“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.  I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.  When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus…

In 1914 Thomas Edison’s factory in West Orange, N.J., was destroyed by a fire.  Much of Edison’s life work went up in flames.  At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year-old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father.  He finally…

I was among the millions of people who flocked to movie theaters recently to see “Top Gun: Maverick.”  It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a few years. My friend Lt. Col. Rob “Waldo” Waldman is an American…

A high school student landed her first summer job working in a drugstore.  As she arrived at the store for her first day on the job, the phone was ringing.  Everyone was busy and the manager asked her to please…

As he lay dying, a father gave a watch to his son.  “Here is a watch your grandfather gave me,” he said.  “It is almost 200 years old.  Go to the jewelry store and see how much they offer you.”…

Good old Charlie Brown from the “Peanuts” cartoon fame had a hard time understanding the value of taking aim at his goals while shooting his bow and arrow in his back yard into the fence.  After shooting an arrow he…

Once a young man asked Socrates about the secret to success, so Socrates invited the young man to meet him at the river the next morning.  They walked hand-in-hand into the water up to their necks when the Greek philosopher…

There is a wonderful Japanese word, “nemawashi,” whose rough translation is to “prepare the roots.”  Although the word was borrowed from famously patient Japanese gardeners, every Japanese businessperson understands its meaning. A gardener would use the term “nemawashi” to describe…

One of the things I’ve missed most during the pandemic is getting together and networking.  Networking is part of my DNA.  No cocktail parties, fundraisers, association meetings and so on for the last couple years has been troubling for me…