Fellow Riskologist, Yesterday, as I sipped tea and made notes for the coming week, an odd man sat down beside me. Starbucks is my default mobile office these days. I’m like a platinum preferred guest now. I’m on a first name basis with all the baristas within 5 miles of my house, and when I… Continue…
Category Archives: Leadership
A Lesson in Generosity from South Africa
Problem: Generosity is often approached as a token act of kindness, a novelty. Solving life’s biggest problems requires that we approach generosity from a different perspective. Solution: Where there is no expectation, there is no risk. Give freely and openly without expecting something in return. *** Hello from Limpopo, South Africa where I’m hanging out… Continue…
You Can’t Hide from the Internet
In a world that seems to get smaller every day, how do you remain anonymous? How do you keep the things you want to yourself… Continue…
Avoiding Panic Attacks: 13 Questions I Ask Myself Before Saying Yes To Anything
I like to joke that I have adult ADD. I’ve never been diagnosed or sought treatment, but there are times I notice my mind and attention drifting many different directions when they should be focused on one. If I ever cut my arm off, I’ll probably bleed to death on my way to the hospital… Continue…
Here’s How We Set a World Record
Fellow Riskologist, Last Friday, 620 amazing people came out to brave the less-than-amazing morning weather here in Portland to help me and my friend Will do something we’ve always dreamed of: Set a Guinness World Record. What record was it? The longest floating human chain. This was a joint venture between The World Domination Summit… Continue…
The Curse of Knowledge
If you can’t explain everything someone needs to know in one sentence, then your explanation is too long. When you have an important message inside of you, then you also want to spread it. The problem is the more you learn about something, the harder it is to explain it to someone else in a… Continue…
The Reality Distortion Principle Helps You Make Happier Choices In Life, Work, And Beyond
What’s socially “correct” today has not always been that way and probably won’t be forever, either. Will you change them, or wait for them to be changed? Continue…
A Tribute to Scott Dinsmore
Twenty-four days ago my friend, Scott Dinsmore, passed away near the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro—the same mountain I struggled on four years ago. Continue…
The Pre-Mortem: A Simple Technique To Save Any Project From Failure
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Any doctor will tell you that. And so will any sick patient. So, why is it that age-old wisdom like this is rarely practiced? Few people exercise and eat right before they realize their health is failing. You rarely see anyone keep up their car… Continue…
5 Ways to Turn a Terrible Idea Into A Great One
I think when someone says they want to do something but then follows up with “…but I don’t have any ideas,” what they actually mean… Continue…