In golf, there is a concept known as a “mulligan.” If you make a poor shot, you get another chance, and it won’t be counted as an extra stroke. Usually, you get one mulligan per game (even though most of us hackers would prefer a second chance after every bad shot!). But what happens when […]

My wife and I just returned from a trip to England, Ireland and Scotland. One of our last stops was Oxford, home to the second oldest university in the world. I have an unusual connection to Oxford. In the mid 1950s, my father, a U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, was made commanding officer of Royal […]

Nowadays, there aren’t too many things that surprise me. But at 7p.m. on January 10, 2019, the surgeon who 12 hours earlier ended two decades of pain by giving me a new artificial ankle, walked up to my bed and said, “Thank you for allowing me to perform your surgery.” That was a powerful moment […]

I am certain that a great many people reading this (most of whom are my friends or colleagues) have not only distinguished themselves in the professional world, but were probably very successful in academia. They might have been valedictorian, voted “most likely to succeed,” or been the captain of a championship debate team.  Not me. […]

We live in a time when hate is getting a lot of attention. Courts prosecute people for “hate crimes,” social media condemns “hate speech,” and singers proclaim “haters gonna hate.” It’s as if hate is getting a bad name! But believe or not, there are occasions when hate is actually a good thing. In fact, […]

In his book, The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck calls listening the work of genuine love. I would add that active listening is a demonstration of respect for the one speaking to us. I must confess that I am not always the best listener. One reason is because I (like many men) go into a […]

We live in a world where people virtually worship rock stars, sports legends, political giants or other kind of heroes. Some of these individuals deserve our esteem. Some are role models who inspire us to be like them. Some achieve great things that benefit humanity, like saving lives, curing diseases, ending wars, or making the […]

If there was one word I would use to best describe my past professional life, it would not be “successful.” Or “impactful.” Or “beneficial.” While I think my career had elements of all three words, I really think the word that best sums it up is “busy.” If you asked my wife or children the […]

Have you ever had anyone do something to you or a loved one that caused great pain, loss or humiliation? Did you have trouble forgiving that person? Or perhaps you feel justified to be vengeful? Almost all of us have been there. Maybe you’ve tried to forgive that person, but to no avail; or maybe […]