Happiness as a choice?

On the Atlantic, there is an article entitled "Why So Many Smart People Aren't Happy". It's an extended discussion with author Raj Raghunathan on his book "If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Happy?"

I find the topic fascinating. It's always tempting to compare yourself to others. I'm sure there are always situations where we firmly believe that we deserve much more than we actually receive. In my own opinion, I don't think that it's healthy to base our own happiness on our relative standing against others. There will always be someone richer or more powerful or more beautiful than what you see in the mirror. There will always be something you wish you had that you don't. Why not be happy with what you are blessed to receive?

I have always held to the belief that you find what you are looking for. In this case, it seems like there is confirmation for this in terms of our perception of happiness.

Sign me up!

Via Wired, there is a Dutch industrial engineer named Manon Kuhne who created the HeadRest. This device appears to be a substantial improvement over your standard neck pillow. It helps block your peripheral vision and creates something like a hammock for your head!

Unfortunately, it's still in the prototype stages. I plan to look for them as soon as they are commercially available.

Here is the link to the full article:  http://www.wired.com/2016/04/clever-headrest-make-flying-actually-bearable/

Luck vs. skill

In "The Warriors Aren't Lucky", there is an examination of the role of skill versus luck in a variety of activities. The model shown below gives an outline for the article:

The range moves from skill to luck as you move from left to right. I found it interesting to note that investing is really something of a literal crapshoot. According to the author, Justin Fox, the skill of stockpicking really plays a very tiny role in the overall return. I guess there's a reason why people like Warren Buffet command so much respect!

I also found it fascinating that football requires the most luck of all of professional team sports. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that because of the violence involved, playoffs in football are single contests. Chance can play a much greater role in the form of injured stars or freaky bounces. I suppose the Patriots would nod their heads in agreement as the Helmet Catch rolls on in the background.

Here is the link to the full article: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-14/the-warriors-aren-t-lucky

Fortunate son

I am a very lucky man.

All of my life, I have been the beneficiary of fortunate circumstances. If I knew back then that my life would lead me to the place where I am today, I would likely be amazed and quite pleased. Virtually everything that I could have ever asked for is either in place or on the way to becoming reality.

Life is good.

This article in the Atlantic discusses how luck plays a major role in our lives. In contrast to the idealized version of the Horatio Alger story in the American myth, many of our most prominent citizens owe their fortunes to accidents of happenstance or blind luck. It flies in the face of the wildly popular view that the wealthy and the powerful achieved everything that they did on their own without any outside assistance.

I think back to the debate in the last presidential election. The debate at that time started out with Sen. Warren pointing out that no entrepreneur succeeds without a healthy serving of public assistance. Whether through the form of student aid or solid roads or clean air and water, every one of us relies in large part on a social contract with our fellow neighbors.

Make no mistake, there is still effort required. I have little doubt that the successful among us have labored mightily in order to come out ahead. That doesn't mean that they weren't also lucky. I guess the analogy I would draw is to professional sports--especially team sports. There is certainly no question that each of the individual players is talented and among the best in the world. But I think it's wrong for the champions to dismiss the efforts of the vanquished. It's not like the losing team is not trying hard. Sometimes the better team will end up losing on a bad break through no fault of their own. I don't think anyone will say that luck diminishes the victory!

In any case, I am thankful for all that I have been able to achieve and looking forward to what might come.

Here is the link to the full article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/why-luck-matters-more-than-you-might-think/476394/

Reducing anxiety through song

On the Atlantic web site, there is an article about reducing anxiety by turning those negative thoughts into a song. It's actually an intriguing idea.

I find that there is tremendous power in music. Over the weekend, we had a lengthy discussion about Gabby Giffords. After she was shot in the head, her brain lost much of the normal ability to string together words in the manner we normally use to construct speech. She now learns her speeches as songs. It seems that the parts of her brain associated with music is still working and that she simply eliminates the music when giving speeches.

In my own life, it's amazing to me that I am able to recall so many things that are woven into songs. Many years ago, we invented a simple song in Spanish that I can still recall (even though my Spanish skills are actually almost non-existent).

I would imagine that the way that this particular phenomenon works is likely due to the fact that translating a fear into song might help to demystify it and make it much less frightening.

Here is the link to the full article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/04/relieve-your-anxiety-by-singing-it/477960/

Don't double dip!

Science of Us put out a great video that showed the before and after effects of double dipping. In summary, you certainly do add bacteria to items when you do it!

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/04/we-finally-uncovered-the-scientific-truth-about-the-risks-of-double-dipping.html

Modern Healthcare blog post

I was asked to provide a blog post that is now up and running on Modern Healthcare.

That's kind of neat!

