Author Archives: Frank Borelli

Throw Out 2018’s Trash

Welcome to the end of another year (or close to it). As we approach the New Year, lots of people are focused on the resolutions and changes they want to make. Folks think about what they are unhappy with or set new goals. It’s a great time of year for new beginnings (although ANY time of year is a great time for a new beginning). That recognized, how many of us take a look at why we want to change what we want to change and take the necessary steps to remove some of the negativity from our day and our lives? Continue reading →

The Complete Armory

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Recently my son was home on an extended weekend after a deployment with the Marine Corps and we got into a discussion about what guns we’d like to have in our home armory. The discussion soon evolved to be more about what someone SHOULD have versus what they WANT to have. This bore further examination and, because it’s easier to keep track of lists on paper, I soon found myself writing out a list of weapons we felt were necessary. Bear in mind, this isn’t a “soldier” list, or a “cop” list; in our minds, this is an American Citizen list. Continue reading →

9mm vs .45ACP: Really? Again?

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Yes, again. Amongst avid handgun fans the debate between big and slow versus small and fast stretches back over a hundred years now I’d guess. 2011 marked the 100 year anniversary of the Government Model 1911 .45ACP having been adopted by the U.S. Military (even though it existed in 1904) and the 9mm is even older than that. What makes the debate relatively new (and hopefully interesting) is the addition of what I call “compromise calibers”. There are a couple in between the maximum ends of the debate and recently that has been thrust into my consideration almost against my will. Continue reading →

Be Your Own Great Author

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I have heard so many jokes about why you shouldn’t piss off an author. Everything from, “because they’ll write you into one of their books and then kill you off in some unique and interesting way,” to, “you just never know what their imagination will produce.” I always found it rather humorous that people had so much faith in my ability to be vindictive or seek revenge through my writing. But the ultimate irony is that those same people never seem to realize: they are the author of their own story and have far more power over that than I ever would writing them into mine. Continue reading →

Planning vs. Winging It

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This morning, as happens all too often, I saw a social media post that argued planning over improvisation or “winging it.” I saw another one that suggested winging it was always better than planning. Both arguments seem sound to me and I came to the realization that to be truly successful you have to do both. The challenge is that they require different talents and different skill sets. That said, if you can plan AND improvise then you all but guarantee yourself success in any endeavor. Let’s think about this a bit and discuss a few particulars about each approach. Continue reading →

This Holiday Season Wipe Negative Thinking

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It’s “Black Friday” 2018 as I type this. Thanksgiving is a pleasant recent memory and we can finally justify all of the Christmas commercials and music we’ve been seeing for the past two weeks. Alongside the early commercial push for “buy buy buy!” I’ve been hearing friends talk about how the holidays were going to treat them… or more correctly, how they were going to behave during the holiday season. One thing I heard repeatedly was, “Why should I start eating clean and exercising now? It never works during the holidays. I’ll just start January first and make it a New Year’s Resolution.” Because that always works, right? Continue reading →

What Does ‘Exercise’ Mean to You?

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I recently wrote a piece about the difference in perception caused in most people when they hear ‘diet and exercise’ versus ‘nutrition and fitness.’ Just yesterday (as I write this) I was in my doctor’s office and was proud to see his reaction to the new fitness levels my wife and I are demonstrating thanks to our relatively new regimen of eating cleaner and training more. When he asked what we were doing, I carefully didn’t answer “diet and exercise” but HE used the word exercise in our conversation quite repeatedly. It made me wonder what people think when they hear the word ‘exercise’ because some seem so adverse to it. Some seem to think it means something tedious and unbearable. Some seem to think it means constantly repetitive and boring activity designed for very limited purposes. I decided to take a look at the word and how we use it and see what it really means. Continue reading →

Your Plan versus Their Plan

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While I’m going to use examples from my childhood and that of my children, this article does not apply only to parents and children. It applies to anyone who would see you do something different because of what they think is best for you. The honest reality is that sometimes their plan is better but far less appealing. Sometimes your plan is best and they simply don’t know any better until you show them. Sometimes either plan could work just as well but the more successful one will ultimately prove to be the one you believe in the strongest. Let me explain… Continue reading →

5 Keys to Health

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There were various groups of people throughout history from whom we could learn much. That’s not to say that they were 100% right about everything all the time or that their lifestyle should be adopted in a saturation fashion. But when you think about it, there is something we can learn from everyone. When you look back in history and see a culture that significantly stood the test of time, contributed to the overall well-being of their community and were respected (not out of fear) by those they served, it’s likely a group worth paying attention to. The Samurai were such a group. Continue reading →

Is the 80/20 Rule Right For You?

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Before I delve into the 80/20 rule and whether or not it’s right for you, we need to differentiate between which 80/20 rule we’re talking about. If you’re an economics major or work in the financial field, you’ve no doubt heard of the 80/20 rule otherwise known as Pareto’s Rule. It states that roughly 80% of revenue is generated by 20% of the work. If you Google “80/20 rule” you’ll also see references to the 80/20 rule in marriage, the 80/20 rule in marketing and the 80/20 rule in management. None of that is what we’re talking about here. What we’re talking about here is a discipline level: that of 80% discipline, 20% relaxation… or at least loosened restrictions. Continue reading →