[Early Spring 2015] The Envelope, Please

It’s a time of year when even the most distant observer notes that winners are separated from something referred to as losers. Who you are can be confused with what you’ve won (lately).

College bowl games, Super Bowl, Golden Globe, Writers Guild of America, Grammys, Oscars – all proclaiming who is/was hot, and maybe by inference, who is not.

Barack Obama got into the act with his January State of Union address noting that his campaigning days were over – eliciting cheers from Republicans – followed by a telling tally – “I should know because I’ve won both of them.Read the rest

Your Goal? Good Stories About Tough Times

Wendy Mogel, author of New York Times bestseller The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children was in the City this week. I caught her presentation at the Hamlin School along with a bevy of parents from various independent schools.

Mogel has great on-stage presence and funny charm, fitting for someone whose father published the National Lampoon.… Read the rest

The Myth of Talent & Achievement Takes Another Blow: San Francisco Giants Win World Series

The myth that talent leads to achievement took another hit to credibility this week. The San Francisco Giants –  a crew of “misfits and outcasts” –  brought the ultimate symbol of North American professional baseball achievement and winning in the form of a World Series pennant back to the City by the Bay.

Talent, it turns out again, is overrated.… Read the rest