Blog Posts in “Life Lessons”

As you can see from my recent photos, I’m no spring chicken. That’s the bad news.

As you can see from my recent photos, I’m no spring chicken. That’s the bad news. The good news is that even as you and I age, our brains remain malleable and open to learning. Sometimes we acquire greater wisdom about important things that we once took for granted but did not fully appreciate in…

Many of you will recognize these lyrics from one of the best-known songs by the Rolling Stones. The refrain ends, “But if you try sometime / You’ll find / You get what you need.” These simple lyrics hold a lot of wisdom. They suggest that if we have patience following a short-term disappointment,…

Humbling at the Time, Funny in Hindsight, and Instructive on Occasion

Not that long after arriving in Canada, nearly 30 years ago, I got the chance to hit the slopes at Blue Mountain Ski Resort with my youngest daughter, Megan, who was about seven at the time. As someone who had played competitive sports, I thought that learning to ski would be a piece of cake and…

Most of us experience a mental health issue at some point in our lives. Among those of belonging to a certain generation and cultural background, we usually cope by soldiering on in denial, putting on a brave face, and hoping the problem goes away or fixes itself. Under normal circumstances, I…

You do not have to play the game to be reminded of these 5 powerful life lessons

I get it: some people reading this post will have zero interest in golf. In fact, you might feel just like Winston Churchill, who once dismissively said that golf was “a good walk spoilt.” So, while I am writing this post primarily for people who play golf or like watching the game, I am also…

How to set personal goals that “stick.”

Few would deny that having and achieving your personal goals is an essential part of being happy and feeling good about yourself. But it’s also true that far too often we come up short when it comes to our personal goals. This week, we will explore why we struggle and then turn it around to set…

The world needs better leaders, and it starts with each one of us

We all have opportunities to lead, be it as teachers, parents, spouses, coaches, or the head of a not-for-profit or major corporation. The size of the leadership opportunity and your impact varies depending on the scope of the role and your level of authority. We all get multiple chances to lead…

A case study of Rooney’s, a successful 65-year-old third-generation family business that’s still blowin’ and goin’.

In this post, I outline the successful transition of our family business, <a href="https://rooneys.co.zw/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rooney’s Hire Service</a>, to the third generation and why it worked so well despite considerable challenges. The first transition to the next…

Before my dad started his family business, Rooney's Hire Services—which is still going strong today—he had a stint on Lord Delamere's farm, converted the backyard into a fridge factory, and manufactured hula hoops.

My dad, Daniel Joseph Rooney, was affectionally called “Mickey” by some, simply “D.J.” by others. Back then, he would have best been described as adventurous, hard working, short tempered, entrepreneurial, and a “heavy drinker,” a not-uncommon trait among folks in those hard-driving pioneering…

What I did when my daily journaling failed to give me the peace of mind I was accustomed to.

Research has convincingly shown that people who have an attitude of gratitude are both happier and healthier. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with everyone’s mental health in the last two years. The mortality rates, even in Canada, have been shocking, especially in retirement homes. So, it…