Finding Clarity in an Ambiguous World

  • What Do You Dwell On?

    On a recent business trip, our CEO connected with a friend and shared some of the challenges that he has recently gone through. The friend shared that when he was going through a very difficult time in his life, he read an article that “changed his life”. As he recounted the content of the article,…

  • Standing In Line Behind Yourself

    Ever open the fridge, pull out something and wonder if it’s spoiled, decide not to eat it and put it back in the fridge, as though next time you’ll decide differently? One of the books (“Brain Rules” – I’m pretty sure) I read recently discussed being careful how we make our first decisions because we…

  • Books Worth Reading: Getting Real

    As we start doing more exploration into what makes a good web based applications, I’ve starting doing more reading on how to visualize data graphically and create a clean interface.  The guys at 37signals.com have grown quite a reputation for their applications.  They have a book called Getting Real that is available in several forms…

  • Experiences versus Possessions: Stories Matter

    We communicate with stories because they are richer experiences and objects or things.  I found this study interesting because it actually helps demonstrate the difference in regard to the impact of buying an experience versus buying an object.  When things go wrong, it has a bigger impact, but it also has a bigger impact when…

  • Three Loci of Confidence

    Recently, I read Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”.  It presents two loci for peoples confidence and self-esteem. The first is confidence that comes solely from the self — the ego. It depends not on the actions or views of others. The second is confidence based on the view of others, living for their approval while they…

  • Leading with Faith

    One of the areas I have been wrestling through in the last several years, is observing how people lead in the face of uncertainty.  There are certainly some people who take the course of “Deactionary Dreamers” (The Path Of Delusion).  In spite of the uncertainty, they tell people what they want to hear.  For a…

  • Starbucks VIA Missing Out

    I’m sure you’ve either heard or seen that Starbucks recently announced their new product, “Starbucks VIA” which is an instant coffee that is supposed to taste just like their brewed coffee.  They are charging $3 for a 3-pack, and $10 for a 12 pack.  They have almost completely redecorated their store so that it’s impossible…

  • Missing Experiences That Never Occurred

    For some lighter reading, I have recently been reading “Ender In Exile” by Orson Scott Card. If you haven’t read, “Ender’s Game”, I highly recommend it, this book is really just filling in a little more in the story line and the more I think about it, is allowing Card to express some of his…

  • Fences & Cages : Perspective In Contracts

    This past weekend I visited the Zoo.  Looking at all of these animals separated from the crowds, in some cases to product the crowds from the animal (black bear/lions/vipers) and in other cases to protect the animal from the crowds.  The separation prevented me from going in and it prevented them from going out.  Are…

  • Jaded Memories During Conflict

    Per an earlier entry on remembering things we never noticed, another place where we struggle remembering reality is during conflict. Because we as humans tend to feel and remember losses far more than we remember gains, we are far more apt to remember the negative things in a relationship rather than the positive things.  Incidentally, the…

Got any book recommendations?