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Delight in Details
Success at a sport like hockey is at least somewhat tied to how one’s skates are tied. For those that are younger, there is likely a direct relationship to the amount of attention to detail allocated to tying up one’s skates to prowess shown on the ice. As one advances within the sport to higher levels of performance, each remaining high performer is conscientious about how they do their skates. Each high performer has found their way of doing laces
Alphabet of Accomplishment – X – eXtending eXcellence
“A well-built physique is more than vanity. It shows discipline, dignity, and dedication. It requires patience, passion, and self-respect. It cannot be bought, stolen, or inherited. It cannot be held onto without constant work.” So reads a poster displayed on a wall in a gym I go to. I enjoy reading this poster when I am at the gym. Not because of a well-built physique but more because the message seems to be that good things are built on continued commitment
Put Your Ass Where Your Heart is by Stephen Pressfield
In this book, Pressfield offers another calling for creatives. His message consistently suggests that the biggest battles we fight are those with ourselves. Are you in? Are you all-in as in in-it-to-win-it? Before we begin, we should determine whether we will endure. Dreaming and doing are different things. Our actions speak louder than words. In order to make progress on what matters most to us we need to put ourselves in a position to succeed. The biggest battle we will
Alphabet of Accomplishment – W – W2D WOW
This note was originally published in September 2023. W2D WOW. It’s an acronym I’ve produced over the years which stands for “willing to do what others won’t.” Value is the result of scarcity, of being rare. Being willing to do what others won’t is an expression of scarcity. The hope is that by being willing to do what others won’t we’re in some way differentiating ourselves from others and distinguishing ourselves in a positive way. I slowly came to see
No Mo FOMO
FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out is an acronym/term that has evolved in recent years. It’s partly an offshoot of social media where everyone is constantly sharing how amazing their lives are. When we’re scrolling through our various feeds all we see is the terrific experiences and glamorous lives of others. We look at the pictures posted and contrast these with the mundanity of our morning and we’re left in a state of mourning. What’s the matter with us that
V – Victory is Validation of Values
Our values precede our choices which fuel our actions. In other words, we do what we value. Consciously choosing our values is vital to becoming the person we want to become. In fact, our values are the seeds of our success as Adam Grant notes in Hidden Potential, “Success is more than reaching our goals—it’s living our values.” I’ve written several children’s books which have been attempts to highlight values I consider important. I’ve written a couple about sports hoping
We See What We Want to See
In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, we feel bad for the prisoners who have their perspectives controlled by others. We see them as hapless victims being manipulated. However, once the freed prisoner returns to share his new, expanded view of their world, it’s no longer the puppeteers that are managing the reality of the prisoners. It becomes their personal choice to cling to their chains. They don’t want their eyes open to the possibility of a bigger world. The saying,
U – It’s Up to yoU
In Ryan Micheler’s The Masculinity Manifesto, Micheler writes about a friend that introduced an idea for bucketing people into three groups. There are squatters, renters, and owners. Squatters are those that are looking for a free ride. They’re seeking to extract as much as they can while being prepared to give nothing. Renters are looking for a quid pro quo. They’re transactional and willing to pay something to get something of equal value. Owners are those that are willing to
Dial it Down
A few weeks back, a Provincial election in B.C. kicked off. The day the election was “officially” announced, I received an email from a political party that led with the following sentence: “Today, the most important election campaign in BC history begins.” This same chorus is being sung for other elections. A potential Federal election in Canada is being foreshadowed as the most important ever as well. In the US and their pending US Presidential election, democracy itself is, apparently,
Transparency. Truth. Trust.
Golf simulators have become increasingly popular and powerful in recent years. They provide both entertainment and educational value for golf enthusiasts. Simulators can provide an extension to practice and play for golfers that live in wintry regions. Simulators are available for home users and man caves as well as in commercial facilities. It’s estimated that the golf simulator market globally was around $1.8B US in 2023 and forecast to grow at 10% plus per year through 2030. The demand for
