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...

Crap On A Bun Is Still A Bad Sandwich

  A couple months ago I wrote an article asking if your money likes you.  In a transitive way, I was really asking if you like your money.  Of course you may think that you like your money, but your actions are often the final arbiter. I’ll let you have the morsel for free, because today I want to spend some time talking about a group that I know who does love your money – Retailers. Of course...

You Are What Your Record Says You Are

The title is a quote from Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells. The idea is that a team is as good or as bad as its record indicate.  Fans, commentators, and even players like to interpret – or rationalize – circumstances and game events so as to suggest that a team is better, or sometimes worse, than its record might suggest.  A lucky bounce here or a bad call there and those close losses...

4th Quarter

My favorite football team has something of a tradition when the game moves into the 4th quarter.  Players and fans alike will raise four fingers to acknowledge the game’s final frame.  It’s a small tradition and not particularly unique but the symbolism is profound. While I’ve not studied the pattern, I do know, as a long time football fan, that most games are decided in the 4th quarter of...

“Got…. an original idea?”

Do you remember the original “Got Milk?” advertisements?  The print ads displayed a stack of Oreo cookies next to a tall glass of milk.  The image with the solitary words communicated more than simply a message.  Rather, it perfectly encapsulated an essence. It was a true original.  Now the “Got………?” ads are ubiquitous. “Got Insurance?”  “Got...

The Virtue of Toil

  “Business or toil is merely utilitarian. It is necessary, but does not enrich or ennoble a human life.” -Aristotle A friend recently sent me this quote and it sparked an interesting email exchange as we each set ideological camps on varying sides of the discussion. My good friend Greg espouses the quote as motivation to seek balance and purpose outside of work.  In that way, he treats...

I Love Football

As we step into September and the summer heat starts to break and fall begins to emerge, we move into one of my favorite times of year.  I love the cooler weather, the crisp air, the turning leafs and the sight of a tight end breaking off his block to find a soft spot underneath the coverage to catch a perfect chain-moving spiral then rumbling for additional yardage after the catch. Oh yes, I love...