I left the house this morning at 6:30am. 2 hours earlier than usual. I usually help with feeding, changing, playing with the girls. This morning, I had a 7 am meeting. I didn't even get to say good morning to the girls. And Jen had to manage the juggling act of caring and feeding on her own. At 6pm the phone rang. I answered. It didn't sound good. I heard Jen talking. Screaming babies drowned what she was saying. Neither girl would eat. Both were crying. Jen was … [Read more...]
Easy to please. Easier to displease.
June 14, 2012 by
My wife, Jen, was exasperated with me. I don't remember what the back and forth was about. There are too many times to choose from. "You're so hard to please!" she said. "No, I'm not. I'm easy to please ... I'm just easier to displease." This is not the best thing to think about myself. I give power to factors out my control. Then I feel a reduced sense of power and control in my life. This leaves me displeased. There are a lot words for this. I'll call it … [Read more...]
Who are you to decide?
June 13, 2012 by
"She's not interested," is what I thought to myself. I use my calendar for a to do list. If something doesn't get done, I just drag it to another day. I looked over calls I didn't make yesterday, dragging them to new time slots. I picked this idea up from Peter Bregman. I was setting up my calendar for the day. I didn't want to move this call to another day. I wanted to leave it behind. I made the decision for her. My stomach sank the moment the thought, "She's not … [Read more...]
How to have your cake and eat it, too.
June 8, 2012 by
I watched the 4 year old boy try to get entire cake from mom. Like a good mother, she does not allow the 4 year old to have the whole cake. She offers a bite. He refuses it. He wants the entire thing. Think big. Push boundaries. Be bold. Be unreasonable about what you want and what you're willing to do get it. Start by taking a step. Take the first bite that's there for you. Then work to get the next one. You'll get your whole cake if you push hard enough. It will just take … [Read more...]
What’s your nature?
June 5, 2012 by
The girls stopped eating most of their bottles a few weeks ago. It was like they were on strike. We asked around and googled for insight. We learned something. We were using the wrong nipples. You can buy baby bottle nipples with different flow rates. You give higher flow rated nipples as the babies grow. Babies would rather not eat than work too hard to eat. They're not consciously choosing. They don't have that capability. It's just in their nature. They'll under … [Read more...]
Just tell the story
June 2, 2012 by
Jen looked at me frustratedly. I sighed deeply, exasperated. We'd been talking for 10 minutes getting nowhere. She cried out, "This is going all over the place. Just tell me what happened!" Another sigh released from me. I went to the beginning of the story. Two months ago, I drove over a ditch left uncovered by a construction crew. It was nighttime. When the car struck the ditch it surprised the shit out of me as felt the front slam thunderously. The rims on … [Read more...]
What do you want to leave behind?
May 29, 2012 by
Let's stick with the Lego theme. I've written about building ideas ... ideas are the Lego blocks. Putting the blocks together is the execution. Many of us get caught in the idea trap. Accumulating ideas like a hoarder accumulates newspapers, cats and Elvis plates. The ideas pile up until we're overwhelmed by them. They're everywhere! You can barely walk in your brain because there are so many ideas piled up and laying around. Most of my regrets are about what I haven't done. … [Read more...]
Are you getting caught in the idea trap?
May 25, 2012 by
I remember stepping on the Lego piece with my bare foot. I screamed, cursing. A cubic, sharp pebble cutting into my foot. It hurt! Yesterday, I talked about how building ideas is like playing with Legos. "The ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution." If you're an "idea guy" (or gal), like me, you have a bunch of blocks. They're everywhere! You're tripping on them, stepping on them, staring at them. Are you putting them together? Are you addicted … [Read more...]
How do you win the battle of will?
May 25, 2012 by
I love feeding my girls. They're 7 months old. They don't know what they're doing. It's a socio-science experiment. What will they like? What will they hate? Will they clamp their mouth shut? Will Ellie like one thing and Evie another? Jen and I treat every bite like it's fun and tasty. "Mmmmmm", "Yummmyyyyy", "Yaaaaaaay". We smile. We pretend like we're chewing and swallowing. I learned quickly that it's not about them eating the food. It's about enjoying the experience of … [Read more...]
Are you playing with Legos or with Jenga?
May 24, 2012 by
Building ideas is like playing with Legos. It's not like playing Jenga. Your ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution. The nice thing about Legos ... You can build one thing, take it apart and build something completely different. You have the flexibility to innovate and pivot. You can go back and then forward again. Put your ideas into action. If it's not right, take them apart and put them together differently. Building ideas is not about keeping … [Read more...]
