Give To Get

  Today I have a new, old storyline.  Several media outlets I follow spent time with the topic back in September but I decided to wait.  Sure, the story may have had a short shelf life, or it could age like a fine wine – getting better and more interesting with the passage of time. Fortunately it was the later, and now it is ready.  The proper weight and balance have been achieved and the current...

Social Experiments

The idea of social experiments is something I find interesting.  That we can engineer a setting and personal interactions to drive a particular result from others or even ourselves is compelling and a tool we should consider leveraging in our daily experiences. I once read about a grad student studying psychology who decided to conduct her own social experiment on a tenant in an apartment unit she...

2009 – A Year In Thanks

About this time a year ago my wife and I talked about how good 2008 had been to our household.  It was a fun moment of connection, and reflection, and celebration, and optimism.  In a demonstration of faith we agreed that 2009 would be an even better year for us.  And so it has been. Of course 2009, for our house, began with tremendous questions in the air.  Walking away from a long term employer...

Customer Service, At Best An Inexact Science

In concept it seems so simple, so obvious, and so… easy to do.  However, in practice, it can be a near impossible task.  Delivering practical and appreciated customer service may sound easy, but it is often impossible for a company to consistently execute against the objective. Admittedly, some companies don’t even put up a fight.  For years BellSouth cultivated a reputation of inferior service. ...

Money Buys Us Options

We are all familiar with the saying “money can’t buy happiness” and because it has been repetitively drilled into our heads for so long, it is something with which we largely agree.  From a literal standpoint, I know that I can’t run down to the “Happy” store for their latest buy one get one free sale, but, at the same time, I can also appreciate the levels of joy I’d experience if...

Re-Create Your Day Job

Work is an interesting and conflicted pursuit for many of us.  It is not uncommon to hear folks boast their detest for their job and the mindless minions who serve as their bosses.  Though at once, the fear of layoffs or workforce attrition causes these same souls to quake in their boots. “My job drains the ever loving life out of me, but I’d die without it”, seems to be the un-uttered mantra...

Happy Recession Anniversary

A couple weeks ago I read an interesting article in Smart Money entitled Lessons from the Crash.  While the specifics of the story were geared towards those given to single stock investing, it was more the premise that caught my imagination. The set up was the top 5 lessons investors have learned over the past 12 months, the spiritual if not literal anniversary of the downturn. So that got me to...