Category: Living On Purpose

(This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, RICH’S RIDE: A journey of hope and dreams. You can check out previous posts here.) # # # # # Are you doing? Or are you trying to get done? There’s a saying among writers that nearly everyone likes having written but few actually enjoy writing. Surveys […]

You missed a deadline. You didn’t complete the assignment. The blog post didn’t get finished. Do you offer a litany of reasons/excuses to explain it away? Do you fake the adult equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”? Do you waste more time feeling guilty? Or do you just admit you messed up, apologize, and move […]

In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, Pepsi CEO John Scully recounts Jobs’s pitch to join Apple. According to Scully, Jobs issued a challenge. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?” In some way, we all face a similar […]

What are you really passionate about? One of my friends is passionate about the issue of sex trafficking. I asked her what she tells people when she talks to an audience. “Awareness is important, but by itself it’s pretty useless. At some point, awareness has to translate into some form of action.” She pointed me […]

It’s time to begin seriously ramping up for the next chapter in Rich’s Ride. Our team will converge on Cincinnati in about six weeks for IJM Freedom Tour. I hope you’ll plan to follow the team through the Rich’s Ride blog. I know we’ll meet great people, share inspiring stories, and learn about the people […]

Happy Saturday! I enjoy great commencement speeches. Here’s one from writer Neil Gaiman. I invite you to leave a comment and share your favorite bit of wisdom from this remarkable address. Can’t see the video? Click here. Have a great weekend. Want to receive free updates? Click below to get Bouncing Back delivered directly to your inbox.

Yesterday (The Sower And The Weeds) I talked about my take on weed control based on The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9). Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. (Mark 4:7) Jesus is pretty clear about the devastating impact of weeds. They […]

My friend Dennis grows grass for a living. He’s the superintendent at a local golf course. Our small group was discussing The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9). It’s the story of a man who scatters seed in four kinds of soil. We spent a lot of time on verse 7: Other seed fell among […]

Ever get a pebble in your shoe? Just a teeny one, and you don’t even notice it’s there for a while until you’re limping without even knowing why? It’s just a tiny stone, and maybe you try to ignore it for a while, but eventually it causes enough irritation that you have to stop and deal […]

(This article originally appeared on February 23, 2010) Diplomacy is the art of saying “Nice doggie” until you can find a rock. Will Rogers Can you really “kill them with kindness”? I’ve never considered the notion of literally harming someone with kindness. But recently I’ve encountered some folks who’ve caused me to wonder. As I […]

I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m dwelling on a relatively minor incident, but this week’s handcycle theft provides an opportunity. Bouncing Back is, after all, partly about confronting and overcoming adversity. If we learn from small bumps, perhaps we’ll do a little better when something really big happens. Some  observations: “Why” would someone take a […]

It’s a shock. I went to the garage yesterday morning and noticed an empty space. My first thought was, “Where’d I put my handcycle?” as though I might have simply misplaced the seven-foot-long, bright yellow machine. It took a moment to assimilate the fact that someone stole my handcycle. Then there’s some anger, that someone […]