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160406/sponsored/304069995

Rooting for Goliath

Last night, the UConn women's basketball team won their fourth straight NCAA championship. They are 122-1 in their last 123 games. All of their wins have been by double digits. They have won their last 75 games in a row. That is a ruthless record of dominance!

There have been articles recently talking about how their success has "ruined" the game. I think it's rank and utter nonsense. They have raised the bar to a level that may never again be achieved. In my own opinion, we should be thankful that we get to witness it in real time.

It also made me realize that it's easy to look back at it and see how inevitable this success was. In actual point of fact, I'm sure that there were many hard days for Geno Auriemma at the outset. The steamrolling leviathan of the future was nothing more than a fantasy at that point. Without the relentless persistence and effort in building a successful program, there is no way that the team could achieve the peerless results of today.

I would venture that many of the loudest detractors are actually jealous of the success and attention. They would love to enjoy the same level of recognition. Are they willing to put in the long hours of work? Do they realize that sometimes, even when you try your best, you may not be able to succeed?

I salute the excellence of their program. I'm even willing to admit that I wanted them to win. It wasn't out of any personal loyalty. It was more that I enjoy the history that is being made in front of my eyes.

Then again, there always seems to be another audition for David right around the corner!

Missing out on the action

Apparently there was a thrilling conclusion to March Madness last night. North Carolina hit a double-clutch three pointer to tie the score with less than five seconds to play. Villanova stormed back down the court and launched a dagger that splashed home just after the final buzzer sounded. It was only the second time a game was decided at the very end. This one actually had the ball in the air as time expired! It doesn't get more exciting than that.

I had watched brief snatches of the game. It didn't start until after nine, so I caught a few minutes just before halftime. By that point, it was almost 10:30 and I was getting tired so I went to bed. I didn't have any real rooting interest in the game. Villanova is one of the last surviving members of the Big East. Their last NCAA championship came in 1985. I remember listening to it on the radio while I was at work. At the time, I didn't know that I would be attending Georgetown! I would later learn how I lost what we never really had or could really share.

As the years go by, I think you learn to pick and choose your spots. There is less energy to go around. You can't invest the passion that you once did because there are so many other interests all fighting for your time and attention. Whether it's the kids or the job or the church or something else, there is always something that needs doing. I find that sports have sort of fallen back in the queue just a bit. I'll follow a few and have to leave the others to passing fancy.

Then again, it is opening day for the Sox!

In ways you never expected

We often imagine that we have control of our lives. We believe that we can plan each moment to exact the precise outcome that we envisioned as we lay out our grand schemes. It all works perfectly in our minds. Then, of course, you actually have to set your plans into motion. As soon as they hit the world at large, we often see the wide gap between what we saw in our mind's eye versus the messy reality before us.

I am generally an optimistic person, but I also like to think that my hopeful view is tinged with a hefty dose of realism. I also believe that nothing that you would like to have in this life comes without some significant struggle. Incremental progress might be boring to some, but it is a way of life for me. If I can just get one thing accomplished daily, I can be satisfied that the slow accretion of miniature wins will eventually result in a major victory. It can be an exhausting struggle, but I am committed to the long haul.

In actuarial terms, I guess you could say I've probably reached the midway point in my journey. There are small signs that life is no longer on the upward trend. It's often little aches and pains that used to disappear overnight now take a few days to dissipate. That slight blur on the horizon now starts at about twenty feet or so. Still, I intend to rage against it all until the very end (even if the wind is howling and no one else can hear me).

Despite this all, I am still quite thankful. My life has been blessed in so many ways. While there may have been bumps and bruises along the route so far, my family and I have built up so many lasting memories. There are many more to come--even if they end up taking a different route than the one we had originally planned. That's OK. Life is often best when it serves you up what you never expected!

The rich get richer

The Atlantic put up a startling statistic. The top 100 CEOs have more in their 401(k) plans than the combined savings of 41% of US families. That's a staggering disparity.

A brief excerpt:

The CEO with the largest nest egg on the report’s list was David C. Novak, the former chief of Yum Brands (which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell), and now its executive chairman. At last count, Novak had nearly $250 million in his retirement account, according to the report, which got its data on CEOs from companies’ SEC filings.

For the purposes of comparison, the average Yum employee had about $70,000 in his or her 401(k). That means the Novak’s retirement savings are more than 3,330 times the size of the typical Yum employee’s, which makes the ratio of average CEO pay to average worker pay—300:1—look relatively small.

I have no doubt that each of the CEOs is a fabulously talented individual. That said, it seems to me that any corporation is built on the collective efforts of a massive number of individuals. There has to be a more enlightened way to extend some of that largess more widely.

Here is the link to the full article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/03/ceos-savings-more-than-41-percent-americans-combined/476124/