In 1939 Herman Baker was twenty-eight years old. He had a young family and a steady job working for his uncle, Louis Kregel. Everyone would have expected him to continue in that job, providing for his family and moving up the company ranks. It was, after all, the Great Depression. Herman was lucky to have […]
Recently I listened to a fascinating interview with astronaut Dave Wolf, who talked about the importance of “resources” when it comes to spacewalking. To the spacewalker, resources are a life and death matter. Without resources like oxygen and carbon dioxide filtering, the outcome is so grisly Wolf didn’t want to talk about it. With resources, […]
Recently my wife and I watched a movie called “I’m Fine, Thanks.” It’s a documentary about several people who reach a breaking point in life and respond by doing something unconventional. Several of the featured people achieve financial success but realize they’re miserable. One couple decides to pay cash for a 300-square-foot house and focus […]
Conflict is inevitable when people care about themselves and the work they’re doing. In fact, a lack of conflict can be worrisome because it can mean people have grown apathetic or don’t trust others to play fair. But for conflict to actually go somewhere and change things for the better, we need a way to […]
My week was all planned out. I knew what my priorities were, I had blocked off time for a project that needed sustained attention, and I was feeling pretty good about how mapped out my week was. Then it all went south. An agent offered a phone call with an author, which I accepted. I […]
