I suppose you’ve noticed just how little time there seems to be these days. And, I bet you’ve also noticed that more and more things pull at our time. We now have 100s of TV stations with 1000s of hours of programming all the while our computers (and now phones) serve as media providers with games, movies and other content. Hello Mr. iPad.
Just why should you spend any more time with something as dated as reading?
Seth Godin touched on this recently in one his typically excellent posts:
Should I write blog posts that increase my traffic or that help change the way (a few) people think?
My fear is that the endless search for wow further coarsens our culture at the same time it encourages marketers to get ever more shallow.
Culture has been getting faster and shallower for hundreds of years, and I’m not the first crusty pundit to decry the demise of thoughtful inquiry and deep experiences. The interesting question here, though, is not how fast is too fast, but what works? What works to change mindsets, to spread important ideas and to create an audience for work that matters?
My promise to you is to write posts that can help change the way you think. For the past 25 years, many have found my thoughts insightful, inspiring, infuriating, or the ravings of a madman longing for a world long since gone.
I’ll let you decide for yourself as you read along with me.
My hope is that my posts here (and those of guest contributors) will challenge your thinking, encourage you to live powerfully every day, pursuing dreams with an understanding that hard work is required. Above all else, I want you to see that true Success for Life is found in the journey. Live Well each day. One of my favorite posts is by Jonathon Swift when he said, “May you live every day of your life.”
My passions are pretty vast, so you’ll also find some posts here about spiritual Christian living. Not surprising for a 4th generation pastor—that’s right, my ancestor, the son of a Civil War Union army veteran put his Christian faith to the test by serving others. His sons—my grandfather, my father, my two uncles and several of my cousins and obviously myself—have joined him on that journey.
Along the way for myself, I became a Professor of History. My love of the past was born in my 12th year of life when I discovered the Civil War. So, I will also be writing some posts to remind us of the ideas and values on which our country was founded and why they are vital to our lives today.
Maybe above all else, I love to help people achieve their dreams. I believe I am making a difference when I get letters with statements from my students that say, “thank you for your investment in me; your words have inspired me to take a deep leap of faith and change my young life for the better.” If you’ll run with me here, I think you’ll have the same experience.
So, in that vein, we’ll talk about how to Live Well. As a historian, I think we are living in the most dynamic times since the Renaissance. How do we live well? What does “Live Well” even mean? History provides us clues about core values that have guided millions of people over the years, and through the posts here, I think you’ll discover the true essence of that deep success.
I hope you stick around for the ride!