Alan C. Fox's Blog, page 10

My Challenge to Change Revisited

Two weeks ago my blog began with a joke, and ended with a challenge.

The joke:

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one.  But the light bulb has to want to change.

The challenge:

I gave myself two weeks, until November 21, 2017, to neaten up my workspace.

My report today, November 21, 2017, will begin with a joke.

How many psychiatrists does it take to neaten up my workspace?

None.  I hired someone else to do the job.

As for the challenge, I’m happy and relieved to...

Paved with Good Intentions

My red Tesla is the best car I’ve ever owned.  It accelerates quickly, plays the music I love, and drives itself on the freeway so I can arrive at my destination fresh, rather than worn-out.

My Tesla and I have a deal.  It carries me along the road, GPS as a guide, bathing me in comfort and music.  And every evening I plug in its electric cord to supply the charge it needs to operate the following day.  That’s the deal.  The Tesla does its part and I do mine.

One recent evening, despite my be...

The Challenge to Change

Here’s a joke you might have heard before.

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

Just one.  But the light bulb has to want to change.

I have a problem that’s bothered me for more than twenty years.  My desk is always cluttered. I’ve made enough excuses about this to last a lifetime.

“I know where everything, or almost everything is,” I tell myself, although years ago I found a check for a rather large amount hiding on my desk.  It had been buried there for months.

“That’...

Letting Go

I was watching Saturday afternoon football on TV, and wondering what I would write my next blog about when I received the following email.

Alan,
The buyers have agreed and signed our counter offer. I will open escrow on Monday and be in touch with you, Congratulations!
Bill O.

I thought, “Great!”  But at the same time I felt hollow.

The house I have for sale is located across from the Mission Ranch on Dolores Street in Carmel, California. I was introduced to the quaint, seaside town of Carmel...

As the Twig Is Bent

As I began driving to work this morning I had a random thought.  “This is going to be a bad day.”

Whoops!

How did that saboteur enter my brain?  When I walk into my office would I ever say to a coworker, “Good morning!  This is going to be a bad day”?

Of course not.  I seem to only send that kind of negative message to myself.

It has been said, “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”  Should I allow the twig of my thoughts to grow into the tree of a really bad day?

I assume that you are thi...

Kindred Spirits

On Saturday evening Sprite and I attended my son Craig’s fiftieth birthday party.  My father, a robust 103 years old, joined us. I was reminded of my Dad’s own fiftieth birthday party. It was a surprise (which he hated).

I also remembered Craig’s birthday when he was thirty-five, and the poem I wrote at the time.

The Professor and I visit in his home.  We share memories,
coffee, the dreams we dream.  I buy and sell real estate in California.
He researches and teaches at Duke University in Nor...

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Good relationships are precious beyond the scent of night blooming jasmine, and unless you pay close attention, they are as equally fleeting.  Everyone benefits from forming, maintaining, and deepening those precious relationships that are worth sustaining for a lifetime. That takes training and practice and often the help of outside advice.

Carole, a colleague, taught me an invaluable lesson this morning when she came into my office.

“Alan, I have a problem.”

“Okay.  Have a seat.  What is it...

First Man Standing

I love theater.  I may have said that before in my blog, but love is worth repeating.

I’ve seen plays in London, Edinburgh, Prague, and throughout the United States. I’ve been to many plays on Broadway, including one in which Lyndon Johnson, then vice president of the United States, was in the audience.

Ever since I was a teen, I’ve probably seen on average one play a week, though I must admit, getting out of the house for an 8:00 pm curtain, and returning near 11:00 pm, has become more diffi...

The Five Freedoms of Facing Failure

To err is human.  Not to admit it is even more human.

For seventy-seven years I’ve lived in a world where countless people have sincerely tried to help me – parents, teachers, coaches, and friends – helpers all.

And the end result of all this help? I felt I was a failure.  To me, every suggestion implied that I wasn’t good enough. Help always seemed to include an implication of failure.

“Alan, you’re too sensitive,” was my mother’s refrain throughout my entire childhood.  I know she was tryin...

Three Top Tips for Happiness

“I’d rather be happy than . . .?”  Than what?  Healthy?  Wealthy?  Wise?

Personally, I’d rather be happy than . . . anything.  And my top three tips to help you achieve happiness are:

Let go. Hold tight. Prune.

LET GO.  Let go of anything you can’t do something about right now and anything else that isn’t important.

HOLD TIGHT.  Hold tight to people and activities you enjoy.

PRUNE.  Cut completely out of your life people and activities that bring you grief.

I’m always happy when I bring hap...