Silence ensues, followed by a hurt: “I […]
7 Attitudes Towards Competition
“I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam: I looked into the soul of another boy.” –Woody Allen It’s funny how the things we learn in elementary school stick in our heads and take on an element of “truth” as we get older. As far back as I can remember, for […]
Choosing Your Lessons
I’ve always played sports — never particularly well, mind you — but I’ve always played something. In elementary school and junior high, I was all about football — that is, until the game graduated from flags to tackle, I stopped growing and everyone else started to loom over me. In high school, I took up […]
Running on Empty
Trudging up the modest incline yesterday towards Spring Lake – huffing and puffing, chest tight, legs heavy as stones — I feel a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that this run is going to be a momentous struggle. To my utter dismay, this 50-year-old body of mine just isn’t responding the way […]
James Bond, 007: Licensed to Improvise
Last Friday, I had a chance to watch the new James Bond film, “Skyfall”, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as the world’s smoothest super-spy. Don’t worry, 007 fans — I won’t give away the story! What I do want to share with you is my observations regarding the personality contrast between Bond and his […]
The 2012 Giants: World Champion Team- Building
Two days after my local baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, won the World Series (in a 4-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers), I’m still sitting at my desk, asking myself: How did they do it? I mean, we’re not talking about the 1927 New York Yankees here. As a team competing for a championship, […]
Going, Going… Lagaan
When thinking about fun ways to spend an evening, I’m guessing very few people say to themselves, “You know, tonight I’d sure like to watch a 4-hour historical epic about cricket—with lots of Bollywood dancing.” And yet, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting, especially if we’re talking about Aamir Khan’s lavish 2001 spectacle, Lagaan: Once Upon […]
“I’ve Got Your Back”
I watch a lot of action and sci-fi movies, and inevitably there’s a scene where the hero, preparing to rush into a gun fight, turns to his right-hand man (or woman, or Droid) and says, “You cover me”. On the silver screen, this is a great “trust moment” for the protagonist — yes, they’re the […]
Does Motivation Through Penalty Really Work?
As you think over your life, which has motivated you the most: the promise of a reward or the threat of a penalty? This is a question I’ve been pondering a lot of late. Let’s say, for example, I set a goal for myself of exercising at least five times a week. I have two […]