There but for the grace of grit go I

One of my friends has an interesting family boundary. No phone calls with mom at the house. Turns out, his mother is an alcoholic and very difficult to engage with, so that’s the rule he made for himself. She doesn’t even know about it, nor does she mind, apparently. It’s nothing dramatic, unkind or vindictive. This boundary comes from a place of love. For my friend, his home is a sacred space for he and his family. They don’t want...

ConEdison, one of the largest energy companies in the country, recently launched a sustainability initiative that’s quite the turn on. Residents in family households within eligible neighborhoods can schedule to receive a free lightbulb installation that reduces lighting related energy costs by up to ninety percent. Customers simply schedule their installation, and then a representative contacts them to confirm the date and time of their appointment. Within days, they’ll replace those pesky old power guzzling halogens with new light bulbs...

Here's the type of online review that breaks my heart:They can afford not to care. Have you ever been a customer at this kind of establishment? Whether it's a retail shop, boutique hotel or large apathetic global monolith, few things make people feel more frustrated and helpless than dealing with a business that's in some kind of monopoly position.  Because for whatever reason, that company is not incentivized to make customers a priority. Maybe they're the only game in town,...

Here’s a common reaction people have to my social experiment. You've been wearing a nametag every day for twenty years? I don't think I've done anything for twenty years. It always gives me a good laugh, since it’s patently absurd that over half of my life has been lived as a labeled man. But you have to admit, that’s one hell of a run. And in fact, streak psychology is a topic that fascinates me. Why are people so compelled...

Do you love food, but don’t like waiting around for it to cook? Omni, the outdoor appliance company, recently launched an amazing portable pizza oven. It’s capable of heating up to nine hundred degrees, almost double the capability of conventional ovens. With its revolutionary gas powered technology, this appliance can cook a small neopolitan pizza in sixty seconds. Only sixty seconds! This is great news for the restaurant world. Customers who literally don’t have a minute to spare will be...