What are our values? (Part Three)

When values become behaviors, they become unforgettable, and with that in mind, it’s time to see how we can make our values unforgettable. To help, let’s select our values (5 maximum), write them on just one single card, with clear definitions and for each, one specific behavior. 

Keep it short, and remember that if it doesn’t fit on a card, it won’t fit inside our mind. Then we need to rehearse them weekly, not as a moral exercise, but as a calibration. For instance, ask: 

• “Where did I live these values this week?” 
• “Where did I betray them?” 
• “What did I learn?” 

Values become stable through repetition. At that point of mastery, it’s time to use them to make one real decision, as values become more real when they cost something. When you use a value to say no, choose a path, end or begin something, it becomes part of your identity. Better yet, teach them to someone else by explaining how our values force clarity, and also make them part of our narrative. 

At the end of the day, values are not remembered, they are practiced. We don’t “remember” our values the way we remember a phone number or an address, we live them until they become instinct and if we practice our values long enough, they become a reflex, they shape our intuition, guide our decisions without any conscious effort and this becomes part of our character. 

That’s the real goal. Finally, if you still are looking for one or two values in your list of five, ask yourself the following question: “What are the principles I refuse to compromise, even when no one is watching?” This should reveal them. Good luck!

What are our values? (Part Two)

Today, we’ll go over the “Three‑layer values framework” that we introduced in our preceding blog. This might be the most effective way to make our values stick and help us remember them at all times. Let’s begin with layer 1, our core values (3–5 words) that are the non‑negotiable ones or are those we would defend even at all cost. 

Let’s take the following five values as an example (they’re not yours but are just illustrations): 

• Integrity 
• Persistence 
• Mastery 
• Courage 
• Creativity 

The list is voluntarily limited, if we have too many they’ll lose their meaning. The next layer, number 2 is simply stating what each value means to you. This is where most of us fail. A value without a definition is just a slogan. For example: 

• Integrity → “I tell the truth even when it’s inconvenient.” 
• Persistence → “I will never give up, no matter the difficulties and the time it takes.” 
• Mastery → “I will always do a great job, that will make me proud and that will last.” 
• Courage → “As long as I don’t take excessive risks, I won’t be stopped by fear, menaces or influences.” 
• Creativity → “I love to improve things by innovating and finding a better way.” 

This translation step makes the value memorable because it becomes yours, not a dictionary word. Finally there is layer 3, a behavioral anchor, this is the secret ingredient, that for each value defines one concrete behavior that proves you’re living it. Examples: 

• Integrity → “I never lie and don’t say things I don’t believe.” 
• Persistence → “My failures were when I didn’t didn’t stick to my plan and won’t repeat them.” 
• Mastery → “Since my time is the only treasure I have, I must do things right the first time.” 
• Courage → “This trait consistently paid off for me, so why would I do without it?” 
• Creativity → “Therein lies my greatest skill, so I must put it to use whenever I can!” 

You now have the three series of layers. In our next blog, we’ll see how we can practice them and make them work for us...

What are our values? (Part One)

If most of us were asked off the cuff, what our values are, we might be hard pressed to answer, or if we could articulate a few of our values, it might not be that precise or we might forget important ones as we would be collecting ourselves, thinking and coming up with something that made some sense to the person we responded to.

So the question of the day is: “How can we identify and remember our values at all times?” The answer is that it’s indeed possible to precisely define and remember our values by turning them from vague ideas into lived, practiced, embodied principles, and by giving them enough structure so that our mind can recall them under pressure. 

Let’s see how we can do this. We need to start by building a structure that fits how we think, that is in systems, meaning “long arcs” and clarity. Clearly, there are values that feel slippery when asked “on the spot”. It’s also true that if most people can’t spontaneously tell what their values are, they know instinctively they’re there without having named them, organized them, or tested them by telling or writing them down. 

It’s true that values live as felt truths, hidden inside us and not readily available under the form of ready-made sentences. When someone asks, “What are your values?”, they’re asking us to translate some instincts into words, and that’s why it feels so awkward. The solution is to externalize them by using this reliable method that is called the “Three‑layer values framework”. 

Tomorrow we’ll discover what it’s all about, so please, don’t miss that episode!

My Short Career at Odo

Freshly graduated from the watchmaking school in Cluses in 1966, my first job in the trade took me to the Research and Develpment at Odo, in Morez, in the Jura region of France. 

At the time, this company manufactured electric clocks. Owned by the Odobez family that had lived in the area since the 17th century, it gradually came to watchmaking from farming and nail-making. 

Between 1660 and 1800, the Odobez family crafted mechanical parts during the winter months and in 1806, Jean-Baptiste Odobez, aka "Jean le Comtois"—emerged as a master local watchmaker. 

In 1843, François-Désiré Odobez, succeded him, perfecting the iron-cage movement used in the so-called “Comtoise” clocks; then, in 1885, the firm "Odobez Père et Fils" was established in Morez to manufacture timekeeping instruments. What became the Odo company was founded in 1920 by Léon Odobez’s sons, André and Roger, in partnership with the Moret-ès-Jean Barbaud family. Together, they industrialized production and modernized the enterprise. 

