When I was younger, I was certain that I was destined to do great things. I thought I would cure cancer, become a famous neurosurgeon or at the very least, get my PhD and be an esteemed college professor. I’d have the perfect family with 2 kids, a golden retriever, a Mercedes and a mansion….
Author: Steve Ainslie
She Knows What You Think Anyway
One day, I was seeking advice from a wiser man on dealing with my sister with whom I had a bad relationship. He asked for examples and I had plenty: She tortured me as a kid. She tried to have her boyfriend beat me up. She lied, cheated and stole from me. She always hated…
A Hermit And Dunbar’s Number
Dunbar’s Number is a theory that human beings can maintain a maximum of 150 close personal relationships. Dunbar said that traditional hunter gatherer tribes, nomadic tribes, and military units generally had less than 150 members. When groups got larger than this, social bonds become weaker and they would split off into factions. He said that most…
Dear Doctor, Thank You For Crying
During the past few months as my wife’s fought lung cancer she’s been suffering from unrelenting back pain. She pushed through it in order to have surgery and begin chemotherapy. Since she’s had chronic back pain for most of her life, we figured this pain was a typical episode and that over time it would get better….
What Happens After You Get The Job At The Top?
Recently I was to talking to a friend who has worked his way up through the ranks of Sales from Field Rep to Director to VP. But, like some of us who’ve worked our way up to the job we always wanted, he’s discovered that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. In pondering…
Is Radio Doomed?
I used to listen to the radio all the time. In the car With my friends At the gym When working While making dinner I never like listening to commercials, but I had no choice and they weren’t too bad. Every 15 minutes there’d be a break with two or three commercials. Everyone had a…
Would Retiring To Small Town or Rural America Be Better Than Staying In The Suburbs?
I’ve lived in mid-sized cities or smaller cities near major metro areas my entire adult life. Since I’ve downshifted, I sometimes think about moving to a really small town or rural community. I loved living in Tamaqua as a child. However, that was a long time ago. Since then, I’ve only known city and suburban life. I’m…
I See You
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to tell someone “I see you.” I learned this lesson when I was a lifeguard at the community pool in a poor neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Kids from the neighborhood spent all day, every day of the summer at the pool. Their parents worked. They couldn’t afford camp…
Target Therapy
This past weekend I took my wife shopping at Target. I haven’t been to a Target for a long time. In fact, I haven’t gone shopping in person anywhere, except Home Depot and the grocery store, for at least 2 years. I do as little shopping as possible. When I must buy something, I usually…
My Downshifting Story (aka How I Escaped the Cubicle)
I’ve worked consistently from when I was 16 years old until I downshifted at age 49. I wasn’t planning to downshift right then. My boss (our 4th VP in 3 years) had resigned a week earlier and the company decided to reorganize our department once again. My position was eliminated unexpectedly. After months of interviewing…