T-M-I from T-I-M

Are devout Catholics happier?

I went to mass this morning.  I have such different perspective after having been away from the church essentially for about 15 years. 

One thing that struck me as I sat in on the tail end of the 7 am service waiting for the 8 am service was everyone sat by themselves, a comfortable distance away from each other and, not surprisingly, everyone was old.

I couldn't tell whether or not they were happier than others.  They clearly are regulars which would make them fairly devout, but I wonder if devotion in this case equals happiness.  I wonder if they are happier because they are devout or their devotion guilts them into going to mass frequently.

I think people who have a real faith that there is some sort of God and are thoughtful about their relationship towards God after time and effort will be happier, I just don't know if it works in the Catholic context.

I'm officially sick of hearing about 9/11

Another 9/11 another weekend of tributes, rehashing, analysis and hyperbole and I'm officially sick of hearing about it.  What good does it do for us to rehash...again....this terrible tragedy?

Granted, my blog is a rehash of this event, but grant me that incongruence for a few moments.

What does rehashing it do?  Makes almost all of us sad.  Makes lots of us mad.  Makes some of us vengeful.  It brings very little understanding.

Does it bring comfort to the loved ones to see MSNBC replaying about 4 hours of that day's events like it's actually happening again, etc.?  Doubt it.  If it does on a large scale I would LOVE to hear from the families.

It seems to be a great way to continue to justify us to continue to spend billions on the war and millions on otherwise unemployable people who make my 8 year old daughter take her shoes off for our high risk SF to LA flight.

Can we possibly move on?

Another 100 Topics to Blog On

Back in 2006 I wrote a blog with 100 Blog Topic Suggestions.  I decided to give it a try again with fresh topics.

1. What does not having a soul mean?
2. How do you reconcile happiness with real life?
3. What used to make you really happy that doesn't anymore?
4. Why do you think as we age we look upon youth as paradise when we all know being young was tough?
5. If you could have any late night talk show host (dead or alive) do the only show who would it be and why?
6. Would you ever run for politics?
7. Do you have an ideal that you would die for?
8. If you're not a parent, how does it feel to see or hear about experiences from parents with their kids?
9. If you are a parent, name 3 reasons why you would prefer to go back to not having children?
10. Describe your ultimate party mix.
11. Would you prefer eternal love or eternal peace?
12. Why should anyone new to blogging get into it?
13. Who was your favorite sports team growing up and why?
14. What one thing do you look forward to most for the rest of your life?
15. Does death scare you and why or why not?
16. Will soccer ever be a major sport in the US?
17. What type of event do you dread going to but you still do?
18. Do you still practice your religion the same way you used to growing up?
19. If you don't follow  a religion can you imagine getting back into it?
20. What 5 things go the best with peanut butter?
21. If what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, why don't we look for more negative experiences?
22. Who in your life was supposed to be an inspiration but wasn't?
23. Describe your first slow dance and your first kiss with someone you felt "in love" with.
24. Have you ever really made love and if so describe it?
25. Do we need hate to have love?
26. If you could have one author from any time as a roommate for one year who would it be and why?
27. What story would you write if you could write a children's book?
28. If you could choose 6 subjects that are core curriculum for schools, what would they be?
29. Why don't we respect our elders?
30. Who comes first, second and third in your life?
31. What book moved you to tears?
32. What book was worse than the movie when it came out?
33. Describe your ultimate breakfast lunch and dinner.
34. What do you regret most in life?
35. What do you want most in life?
36. What do you ache for?
37. Describe a few words that are way overused and why it irks you.
38. Take a position on any political issue.
39. If you aren't up with politics, talk about why you aren't.
40. Is the UFC better than boxing?
41. Should there be a women's professional basketball league?
42. When do you feel most at peace and is it reliable to have that effect?
43. Is there anyone in sports announcing who truly does something new?
44. If you could host any show on TV which would it be?
45. What evil historical figure are you most curious about?
46. If you, 30 years from now could talk to you today, what would you 30 years from now say?
47. What song has made you cry the most and are you ok listening to it today?
48. Describe the first time death entered your life (family, friends, etc) and how have you grown from it or learned to handle death better.
49. Do you believe all of the depictions of the ghettos?
50. If you could join any mythical mafia family from movies, which one would it be and why?
51. How do you react when you see a parent doing something to their child that you would never do?
52. Describe your first childbirth.
53. Which performing artists do you admire most?
54. Did you marry your high school sweetheart?  Are you still married?
55. Tell a personal story that you think is funny (regardless of what anyone else thinks about it).
56. Why did you start blogging and has it met your expectations?
57. If you could take one or two traits of children and instill it in your life today which would they be?
58. Are you self-conscious?
59. Do friends think you're reliable?
60. Describe one spiritual book that really spoke to you.
61. What do you think it would be like to marry someone almost strictly for money?
62. What drugs should we legalize?
63. If you could live in any city other than a city in the US, which would it be?
64. Write about one place that you definitely want to visit but haven't.
65. If you could perform one song on American Idol what would it be?
66. When will the US's superiority melt away?
67. How do you feel about living in a country that was stolen from someone else?
68. What is the seminal piece of legislation passed in the 20th century?
69. In our history, who has screwed up our country more than anyone else?
70. What was your worst subject in school?
71. What's the worst movie you've ever seen and why was it so bad?
72. Does the word spirituality resonate with you?
73. If there's no God, is there no afterlife?
74. Are you frequently present?
75. Write about a story your parents told you that affected you.
76. Hard or Soft Gummi Bears...where do you stand?
77. Do you still go to movies and why or why not?
78. Do you think you're deep?
79. Do others think you're deep?
80. If your parents died what do you miss most about them?
81. Have you ever had a child die?
82. What movie star do you think is most likely the same in person as on screen?
83. Describe how you feel about internet technology (are you on the front middle or back of the adoption curve).
84. If you had a business fail, why did it fail?
85. If you've had vexing or rewarding experiences raising money, describe them.
86. Should I get my MBA?
87. If you could choose any profession that is non-business related but still realistic what would you do?  (i.e, doctor is reasonable, international rock star isn't)
88. If you are your harshest critic, how is to hang out alone?
89. When is it the right time in dating to have sex?
90. If you're out of the marketing target zone agewise, how does that feel?
91. When do you feel love but can't explain it?
92. When has your intuition told you something was wrong but you still did it and it turned out bad?
93. Write something stream of consciousness sort of like this :)
94. What scares you most about blogging?
95. Do you think you're important?
96. Do you feel like you get what you deserve?
97. Do you feel like others get what you deserve?
98. What do you covet?  (thank you Hannibal Lecter)
99. What should be important to you but isn't?
100. Write a list of suggested blog topics (and email me if you do!)