Odo’s golden age spanned the period from 1930 to 1970. In 1931, the famous Odo chime clock was launched—a timepiece that would find a place in countless French households. It was a tremendous commercial success. It was followed in 1937 by the "Gai Carillon" (Joyful Chime); Odo had commissioned Vincent Scotto—a highly popular composer of the era—to create a unique melody to distinguish their clock from the Westminster chime. It turned out to be a stroke of marketing genius. 

Incidentally, I inherited just such a clock from my parents—a timepiece I still have in Park City today. The 1950s saw the diversification of Odo’s product line, introducing electric clocks, battery-operated alarm clocks, wall-mounted chimes, and modernized “Comtoise” clocks. The company expanded, setting up its main factory on Rue Voltaire in Morez, and adding two sites in Montmorot and Domblans; by 1980, its workforce reached 300. 

This was about the time (1966) when I arrived as a young graduate from Cluses to join the R&D as a technician. Odo was then at the very peak of its industrial power. I enjoyed my work in the design office, which was headed by Mr. Péricouche, and I was taken under the wing of Jeantet, a fellow draftsman. Unfortunately, I did not take to liking this isolated corner of the Jura region and remained there for only a few months before setting out to pursue skiing a passion that was already consuming me. 

After my departure, things began to take a turn for the worse for Odo (I know, I should have stayed!). The causes of this decline were easy to track. First and foremost was the collapse of the domestic clock market. Indeed, starting in the 1970s and 80s, wall clocks, chimes, and “Comtoise” clocks began to vanish from households as demand plummeted. 

Cheap electronic products imported from Asia made France production costs too expensive. It was then that Odo attempted to diversify by venturing into the sunglasses business securing a licensing agreement with the Bugatti brand but it was too late to offset the clock market collapse. 

In 2001, the Odobez family sold the company; in 2005, Odo’s new owners ceased operations and most recently, in 2025, the historic buildings on Rue Voltaire were demolished. 

And so, a page was turned and a book closed on one of the greatest French watchmaking houses of the 20th century.

The Rivian EVs

Among the electric vehicles (EV) made in the US, are Tesla and Rivian, though the latter brand is much smaller than Tesla. Rivian was founded in 2009 by RJ Scaringe as Mainstream Motors. Quickly, Rivian pivoted from sports cars to adventure-focused EVs, debuting the R1T and R1S in 2018 that are becoming very popular in Park City. 

Following a massive 2021 IPO and Amazon partnership, the company navigated production challenges to deliver over 40,000 vehicles by 2025, partnering with Volkswagen in 2024 to fuel 2026 expansion and the development, its latest model. By April 2026, Rivian was initiating production of that lower-cost R2 platform, aiming to tap into a broader market. 

Rivian generally ranks higher in owner satisfaction, but Tesla provides more mature tech and a better-established service network.Rivian offers a more premium, rugged, and adventure-focused experience with superior build quality and interior luxury, while Tesla excels in software, efficiency, and charging infrastructure. 

Rivian vehicles (R1T, R1S, and Commercial Vans) are manufactured in the US since 2017. It’s clear that they are actively taking business from Tesla customers, particularly in Democrat voting markets like California, who hate Tesla’s Elon Musk. 

In 2025, Tesla produced approximately 1,654,667 vehicles, while Rivian produced 42,284 vehicles. Tesla's total production, primarily Model 3/Y, far exceeded Rivian's output, which was affected by production line upgrades and reduced demand for luxury EVs. Based on Q1 2026 data, Tesla continues to dominate the EV market with significantly higher unit sales compared to Rivian, with Rivian maintaining a niche luxury presence ahead of its R2 rollout. 

The numbers for Q1 2026 Deliveries are 358,023 Teslas and 10,365 for Rivian. The brand’s presence outside the United States is currently focused on Canada and Europe, with active expansion efforts centered on service infrastructure and plans for future vehicle launches. 

While the company is primarily operating in North America, it has established a foothold in Europe to support its commercial delivery vans and prepare for consumer vehicle sales. The initial focus in Europe has been servicing the Rivian Electric Delivery Vans (EDVs) for Amazon. 

Recently, Rivian built a charging station in Park City that took two years to complete. That long delay stems from complex infrastructure permitting, construction planning for specialized trailer spots, and grid capacity limitations. 

Such projects often face lengthy approvals, including site planning and environmental reviews at the The Market at Park City plaza, which was approved to offer 12 fast chargers, with very few users since the facility opened up a month ago. It’s now clear that the high cost of gasoline should revive EV sales in America.

Vail Resorts sales down

According to Vail Resorts, the multi-resort conglomerate that’s also a publicly traded company, said that skier visits, lift revenue, and other season-to-date metrics were down for the North American ski season through April 19, 2026, compared to the same period through April 20, 2025, due to “one of the most challenging winters in history across the western U.S.,” according to Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz, who noted early sales of 2026-27 season passes were also down. 

