One Guy's Truth
During my early 20’s I was lonely. While I had a core group of friends, for around 3 years, I felt as though my life was lacking because I was missing that “special someone” to share it with. I wanted the Joey to my Dawson/Pacey, the Winnie to my Kevin, or the Rachel to my […]
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Let me start by saying, I’m a loser. One of my goals for the year was to publish a blog post every week. For those of you counting at home, the last two weeks have come and gone without your weekly dose of Fired and Free fireside chats over terminations, productivity tips, personal insecurities, or […]
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My name is Dan D’Agostino. On my birth certificate, it says Daniel in place of Dan. For most of elementary school, I signed my name as Danny on book reports and other assignments. In 4th grade, I decided I had matured sufficiently to begin signing my name as, “Dan the Man.” While I wish “the […]
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For the past year, my primary occupation has been that of real estate investor. To date, I have invested in two mobile home parks and my partners and I will be closing on a small apartment building in April. I have taken the methodical approach to starting up this business with a “slow and steady” […]
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Have you ever visited a place so wonderful that an urge came over you to just stay? Not, just stay for another day or two, but to stay forever? I have this feeling during most fantastic vacations. The first time I remember this occurring was when I was 10 years old, while on vacation with […]
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Until two years ago, I wasn’t aware of anyone in a polyamorous relationship. While traveling around Northern Idaho, I had taken my kids to a park. After some time, a large van drove up and a man, two young women and five kids, jumped out and joined my children on the jungle gym and swings. […]
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With the help of my weekly men’s group, I have recently refined my life’s mission statement. It is – “I create a world that is unified, free, and curious by speaking my truth, exploring new opportunities, and leading by example.” If you’re anything like me, you may have read that statement and thought, “holy big […]
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When I was 25, I got a call from a friend who was working for a prestigious consulting firm in the DC Area called, Booz Allen Hamilton. My friend informed me they were hiring and asked if I would be interested in coming in for an interview. Needless to say, I was honored to be […]
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The first coach I ever had was my Dad. When my buddies and I turned five in 1984, someone decided that we should all play soccer. The only problem was, no one had a Father (or Mother) who knew anything about the sport. My Dad aka “Coach D,” stepped up and took the reins. After […]
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For Part I on “What To Do If You’re Fired,” click here. Part 2 addresses what to do to find your next job. For readers who currently have a gig, but are looking for something “better,” this post is for you too. Day 3 Post Firing – Your New Job Even though you just lost […]
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Recently, I had two friends who were “let go” from their jobs. Knowing something about getting fired, I thought it would be helpful to share my experience on what to do if you ever find yourself, “looking for your next opportunity.” If you are fortunate enough to be currently working “for the man”, don’t forget […]
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In the United States, it’s one of the most frequently asked questions, “how are you doing?” Passing someone on the street – “hey, how ya doing?” Getting ready to order your daily coffee from the Starbucks Barista – “how you doing, can I have a…?” Bump into a neighbor at the grocery store – “what’s […]
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I recently finished the book, Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari. In my humble opinion, this should be required reading for all humanity. Harari provides an easy to read summary on the 200,000 year old history of our species. Throughout this time, these ancestors were nearly identical to our present selves in terms of cognitive and […]
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I’m not usually someone who thinks about birthdays. However, for those frequent readers of the blog, you have seen a mention here and there that I will be turning 40 in a couple of months. I’m not freaking out about the big FOUR OH, but it has given me an awareness that a middle point […]
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On Saturday, I achieved a feat so remarkable, they should probably write a book about me (or a blog post). For 30 straight minutes, I “played Legos” with my 5-year-old without checking my phone, glancing at a magazine or talking to another person. My daughter had my complete focus and attention. I was fully present […]
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I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. My thinking has always been, if I need to make an important change, then I should do it today, rather than wait for an imaginary moment on the calendar. Therefore, I completely surprised myself when I spent nearly 6 hours on Wednesday planning out 2019. I […]
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My last post, Craving Community, wasn’t the most uplifting to write. Maybe you are someone who enjoys reading about the loneliness of a random blogger, but it didn’t feel great admitting to the internet that I’m a bit lonely during the hours of 9am and 3pm (when my kids are at school). With that said, […]
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This post probably won’t be funny. It might not teach you much. But, I promise this post will be real. I have been off track. No, I’m not spending my days drinking beers, playing video games nonstop, or wandering around town like a zombie. I just haven’t been using my time with purpose. I’ve been […]
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Recently, I made an update to my LinkedIn page. Under the employment section, the update reads as follows: Dan D’Agostino, Principal at The Redland Companies Because of these seven words, I received a nearly overwhelming outpouring of CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB emails, text messages and phone calls. All of these communications were extremely nice […]
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When I proposed to my wife, I wasn’t sure I loved her. We had been together for a little over a year and gotten to know each other pretty well. I enjoyed spending time with Jenny, but did I really truly madly love her? In hindsight, I probably rushed into proposing to her, but at […]
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