Category: Rich’s Ride

The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.  I’m speaking next week to a group on the topic of ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS.

Never allow what you cannot do to interfere with what you can do. ~ John Wooden Whenever I speak to a group about adversity and dreams, I try to communicate the principle of REALISTIC OPTIMISM. I use The 8000/2000 Principle as an illustration.

Do you REALLY believe what you believe? Next week I’ll speak to a group of inmates at the county detention center. I addressed a similar audience about a year ago, and I still cannot escape the haunting impressions from that visit. As I spoke to those despondent young people I felt like I’d wandered into […]

How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. Bob Dylan Another senseless slaughter in a place dedicated to peace—a church, a school, The Holocaust Museum.

One can be very happy without demanding that others agree with them. ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe I’ve been thinking a lot about Chris Guillebeau’s insightful analysis of What Makes A Community? We all live, work, and play in a variety of communities, and I guess I’m especially interested because my efforts to contribute via […]

  A community is a group of people united through a common struggle with the same stories. This definition comes from an insightful article by Chris Guillebeau called What Makes A Community? I highly recommend Chris’ site, The Art of Nonconformity. Chris’ writing makes me think and inspires me to extend my own ideas. I […]

Normal is a setting on the dryer. We’re obsessed with labels. Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, Christian, atheist—it seems that we’re intent on placing ourselves in neat little boxes and pretending that everyone in a particular box is identical. The big problem with labels is that they obscure ideas and individuals. Then we demonize, bash, and […]

Why do you believe in God? The question stopped me in my tracks. I’m naturally a seeker and a questioner so I’m accustomed to reconciling the internal consistency of my faith, but such interactions occur with other believers. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this foundational question.

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” I try to avoid politics. Really, I do. I dislike partisan bickering and divisiveness that casts someone as the personification of evil simply based on party affiliation. I’m […]

An optimist looks at a piece of moldy bread and sees penicillin. Leonard was tired of my endless complaining. More than a year after my accident I still invested more energy in seeking sympathy than working to get better. He was sick of my lousy attitude. Leonard was the latest in a series of physical […]

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence. Do you recall waiting in long lines to get your driver’s license?

“How do you develop resilience?” We were discussing an approaching event at which I’ll speak to a group of nonprofit leaders about the notion of confronting and overcoming adversity.