The Power of Burning the Boats

When the Grecian armies landed on their enemy’s shore, the first order the commanders gave was “Burn the boats.” With no boats to retreat the armies had no choice but to do whatever it took to be successful and win.

I one thing I am leaving in 2011 is about 55 lbs. This is not the first time I have been here. I dropped 110 lbs between 2006 and 2007, bu I never burned the boats. After reaching a low of 203 I let an injury, laziness, and falling into old habits push me back above 260 in true yo-yo fashion. Let me tell you, 260 sucks.

I’m not going back. This time I am burning the boats. Last week in New York I bought three new suits – 42 slim. To say they fit nicely is an understatement, I look amazing in them. I also picked up a nice cashmere top coat. Today I grabbed four sportcoats.

Here is what is on the way out. Thats six pair of slacks, two sportcoats, and a suit. They are nice garments, in perfect condition… only for a guy 6 sizes bigger than me.

Twenty-twelve will be for me a year of living with intent. A year of experimentation in the service of choosing concisely the best way to live my life. I will be sharing my experiences, if you are interested in following along check out The Fred Project and @thefredproject.

And I wish all of you a fantastic 2012… remember, don’t turn back, don’t surrender, burn your boats.

My Pet Dragon

This is the first post I am attempting to do using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. So I’m not doing very well with my nine dollar daily commitment. And I’d really like to start blogging with more consistency so I bought Dragon NaturallySpeaking. In honesty, I actually bought Dragon naturally speaking about two months ago, however until today…

Friday Philanthropy: Bridging Technology and Non-Profits

Last weekend at Social Dev Camp I had a great conversation with Veronica Ludwig (@VeronicaLudwig) and Estrella Rosenberg (@CharityEstrella) about how it makes sense for non profits to leverage technology to maximize the impact of limited dollars. The sad fact is though, non-profits often don’t have the knowledge or resources needed to implement solutions that…

A New Hope for Free Market Environmentalists

Right now in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco a very interesting experiment is being carried out. About two weeks ago the San Fransisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) began installing new ‘SFpark‘ meters. The meters are notable for many reasons, not the least of which is the technology. Not only are the meters able to accept…

Replenish the Well

I came across this awesome post from my friend Dayna Schmidt this afternoon about the right way to leverage your time at a conference – or any networking opportunity. Dayna recounted the story of meeting Andrea Adams-Miller at a seminar in May and the opportunities it has opened up for her since.  Dayna’s point is…

My Technological Stubbornness

For someone who considers himself a rather savvy bleeding-edge type I have a track record for being slow to adopt certain technologies. Case in point, the Kindle. Until about a week and a half ago I was not a Kindle owner. This should have been a no-brainer. I enjoy reading, but rarely have the exact…

My $9 Per Day Habit

No, its not Starbucks. Although my propensity for coffee consumption has me drinking about 6 to 8 cups per day – I am lucky to have a Keurig at home and the office which (thanks to Amazon subscribe and save and the generosity of my employer) holds my coffee expense to a meager $1.43 per day or…

Friday Philanthropy: Chicago Dance Marathon

I think many young professionals are intimidated by the term philanthropy. For me it traditionally conjured images of Rockefellers and Carnegies and 7-figure-plus donations; thats not the game I play. The word philanthropy comes from two Greek words meaning ‘love’ and ‘human being.’ At the core philanthropy is nothing more than love for one’s fellow…

Career Success While Still Having a Life

Pursuing a career doesn’t mean having to choose your job over your life. If you know how to strike a balance between work and your personal life, then you won’t have to pick one over the other. To be your best in both, however, it’s advisable to develop a system that works for you. Your…

Doublethink: Not just for dystopian landscapes (like 1984 and American politics)

Try this for me: Walk into your nearest Borders (or Amazon) and head over to the self-help section. Pick up a book, any book, I am going to guess that the core technique used in its method is creative visualization (or some derivative thereof). Creative visualization has been the cornerstone of most pop-growth toolkits since Russian scientists…