"You can't base your life on other people's expectations." ~ Stevie Wonder Some people live their lives in total disregard of the expectations of others, while others base their entire sense of self-worth, purpose and meaning on how well they feel they are living up to the expectations of others. My concern this morning is …
Author: Gregory Hake
Son. Husband. Father. Thinker. Doer.
On Friendship
"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end." ~William Shakespeare In a life of some 39 years I have encountered a great many people. No matter how rich, poor, tall, short, wise, foolish, serious, playful, famous, unknown, old, young, and so on they may be or …
The New American Dream
I came across an interesting passage in Seth Godin's Linchpin yesterday evening that I wanted to share with you, as always, with a few of my thoughts on the topic. Godin noted a seismic shift in the way work happens in our era, as distinct from earlier times and summarized his thoughts in this description …
The Art of Expression
"It is not enough that a man has clearness of vision, and reliance on sincerity, he must also have the art of expression, or he will remain obscure." ~ George Henry Lewes You can have the best product in the world, but if you don't package it correctly, it will be lost in the crowd. …
A Cure for Superficiality
“Democracy needs to be reborn in each generation and education is its midwife.” ~ John Dewey, Twentieth Century Education Theorist A friend of mine recommended New York Times columnist David Brooks' recent TED presentation to me yesterday (David Brooks: The Social Animal) and after having listened to it I am pleased to pass it along …
The Value of Apprenticeship
It is my great pleasure to announce that my brother-in-law and I completed our two year falconry apprenticeship yesterday! We couldn't have done it without the guidance and support of our sponsor, Buster Brown, the patience and stoicism of our trusty Red-tailed Hawks, Lexi and Heath, and the words of advice from many others in …
The Open Doors
The first step to effective problem-solving is to realize that a problem is nothing more than an unassembled solution. The more challenging problems typically require more intricate solutions, yet on occasion you might have the good fortune to resolve a complex and seemingly insoluble matter with stroke of genius. When you approach a new challenge …
Your Pool of Resources
I stumbled upon something in my meditations this morning that would, properly employed, save a lot of people a lot of times and go a long way to improving life on earth for everyone. That something is a simple habit that I had the good fortune of learning at a relatively young age, after admiring …
A Fundamental Shift in Values
Speaking of the need of a fundamental shift in values, I read an interesting article in the NY Times yesterday afternoon entitled: “The Modesty Manifesto.” The author, David Brooks, observed that we are an overconfident species, especially the part of humanity now living in the United States. Brooks (somewhat tongue in cheek I expect) noted …
The Civility Deficit
"There can be no high civility without a deep morality." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Civility is a virtue that marks the Golden Mean between barbarousness and glibness or superficial politeness. In early use, the term denoted the state of being a citizen and hence good citizenship. It later (apparently in the mid-16th century) took on …
Gregory Hake 