By Laura A. Roser “I was born with a wooden spoon in my mouth,” Jennifer Lanzetti told me in a recent interview. “My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but boy did we have a lot of love.” In her teens, Jennifer was diagnosed with severe endometriosis. Over eight years and fifteen surgeries, she…
By Marc Koehler “Where were you again?” my ten-year-old daughter asked me as I slipped into the house late that evening. I utter, “I am sorry I missed your soccer game. Mom said you scored a goal. Great job! Tell me about it.” She is not buying it this time. “I shouldn’t have to tell…
By Laura A. Roser The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It tells the story of a warrior—prince Arjuna—who must decide whether or not to go to war with his cousins to gain rulership over the kingdom. His cause is just, but Isn’t it a sin…
By Timothy Hutchinson We need a new word. A word for the quiet people, the unsung people, that do the right thing, the difficult thing, the in the muck and abhorrent thing, the stand up thing, the thing that makes society better, the I love this much thing, the selfless thing, the kind thing, the reach…
By Greg McKeown The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. —Lin Yutang The basic value proposition of Essentialism is only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter. What about…
By C. Michelle Bryan, Federal Protective Service (FPS) Director for Resource Management When we think of leaving a legacy, we are often drawn to thoughts of the tangible, such as homes, precious mementos valued because of the rich history, or money and investments in hopes of ensuring financial stability. While all those things are incredibly…
By Laura A. Roser The Comfort of Predictable Experiences Do you get this unicorn craze? At first it was kinda fun—college kids at business networking events calling themselves “unicorn entrepreneurs” or little girls licking rainbow candy shaped like poop. But I’m afraid it’s gotten out of hand. Last week, I attended the San Diego County Fair…
By Natalie P. Wagner “Let the beauty we love be what we do.” —Rumi In my mid 20’s, I worked what seemed to be a “good job” in the corporate world. It started great. I enjoyed my team, was developing my skills, and was proud of the money I earned. Together, these experiences gave meaning…
By Christopher Zacher Jamie Forbes turned a passion for giving into his life’s work. For Jamie Forbes, philanthropy is a family affair. In his work as a philanthropy advisor, he focuses on helping individuals and their families discover the joy of giving. As a Founding Partner at Forbes Legacy Advisors, Jamie works with families to…