My brother used to be in an improv group, participating in a series of unscripted games for the entertainment of an audience. He was pretty good. The ones who weren’t seem to have the same thing in common. It wasn’t a lack of talent or that they were missing a funny bone. It was their refusal to adhere to the “yes, and…" rule. It’s the difference between success and failure in an improv skit. If a fellow performer suggests that your shoes are made of marshmallows, and you say, “No they aren't. What are you talking about? These are normal shoes,” the skit dies a hard, painful, and unfunny death. Instead, you need to accept the premise, and add to it. "YES, my shoes are made of marshmallows, AND they enable me to jump over cars!” What is vital to the success of an improv skit is also the key to a successful business or a happier, more fulfilling life. It’s possible to become more resilient while positively responding to challenges with grace and effectiveness, and we …

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Eating lobster used to be a punishment reserved for prisoners.I was reminded of this during a recent trip to New England. I had a speaking engagement in Connecticut, and took my oldest daughter with me. I had three different lobster dishes on the trip (in between samplings of clam chowd-ah).The fact that the inclusion of lobster makes any dish more expensive is quite a turn of events from its humble beginnings. A few hundred years ago, lobster was plentiful, washing up on shore by the hundreds. The so-called “cockroach of the sea" was eaten only by the poor and prisoners, who considered it cruel and unusual punishment. It was commonly used as livestock feed and fertilizer. Said essayist John J. Rowan in 1876, “Lobster shells about a house are looked upon as signs of poverty and degradation.”But in the late 19th century, canning became a viable way to get food rations to soldiers in the Civil War. Enterprising railway companies rebranded the lobster as an exotic dish to travelers in …

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We like to pretend that we are rational creatures. That’s cute.In his book, Predictably Irrational, behavioral economist Dan Ariely digs deep into the reasons why smart people make irrational decisions every day. It’s a fascinating read, and proof that we are not as logical as we think we are.Logic is the default mode of Adulthood. We pride ourselves on being rational and realistic.Children, however, do not shy away from the illogical, irrational, and (seemingly) unrealistic.The reason I think we grown-ups should be more like kids goes beyond making our lives more fun (although that’s a great by-product). It’s because it can help us solve big problems and achieve our most important goals.Another book that has gotten me fired up about this recently comes from advertising legend Rory Sutherland. In Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, Sutherland argues that logic and rational thinking are not always the best way to solve our most …

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The leader of an organization was preparing for a long overdue two-week vacation. He had spent a month preparing for his absence by setting up systems and training his second-in-command to step up while he was gone. But still, his protégé was nervous.  She proposed several hypothetical scenarios, wondering how she should respond. The leader calmly explained the processes he set up to handle each situation. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this,” he reassured her. “But, if you find yourself in a spot where you don’t know what to do, let me show you something I rely on in situations like that.” He led her into his office, and grabbed a Magic 8-Ball from his desk. “If you’re stuck, just state your issue in the form of a yes or no question, shake this, and do whatever it says.” She looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "By the way," he said, "If it says to ask again later, just give it a little time before trying again.” The young employee wondered aloud, “But …

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"A Little Whimsy" by Jason Kotecki. 40" x 40". Oil on canvas. Original is SOLD. Prints …

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When I’m working on a painting, I have to step back from time to time. I have to literally stop the activity of painting and be still before the work. You might think it slows down the process. What it really does is help me make better paintings. Otherwise, I can’t see the painting through the brushstrokes. If I don’t step away every so often, I’m liable to get stuck overdoing part of the painting and end up ruining the whole thing. Giving myself some distance helps me notice things I can’t see when I’m up close. I can examine the overall composition, the balance of color, and if the values are working well together. If I get a feeling that something’s not quite right, stepping back and taking a look at the big picture can help me pinpoint the problem. Sometimes, I simply step back to admire what I’ve created. One of my favorite parts of making art are the moments of pride I have when something turns out so well that I can hardly believe I did it. The same is true of our …

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