Hopefully there's not too much crossover.  It's fun just doing it, the result is secondary.

Federal Gov't's Changes in Focus are Debilitating

As I see some of the things that Barack Obama is doing they are a noticeable shift from the policies of the last 8 years.  I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the shift, it's just confusing.

When we have an underlying direction for a country it is rather disconcerting to shift almost 180 degrees on it.  I am the first to say that I don't know a lot about government operations, but it seems simple to assume that shifting focus so quickly and radically would significantly impact any foundation that the country is building on.

What happens if after 4 years the country decides that it wants to go Republican again?  Would that in essence shift things around again for us?

I'm suggesting that I've never really heard of a well established, well run organization (say GE for example) shifting it's focus every 4 or sometimes 8 years so fundamentally.  I know they are a flexible organization but there while the business focus may change, the leadership approach and organizational foundation doesn't.

The US is successful for sure.  But I feel like we could be doing a lot more than we could ever dream if we weren't shifting every 4 to 8 years.

Reminiscing: Going to Notre Dame games

Tonight I remembered how special the University of Note Dame's football games were.  This tiny town was host of some of the most memorable games in college football.  Of course I usually went to the blow out games but it was still so beautiful.

We'd start by parking in Red West while we ambled around usually meeting several other families for a tail gate.  The aroma of roasting meat was enchanting.  The small city just came alive when they were in town. 

I never remember feeling like I was physically threatened.  I never felt like I was not a true Domer despite not going there.  They were our team. 

We'd descend upon the stadium and you could hear the bands inside while hoards of people lined up to get in.  What I remember most about going to the game was the moment you went from being line in the tunnel to taking your first step into Notre Dame stadium.  It felt like my soul would leap to freedom as I stepped out into the stadium.  I didn't care who they were playing I just knew I was there.

Ironically I don't really remember many specific plays (outside of the oddity for example when Reggie Ho became a temporary celebrity) but I remember the names Pinkett, Browner, Beurlein, Ferguson, Brown, Ismail and too many more to name. 

I also remember the experience.  Wondering when they would come out in the green jerseys.  Checking out the blimp (a REAL LIVE blimp) in our stadium.  Sometimes it was freezing and we were like a giant family huddling together.  Sometimes it was hot and it was hard at times not to stick to the guy next to you.

There is something unspeakably magnificent about watching the game under Touchdown Jesus.  It was awesome to see the bands come onto the field (not like Cal's of course) and to see the student section alive and supporting their Irish so loyally. 

