I was standing on the edge of a mountain peak, 3,000 feet from the valley below.  I had trained for over two years to be in a position to make this paragliding flight.  I was finally ready.  With a few quick strides, my paraglider inflated and I was flying.  It was majestic and peaceful. Just me, the cool wind in my face and some beautiful panoramic vistas of snowcapped mountain peaks.  If you want to stay in the air, you need to catch a thermal (if you’ve ever noticed a bird floating upwards in circles without flapping its wings, you get the gist of it).  So catch one I did.  I was ascending in a nice and calm manner at first.  Then I started climbing faster. And faster.  The winds were getting rough and starting to shake me around.  I was quickly losing control of my paraglider.  Continue reading →

We were a full day into a three day trek into the Ecuadorian jungle.  The conditions were rough but that’s exactly what my friend and I had signed up for.  A real authentic jungle experience.  The humidity was suffocating.  The swarms of mosquitoes were unrelenting.  The bush so dense, you had to cut through it with a hatchet just to clear a walking path.  And the mud was like quicksand, sometimes swallowing you up to mid-thigh.  But it was all par for course in the jungle.  I was prepared for just about anything on this little adventure.  Well, almost anything… Continue reading →

Think Small

 

When I moved out to Los Angeles after college, I thought it would be fun to set an audacious goal for myself.  So I figured what better activity to pursue in sunny California than the great game of golf.  I had some extremely rudimentary skills (“skills” would be a stretch), having taken an introductory golf course in college (tuition well spent), but I would generally average a triple bogey over 18 holes.  For those of you who don’t speak golf, that’s not good.  Heck, that’s not even good enough to be called bad.  Pathetic would be more apropos. Not knowing any better, I figured why not shoot for the stars, so I set my sights on becoming a scratch golfer within two years (that’s the very high end of the amateur scale).  I realized this would take an enormous amount of time and effort on my part and I was prepared to make the sacrifice. So I enthusiastically signed up with a highly rated instructor and set off on my journey. Continue reading →

I was about 100 feet below the ocean surface that morning. Everything was going according to plan.  I’m checking out the beautiful colors of the coral reef, watching a moray eel slither in and out of his cave and just enjoying the tranquility and majesty of the underwater water.  Then suddenly, in a split second, the airflow from my regulator (the part delivering air from your tank to your mouth) stops.  I am out of air.  I can’t breathe.  Just like that.  I’ve got to get myself out of this mess and there’s not a lot of time to waste.  My life depends on it.  If I start panicking, I’ll likely try to gasp for air but swallow water instead.  I somehow need to be calm in the face of imminent danger.  (Easier said than done of course.) The clock starts ticking… Continue reading →

I vividly remember that moment 15 years ago like it happened yesterday.  There I was lying flat on my back gasping for air in complete and utter exhaustion but yet with a huge grin on my face.  I did it.  I had finally made it to the top of Mt Shasta.  Mind you, this was no Mt Everest, but having never climbed a mountain in my life, this was still a pretty daunting challenge for me.  Picture walking continuously for 12 hours.  Now picture walking those 12 hours up a steep incline the entire way.  But instead of wearing comfortable walking shoes, you’ve got heavy boots and crampons.  Add to that the fact that you’re freezing with the wind chill factor dropping temps well below zero.  You have massive headaches most of the way up due to the effects of altitude. And you’re seriously dehydrated.  Your body is starving itself but you can’t eat a thing (another effect of altitude).  And you’re dizzy.  Everything is spinning around you. It’s hard to breathe too. Every breath is a conscious effort.  It was certainly the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point in my life.  It made running a marathon feel like a stroll in the park. Continue reading →

Welcome.

Wow. You found me. I’m impressed (even if it was a mistake).  I’ve had many careers in many different industries (technology, health and wellness, real estate, theme parks, retail, advertising, market research, private wealth).  I’ve been an entrepreneur and I’ve worked in the corporate sector.  I’ve had some nice successes. I’ve had my share of failures.  I’ve had periods of adventure (both in my career and personal life) and periods of calm.  I’ve seen a lot. I’ve experienced a lot. I’ve lived a lot. I hope to share some stories, life lessons, philosophies and musings with you.  Thanks for spending a few minutes here and checking out my blog. I hope you get something out of it.