Author: Randy Gage

Take the #2021Challenge

Today, I have some homework for you.  I want you to write something.  A journal entry of your perfect day.  But not just any perfect day.  This entry will be dated January 1, 2021.  And it’s going to be a celebration of the fact that 2020 was the best year of your life.  Really.
purpose

Why You Do What You Do

I used to think I wanted to write books to be famous.  Then I used to think I wanted to write songs that made the whole world sing.  Next I thought I wanted to write movies that won me Oscars.  Or TV shows that won Emmys. 
friendship

The Friends You Lose…

Twenty years ago, I had dozens of friends.  Or what I thought were friends at that stage in my life.  In reality, none of those people were ones I could count on, or really become close with.  Kind of like all those Facebook friendships you’ve probably developed. 
prosperity

Detours, Reroutes, and U-turns

It took getting fired for me to recognize I was born to be an entrepreneur. It took the tax authorities seizing my restaurant and auctioning it off for the unpaid taxes to help me discover my true purpose in life. It took getting shot and left for dead for me to truly live life.
discernment

Think for Yourself…

Imagine you were a screenwriter and you went to a Hollywood studio to pitch your movie idea about a coronavirus pandemic that threatens the world.  You wouldn’t be able to sell the concept. Because the studio exec would tell you that your script was so implausible, that only the most dim-witted moviegoer would believe such a preposterous plot.  Think of the outline you would present…
skill stacking

Who You Become…

Scott Adams, yes that one, frequently talks about a concept he calls skill stacking. The gist of the concept is that it’s really hard to become the very best in the world at almost everything. There is only one LeBron James, Maya Angelou, or Elon Musk. But when you can stack a high degree of proficiency in two or even three areas on top of each other, you make yourself extremely valuable.
gratitude

Official Coronavirus Cancellations and Postponements…

If you’re like me, you’ve been fixed on all al the activities and diversions that have been cancelled, wondering when they will return.  I have such a fix to play softball again, go to dinner with friends, and watch a major league baseball game.  Not to mention, nervously eying the calendar as the date for the Motley Crue/Def Leppard/Poison concert draws near.   (And coming to the realization that getting a refund for the extra two grand I paid to the ticket scalper is about as likely as receiving a kiss from Tommy Lee.)  I decided the best strategy was doing some postponements and cancellations of my own.  Here’s what I came up with so far.  Please feel free to add any events I missed.
critical thinking

The People Like You…

Got a very enthusiastic response to this week’s Friday Filosophy newsletter about the need for individualism today.  In it, I highlighted the failures of our institutions – the failsafe, backups we count on – to protect us during this current pandemic.  It seems not a day goes by that another glaring weakness is exposed.  In light of the response I received, it seems like expanding on the topic here would be helpful.