I read a lovely tribute in the New York Times yesterday to Ladis Kristof by his son, columnist Nicholas Kristof, in celebration of Father's Day (http://tinyurl.com/249f2qq). Nicholas recalled a profound statement his father, a Slavic immigrant and concentration camp survivor, had written that impacted him for years: War, want and concentration camps, exile from home …
Author: Gregory Hake
Son. Husband. Father. Thinker. Doer.
A Breath of Fresh Air
A friend and I were walking around Mackinac Island in northern Michigan yesterday morning and we both noticed something worth repeating. The island, if you've never been, is free of motor vehicles. To move about the island you have three choices: (1) walk, (2) bicycle and (3) horse drawn carriage. It is a piece of heaven, geographically …
The Rube Goldberg Machine
According to Wikipedia, "A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately over-engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. If you have seen the 1968 classic "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," you may recall the scene in which Caractacus Potts (Dick van Dyke) was cooking breakfast for his children using …
Your Abilities Matter
When you consider those around you do you tend to think more of their limitations or their capabilities? When you think of the world around you, do you tend to focus more on that which you have or that which you wish you had? Your experience of life is conditioned by what you tend to emphasize in daily …
A Tribute to John Wooden (1910-2010): A Century of Greatness
Coach John Wooden brought honor, dignity and humility to the profession of coaching in a way that will likely never be matched. His coaching achievements speak for themselves and when Coach Wooden spoke, everybody listened. I thought you would enjoy this link sent to me the other day of one of the hundreds of interviews given …
Continue reading A Tribute to John Wooden (1910-2010): A Century of Greatness
Our Fascinating Universe
There is nothing like a short course in astronomy to put things into perspective. All human activity in the course of human history, apart from several short forays by a select few just outside of the earth's upper atmosphere, has taken place on this tiny planet in a small corner of our galaxy, amidst billions …
This Time is Different
I read an interested op-ed piece in the New York Times today written by Thomas Friedman, called "This Time is Different." (full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/opinion/13friedman.html?src=me&ref=homepage) Friedman began with a letter from a friend of his who works in the Pentagon. The letter is reprinted below: I’d like to join in on the blame game that has …
Unconditional Forgiveness: Amish Grace
A good friend of mine grew up in Amish country. She isn't Amish, but I always enjoy hearing stories of her childhood. While I know very little about the Amish, I feel I know a bit more after watching a Lifetime movie called Amish Grace Saturday evening. If you haven't seen it, here is the synopsis, provided …
The Logic of Failure
How well do you adapt to adversity? When you face complex situations in life do you tend to rise up or crumble under the pressure? If you feel that you have room for improvement I would encourage you to look into Dietrich Dorner's book, The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations. If you …
Sweat the Small Stuff
While large companies and governments appear to believe that the more money they spend or the more force they apply to change anything in life is more likely to cause the desired change, behavioral economics tells us that input and change are not always directly related when it comes down to individual choices. In fact, small changes can have huge effects while vast …
Gregory Hake 