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Books Career Education Greatness Life

5 Books That Could Change Your Life

Photo by Kadarius Seegars on Unsplash

A book can change your life. It’s a cliché, but that does not make it any less true.

All of humanity’s knowledge, insights, ideas, failures, and lessons learned are contained within books. They have all the answers. The writers have lived lives and encountered problems and, fortunately for us, have reported their findings in the form of the written word which we can use as a springboard for our own experiences. Why start from the bottom when we can stand on the shoulders of others?

As the quote that is often attributed to Bismarck attests: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”

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Hip-Hop Nostalgia Rap

My First Rap Tapes

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“Don’t tell Mom.”

As a ten year-old, when your older brother walks into your room and utters those words, you not only take heed, you also immediately get excited. Younger siblings instinctively want to be included in whatever the older kids are doing, even if they rarely understand it. I was no different. 

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America Art History

Finally Face to Face with John Adams

“If the way to do good to my country were to render myself popular, I could easily do it. But extravagant popularity is not the road to public advantage.”

— John Adams

John Adams is the most underrated Founding Father.

He was also the realest.

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Life

Micro-Annoyances: Tiny Things That Irritate Me

I’m bothered by what I call micro-annoyances far more than I should be. These are small, insignificant things that don’t matter and aren’t worth even addressing, but can pile up to become an avalanche of annoying.

Basically, it’s the same sort of thing Larry David has been exploring on television for almost thirty-five years. 

I’m not nearly as good as he is, but I have made a list of my own micro-annoyances that keep coming up in my daily life that I want to vent out into the world. 

Here they are, in no particular order…

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House Life Parenting

Memories in the Attic

It’s a storage area but it’s also a time capsule and a time machine

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There are people that will tell you that places don’t hold memories, that they’re stored in your head and in your heart, always with you. 

It is true that we carry memories with us, but it’s also true that a place, an object, a song, or even a smell can act as a time machine, transporting us back to a time and place that we had thought was lost to the sands of time.

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House Life Yard Work

10 Items That Keep My Yard Fresh

There were many reasons I loved living in a city.

I loved the constant energy; the seemingly countless restaurants and bars; the long, lazy brunches; the pockets of culture like museums and historical sites; the skyscrapers and alleyways; knowing the hidden places that felt like secrets and the corner food cart that served the best breakfast after a long night.

Perhaps most of all, there was no yard work that needed to be done. I had grown up on four acres and my father, born and raised in the city, became like a farmer on the weekends. I’d help him not only cut grass and weed whack, but also with rototilling, stump pulling, tree cutting, and rock moving.

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Lessons Life

25 Short Lessons from 25 Years of Adulthood

Photo by Christopher Pierznik

When does adulthood begin?

Scientists say that, biologically, adulthood doesn’t truly begin until 30, but socially, culturally, and legally, it’s 18. You’re free to leave the nest, make your own decisions (and mistakes), and take control of your life.

I turned 43 in March.

It’s not a milestone birthday by traditional standards — we Americans love numbers that end in fives and zeroes — but if 18 is the age when we become adults, then that means I’ve been a grownup for a full twenty-five years. A quarter-century.

While it often still doesn’t feel like it, I’ve compiled a list of twenty-five things I’ve learned in the past twenty-five years.

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Greatness I Was There NBA

The 20th Anniversary of Attending Michael Jordan’s Final Game

Through sheer luck, I was able to attend Michael Jordan’s final NBA game.

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Knowledge

Life Hack: Never Read The Comments

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Books Learning Lessons

Random Thoughts on Reading Books

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“Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

 — Warren Buffett

“I don’t have time to read.”

You wouldn’t believe how often I hear this. People say it defensively, but also preemptively. I don’t say anything to them about reading. They announce it when they lay eyes on whatever book is in my hand or on my desk. 

The person will continue to fulminate on how busy they are and how there is no possible way to fit reading into their packed calendar. Of course, this often comes immediately after they have just spent a great deal of time raving about the latest tv shows they’ve been bingeing.

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