Thanks Tony

Yesterday, Tony Dungy, one of the most admired and successful coaches in all of sports, retired. And while we'll miss the man on the sidelines, we'll miss his "persona" most of all. You see, Tony is a genuine servant leader. He's thoughtful, compassionate, spiritual, humble, intelligent, humanistic, philanthropic, hard-working, family-oriented, inspiring, composed. And more.

Yea, I like the guy: I like his style, temperament, and character.

That said, I guarantee, that he'll be the first to tell you that all those characteristics and attributes aren't easy to develop, achieve, or maintain. They're not. But that doesn't mean that we don't strive for all of those qualities, and more. Professional and personal goodness is a constant, lifelong journey. It's evolutionary, not revolutionary. No quick fixes; no magic pills.

As far as being good, others-oriented people goes ... we are a never-ending, never-complete, never-satisfied ... always-moving, always-learning, always-going, work-in-progress. Granted, that type of mindset, commitment and activity is busy, and somewhat daunting. But it beats the heck out of not doing it.

Don't you think?

And so, while admittedly, I'd liked to have seen a few more Super Bowl wins during his era with The Colts (and I'm sure Tony would have as well ;) ... I, like so many others, know that his accomplishments and inspirations off the field, count a lot more than trophies, or some gaudy rings worn by a select few. After all, I don't believe Tony's a selfish bling guy; I think he's more about what's on the inside that matters, and how his actions positively impact others.

So farewell, for now, Mr. Dungy. Thanks for being you. We wish you all the very best with your next endeavors, knowing that you will continue to lead, guide, and inspire.

Leading, Guiding and Inspiring Are Good.

Zen-Zones (Even in a Bookstore)

One Saturday every month, I go to a bookstore to hang out, browse, drink green tea, and yeah, you guessed it, buy books. (I'm a wild and crazy guy!) Mostly, I do this because I'm a big fan of lifelong learning, self development, and reading good books. Be those books on business, life, leadership, management, spirituality, health, history, current affairs, politics, sociology, and before you go thinking I'm one boring dude, lots of stuff that's just fun and entertaining to read.

Thanks to my most recent bookstore voyage, I'm now enjoying a scrumptious, bountiful feast of four books, from four genres. You see, I like to keep my reading diverse, and plentiful. Now, in addition to reading good books for the many upsides that good books provide - the time spent in the bookstore itself, is an invigorating, meditative, therapeutic experience. You see ... well ... I sorta .... how-do-I-put-this ... well ... I ... Zen-out; go into my own little, feel-good, Zen-Zone world (sans Hogwarts and Dementors) - only to reenter the bright lights and noise of the Muggles store when I pay my tab, and realize the expense of my momentary Zen. And boy, sometimes the expense is a real doozy. Talk about a bitter/sweet, yin/yang thing! But hey, nobody ever said that learning, personal development, and the pursuit of "Zen-Zones" is cheap - let alone quick, or easy. It's not. But I look at the expense of time and money - as an investment, not a cost.

Zen-Zones Are Good

Cherish The Moments

So the other night, I'm putting my son to bed. You know, the typical routine: He complains about going to bed too early ("but daaaaaaaad"); clothes get tossed; pajamas on; teeths brushed/then brushed some more; pile into bed; he reads; I read; lights out; say our prayers; talk some, and then if all goes well, he konks-out like a drunken hobo ... snores and all.

On this night though, he asks me an off-the-wall, what-the-heck, where-the-did-that-come-from question right before the konks-out part. Now, being a question of bad timing and unrealistic expectation (something like he should get something that his friends' got) - I replied, to the effect, "You know, you take me for a push-over, don't you?" To which he replied, in two parts: Part 1) "Yea, I do kinda." Part 2) "Oopps, that was a thought bubble that went pop." And you know, as soon as he said that, we both started cracking up. And I'm not talking about some little giggle, but a full-out, side-splitting, leg-kicking, tears-of-laughter roar! Maybe you had to be there; but for us, at the time, it was a reeeeeaal doozy.

It felt great.

After the laughter subsided, and he asleep (with his head on my chest, as always) - I lied there longer than usually, smiling in the dark, cherishing the moment.

Cherished Moments Are Good.

In 2009: Good is Good

At this time of year (or before), many of us contemplate, sign-up for, and commit to various New Years resolutions. It's our thing. That said, and in recognition of the unbelievably abysmal, depressing, tedious, egregious, vexing, frustrating, grinding, knackered, messed-up, no-good, odious, perplexing, ravaging, worrisome, just-get-me-the-heck-out-of-the-year-2008 that it was ... it's easy to see why we all want to focus on positive resolutions (as if anyone would sign up for negative ones; but you never know).

