Everything Under the Sun

President Franklin Roosevelt famously said, "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."  I truly feel that this quote is the cornerstone of what it means to be part of a society that puts their best effort forth in raising the next generation. The future is uncertain. It is now, always has been, and always will be. But we as individuals and as a collective society have one powerful tool for achieving Roosevelt's vision; engagement . As I prepare to step into the next phase in my life I'm constantly reflecting on how I got here, slowly piecing together the people, places, things, and circumstances that drove me to this point. With a profound sense of gratitude I think I've arrived at a powerful realization about my own upbringing, and something I'm sure most individuals can agree was incredibly influential in their lives as well. I'll boil it down to this: people, everywhere, in contexts small or large, wh...

Humans are forward looking. Sometimes it's good and other times it's bad. Often times it's a great quality we possess. We write exhilarating and thought provoking science fiction. Our imaginations are wild. Our ideas are bold. We take action to achieve fantastic feats. And our vision for the future  can  be extraordinary.  But many times, our forward looking nature can make us short sighted. We forget history. Even our own history. We think the grass is always greener somewhere else, when in reality we just need to take a second to stop and water our own grass. Sometimes we forget to live in the present because of how much we're looking toward the future. And sometimes we forget how far we've come.  I recently came across a video on what we've achieved in the last 45 or so years of human history. I found this refreshing because we often get caught up in the negativity that exists today, but the truth is, we've accomplished so, so much. So let's spread t...

What is it about humans that causes us to have a love-hate relationship with pain? We seek it. For those of us who've experienced it, we have Stockholm Syndrome and often yearn for it. As if it's become a part of us. We are self destructive. We do drugs, drink toxins, eat carcinogens, stay up too late, get up too early, and turn child's electrolyte drinks into hangover cures. We want to know what it's like to "be without", when most of live "with". Maybe it's our desire to embrace primitive instincts at a subconscious level. At one point in our primal history we had to suffer, to fight, to endure, and to survive in order to make it another day. Perhaps there is an innate drive deep within us that seeks to recreate those physical and mental effects. However, not all pain is derived from negative situations. Some of the most satisfying and growth provoking activities boast their single most important byproduct as pain. For some its a grueling 10 ...

There's a quote. It's one of my favorite people's favorite quote's. It goes like this. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It's simple. Bold. Profound. It's a call to action and yet also an assurance that action is possible. Change comes in many forms, good and bad. But everyone can progress humanity forward, doing their part to solve problems, fix the broken, heal the sick, and contribute to a better tomorrow. The marketing analyst is just as much a part of this cycle as the philanthropist. The common denominator? Mentality. If we have the mentality of creating a better, more positive tomorrow then we can find ourselves a part of Ghandi's vision. This complex setup we call life on Earth is really just the sum of its parts. And if we individually strive to be better, more purpose driven, more helpful, more contributory, bigger picture thinking, positive outcome focused parts of this whole, then the whole will improve. It will grow. It ...

They say it takes a village. For me it was a Shining City on a Hill . I hope that Reagan Era reference fully reflects the gratitude to my village. The village that raised me. I've found as I get older, learn more, and accumulate life experience, I sit in disbelief from time to time, at how much I was given. How fortunate I am. How much gratitude I'm filled with. And how much enlightenment, how much purpose I've found in the realization of that blessing. Not everyone was as fortunate as I was, to grow up where I did, with who I did, doing what I did. It's something you realize as you interact with people, as you explore the world, and as you take a step back. So we ask ourselves in reflection, as an individuals who were fortunate, three questions. 1. How does our upbringing influence who we are? What did our circumstances do for us, and what did they lack? 2. How can we continue the cycle in our lives, for the people we will bring into existence? 3. And finally, how...