Online Ordering is a Big Game Changer

I have never been an avid shopper for items like clothing and household items, but I like getting new stuff as much as anyone else.  I have known about Amazon and other online shopping websites but I was never very active in the past.

Like most people, when I needed something, I went to the appropriate store.  You go to your favorite clothing store for those items, to the home store for tools and household items like light bulbs and garden hoses.

Now, with "free" returns, there is no need to worry about making the mistake of selecting the wrong item on Amazon or any other shopping site.  Now you can fulfill most of your needs online from shoes to shovels.

This could eventually be a problem for physical brick and mortar stores.  They are at a disadvantage in many ways like convenience and carrying enough inventory.   It is easier to shop many brands online and select the one you like and just order it.

With that being said, I really hope for the success of stores.  Shopping is more than just getting stuff.  It is a social experience and one we cannot afford to lose.

Read, Baby, Read

I don't know if that is a appropriate title or not.  It is not a reference to infants only but if I titled this Read, Man, Read or Read, Brother, Read, that would not be inclusive of females which is not my intention.  Read, Person, Read sounds awkward so I settled on the above.

I just wanted to emphasize the importance of reading for everyone.  With all of the electronic communications available to people today, reading books may seem a little unattractive or distant to many.  That could be a problem because reading enhances your education, knowledge, understanding, and so much more.

More specifically, I recommend that you read every day including material that pertains to your career.  Find books at the library, bookstore (if you can locate one), or Amazon which has just about every book.  Find stuff that will help you to grow your career and blend that with reading that you enjoy.  That is my recommendation for what it is worth.

I want to share some information about a book that I read in 2016 that was interesting, not perfect, but helpful.  The title is The Happiness Equation.

In this book, author Neil Pasricha, refers to a formula that helps your overall happiness and it is Want Nothing + Do Anything = Have Everything.  Well, this is not going to be completely true from my perspective but he does offer some helpful hints about finding happiness in your work life.  I do recommend reading it.

Another book from my 2016 reading list that I liked, and I liked most of them, is He Leadeth Me by Father Walter Ciszek.  This is an amazing story and probably my favorite and most impactful book of 2016.

The subtitle of this book is An Extraordinary Testament of Faith and that says it all.  Father Ciszek endured 23 years in Soviet prison camps and through his utter reliance on God's will did he overcome and survive the hardships that were most extreme.

I also enjoyed reading Passion for Leadership by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates which gave an interesting insight on the management of an important department of the U.S government.  This title like about half of my reading list were taken in through audiobooks.

My point of all of this is simple.  Read, Baby, Read.

Tradition and Experience are important too.

A lot has been talked about regarding the so-called Millennial generation.  These are basically understood as young adults today.  They, for the most part have a slightly different outlook and approach to life than people of my age to.  Make no mistake, I am a baby boomer.  That is the generation of people born after World War II and before 1960 and a rather large segment of society.

Throughout my youth, there were so many of us that schools, churches, shopping centers, and even suburbs expanded rapidly to accommodate the baby boomers.  Then the growth rate of our population seemed to slow down and we had some excess capacity in all of those areas and schools were converted to senior homes and other such uses.

Getting back to millennials, we boomers have had to make an effort to get along with their culture first by understanding it or trying to and then by figuring out ways to make our cultures work.  With that said, I would like to make the point that our ideas and our ways count too.  There is something to be said for tradition and experience that we boomers have lived for most of our lives.

While it is fine to understand and get along with other age groups, we should be proud of the traditions and experience that we bring to the world every day.  All age groups should respect and learn from all others.  That makes a lot of sense.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

There are many reasons why people get stressed during the Christmas Season.  Sometimes we feel that we must meet certain expectations in order to properly celebrate Christmas.  We need to have the perfect parties or buy the perfect gifts.

Chasing the perfect Christmas is not the answer to making this the most wonderful time of the year, it just is.  We are celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ whose birth forever changed the world.  If we focus on that aspect of this wonderful time, we won't be disappointed.

With that being said, the celebrations that go with this Season, are also awesome including gift exchanges, decorating, carols, and gatherings.  The decorations do so very much to help us to celebrate the season.  I thank everyone who makes that extra effort to decorate their home both inside and out site,

If you think about it, outside decorations are for the benefit of other folks, not the person doing the decorating.  Those who create displays of any kind are decorating so that we can enjoy looking at them and being reminded of this most wonderful time of the year!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

A city with culture

In 2016, Cleveland has been in the spotlight for great sports teams and for the Republican National Convention.  It has been a fun year and I believe the city has a lot to be proud of in 2016!

Our Cleveland Cavaliers have ended our drought of 52 years without a professional sports team championship in our city.  The previous title was held by the 1964 Cleveland Browns.  Then our Fall Surprise was the appearance of our very own Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series.  We came within one swing of the bat of winning it all.

But there has been much more to love about Cleveland for many decades including our cultural offerings.  Two that come to mind immediately are our renowned Cleveland Orchestra and our fabulous Art Museum.    Our Orchestra is recognized as one of the finest in the world.

For more information and to purchase tickets to one of their performances, simply visit their website .  In addition to a wonderful Christmas and holiday schedule, their 2016-17 season will include works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, and Mahler.  If you are into classical music, plan to take in one of their concerts in the beautiful Severance Hall pictured above.

Right across the street, literally, is our Cleveland Museum of Art.  After extensive renovations and expansions, our Art Museum is bigger and better than ever.  You will find amazing works of art from famous painters and sculptors as well as artifacts from around the world from past centuries.  Treat yourself to our free-admission Museum of Art.

Cleveland is truly a city of culture and I am proud to call it my hometown!

Trying to make a comeback

I have been away from this blog for a very long time.  The reason is that I thought I was just too busy.  Being busy is relative.  I started this blog several years about so that I can write out my thoughts and observations and share them with others.  Then it got away from me.

Actually my last post was almost one year ago and I was kind of surprised to learn that just now.  The title of this post is "Trying to make a comeback" because that is what I am trying to do with this blog.  Find the time to share thoughts and observations.

The inspiration comes from my buddy Rick who writes a blog post every Sunday titled Hanging With Rich where he does exactly what I was trying to do before I became supposedly too busy one year ago.  I don't know if anyone reads this blog but I know that I benefit from writing it because it helps me to understand what I think and observe.

Today is Thanksgiving Day 2016 and we all have a lot to be thankful for today!  I will leave it up to  you to decide what you are thankful for but I am sure that you have a lot!  Have a fantastic day, enjoy your time off and your families, and enjoy the season!  God Bless!

Does Hard Work Pay Off ... revisited

I have been away from this blog for a while but ... I am still observing things ... in an average guy kind of way.  One of my best-read posts ever was one titled Does Hard Work Pay Off?

Well, I am sure that it does.  In fact, I will go further this time to say that consistent hard work at your job, whatever it is, will almost guarantee success in terms of staying gainfully employed.  There will always be circumstances that jeopardize anyone's job including mergers, slowdowns, staff reductions, and more.

If a worker apples his or her energy and skills to the job in a focused and consistent way, they are so valuable to their company that they create job security through their efforts and work ethic.  This passion can also be transferred to another job or another company too.  In fact, others will observe a pattern of hard work on the part of an employee which should lead to other opportunies.

Work hard, be honest, keep learning, and you should be fine.

So, yes, hard work does pay off.