Be that as it may, before we go setting overachieving, unbelievably optimistic expectations that include words like terrific, fantastic, incredible, extraordinary, stupendous, phenomenal, super-duper, and all those other type of high-flooting adjectives and expressions (though I do like "that's the cats pajamas" one) - lets keep it real; keep it manageable, and most of all, achievable. That said, a word that that fits nicely given past issues, present dynamics, and future uncertainties, is the word (drum roll please): good. In fact, good is great.

So here's to good health, good friends, good family, good work, good jobs, good politics, good spirituality, good faith, good love, good hugs, good peace, for good living.

Good is Good.

Veg Out Day

It's the day after Christmas. The holiday season's been great, big fun. Much motion. Traveled to, and fro. Busy. Spent wonderful time with family and friends. Hugged, laughed, and cherished. Drank and ate way too much. Been active. I'm tired. In need of rest and relaxation: some R&R.

Today's way slow compared to recent. That happens, right: crazy, super busy ... followed by crazy, super slow. And that's not a bad thing. Sometimes in life, we have to quiet things down; recharge, meditate, chill, veg-out. So while the English might call the day after Christmas Boxing Day, I think I'm going to call this Veg Out Day. You with me? But no need to answer - because like any well behaved vegetable, you don't have to.

Just lay there, and veg.

Veg Out Day is Good.

The Need For (Parentheticals)

If you think about it (it's good to think), parentheticals are the straw that stirs the good drink of understanding (and who doesn't like to understand, let alone enjoy a good drink). Without parentheticals, everything would just be too spread-sheetish; linear; flat; dot-connected-to-dot; black/white; monotone; unexplainable; hear-what-I-say-not-what-I-mean; sound-bite/bumper-sticker dimensions; just-the-facts Joe Fridays; clean, straight. (In other words: boring; lacking; frustrating).

On the contrary (life is full of contradictions), we live in a world that's all about color; bumps; curves; loops; round-abouts; dipsy-do's; messiness; the-need-for-read-between-the-lines-explanations; Power Points; be-that-as-it-mays; on-the-other-hands; what-ifs; diversity; Socratic dialogue; subtleties; interpretations (well, you get the picture: it's a box of chocolates thing: and that's all I gots ta say 'bout that, Forest).

So let's embrace, appreciate and promote the actual (well) written and (well) spoken words, facts, and matter-of-facts (especially when they are accurate and clear). But lets also celebrate the need for parentheticals (because words alone aren't always meaningful). Good parentheticals (as opposed to many of my previous parentheticals) - can help explain a lot of (what-the-heck?) things that need more (in-depth) explaining.

Parentheticals are Good. (Parenthetically speaking ;)

Self-Control

We've all been reading about the aggressive, protesting, disaffected youth in Greece who are causing incredible unrest and damage through violence, rioting, bombing, and a lot of ugly behavior. It's bad. Now this mess is spreading across the rest of Europe - where most recently young adults in Italy, Spain, Denmark and France have also started to riot, burn cars, attack banks, and again, cause lots of expensive damage - physically and emotionally.

So what's the deal!?

Well, the thing is, they're really peeved about soaring unemployment, globalization, economic turmoil, and too much Abba on the radio. Indeed, times are tough all around, and it's making lots of folks angry, all around. And what's the potential of that type of violent behavior happening here in the U.S.? Given all the bad stuff taking place on our own island, all we need is our young adults rioting in the streets. NOT! (Insert personal opinion here: by electing Barack Obama, I think that's helped quell that potential, at least for now.)

Unfortunately, I personally don't have a quick or easy remedy for what ails us, as the problems are big, deep and wide. (But how do you eat an elephant? Bite by bite.) While we individually can't solve this situation, we can individually do a better job of taking care of what we can control: our own emotions, understanding, perspective, attitude, aptitude and mindfulness. Sure, those "intangibles" won't put a paycheck in the bank, gas in your tank, or food on the table per se. But it will help. If we can't control what we can't control, let's control what we can.

Ourselves.

Oh yea, and maybe, just maybe, every young adult - throughout the world for that matter - should read the super-cool, award-winning, hip-happenin, best-selling book Pocket PorchLights (excuse the absolutely shameless plug). After all, it was written to help young adults succeed at work and life, while at the same time, helping their friends, families, employers and communities enjoy more happiness, compassion, and success. That's its cause. But to achieve that success, on both an individual and collective basis, than each of us has to personally take action. As the saying goes: there may not be an "i" in team, but there's an "m" and an "e."

And you can't have self-control, without the self.

Self-Control is Good.