Author: John Rue

...is what history would term a child prodigy, because by age 4, Francis Galton knew Latin and long division. We would term him a student of BTL, because in 1869, Galton (cousin of Darwin) published his first study on the origins of high achievement. Outliers, he believed, were remarkable in three ways: “they demonstrate unusual … Continue reading Day 47 (Galton)…

...is like Morse Code, because it's the wire others decode as you telegraph it. Your true moral code is the one you live by when no one is watching. The one you telegraph will shape your reputation, the one you live by will shape your character. You, who are on the road, must have a … Continue reading Day 46 (Your moral code)…

...is BTL's worldview about the real, authentic you. What you believe about you matters. Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right — Henry Ford If you don't believe you are freakin' magic in the making, you have an identity-crisis, the root of which is a worldview-crisis. “Our deepest fear … Continue reading Day 45 (Freakin’ magic in the making)…

...is a goodie but oldie. Here's a re-make of ten commandments that make good BTL principles. Don't have other gods. Choose your master wisely, or you'll be enslaved. Hard labor you will disdain as you tire, OPUS you will sustain as you tire. Make your big why about something bigger than yourself. Those who choose … Continue reading Day 44 (Ten things everybody ought to know)…

...is another core BTL principle. But, how you live it out depends upon which of two competing worldviews you hold. Let’s be a good journalist and dig deeper. We’ll start our story by examining the self-centered/other-controlling worldview. Does it compete? Yes. Who does it compete with? Anything and anyone in its way. What does it … Continue reading Day 43 (Compete)…

...and quench your deepest thirst as you read this post, a toast to Paul Harvey. Michael (Mike) King was a dad and a preacher from the deep South. In 1934, after completing the dream of a lifetime -- a pilgrimage to the Holy Land -- he finished his trip by attending an international conference for … Continue reading Day 42 (Be like Mike)…

...is a Latin word which translates as "unconquered, or unconqerable." But as we'll see, it's way more than that. As you'll read in Day 41 of Toto's book, Invictus was the title of Nelson Mandela's favorite poem, by William Ernest Henley. For Mandela, it became the mantra of his worldview he recited to himself from … Continue reading Day 41 (Invictus)…

...started out like a normal infant -- self-centered/other-controlling, a screamer, full of B.S., and milking mom for everything I could get. If your trajectory doesn't change, you journey from the state of infancy to the state of tyranny. It's not cute anymore. You get older, but no less infantile, just maybe a little more sophisticated, … Continue reading Day 40: (The tyrant known as me)…