I am Optimism Man

Opportunity in Simplicity

Creativity, Key Issues, Opportunity, Persuasive Speech, Wisdom

Jul 212017

Everything is become more complicated and interconnected. When faced with a difficult decision, almost everyone adds more detail, weighs more aspects, analyzes the problem to the n-th degree, and creates complexity. I personally work to sell solutions that create timely, valuable, and actionable insights from data, a topic that is truly large, complex and ever-growing, given the explosion of “big data” as zillions of devices connect to networks and every aspect of business becomes digitized by computers. The result is thousands of topics [more…]

Priceless Persistence

Belief, Success, Tenacity

Jul 122017

Far too many people think “the brilliant big idea” is the root of home run success. I believe home runs happen more often with good ideas, not great ones. The home runs come when three elements are applied — full ‘whatever it takes’ commitment, unquenchable positive enthusiasm, and extraordinary dogged persistence. Success is barely the tip of the iceberg above the surface for the casual observer to see. No one realizes the amount of work it took for the successful to [more…]

Time and Forethought

Quotes

Jun 062017

Below are three great thoughts by Charles Buxton. It is so easy to forget how true these observations are, as you hustle week after week, year after year. In my case, I really yearn for more quality time but I often don’t find it… perhaps, with a little more forethought on a daily basis, I can design my day better so that there is more strategic, pristine time available: You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you [more…]

Imagining (Internet) Progress (part 2)

Inspire, Opportunity

May 212017

Please watch part one first, earlier this month. These two posts work better together. My optimism for the pace of progress continues to grow. Kevin Kelly has had a front row seat. From TED summary of Kevin, Kelly has been publisher of the Whole Earth Review, executive editor at Wired magazine (which he co-founded, and where he now holds the title of Senior Maverick), founder of visionary nonprofits and writer on biology, business and “cool tools.” He’s renounced all material things [more…]

Imagining (Internet) Progress (part 1)

Inspire, Opportunity

May 152017

Humans often — usually, in fact — have failures of imagination. We often don’t see the next leap, the next stair-step of significant progress. I find that looking back, at the imagination of future-oriented thinkers, at a point in time in the past but with proven success in the present, gives me a brilliant jolt of optimism. Consider this TED discussion by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon in 2003, now 15 years ago. It simultaneously reminds us [more…]

Be a Beacon of Light in a Darkening World

Belief, Hope, Inspire, Key Issues, Peace, Wisdom

Apr 292017

Be a Beacon of Light in a Darkening World

We have lived through a truly divisive decade and election. In just the last few months, Trump pulled off a shocker win, the Brits decided to bail out of the European Union, and the war on terror continues with senseless killings everywhere that have numbed people emotionally: a headline that dozens of innocent citizens have been slaughtered doesn’t disturb the hustle and bustle of everyday life. A common theme through it all is that we should not help people that [more…]

It is Never About Wishful Thinking

Choice, Habits, Inspire, Tenacity

Apr 182017

All of us daydream with a hopeful attitude from time to time. We imagine ourselves in a different state of life, often fueled by what we see on TV and in print. Optimism is crucial — you have to believe you can — but it is important to remember to get started before all the lights turn green, be committed to your pursuit with great focus and energy, and finish no matter what for there are no credits, no rewards, no [more…]

Why Not Me!

Belief, Choice, Goals Empower, Inspire, Success, Tenacity

Mar 162017

Too often, we think that those who achieve something really special were born with huge advantages. Yet, if you read stories about the most successful people, the common denominator is not birthright but rather optimism, a tendency to take initiative and action without over analyzing a situation, a confidence that overrides the voices of “realists” and “pessimists” that are ever present, a willingness to take a chance when the odds looks favorable, and a belief that failures are simply little [more…]

Making Life Too Hard?

Choice, Habits, Happiness, Hope, Relaxation

Mar 062017

Worrying about stuff that might or might not happen seems to have risen exponentially as we have become more interconnected. Facebook and the rest makes us feel like we are not succeeding fast enough or big enough when compared to all those people we personally know. Kids born today seem set up from birth to worry more than any previous generation. Since I believe we are the architects of our own mental psyche, I believe we can train ourselves to [more…]

Classic Zig

Choice, Inspire, Success

Mar 052017

Remember that failure is an event, not a person. — Zig Ziglar Far too often, people call each other — or themselves — a failure. The truth is that a failure is moment in time, the temporary result that happens when you try a certain recipe to accomplish something. Failures happen for many reasons, but the wise optimist learns from the experience and fails forward. Always remember that failure is a result of a certain confluence [more…]

