Christian Lautenschleger

My principle: going for experiences

January 30th, 2017christian0 Comments

Think back five years. Now ten years. Now longer. What do you remember? My guess is we probably remember experiences. We remember events with family, with friends. We remember trips, holidays, get-a-ways. We probably don’t remember the mundane, “I can’t have have such-and-such” that we did in lieu . Chances are, if there’s a doubt, we should take the plunge and go for the experience. This will be a part of my “principles to live by” post. I’m elaborating on the principles I find important. Another way to think about experiences are to equate them with “memories”. A memory is …

My principles to live by

January 29th, 2017christian0 Comments

Principles to live by, because I don’t want to say “rule” on principle. I totally took this idea of Simon Fraser, and it’s a good one because by writing things down, we’re more likely to follow through, accomplish, and live by them. Writing down principles or rules helps us to live them. It holds ourselves accountable. It also draws accountability from people who read our principles — positive social pressure. If you want something to be done, you have to write it and let the world know. Principles Make everyday count Trust your gut Listen to your body Everyday is …

Wikipedia: Clickbait for Learners

January 28th, 2017christian0 Comments

The best times to sit down to look up something on Wikipedia are early morning and late night, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the whole day researching something more esoteric than grad school research or losing sleep over the causes of the proliferation of smart phones in elementary schools (I made that one up, but it probably exists). Some people clickbait Forbes, HuffPo, or BuzzFeed, others resort to Wikipedia. You know you’re having a good Wikipedia session when you don’t even know how you got to the page you’re on. You have to look at your recent …

Teachers teach because they can’t?

January 27th, 2017christian0 Comments

Teachers teach, because they can’t. Right? Or maybe teachers teach because they want to help others and share their experience and knowledge? I had something pop into my mind: maybe teachers can do, but want to help other humans because teaching fits their personality. Recently, I read Give and Take — which is a phenomenal book I highly recommend — and learned in depth about “givers” and “takers”. It’s one of those epiphanies that we kind of already knew about, but all the dots are connected when someone spells it out for us. Some people have the “givers” personality. Givers …

Creating a Startup: Good luck

January 26th, 2017christian0 Comments

I won’t ever worry about telling anyone a business idea of mine because of the work it takes to get it off the ground. Entrepreneurship may be sexy, but it’s a hell of a lot of work (I’m talking about a startup as a new business idea — restaurants, services companies, and solo entrepreneurs – although entrepreneurial – aren’t exactly startups, think of Facebook, PayPal, and companies that require a massive amount of resources). You have to live, breathe, talk, think, and again live your business. Every startup is a billion-dollar business. (If you don’t believe me, ask founder of …

My day in review

January 25th, 2017christian0 Comments

today's metaphor christian lautenschleger

Studied for the GRE. Remembered that the Innovate New Albany Tiger Talk started at 930, even though in my mind I was going to talk with Shaun later. Bought groceries and went to the bank. Read a bit in a boring book about the Boston Marathon. Went for a run. Decided I need to see a doc, finally. Laundry. Spoke with Judy, on the phone. Write this blog. Streak continued. Low on motivation until I hear back from sport doc.

Communities around us and how they shape us

January 24th, 2017christian0 Comments

We’re humans. We’re social creatures. Many people want to act like we’re independent without needing people. Who we spend time with matters as much about ourselves as anyone. We are the sum of those around us. Our personalities, attitudes, and moods stem the people with whom we spend the most time. Choose your communities wisely. Work People often have two times of jobs: vocations or bill-payers. People who’ve had a greater calling, or “dream” job, will usually work with people who share much closer interests. That’s why they’re there. People who have bill-payer jobs often act like drones and work …

Lemonade out of lemons — make the best of every situation

January 23rd, 2017christian0 Comments

Tendinitis. It’s a dreadful word for runners. It’s not so much the pain, but the time it takes to heal. No one knows. Treatment and rest help heal tendinitis. In the meantime? Either painful running or no running. Some runners even (regrettably) take up different sports for cross-training to avoid losing fitness. But you know what? It’s a quintessential time to make lemonade out of lemons. For every situation, we need to think about how we can make the most of it. We need to think about how we can put a positive spin and action on everything. Why? Otherwise, …

A libertarian’s perspective of the election

January 22nd, 2017christian0 Comments

election speech christian lautenschleger

Note: I did vote for Gary Johnson, the BAMF from New Mexico, and have yet to vote for a Republican or Democrat for POTUS. Although I have a BA in political science and history (seemingly a lifetime ago), I only watch the news when a major event takes place. Such as a presidential election. I mention that only as background; standing behind degrees is one of the most insecure things to do, anyhow. And I voted for – and donated money to – Ron Paul in 2008. #itsactuallynothappening Nothing fires up Facebook like a political debate. To date, I believe …

Practice: How we get to Carnegie Hall

January 21st, 2017christian0 Comments

How do we get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. (That’s a fun one to ask to see the reactions of people’s faces, ha.) Most humans have comparable talent levels. We may have different physical attributes, but we’re mostly together mentally to reach comparable achievements. The difference comes in how we’re raised, social community, and our mindset — we have to want it. To reach the upper echelons, we nearly have to dedicate our lives to it, such as playing at Carnegie Hall. Sure, there are prodigies that reach the pinnacle, but there are also people who practiced their way to the …