Month: November 2014
Today marks (more or less) the 20th anniversary of The Legend of Bagger Vance, the first book I ever got published (after almost thirty years of trying)—and, in its brand-new, leather-bound incarnation, the centerpiece of this year’s Christmas Special at Black Irish Books. The video below is me telling all about this one-time-only Holiday Gift Special. Take a look. The video’s short. And trust me, we went all out for this Christmas. This Special is a good one!
Read MoreBack again to the subject of Personal Culture. What are the aspects of this beast? First is Level of Aspiration. “How high are we aiming?” Last year’s NBA champs were the San Antonio Spurs. Two up-and-coming teams from that season are the L.A. Clippers and the Golden State Warriors. Both squads are young and loaded with stars. The Spurs, on the other hand, are old and creaking. A few days ago the Spurs played the Clippers and the Warriors in back-to-back games. The Spurs thrashed them both. For San Antonio entering this season, only one outcome is acceptable: they must…
Read MoreRemember Jack Lord? He played Steve McGarrett on the original Hawaii Five-O. Jack Lord had a rule for himself as a character. The rule was: “I don’t ask questions. I answer them.” I learned this from my friend Ernie Pintoff, who directed a gaggle of Hawaii Five-Os back in the day. According to Ernie, every time a script called for Jack Lord’s character to ask a question, Jack would stop the scene and refuse to read the line. “I don’t ask questions,” he would say. “I answer them.” When I first heard this, I thought, “What an insufferable egomaniac! People…
Read MoreI knew little about cars—yet I tuned into NPR’s “Car Talk” and then stuck around for years, clinging to “Click and Clack’s” words. Tom and Ray Magliozzi (a.k.a. Click and Clack the Tappet brothers) were a mainstay in my life, introduced by my father, who was a fan of their humor, accents, alma mater, and car knowledge. I tuned in the first time to listen to what Dad was raving about. I stayed for every reason other than for the talk of cars. Theirs was the ultimate crossover show—a program that attracted the mechanically inclined, as well as the mechanically…
Read MoreContinuing on our theme from two weeks ago, personal culture: What is the most important part of the artist’s or entrepreneur’s working day? To me it’s the minutes right after the day is over. Why? Because that’s the time when it’s absolutely essential that you and I acknowledge our day’s efforts and give ourselves some props. Self-validation. Self-reinforcement. Nobody else is gonna do it for us. We have no boss; he’s not gonna come in and give us a high five. Our spouses have got their own problems. Our kids couldn’t care less. We have no coach, no teacher, no…
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Start with this War of Art [27-minute] mini-course. It's free. The course's five audio lessons will ground you in the principles and characteristics of the artist's inner battle.