what it means to be human...

The most exciting breakthrough of the twenty-first century will occur not because of technology, but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human.
-John Naisbitt

what are you famous for?

Over lunch today, I was introduced to a question used by a successful physician to connect with his patients.

"Everyone is famous for something. What are you famous for?"

Maybe it's summiting Mount Everest, being the non-profit guy, or making the world's best guacamole. (Please send the recipe if you do!) Try it out next time you meet someone.

how to make Scrooge McDuck proud

Lebron James recently ran up an $800 bill at an upscale steakhouse, staying there until 3:45 in the morning. His tip...a whopping $10.

This is not only egregious, but also short-sighted from a purely fiscal perspective. How much potential income could he lose by not getting a future sponsorship deal? Would you want your product to be affiliated with Lebron James? What mental associations are now conjured in your mind when you see Lebron-branded products?

super-sized McGiraffe

Nature has its way of giving rude awakenings.
(Even through Photoshop.)

Can you imagine seeing a morbidly obese giraffe?

Wow, res ipse loquitur!

(Hold the fries...make that a Diet Coke.)

when Einstein speaks, I listen

Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
-Albert Einstein

On Becoming a Person

"Life, at its best, is a flowing, changing process in which nothing is fixed. In my clients and in myself I find that when life is richest and most rewarding it is a flowing process. To experience this is both fascinating and a little frightening. I find I am at my best when I can let the flow of my experience carry me, in a direction which appears to be forward, towards goals of which I am but dimly aware. In this floating with the complex stream of my experiencing, and in trying to understand its ever-changing complexity, it should be evident that there are no fixed points. When I am thus able to be in process, it is clear that there can be no closed system of beliefs, no unchanging set of principles which I hold. Life is guided by a changing understanding of the interpretation of my experience. It is always in process of becoming."

Carl Rogers
On Becoming a Person
(Source: Change the World by Robert Quinn)

Steve Jobs speech - a personal favorite

Excerpt:
"Your time is limited, So don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."