My Back 9

I awoke last night with a vision for the New Year that has held me captive since 3AM this morning. The way I see it, the only way to break free is to write about it, and share my vision with YOU. The two words that penetrated my mind last night were Journey’s Desire . I have a strange habit of putting words together that usually don’t go together, because for some reason it helps me find the point of the arrow on a particular topic. Once I had the words down, I was able to get some much needed Christmas Eve sleep. You see, I am getting my five children later today, so I need to be prepared for Christmas at Dad’s (something I will talk more about later.) As soon as I woke up, the thoughts poured back in, so here they are in written form: This morning, my thoughts came into focus about the concept of Journey and the fact that “making the effort to live” our journey is truly the secret to life. As I thought about all that is going on in my life, I soon realized that I was actually ...

As we head into this Thanksgiving week and as I ponder over the tragedy happening at Penn State University, a deep feeling of gratitude has swept over me towards the team of people that watch over my children on a daily basis. So much so, that I feel compelled to communicate this note to all faculty members of Pathways Elementary, Stanford Middle School, and Orange High School . All five of my children ( yes 5, that’s not a typo ) have gone through Pathways and two of them are still there. I have two that have gone through the middle school ( one is there now ) and two that are currently at Orange High. Due to some extenuating family circumstances ( which for the most part have been self inflicted by me ), I have lost touch with the school systems that watch over my children on a daily basis. My message today is a heartfelt message of appreciation, gratitude and admiration for the job you do each day educating and protecting my children. Teachers and faculty members who work tire...

A friend of mine sent me a text the other day about some current events happening, more specifically the earthquake in Turkey. My radar is usually on high alert when it comes to world events, especially when so many people are involved. When I went to my computer to get an update on this tragic event, I was hit by the stark contrast of the TWO top stories of the day. Interestingly enough, the other top story of the day was that Snooky ( of Jersey Shore fame ) had recently published a new book. Forgive me that I don’t remember the title of this new Top Seller. You see, publishing a book is quite a difficult endeavor, and I wondered how Snooky seemed to have an easier time than I did getting her book to print. I guess I could look up the title of her new book like a detailed and thorough writer should, but I think I will pass. Trying not to get too caught up in myself, my second reaction was to quickly overlook this potentially very important and exciting event ( sarcasm ), and I q...

My words today come from a very sad and somber place. My dear friend and college roommate, Woodsie , died of a sudden heart attack last week, and I am still trying to come to grips with the fact that he is gone. He was such a vibrant personality; it’s hard for me to imagine the world without him in it. My writing today will not be able to scratch the surface of what this guy meant to me and countless others, but I feel compelled to share a short story about the biggest little guy I have ever known. You see, Woodsie ( Steven Woods ) stood about 5 feet and 5 inches tall on a good day, but the height, breath, and scope of his impact on people was greater than you could ever imagine. We all have that one person in our circle who is “the guy” or “the girl”. Well, for our group ( and for me in particular ) it was always Steve. Whenever Woodsie was in the room, you could feel his presence, and so could everyone else. He had the absolute quickest wit and sharpest sense of humor of anyon...

In David Bowie’s classic tune, Changes , the song’s ending leaves you with a very contemplative few lines. “ Time may change me, but I can’t trace time .” We quite often hear the advice these days to stay in the present moment, because you can’t do anything about the past and you certainly can’t control the future. Now, trust me, these are certainly words to live by, but it’s important to keep the blinders off as well. What do I mean? Well, even though it’s critical to live in the present moment, it’s important to constantly utilize reference points from our past in order to maintain a healthy present and more secure future. After all, it’s the experiences of life that provide us with the fuel that, when lit, ignites our source of wisdom, and ultimately paves the way for all we are and all we do. When I dissect the last line of Bowie’s incredible song, I quickly realize that time does quite often change us as we sail through life. We learn more, we see more, and ultimately make ...

