My Father Made His Last Flight
As some of you know, my father, J. Francis Angier (97) died July 27th. At that age, it’s obviously not a surprising event, but I’m not sure anyone can ever really prepare for losing a parent. The patriarch of our family is gone forever. He was loved and revered by all and will be greatly missed.
Dawn and I were blessed to have him spend nine winters with us here in Florida before entering a VA nursing home due to his advancing dementia. For the past few months, because the home was in lockdown, we were unable to visit him except through a glass door and by phone.
He was admitted to the VA hospital in Tampa on July 15th after he tested positive for Covid-19. He had no symptoms of the virus, and it was looking like he would be discharged and returned to the VA nursing home after 13 days. But he passed away in his sleep that morning (July 27th).
What you may not know is that “The Major” wrote a book in his early 80’s that chronicles his early life, his war experiences and his aviation career. I’m biased, of course, but it really is a good read.
And just today, the audio version was approved by Audible. So now it’s available in Kindle, paperback and Audible. If you don’t have an Audible account, you can get Ready or Not free with your trial subscription. www.SuccessNet.org/ron
10 Great Questions for this Time at Home
I hope you are holding up well. This is a time to be strong, to be innovative, creative and resilient.
Almost everyone will survive this. Some will even thrive. I’ve always believed what Napoleon Hill wrote: “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
As challenging as these times are, I challenge you—and myself—to make the best of it. And one of the ways we can do that is to challenge our thinking and gain clarity. I believe the quality of our life lies, to a great degree, in the quality of our questions. So here are 10 Great Questions to Ask during our stay-at-home orders.
Are You Ready to Clear the Decks?
Not long ago, one of my coaching clients vented some of his frustration to me. “Sam” felt overwhelmed and unclear about where he should place his focus.
He acknowledged the progress that he’d made in that he was clear on the foundational steps of The Path to Your Best Life.
SYSTEMS 101: Age 5
I grew up on a Vermont farm. When I was 5 and 6 years old, I would often hang out with and help my father as he did chores in the barn.
One day I noticed that my Dad had his cap on backwards, with the brim in the back. It looked kind of silly and I asked him why he had it that way. He explained.
Dr. Phil's Foreword to Vivid Vision
Many of you know of our friend and colleague, Dr. Philip Humbert. What you may not know is some of the very personal things he shares in what follows.
I am honored and humbled that he wrote the foreword to my second book of 2019, How to Create a Vivid Vision for Your Life. Please allow “the other Dr. Phil” to elaborate . . .
Foreword
Most reviews describe what a book is about. They list the topics covered, tell you about the writing or endorse the content or author’s perspective. I prefer reviews that describe a book’s impact. What difference can a book make? What can it produce? These, to me, are the more important questions.
A Million People? I Think I Can.
A few years ago, I met someone at a dinner party who asked me if I was retired. Since I was still writing and coaching, but also taking a lot of time off, I replied that I was “semi-retired.”
My wife, who was with me, gave me a very quizzical look. And later we had some discussion about my response. Seems that I had never shared that with her. And she was surprised—even concerned.
I guess that I hadn’t even really acknowledged my status to myself. It wasn’t all that conscious of a decision on my part. It’s just that I used to work 50- to 60-hour weeks, and after moving to Florida, I found myself playing tennis 4-5 times a week and working relatively shorter days. Not to mention that most of my work doesn’t feel like work.
Was I semi-retired? It seemed that I was. I was taking it easy and I felt I deserved it—and I did.
Impossible You Say
A long time ago, when my children were children, we encouraged them to utilize the dictionary often. We had a large one in the living room, and we all made good use of it.
This was, of course, way before spell check and online dictionaries.
One night at the dinner table, I told a story (I can’t remember what it was) that sounded fantastical to these three young minds. One of them dismissed my story outright and said, “That’s impossible.”
To which I replied: “Impossible you say. That’s an interesting word. I think you should look it up.”
“We know what it means,” they all said.
