- Don’t take yourself too seriously. You are a dot within a very large universe and a speck in the history of time.
- Laugh. Then laugh even harder. Snort if you must.
- Be a total goof. You will make me look less goofy (kidding). Being a goof is fun.
- Truly ridiculous things happen in life. React to them.
- Let it out in real time without a filter.
- Celebrate your wins.
- Don’t think it; just let it flow.
- Stomp your feet at a baseball game.
- Dance.
- Hoot every good wave.
Your Dad’s Lesson:
Let’s rewind to my freshman baseball team banquet. As each player walked up to the podium the coach talked about his playing style, his fielding, or his batting average, with one exception — me. The coach proceeded to vent his exasperation and share his curiosity about my persistently stoic state. He said, “This kid refuses to smile when I praise him and he doesn’t flinch when I scold him.” I may have been a robot on the surface, but I was bursting with emotion inside. I wanted to pump my fist in the air when I rounded the bases and kick the dirt when I missed a pop-up, but I didn’t. Walking up to that podium, I knew the coach was right. My emotion didn’t break through until much later in life, when, simply, I just let it.
