It was a long day in the Adirondack Mountains in upper New York State. There were eleven of us in our patrol, and we were on day five of a 10-day backpacking voyage. We paused for a quick break on the trail to rest our shoulders, grab some water, and look at the map. Our plan for the day was to reach the summit of Whiteface Mountain, one of the largest peaks in the Adirondacks….
A few years back, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the headquarters of Southwest Airlines in Dallas, Texas. I was given a tour, and one statement appeared everywhere. I mean everywhere. “Count on me to OWN IT. We are all ambassadors of our culture.” We all have to be willing to own our roles in the memberships in our lives. We have to find time and space to filter out the distractions, take stock…
The wintry December air in Columbus, Ohio, caused small puffs of steam to billow with each breath. Amy and I had been married on December 1 and had just returned from our honeymoon to find our magical first Christmas tree. We drove around the city before finally steering into a church parking lot. It was a Saturday evening around five o’clock and many people were making their way into the church for an evening mass….
To a child born in the mid-Seventies, Evel Knievel was an icon. He was the first true daredevil and stunt performer to capture the attention and imagination of the America of my youth. In his career he attempted more than 75 rap-to-ramp jumps on motorcycles and entered The Guinness Book of World Records for “most bones broken in a lifetime” with a total of 433. To some, he was a real-life superhero. To most, he…
You know the conversation. We all do it. It goes something like this: “Hey Jason, how’s it going?” “Great, but really busy,” I reply. “How are you?” “Oh, me too. Super busy, but good.” Sound familiar? We honor busyness. Some would say that we glorify busyness. We think it validates us. It’s easy to hide behind. I’m not judging. I do it too. I’m working to rid the word from my vocabulary. The reality is…
When people crowd the airport baggage claim to form a human wall of entitlement, we could jump to the conclusion that greed is dictating that action. But I choose to believe we simply aren’t thinking about it. As happens in many areas of life, we are on autopilot. While writing Step Back From the Baggage Claim, where I spent seven straight days living in airports across America, I conducted an interesting Security Line Study. I…
We all have memberships. Formally, we belong to clubs, organizations, social networks, and more. More importantly, we also belong to our families, friends, communities, and our world. So? We need to break out of the staleness of the status quo. We need to make conscious choices to create the lives we live. We need an awakening of sorts. We need to remember why we do what we do, who we are trying to be, and…
Terry Hershey is a nationally celebrated author, humorist, inspirational speaker, ordained minister and golf addict who lives on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound. He’s also among the speakers who will be part of Thermostat Cultures Live on Nov. 10 in Columbus, Ohio. Here, the author of The Power of Pause talks about overworking, the importance of being present and what question you should be asking. Q: Your book The Power of Pause suggests that…
I stopped at a new grocery store one day, excited to try it but immediately frustrated by the disorganization. I, of course, was in a general hurry, and just as I tried to chart a course, an elderly woman with seemingly no awareness for others cut right in front of me with her cart, nearly running over my toes. After finding my few items and stepping into a spot in the checkout line, the same oblivious…
Jeni Britton Bauer, the creative genius, entrepreneur and founder behind Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, will be among the speakers at Thermostat Cultures Live on Nov. 10 in Columbus, Ohio. She’s the author of a James Beard Award-winning cookbook and in 2015 was dubbed one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. Here, she talks about culture, fame and why love matters in business. Q: Why is culture important? A: I want to build a company…
