How To Matter

DonJohn is running for President, again. You know that. What you may not know is that DonJohn was a charming child. How do we know that? We find the truth in this little, not so scholarly history of politics. Press play, and as you listen, let the music be a clue about just how drab and boring the election season is certain to be.

I listen first to the Democrats and then to the Republicans, First to Joe and Bernie and then to DonJohn and Mitch. I think they are all talking about the USA and about our problems and issues, but it’s hard to know for sure. As best I can figure, the Dems think our most critical issues are healthcare and managing the people wanting to come in from Mexico. The Repubs are mostly concerned about the Dems and whether they will actually be able to displace DonJohn and Mitch in 2020. It must be more thoughtful than it first seems, so I try to go a little past the surface. Joe and Bernie are focused on and fighting for the twenty percent of us who struggle to make ends meet while DonJon and Mitch are committed to preserving the status quo and the privileged position of the twenty percent of us who are getting along just fine. I’ll take another pass at understanding what the fuss is all about. DonJohn and Mitch want to reduce controls and constraints on business and wealth expansion while Joe and Bernie want to re

If you are having a major personal crisis or a tragic life experience, people might sympathize; but if you are just off your game and things are going sideways for you, no one cares about your bad day. I know, that's harsh, but it is what it is. So what to do? For the answer, press play and suck it up.

Although it’s usually not the wrong choice to stand up, speek up, shut up and sitdown, it’s worth considering if this may be the time to just shut up and sit down. We’ve all heard about the benefits of being able to speek well, but just because you can speek well doesn’t mean you should. Let’s give some thought to the benefits of keeping our mouths shut. For example, Will Rogers pointed out what seems obvious but is frequently ignored. He said, “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” Austin O'Malley knew the chief benefit of silence, “If you keep your mouth shut you will never put your foot in it.” Press play to listen to the podcast where you get the full story.

What's your take on this question. "Do meetings ever start on time?" If it's hard to know, when was the last time you showed up on time for a meeting and it started right on time? It would not be surprising if you can't recall. I'm having a little rant about that. Press play and join me. You can rant a little too, if you want.

Have you gotten a robocall that turned into a scam? There are endless robocalls and many if not most are scams. Some time in Scam School may be just what is needed to scam-proof yourself. This session includes three scams and a chance to think about how you would handle them. Press play and join the session.

Whatever the job, not everyone has the juice to get the job done. The question is then, "Who has the juice?" More to the point, do you have the juice or is this one of those times when you just think you have the juice. Press play and check it out for yourself.

Have you had any experience with looking for someone and not being able to push away that emptiness that comes from not finding the one you are looking for? If so, you will relate. If not, lucky you. Either way, press play and come along.

What if I were to tell you that if you make only one little adjustment you will be perfect? Is that you i hear saying, "I'm all in with that?" You do recall that someone once said,"Fools rush in…," don't you? At least press play and listen before you commit.

Charlie and Carol are moving to Texas, or are they? It's a big decision. Press play and listen in as they discuss their choices.

This scaredy cat is not in a nursery rhyme but most of us can identify. Press play and come along for the trip.

I don't believe this but maybe you will. Probably you won't believe it either. The time is now, and the place is a yet undiscovered planet toward the edge of the Milky way. Of course, the beings who live on this planet know who they are and where they live. By undiscovered, I mean that other than you and I, no one who doesn't live on the planet knows about it; and even if they did, it and the people living on it would be of little to no interest. Neither they nor their planet is anything special in the scheme of the universe, at least the universe where they find themselves. On this insignificant planet, there are areas and divisions that seem fairly arbitrary but are of great significance to the planet's people. For the sake of simplicity, let's refer to these arbitrary areas as countries. The current count is 195 countries, with seven and a half billion people inhabiting the 195 countries. If each country got its fair share of the planet's people, each would have nearly 40 million citizens, but not much

This is a little vignette with two college students working on a writing assignment, or are they? Press play and decide for yourself.

Have you ever had an experience that just defied any attempt to reduce it to a few words? Well the incident that goes with the play button comes pretty close. It’s one of those frustrating encounters we have all had in one version or another. There is nothing for it but for you to have a listen and see if there isn’t something there that you have personally suffered through. I’ve been there to and didn’t like it much either.

This story starts when I was seventeen and if the truth be told, even more full of myself than most seventeen-year-olds. There I was a senior in high school and on an airplane flying from Columbus to Cleveland. It was a very big deal; but before I get too far ahead of myself, a little perspective is necessary. At my high school, I had some status: class president, a good student, a drummer in the marching band and teacher's pet, at least for a couple of the teachers. Life was good, at least as good as it gets when you are seventeen. Let me sharpen the perspective. My senior class had a grand total of 63 students and my hometown had 900 residents, assuming everyone was home. We did have one traffic light and a courthouse, if you were thinking there was nothing special about the place. It happened that one of those couple of teachers I mentioned was responsible for the plays that were presented by students once or twice each school year. My teacher's pet status partially depended on having a role whenever it

I was already running late when I downed a quick cup of coffee, snagged my keys on the way out and automatically pushed the button to open the garage door. As I hesitated to make sure the door from the kitchen locked, I more sensed than noticed that something was not right. The garage door rumbled up about halfway and the outside light was replacing the darkness. That's the instant I was very sure that something was not right but making sense of the picture was beyond me. The lawn mower was in the corner where I keep it. The gas can was there too. The trash ben was along the inside wall and the back of the garage was cluttered with the usual collection of disorganized stuff. I even had the passing thought that I really should get around to straightening up the clutter. But still, something was not right. I knew what was not right, but nothing computed. For that instant, I didn't want to know what was not right, I didn't want it to compute. I just wanted the picture to change, wanted the video to move along

How clever is it to start a story with "Once upon a time?" I doubt if that opening would ever be confused with cleverness. Even so, it may be as good as anything else if I have no interest in being clever. Some people can pull off being clever but I'm not among those (Dare I say?) clever types. I'm more aligned with those who just say what they have to say and let it go at that. A few years back, I had the notion that I could teach myself to play the organ. I'm not talking about the kind of organ that fills a church or great hall with powerful music. I am just referring to a little organ that is smaller than most pianos. It wasn't a toy but definitely less than the real deal. I know. "A few years back" is pretty close to once upon a time but I've already admitted that something more clever is not in the cards for me. My only goal is to get you into the picture where I'm trying to play the organ. Are you there with me? I'll just assume you are so we can move on. Every day for nearly six months, I spent an h

The Great Mouse has returned and our intrepid hunters are again on the chase. Press play and join in as a neutral observer.

Once upon a time there was a wannabe podcaster. It doesn't matter whether you insert he or she or perhaps even me. Wannabe was as far as it had gotten so far. Every day our wanna be podcaster connected the microphone to the mixer and plugged that into the computer, with the recording software ready to capture wise words and clever banter. But the wise words and clever banter never emerged. Our wannabe podcaster was stuck, waiting on an inspiration that stubbornly refused to inspire. One day, an inspiration of sorts was unexpectedly just there, astonishing our wannabe podcaster. The mute switch on the microphone accidentally or perhaps magically shifted from mute to record. The microphone started serving its intended purpose; the mixer joined into the signal chain; the computer started computing; and the recording software started recording. This all happened when our wannabe podcaster was just getting into what had become a daily rant about how hard it was to podcast and how much easier it would be to just

I think an alien voice is trying to contact us. Listen and see if you agree.