25 Life Lessons For My Daughter

Courtesy of Pierre at MetroDad.com

I came across this article and enjoyed it so much I asked Pierre to share it with SDL. Thankfully, he agreed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

My father has never given me any advice.

The one time I remember him even trying was when I was 18 and on my way out of the house for the evening. As I recall, he briefly looked up from his newspaper and said, “You know about condoms, right?”

End of conversation.

Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi.

In all seriousness, it always deeply wounded me that we never had any of those father-son conversations where he would counsel me about life and give me lessons of an admonitory or hortative nature that might provide a road map for how to live my life.

Needless to say, ever since my daughter was born, I’ve been bombarding her with advice on a near-daily basis. It’s almost pathological. It’s as if I’m trying to imbue her with all my knowledge before I go gently into that good night. Read more

Persistence — The Only Thing That Works

A Dad’s Point-of-View

by Bruce Sallan

A recent e-mail from my oldest friend, a college professor, stimulated me to reflect on how we search and find work, as well as in small business how we promote and sell ourselves. On this subject, I’ve observed my teen son’s failed efforts to find a summer job. And, finally, I’ve thought about my own recent efforts in designing and launching my own website (www.brucesallan.com).

For me, throughout my life, there was only one thing that worked and it was persistence. I believe, especially in our present economic times, persistence is the primary thing that works.

My old friend the professor had a whole list of very sharp suggestions on how I could better brand (contemporary slang for identifying yourself or your company, as with Nike’s swoosh) my site, my work, and myself. They ranged from hiring a consultant to doing informational interviewing, as well as developing an “elevator speech” (means exactly what you’d expect-a short enough description of your work that could be told in an elevator ride), and much more. As I read and digested his suggestions, I was struck by the fact that my initial reaction was “this is just too much work” and “I like my style better.” Read more

Pep Talk Video – Three strategies that will help you play like a champion in the game of life

“No Shortcuts”

In this week’s Pep Talk video, the Comeback Coach, inspired by two men he greatly admires, encourages you to embrace three strategies that will help you run to daylight and play like a champion in the game of life.