My wife bought a new toy for our six-year-old grandson, Liam, during a shopping trip today. This evening, as soon as I walked through the door, Liam wanted me to work on this project with him. It was a small dinosaur skeleton, separated into pieces and encased in an egg-shaped, hard plaster shell. The package […]
Author Archives: David Peterson
Think before you speak
I have previously blogged about my exchange with Ronald, a very professional and engaging entrepreneur with whom I spoke at the PaymentsFirst conference in Birmingham. He told me a story that I have to relay here. Ronald was going through the drive-through at a local fast-food restaurant. When he pulled up to the window, a […]
On New Year’s Resolutions
Each year, millions of people make a new years resolution. Usually it’s something that tries to correct previous bad behavior, perhaps losing weight or quitting smoking. Or maybe they want to try something they have long put off, such as taking an airplane trip or writing a book. All of these are laudable goals. But […]
Don’t leave decisions up to Chance
Browsing through an open market in Charleston, South Carolina, today, I came across this item for sale: It is called a “Decision-Maker.” There is a pendulum under the influence of a magnet that swings across a series of words: “Never,” “Always,” “Yes,” “No,” and “Maybe.” It is a novelty item, a gimmick obviously […]
A Chat with Ronald
On December 11th, I had a Grounded keynote address in Birmingham for PaymentsFirst, a non-profit payments association. My talk was not until 1:15, so I was chillin’ in the vendor area and I noticed a shoeshine station. It turns out PaymentsFirst had sponsored free shoe shines. I decided I would love a shoe shine and walked […]
Always have a plan
Sailing is an exciting adventure and, for the most part, you have the seas to yourself. No matter how many boats are out in the ocean, the ocean is always vastly larger. But when you are coming into or out of an anchorage, there are a lot of boats in a tight space and you […]
My great nephew: A Young, Grounded Millennial
I had lunch today with my great nephew. He is thirteen years old and lives in the San Diego area with his parents and an older sister. He is a soccer fanatic and pretty good player. And he’s Grounded. He is articulate, well read, inquisitive, and extremely courteous. He asks questions–really, really good questions. Questions that make me […]
This holiday season, give the gift of love!
During the Holiday Season, its easy to get wrapped up in gifts, parties, and football playoffs. Just remember that there are people who are less fortunate and in need. Or just lonely. Don’t skip the gift giving and office/football parties but act “Grounded” and find someone that may be alone or hungry and bring them […]
Navy Seals discuss Good Leadership
I viewed an extremely powerful video from Facebook, check it out here. The video shows two Navy Seal veterans talking about the qualities that make one a good leader. You might think the difference between a good and a poor leader is mental toughness or lack of physical ability. Nope––not even close. In the video, they […]
What made you happy today?
I saw this sign today in a diner in central North Carolina: I understand the sentiment of the sign, but I immediately thought how small and limiting it would be if you in fact adopted that attitude. Assuming you sleep for eight hours, you have 57,600 seconds of time each day. And you are probably doing something […]