I was a very proud dad last weekend.  I was also pleasantly surprised.

My 12 year-old daughter came home from school earlier this spring asking Elisabeth (her mom) if she could enter a pageant that was happening this summer.  That was a bit of an interesting request considering that she really had not shown a lot of interest in anything pageantry related.  Getting dressed up had never really been high on her list and spending time on her hair always came with a groan.  Elisabeth was eager to help our daughter prepare for the pageant because she too had appeared in a few in her youth.  I guess it’s in our daughter’s blood.

While I’ve never been a big fan of the beauty pageants we see on TV nor the toddlers being all dolled up and paraded in front of the cameras, I decided to take a supportive role and mostly stay out of the way.

The pageant that my daughter was entering was by National American Miss (NAM).  Being 12 years old, she was in the pre-teen category which was a no make-up age group. And even though I’m not opposed to girls exploring make-up at this age, it was nice to see that this pageant wasn’t solely based on glamming up little girls to see who could look like the most outlandish tramp.  This is not to say that the girls didn’t make up for some of that with ringlet curls, gallons of hairspray, and pricey ball gowns.

I was pleasantly surprised by the event because I felt that the pageant really gave my daughter and every other girl there a platform.  They each had the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience.  They each learned how to walk with their head up, shoulders back, smile, and show confidence in front of a crowd.  I recently read that 75% of all people have speech anxiety.  So what a great opportunity this was to teach my daughter how to be confident when speaking to hundreds of people.

It was a proud moment to see her take the stage in her beautiful dress and take another step toward becoming a lady.  It was just yesterday that I was changing her diaper.  While the cost of the event was extremely pricey (I’d say we spent close to $1000 by the time it was over), I think the long term benefits will be a quality return on our investment.

Did my daughter win? No.  She was able to walk away with a couple trophies, but more importantly, she had the opportunity to see what she could accomplish with focus, effort, and her God given talent.  So, as I said, it was a very proud moment for me.

This is a repost of what I wrote last year at this time. It may be a year later, but they put the sign back up, so this post still holds true.

Something’s wrong here.  Why is it when fireworks should be selling like hotcakes, stores are offering “buy one get five free deals?”  Usually, at the holidays, the corresponding products are overpriced with no discounts to be found.   At Valentines Day, roses are a ripoff as well as that box of candy.  As Easter approaches, the baskets, plastic eggs, and candy are all top dollar.  It’s only after the holiday when the prices drop.

So what gives with fireworks?  How can the store give five away after someone pays for only one?  There’s only one logical conclusion.  They’re ripping us off.  Now, as I see it, buying fireworks is already a waste of money.   Literally, your money goes up in smoke.  But the price of that one has to be way off the chart compared to its manufacturing and marketing cost.

While I prefer good old discounts like 25% off or even better 50% off, even a BOGO deal sounds more legit than “buy one get five free.”  (Here’s my BOGO rant.)  But once you start offering five with a purchase of one, it should trigger a question of how much are they over charging for the one?  Right?  They didn’t make the five “free” fireworks for nothing.  They have to pay for that somehow.  So either the free fireworks are duds or very boring, or they are not really free.

I hate stupid promotions such as these.  I hate BOGO, but I hate this one even more.  I guess I hate it because it plays to human gullibility.  Everything about it says the retailer is lying, which only makes me mad.

So what’s the limit?  Why sell one and give five away.  Why not go one better?  Sell one and give six away?  It’s like Six Minute Abs.  Why not Five Minute Abs?  So I propose that the fireworks sellers go all out and cut everyone a real deal.  BUY ONE GET A BILLION FREE! Sure, that first firework is really expensive, but the other billion fireworks are a steal!

Back in 2006 I bought a Sony 50″ rear projection TV.  I’d always wanted an HD television and the Colts were going to the Super Bowl, so this was the perfect excuse.  Of course I would have loved getting a plasma, but the prices were way to high for me.  The rear projection was priced pretty well (I can only imagine the type of TV I could buy today for the same price) and it was less that half the depth of my 46″ tube TV.

For the past five years, it has served us well, but earlier this year the warning started appearing on the screen letting us know that he bulb was dying.  For the past three or four months I’ve ignored the warning.  However, the other day I noticed a darker stripe across the top of the screen.  Not a good sign.

Today I’m biting the bullet and buying a replacement bulb, which also includes the housing for the bulb.  I’m told this is the easiest way to replace the bulb and I’m all about easy. In a couple days, I’ll let you know how it goes. Maybe I’ll also tie this event into a life lesson such as how we need a bulb replacement to let our light shine brighter… or something cheesy (but true) like that.

Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson

One thing?  If I could choose one thing?  I’ve never been accused of being a person who could choose just one thing.  And that’s most likely my problem.  I’m the Jack of all trades… I’m mean a Renaissance Man.

I have always had a list of things that I’ve wanted to accomplish.  Often times the length of that list has prevented me from accomplishing anything.  Focusing on one goal at a time is the ultimate challenge for me.  Instead, I can have five projects going and never finish any of them.  A common trait of the right-brained.

One of the goals that I’d always had was to write a book, which I accomplished at the end of 2010.  Prior to this, I had written professionally for several years and completed a multitude of sitcom scripts.  However, what I found in writing all those scripts was that they had very little value unless they were produced.  By writing my book, I was dependent on no one but myself.  Also, I had something I could easily share with others.

At one point in writing my book, I knew that if I were to finish it, it would only happen if I dropped all my other projects.  I couldn’t take the time for the three or four other projects.  I had to put my energy into the book 100%.  It had to be the “one thing.”

So what is my one thing now?  I don’t feel at liberty to write it here.  Not yet.  But I am setting out a plan and preparing myself to focus.  I’m putting everything else on hold.  (Although I did receive a tweet from Casper Van Dien today, so I may have to dust off one of my scripts and send it his way… I hope he’ll consider something that doesn’t feature giant alien bugs.)

I’m figuring that the loneliest number, that “one thing,” will lead to a multitude of opportunity.

I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. Ralph Waldo EmersonThe assignment for today was to think of a time when I didn’t think I was capable of doing something, but then surprised myself.  I read this and shelved it mentally.  I figured I’d come up with something as the day went on.  But the day is almost over and I have nothing.

The prompt also asked how I would surprise myself this week.

Considering that I’m typing something right now when I told my wife I was just going to bed because of a need to get to work early, I’m pretty darn surprised that I’ve written this much.  Good for me.

And that’s all the surprise that I can handle for one day.

These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve written about fear before.  My biggest fear.  I don’t think the fear I experience is that uncommon because I seem to read a lot of content on how to overcome it.  Yet reading, writing, and talking about it don’t make it just disappear.  What’s my fear?  I have a fear of failure.

What I’ve learned over time is that the fear isn’t going to ever go away.  Instead I have to make a daily decision to conquer that fear.  I can’t give in to it.

And what I’ve found is that those who fear failure don’t particularly suffer from a paralysis such that they don’t try at all.  Instead, from my experience, those who fear failure, just try something they know they’ll succeed at.  Unfortunately, society encourages this.  We are punished for failure and rewarded for success.  So why try that which you might fail at when you know you’ll succeed at the other?

Is there really a conspiracy as Emerson states?  Maybe not a spoken conspiracy (which is a bit counter intuitive) but it definitely seems that society as a whole would rather everyone pursue mediocrity.  I’ll pass on that.  So as a result I’m going to keep challenging myself to reach higher, to think more creatively, and not back down from adversity.  Daily, I will face my fear.

I have chosen to listen to the voice that says, “I can.”