Not long ago, J.J. Watt was delivering pizzas for a living. Yesterday he delivered one of the biggest plays of Wild Card Saturday. Watt intercepted an Andy Dalton pass and returned it for a touchdown, leading the Houston Texans past the Cincinnati Bengals in the first game of the NFL playolffs. Watt’s, play according to […]
“Only you can control your future.” — Dr. Seuss Last night we went to a Japanese restaurant, the kind where the chef puts on a show while cooking your dinner right in front of you. His showmanship was one thing, but what really impressed me was the preparation. Great care had gone into cutting the […]
What can you do to make 2012 your best year yet? It all begins in the few precious hours before Dick Clark comes on TV and the ball comes down in Times Square. With one fun exercise you can create a year to remember. Just use the Banquet Technique. It comes in three steps. First, […]
Something about this quote really touches me: “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” Those words resonate because a friend of mine is going through a hard time right now. Or, to be precise, one of my friends has confided […]
The other day on a cooking show, the host said she was making a classic French dish. “Classic French dish,” she said, “is code for lots and lots of butter.” Wow! That really made me think. I’ve heard the phrase “classic French dish” many times, but I never attached the same meaning to it that […]
I just attended the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ annual clinic in San Antonio. Sue Semrau, coach of the women’s team at Florida State, gave a knockout talk on “Building a Program.” She relayed one of the best quotes I’ve ever heard. “If you’re going to build ships, don’t hand out wood and nails, or […]
No subject interests me as much as how and why people improve. Just now on TV, hockey expert Stan Fischler did a piece on “Diamonds in the Rough,” a look at the top five players who reached the National Hockey League despite not being drafted. Each player represents a story that is hard to believe. […]
Beware the player who performs best when either far behind or far ahead. Someone gave me that advice years ago, and it comes to mind as the season unfolds for New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk. A high-scoring winger acquired last year, Kovalchuk thrived when his team seemed to be out of contention. Then, with […]
Think of the last time something went wrong in your life. Perhaps it was a project that came up short, an accident on the road, or even an illness. How much of it was unavoidable, and how much of it was due to mistakes you made? If you tend to blame outside factors instead of […]
Feb. 22 marks 31 years since the U.S. Olympic hockey team upset the Soviet Union en route to the gold medal. Those of us old enough to remember saw the jubilation and the celebration on the ice. But no one saw the hard work behind the feat. Except the players. They will never forget. After […]