Subscribe
My Generosity Experiment
-
Monthly Archives: September 2009
10 ways to save conference panels
It’s really astounding how poor most conference panels are. The biggest problem is the expectation that if you get four smart, interesting people together on stage to have a conversation, that they’ll automatically have an interesting conversation. Most of the … Continue reading
Eulogy as reminder
I recently heard a sermon about the importance of looking back at life from the perspective of how we want to be remembered. It’s so stark to ask, “how would I live my life differently if I cared only about … Continue reading
Without even asking
One of my first blog posts (and one that still gets a lot of traffic) was about Maimonides’ eight levels of charity, or tzedakah. What interests me about this text is the recognition that people give for different reasons, some … Continue reading
Posted in Generosity
Leave a comment
1-4-5-2-3
Here’s a reasonable-sounding process to go through when prepping for a big presentation: Figure out what you want to say Write this up in slides, with some combination of words, charts, and images Refine those slides Rehearse the presentation Present … Continue reading
The everyone test
Whose side are you on? When you think about your colleagues, your supervisors, the people who work for you, whom do you want to see succeed? “I want everyone to succeed.” OK good. But is that “everyone, as long as … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
The only guy I met
The other day I took about eight boxes of books and clothes to the Salvation Army, part of a (meant to be) biannual, you-ever-going-to-wear-this-again? ritual that I talked about here. I have to admit, there’s so much inertia around getting … Continue reading
David Weprin and the other 19
The other day on my way to work I passed a campaign volunteer for David Weprin, candidate for NYC Comptroller. During the time I was within her earshot, I probably heard her say “Weprin for NYC Comptroller!!” about 10 … Continue reading
We’re right over here
This afternoon, I found myself standing on line, waiting to spend $4 on an overpriced loaf of sourdough. As the line grew behind me, from two to four to eleven people at 5:45pm, the bakery’s five employees milled about at … Continue reading
The power of belief
The other day, while I watched my kids frolic in the sprinklers in a recently-revived Central Park playground in New York City, I couldn’t help but wonder where belief comes in when we think about measuring social outcomes. My son, … Continue reading
