grin and bare it
A blog by Matthew Dicks
Big, fat religious liars
The National Bureau of Economic Research has made a shocking discovery. Polling data routinely indicates that about 22 percent of Americans report attending religious services on a weekly basis. However, by analyzing geodata from the…
Read MoreOnly $250?
I was teaching a storytelling workshop last month when one of the participants lamented that his parents had “only given $250 in pocket money” per month while he was attending college. And this was in…
Read MoreSometimes golf is perfect
The weather has finally turned. I stand on the precipice of the golf season at last. A time of unknown, unimaginable possibilities. Golf can often be frustrating, disappointing, and even ridiculous. But there are also…
Read MoreFirst Prize?
While performing in Schenectady, New York, a couple of weekends ago, I drove by this restaurant, which, as far as I can tell, could be: “First Prize Mike’s Frankfurts along with First Prize Hots with…
Read MoreCreativity cannot be defined
“Sweet Child O’ Mine,” the iconic song from Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 album Appetite for Destruction, has a fascinating creative story. The opening guitar riff—possibly one of rock and roll’s most famous guitar rights—was not…
Read MoreTake care of your future self
A friend sent me a photo of this post-it, written by his daughter. __________________________ Dear Future Self, Have a good lunch. Hope you did well on your science test 2-day. Sincerely, 7:30 AM Alana __________________________…
Read MoreFour life lessons
I visited my friend’s high school English class this week. I talked about storytelling, writing, and creative productivity. I also answered questions about my life. But as I often do, I also shared life lessons…
Read MoreBest gift is a great movie recommendation
Years ago, my friend Shep told me to watch the movie “Hot Fuzz.” I had never heard of the film or its director, Edgar Wright, but knowing Shep, I decided to give it a shot.…
Read MoreAnonymity means a lack of psychological safety
Here’s a good rule of thumb for your business or organization: If you need to allow the people in your organization to remain anonymous while completing an employee satisfaction survey, a professional development evaluation, or…
Read MoreFirst rule of unkindness
The number of times when you say something unkind about a friend or colleague – and then that bit of unkindness makes its way back to the person to whom you directed the unkind remark…
Read More