Alan’s Quest

There's a phenomenon called "regression to the mean" in statistics. My layman's explanation is that something that's far out of the norm tends to return toward the norm when you continue to measure it. (Don't berate me, math was never

When you're feeling a tad depressed about your circumstances and/or prospects, go help someone who's in a worse state than you are. You'll feel better, they'll be better, and you'll be rejuvenated. It's not because there's someone in "worse" shape

You can hold a job, forge a career, or pursue a calling. I've worked in corporate America, I've become a consultant, but what I really love doing is helping others to succeed. The money comes, never chase money. Chase happiness.

A young man walked up to me outside the post office recently and said, "You're Mr. Weiss, right?" "I am." "You probably don't remember me, but I came to your house a few years ago after a storm to ask if you

When I go over to work on my train layout for a little while most days, I get "lost" in the universe I've created. I don't live by others' rules or metrics. I mix eras, create novel scenes, establish my

A buddy came over for a cigar the other day. We sat in my retreat center about six feet apart, had some scotch and Cohibas. We talked politics and people, TV and jobs. Then I went back to my final

I'm running my Building Dynamic Communities Workshop over two mornings instead of "live," using Zoom. This is the fifth time I'm presenting and facilitating a virtual workshop. I find myself preparing by shaving and showering, wearing good clothes, even putting

Social media posts would be funny if the times weren't so difficult for so many people. If everyone whining about the government's actions and/or bloviating about how they would do things differently—or using the crisis to make partisan political points—would

I'm weary of talking to six different people in hotels, with six confusing titles, repeating myself six times, as if they never talk to each other to support my meetings. So I'm now saying, "My requirement is one contact only,