ROL: Be Fearless.

ROL(Return on Life) is the "help improve your life" counterpart of ROI (Return on Investment). Simply stated, ROL suggests incremental changes or activities that can produce major returns toward a better quality of life (QOL). This week's ROL is about starting something new without being afraid.

Whatever Happened To Pong?

As a parent, I have mixed emotions about hand held gaming systems. I would much prefer my kids are reading instead of doing thumb stretches. I'm also not thrilled that these gaming systems come with a habit slightly less expensive than cocaine. On the other hand, as we end a two hour car ride free of "I'm bored" or "Dad, she's breathing my air", hand held games are... priceless.

No Fear, Just Fun.

This month finds my family anticipating way too much time for the kids in the car. In that light, each of my kids got (yet another) much anticipated cartridge for the handheld. My wife was amazed as the kids put in the games and just started playing. No tutorial and no review of the rules. Just dive in and have fun.

I'll Be Ready Tomorrow.

After my wife's observation, I realized I should follow my kid's lead. Too often I am reticent to jump right into an activity for one reason or another. I watch for norms, try to fit in and wait for the perfect moment to become involved. In fact the perfect moment doesn't announce it's arrival in advance. No one ever got better at anything by not doing, so why delay the doing? As my kids have shown me, push start and keep going.

Do you find that you wait too long to jump in? Or have you found that the "measure twice, cut once" approach works best in all facets of your life?