I had undertaken a project that I was beginning to feel was beyond my personal resources to accomplish. I had asked a friend and colleague if I might organize a workshop in the New England area that he would teach. After many months of collecting information, I was at the point of choosing and committing to a conference center. Next would come the advertising, invitations, mailings, registrations, etc. It happened many years ago in the early stages of my new career, and I was beginning to feel t

I am a martial artist and black belt in aikido, a practice that continues to teach me about life, both on and off the mat. For example, at the end of each aikido practice, I express gratitude to my partners by bowing and saying: “Thank you very much.” I’ve found over the years that sometimes I have obvious reasons to say thank you – working with that person was exhilarating and fun. However, sometimes the reasons are not so obvious – my partner was stiff, rough, unconscious, or generally difficult to work with.