– I’m old enough to know better but young enough not to care. – Right now is the oldest you’ve ever been and the youngest you’ll ever be again. – Old enough to have experience but young enough to have enthusiasm. There are so many “old versus young” statements I could probably burn an entire…
Across the span of the past few decades of my life I’ve heard a great many analogies that compare something to “my house.” The most common ones have been federal financing (compared to a home budget to make it easier to understand), the nation (discussing illegal immigration) and others like that. Recently I saw a…
Some years back (as I type this) I was scheduled to take a trip to New Hampshire from my home state of Maryland. I had a number of people quite shocked that I chose to drive rather than fly. After all, why would I waste so much time driving when I could fly so much…
We have all heard the story of the hare and the tortoise; the rabbit and the turtle. We’ve heard how the rabbit was just SO sure of himself that he dawdled and wasted time while the turtle kept on making slow and steady progress. That story is where the phrase, “Slow and steady wins the…
It’s been said that “I Am” are two of the most powerful words in the English language – because what you put after them literally defines you. How you define yourself has a powerful impact on how you live, what you pursue, what you accomplish and more. It literally drives your motivation… or lack thereof. …
As young children most of us are taught to play games and every game, no matter how simple, has a winner. Obviously, if there is A winner then there is also a loser, or an assortment of them. We’re also taught things like, “Don’t be a sore loser,” and “Don’t be a gloating winner.” There…
In the military and law enforcement fields of endeavor – where I have spent almost my entire adult life – time is a precious commodity. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing going on and it’s easy to get bored. Time moves SO slow then. Then there are those moments of utter chaos with potential for great…
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. How many times have you heard THAT statement? Better yet, how many times have you heard that statement used by someone who you believed simply didn’t want to try to teach someone something new? Or learn something new themselves? From past experience I know for a fact…
Success, as defined by Dictionary.com means: the accomplishment of one’s goals; the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. Those definitions align with what most of us have been taught throughout our lives, as we grew up, as we worked to attain certain goals in school and then as we moved into our lives,…
I know a few people who have a difficult time handling the criticism of others. When I talk with them, I try to encourage them to understand the difference between criticism and critique. One, criticism, is nothing more than verbal judgment with no suggestion on how to improve. The other, critique, is feedback on something…
My mind has been spinning for the past couple of hours – and it’s all my own fault. A young man who is a work acquaintance of mine posted something on facebook about depression. I think we can all agree that depression sucks. Feeling depressed is never an enjoyable thing. My outlook and response was…
…and therefore unnecessary. I didn’t used to believe that. You’d think that being a police officer for virtually all of my adult life, I’d understand that fear was something I could choose or not. I didn’t realize that until after I’d retired (the first time) and I still have to thank a Will Smith movie…
Most of my friends and family have heard me quote the Serenity prayer or some version of it (because I can never remember it exactly right) repeatedly through the past couple of decades (quoted below). One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Baz Luhrmann’s song Everybody’s Free. “Don’t worry about the future. Or know…
As much as it pains me to quote Rocky Balboa, the man had this right: “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” When you think about what was one of the…
Have you ever had one of those conversations wherein someone tells you that you shouldn’t have done something? I used to have such conversations all the time with my dad. He was the absolute best at reminding me of all the bad decisions I’d made. He liked to tell me how different my life would…
I know a woman who, at the grand old age of about eight years old, was taught that someone else was to blame. Blame for what? Everything. That summer she lived with some relatives and in a very short time span she gained a lot of weight. She had lived the lifestyle of those particular…
Just recently I had a man – a friend from my youth – post on Facebook about how I’d been an inspiration to him. Allow me to quote (and no, this isn’t just for the purposes of feeding my ego): “I would like to publicly acknowledge a man I consider a friend, a brother although…
I had the unfortunate experience last night (as I type this) of talking with a friend of mine who is facing some personal challenges. He’s got an adult aged daughter who has made some poor life choices. He recently was able to offer her some help; some guidance; some financial assistance… and of course he…
As most folks who read my blogs know, I have been a police officer for over 30 years. Like everyone else, I’ve faced challenges in my life and like everyone else I’ve faced times when I had to work in an efficient and professional manner even when life wasn’t all peaches and cream. It’s often…
I’ve made the observation that the older I get the more friends I have who are, seemingly all of a sudden, interested in “staying in shape.” Yes, it is somewhat funny that “staying” implies they are already in good physical condition, and they’re not, but it’s also sad too. For that matter, it’s far easier…