Gerry Baird's Page

This is the first article in a series designed to spotlight employees and entrepreneurs who make a living doing what they love. I interviewed Brigham Larson at his home on August 26, 2009. Click here to listen to a short audio clip. (Brigham's youngest son joined us toward the end of the interview, and you can hear him in the background.)

It's a typical Saturday night for Brigham Larson. He strol… Continue

When young children begin exploring boundaries at the age of one or two, they frequently hear the word "no." "NO, you can't have a cookie before dinner. NO, you can't eat dirt. NO, you can't ride Fido around the living room." Parents tell their children "no" because they want to protect the health of their offspring and teach them the boundaries of normal behavior.

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A friend of mine recently took the leap and decided to start her own business. I applaud her courage and am confident she will experience success. But I am also confident she will encounter obstacles along the way--walls that block her progress. Her level of success will largely be determined by her response to these setbacks.

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In my back yard, I have a wood pile that provides winter heat and summer stress relief. Something about swinging a heavy metal object over my head and watching wood splinter just feels right to me. When I first started chopping wood, I attempted to cut some long logs into shorter logs with an ax. I found that this to be extremely difficult task, requiring 20 or 30 well-placed swings for a medium-sized piece of wood. In contrast, I can usually split a piece of dry wood lengthwise in a single swin… Continue

When I meet new people, I tend to categorize them as outgoing or introspective, self-centered or empathetic, intelligent or athletic or both. But the more I get to know a person, the better I understand her motivations and see the real complexities of character that make her who she is. You may encounter the same challenge when attempting to better understand yourself. When you are caught up in details, you could miss the forest for the trees.

Nonetheless, when examining your life you should be… Continue