I would like to dedicate this next piece to all of my former colleagues throughout the country from Citibank’s Home Equity Division. I spent an amazing 5 years with this group, and although we had a tenuous exit from this business, the relationships we built and the success we achieved together will stay with me forever. The mortgage meltdown caused many of us severe life altering pain, and regardless of what you personally feel about what happened, there were real people in this business that got caught up in the greedy, seedy world of investment banking on Wall Street. Read on to get an inside view: My dear fellow Citi Home Equity colleagues: I am hopeful that this email finds you all well and enjoying your Holiday weekend. It’s been quite a while since I sent a note out to this group specifically, but I’m coming of the heels of watching the HBO movie Too Big to Fail . I’m not sure any of you have had the pleasure ( or displeasure ) of watching this movie, but I would highly re...

Hey there. It’s been quite a while since my last post. Yes, I know, I am not the typical blogger. I wonder if I could create a new trend for us folks who write longer pieces only once in a while. Perhaps, we could call it the “ back 9 nugget file ”. I welcome your suggestions, so please bring them on. I’m quite sure there are many aspiring writers who can’t seem to get their message across by pounding out piece after piece, day after day. For me, I can only seem to write when I get inspired to do so, and only when I really have something to say. I’ve never been one to journal, jot down short notes, etc... Nor do I have the time to write each day, due to the abundance of pressing items that occupy my time. Someday, I plan on carving out more time to write, and I very much look forward to those moments. I can see it now, sitting on my porch overlooking the golf course and the ocean, sipping my beverage, and knocking out line after line of my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th books. OK, I’m ...

The concept of Stability’s Perception has been simmering in the space between my ears for about a week now. The connection and feelings that I have about the words I’m about to write are very strong, and I am hopeful that each of you will be able to glean something helpful from the following message. After all, this is what my writing is all about; helping others in their own journey as I draw upon references from my life, through thoughts, ideas, and perspective. This one feels really good, and the thought that immediately comes to mind has an interesting connection to the meatball recipe that my sister gave me a few weeks back. What?? Ok Tony, now you’ve really gone off the deep end man!! Stay with me. The recipe, which I can’t disclose ( sorry ), came not only with the ingredients, but also with cooking instructions. These instructions included the art of actually cooking the meatballs right in the gravy ( which is what Italians call Spaghetti Sauce ). The result is that th...

“ When your consciousness is directed outward, mind and world arise. When it’s directed inward, it realizes its own Source and returns home into the Unmanifested ” Eckhart Tolle The premise of detachment has been running through my cerebral cortex for the last several weeks. Accomplishing the most far-reaching goal of my entire life has had an interesting impact me, and it’s through this realization that I seem to have awakened in some way. I know that might seem a bit on the esoteric side, but bear with me for a while as I unpack my thoughts and attempt to explain. As many of you know by now, the goal I am referring to is the publishing of my first book, My Back Nine . It’s been about two weeks now, and I am still sort of numb to the fact that I actually accomplished this feat. Yes, I know, many people write books, but I have never really been that successful at setting long term goals, persevering through the trials and tribulations of a difficult endeavor, and ultimately achieving t...

The Sum of the Parts Equal the Whole I just spent the better part of the last three days goal setting for 2011. Sound familiar? Not sure about you, but I go through this painful exercise every year, and the endeavor is typically laced with trepidation. But this year was different; I think it just means more to me now and I planned for several weeks on giving this process the attention that it really deserves. I was aided by a very detailed and organized goal setting plan that I received from a colleague. This goal setting plan proved to be invaluable as it kept me aligned with exactly what I was trying to achieve. While I was plotting through the goal setting exercise it dawned on me that I was ( we are ) embarking upon an entirely new decade. That is, of course, if you start your decade’s correctly at the number one. In this case, the ten years starting with 2011 and ending with 2020. I should stop here, just for a moment of clarity for myself, and share some honesty with yo...