Your Resume is Only 33%

Key Issues, Wisdom

Feb 242017

America, God bless her, is all about capitalism, competition, and a definition of success that often leaves the successful, at least the financially successful, wondering if this is all that there is. America’s scorecard is too often the resume version, the version that focuses on winning “the game”, conquering, accomplishment in the here and now, and financial windfalls. It is not surprising that happiness is elusive, and is just as elusive to those who have landed the outsized windfalls as to [more…]

Youthful Spark

Choice, Creativity, Fitness, Habits, Inspire

Feb 152017

Most people get old long before their bodies really give out. I’ve met 35 year olds that act like they are 70, and vice-versa. Your mental perspective matters. Getting old, in some very important ways, is a subtle series of small choices – and those choices are more important than the inexorable realities of biological aging. Here is my simple 6 step test for true aging and recipe to stay younger longer. If you want to stay young longer (or become [more…]

Optimizing Time: System Checklist

Habits, Inspire, Pale Ink, Productivity, Tools and Technology

Jan 132017

Few disagree that time is one of our most precious and fleeting resources. Yet, when I ask, I find that few people manage and more importantly optimize their time by using a better-than-average system. It is hard to be a great carpenter if you don’t use good tools and techniques. First, time management is a strange phrase: we really can’t manage time, as it flows by no matter what we do. What we can do is decide how we use [more…]

My Gift to All for the 2016 Holidays — a Brilliant Free App

Tools and Technology

Jan 042017

My Gift to All for the 2016 Holidays -- a Brilliant Free App

My gift to you for the holidays is a free app recommendation — and just in case anyone is wondering, I am not associated in any way with the developer — its just cool. I know, I know, today is a few days after the holidays, but I purposefully waited, assuming that most people don’t check online blogs while family is visiting. I haven’t recommended a smartphone app in several years, but found one in 2016 that is brilliant for [more…]

My Resolution for 2017

Goals Empower, Habits, Inspire

Jan 022017

What’s your resolution for 2017? After a lot of thought, I have decided on my one foremost priority for 2017: Improve quality on every front. In the last few years, I’ve noticed that far too often, my workouts rated a B / B- / or C+ in 2016. If I’m going to invest an hour at the gym today, why walk away with a C+? I’ve noticed that far too often, my meals rated a B / B- / or [more…]

A problem to solve

Creativity, Tenacity

Dec 262016

There is so much opportunity for those who are willing to try creative ways to solve problems. Here is a great little story from Kenya that I find inspirational. I believe all of us see problems every day but few try to solve them with innovation and the tenacity to adapt, overcome, and get to the finish line: The world belongs to those with a positive attitude who get started, put in the work, and persist to the finish line, not [more…]

Priority vs Priorities

Goals Empower, Habits, Pale Ink, Quotes, Tenacity

Dec 252016

I recently learned that modern society corrupted the word priority. One hundred years ago, there was no plural form: priority was singular only — it meant the single most important item. Today, we have corrupted the word to mean “important” instead of the most important. I think we should return to the original definition. So, as January 2017 is nearly here, what is your foremost priority resolution – yes, just one – for 2017? I would suggest picking a self-improvement habit-of-excellence [more…]

The Deft Pivot

Opportunity, Success

Dec 132016

As I observed last year, very rarely do people try 5 different ideas to succeed, yet an often used phrase is “I tried everything!” — the truth is no, you did not. I ran across this article a few weeks ago. It illustrates the core idea of pivoting and changing your approach when Plan A, or Plan B, is not working out. Quitting too quickly is the norm. The original article is available at fastcompany.com but I included the text [more…]

Learning and staying young

Habits, Pale Ink

Dec 122016

What did you learn today? What did you learn this week? Did you make note of it? Without writing it down in your trusted journal or your trusted system, a place where you can find it later — without much trouble — that golden nugget just learned is likely to disappear in some inaccessible recess of your mind. I find that occasional review is the key step to assimilate everything learned into a cohesive factory between your ears. I have often said [more…]

Gratefulness and Happiness

Happiness, Inspire

Nov 242016

Happiness is a state of mind, unlocked only by being grateful, not only for the big blessings in your life, but for all the little details too. I believe people are missing too much of their life by “living within their smartphones” although the smartphone is a blessing too. I searched for a quote that captured it all, but, unable to find one, I created my own: Happy Thanksgiving and don’t Black Friday too much – happiness is not found at [more…]

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