Author: bearsox

I saw a news article recently about two relatively new accounting firms embroiled in a battle over rights to the name Arthur Andersen.  Both pale in comparison to the original firm, who’s unfortunate demise changed many things about doing business in this millennium.

I owe my plunge into entrepreneurship nearly 20 years ago to Arthur Andersen.

Arthur Andersen is to this day, in my estimation, the greatest Public Accounting Firm that ever existed. I attended a multi-day seminar on Entrepreneurship that they hosted for clients in the late 1990’s.  Among the more notable speakers at the seminar were Jeffrey Bleustien, the CEO of Harley Davidson and Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame Running Back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Read More

Parenting often entails making sacrifices for the benefit of the children.  A great number of these sacrifices are opportunity costs,  I’ve had many conversations with parent friends of mine over the years where they lamented things they could not do because they had kids.

In March of 2009, I was engaged in a text conversation with a friend who was having a hard time dealing with these forgone opportunities.  To my surprise, she saved my comments and sent them back to me last year.  They do capture my feelings, albeit a bit less eloquently in their off the cuff delivery.

“Why have I dealt for over 10 years with what you are feeling such frustration over this past month?  I know these three people who are incredibly special.  Each different in many ways but it is their similar traits that amaze me.  They are blessed with physical and intellectual talent.  They have learned to be caring people, concerned for others and interested in dedicating their efforts to making the world they live in a better place.  I do not know what they will accomplish in life, but I see that if they are allowed to grow to their potential, each of them can leave a very special legacy.  I do believe that helping them realize their true potential is worth any amount of sacrifice I may be asked to make.  My contribution to this world will be the things I did to prepare them for their life’s journey.

Because I believe in them, the painful things I endure are tolerable.  I can accept the absence of things I’d like in my life knowing that absence is indirectly helping them along.

I probably won’t live to see most of what they achieve in life, but that is not really important.  People who I will never meet, who are not even alive today will benefit and be blessed for the sacrifices I make now for my children.  That thought makes each of those sacrifices worth it to me. It’s my way of leaving something good and healthy behind this life I’ve been given.”

Recently, I was reminded of an encounter way back in 2008 that left a lasting impression on my friend Tony.

We were in Shanghai having a quick lunch at a restaurant on a business trip.  The table conversation was unremarkable, centering on preparations for a presentation of a technology solution we were offering to a large media company.  We were slightly jet lagged, tired, moderately stressed and a long way from home.

When the plates were empty and the afternoon’s tasks had been discussed and divided, we got up to leave.  Tony forced his chair back from the table, stood and started to walk away.  I stopped him.  Read More

People who love to eat know they will be happy at least three times a day.  I have many friends who eat on the go, and you do what you have to do, but at least once a day, I make a concerted effort to gather around a table with the folks in my home and share the experience of a family meal.

I grew up with extended families who ate home cooked meals together as a matter of regular practice.  Cost was a primary reason.  The expense of feeding our tribe at restaurants relegated the status of those outings to being reserved for special occasions.

Saving money was just one of the benefits.  Long after I could easily afford to feed my family anywhere at any time, I clung to the home-cooked family meal.  Time spent together around a table breaking bread as a family has had a profound effect on our lives.  It would be difficult to replicate the bonding that has taken place during those meals any other way.  The relaxed setting provided an opportunity to vent, to gain and show support, and to escape from the day’s tasks with people who share your history.  At the table together, we know we are not facing the world alone.  Read More

I was at Dodger Stadium one summer evening with a good friend, my middle son and his best friend.  My son was about to become a high school freshman and was deeply engaged in a text conversation with a girl he and his friend had recently met at a graduation party.  At one point, they were consumed with the smartphone and confused, trying to decide what to ask her next.

“Can she cook?” I asked them

“Why does that matter?”  My son inquired.

“Do you like stomachaches?” was my reply.

The four of us lost all track of the next several batters expanding on that humorous topic.  I imagine thousands of people were stuck in Southern California traffic listening intently to Vin Scully describing the nuances of what was happening on the field.  We were close enough for the players to hear us and could not care less what they were doing. Read More

Does it seem like it’s hard to have an impact from a little corner of the world? Here is St. Bede, a “bookworm” type, sheltered from the world, but passionate enough to create a voice heard for centuries.

St. Bede shows us how observing and understanding holy lives can supplement scripture on a personal path to living a quality life.  He understands Saints as role models and Saintly lives as inspiration.  The devotion to learning he practiced on his journey to sainthood can be an example to us all.  He is a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of scholars.  More about St. Bede can be found on the HERE