Then after the game there was of course the meeting at the car.  In South Bend, it was totally fine to let me and my little brother walk to the car and meet my parents, there just wasn't the risk there is now.  Hopefully we walked out with a pom pom or something.  Or even more exciting we slipped onto the field right after the game!

Then it was crash city in the car or vibrant discussion about minute details of the game (particularly when they lost). 

South Bend had very little to offer me.  But the Notre Dame games were unlike any other stadium I've ever visited and that was cool by me.  

A cool new Yoga blog

My yoga teacher/friend Tom Lee has started a blog called "yoga off the mat".  They are more or less amusing or enlightening stories that relate to the power of doing yoga and taking those lessons off the mat.

It's a refreshing endeavor by one of my fave people around.  Tom is super loving and super cool.

Check it out here!

When do limitless possibilities become limited?

I was wondering today about the power of believing in "infinite possibilities" in life.  I see my daughter and see, somewhat, the power of living that way.  Her imagination is so powerful and I think she doesn't even know it. 

So, is it likely that as she grows up that her imagination and ability to harness, or even access, it in the context of possibilities will simply diminish?  I'm the first to admit that in my own life accessing imagination to power infinite possibilities is very challenging.  I'm often in a situation where I almost KNOW how it's going to turn out.  Or perhaps I have an idea of 3 possible outcomes.

Then I take that back into my life, even spiritually, and I've lost that powerful imagination and feel like it's narrowing my vision of life.  I feel that when that narrowing occurs, I'm more likely to be unhappy.  Even if I take the path of "intending" a positive outcome.

Will it keep happening as I get older?  Is it possible for me to open up much further in the future or even right now?  I don't know anyone who is in their 60's or 70's who sees life as infinite possibilities (sure the Wayne Dyers and Deepak Chopras of the world claim they have it, but I don't know them).

I want to step into that world, but it's so unfamiliar to me.

Book Review: How to Know God

How to Know God by Deepak Chopra is mostly an analysis of the stages of a relationship with what he calls God (which is not tied to a religious context). If you're a newbie to spirituality, ignore it.  If you are well versed in it read it if you feel this resonates with you but it's not a must read.

However, there are some useful models of thinking in the book He begins by stating there are three levels of existence:

1. Material World (insert Police joke here...hiyo!!):  Living in the world as we know it bound by time, known by the senses.
2. Quantum Domain:  The world of the mind where creation manifests.
3. Virtual Domain:  Spirit where existence is unbounded in total silence (insert Steve Buscemi from Fargo joke here...hiyo!!)

He then goes on to describe how we can progress and touch the worlds beyond the material world.  He gives a very clear seven stage description of God helping us in the progress from 1-3.  In the stages we progress from thinking of God as a vengeful protector to becoming one with God.

The book is at times overwhelming (I think it could have been cut by a 1/3 and still been effective) but I can see how it will become a book worth referring back to as it describes behavior that signals where I am with my relationship with God.

And in the darkness, that relationship (as far afield as I may be) is the light that I rely on.

Zoe melts my heart

Last night Zoe told me about a friend of hers who had written a note to the tooth fairy and got a response.  So she decided to write a note and I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to write her back.

Her note:  "Dear Tooth Fairy, Can I have some fairy dust?  Your friend, Zoe"

I wrote:  "Dear Zoe, I sprinkled it on you last night.  Love, Tooth Fairy"

She looked at the note with such wonder and amazement it nearly brought me to tears.  Apparently a boy at camp the day before had told her that the tooth fairy wasn't real.

I was more than happy to keep her believing.  I told her that what she believes has nothing to do with what someone else believes.  As long as she believes she's real, the Tooth Fairy is real for her.

Needless to say, I will be deeply affected when she finds out the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, etc. but in the meantime I will bathe in the warmth of her sweet, innocent heart.

A clear business model is not always a fundable business model

Most every entrepreneur I meet struggles to crisply articulate their value proposition.  I solve that problem.

However, clarity of a  value proposition can be a double edged sword.  I was working with an entrepreneur last week, helping him get to the essence of his company.  When we did I realized that it would not get funding.

I told him candidly that it would be very difficult to get this funded, even in the best of economic environments (not an easy convo to have).  I know the whole Google argument about how people would have turned that down.

But for every esoteric (at that time) idea of differentiation like Google, there are 100's maybe even 1000's of companies that have a business model that won't and shouldn't get funded (like the one I'm referring to).  My best advice to the entrepreneurs in that situation is to keep the idea going perhaps as a side business (or shut it down) and move on to their next big idea.