Throughout North America, season-to-date skier visits were down 14.9 percent, with total lift revenue down 5.6 percent year-over-year as of April 19. Warmer weather and lack of snow pushed down other revenue sources, with ski school down 12 percent, dining revenue down 11.7 percent, and retail/rental revenue off 6.6 percent compared to the prior year period. 

Visitation for both destination and local guests experienced the largest impact in the Rockies, where visitation declined 25 percent. This seems to match what I’ve seen in Park City on and off the slopes this winter, and the June 2026 third quarter report should confirm these numbers and tell us more about the 2026-27 season pass sales performance...

Trump’s idea of diplomacy (Part Three)

JD Vance’s foray in diplomatic relations began when he delivered a rather controversial speech at the February 2025 Munich Security Conference setting the tone for a confrontational style. At that meeting he challenged his European allies and accusing them of ignoring democratic will, failing on immigration, and stifling dissent. 

His address, which emphasized populist perspectives, was described as a "shock" that drew condemnation from EU officials and praise from Russian media. It clearly positioned him as the antidote to salesmanship. That was the opening salvo to a series of setbacks on the International Stage that made people question his ability to communicate intelligently.

I read his book “Hillbilly Elegy” and I concluded that he learned nothing from his difficult childhood and youth. Sent to Hungary to support the incumbent Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and subsequently to Islamabad and failed to negotiate a first round of talks with the Iranians. As the press put it, the US Vice President has, during these "Mission: Impossible"-style assignments, "drunk the poisoned chalice of Trumpist foreign policy to the very dregs." 

Vance has returned empty-handed from his two overseas missions, following the failure of talks regarding the war in Iran—held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 12—and the resounding defeat of Hungary’s incumbent Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, in the parliamentary elections held in Hungary on that very same day. These two successive failures constitute "major setbacks for the Vice President—widely regarded as Trump’s heir apparent—who was dispatched to the four corners of the globe last week to undertake missions where the odds of success were slim," analyzes the Financial Times. 

It is somewhat as if the American Vice President had “drained the poisoned chalice to the dregs”—all the more so since JD Vance, a convert to Catholicism, returned to Washington just in time “to witness the tug-of-war between the occupant of the White House and Pope Leo,” the British daily quips. 

Again, Vance looks tough and resolute, but this is a far cry from the perquisites for becoming an effective diplomatic negotiator. To his credit and that of Kushner and Witkoff, the three of them suffer from an eviscerated State Department after 1,300 staff were fired in 2025 to curb "bloat". Critics, including American Foreign Service Association members, argue that this reorganization, which hit key offices like Syria and human rights, has lowered morale, depleted regional expertise, and reduced the efficacy of US diplomacy. 

For the moment, Vance can simply keep suffering as he learns on the job, if he wants to go on wering a negotiator’s cap!.

Global Skier Visits Hit 399M for 2024-25

Global skier visits reached a record 399 million in the 2024-25 season, surpassing the previous high of 392 million set in 2018-19, according to the 18th edition of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, compiled by Laurent Vanat. It covers 68 countries with some 5,800 “equipped outdoor ski areas covered with snow,” 2,000 of which it considers “ski resorts.” 

The 399 million milestone is a 7.8 percent year-over-year increase in visits and marks the highest visitation total of the 21st century. The report indicates that after a nearly 50 percent drop in global skier visits during Covid-impacted 2020-21, the industry has regained momentum, with most markets now meeting or exceeding pre-pandemic averages. 

Visitation increased in all major regions year-over-year from 2023-24 to 2024-25, with many countries, including the US, Italy, and Russia, surpassing their pre-Covid five-year averages. Japan and Germany have yet to return to pre-pandemic visitation levels. By size, major ski areas (of which the report counts 53) accounted for 22 percent of total visits in 2024-25, while large ski areas (687) logged 53 percent. The world’s 4,099 small ski areas netted 17 percent of visits, while medium ski areas (961) claimed 8 percent of visits. 

The season-pass model (like Epic, Ikon) continues to shape demand, though the report suggests it may be nearing an inflection point in the US Meanwhile, globally, rising window ticket prices may be outpacing revenue per skier visit, putting pressure on yield. Notably, the 2024-25 season reinforced a growing decoupling of visitation from natural snowfall. Despite below-average snow that season in parts of Europe and North America, skier visits held steady or grew, supported by snowmaking, operations, and strong demand. 

Of an estimated 150 million skiers worldwide, 33 percent hailed from Asia and the Pacific, 20 percent from America, 20 percent from Western Europe, 14 percent from the Alpine countries Austria, France, Italy, Lichtenstein, Slovenia, and Switzerland, 11 percent from Eastern Europe and Central Aisa, and 2 percent from the Middle East and Africa. Enough ski stats for today!

Trump’s idea of diplomacy (Part Two)

Being Trump’s family and acquaintance, there was just one easy step to turn Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff from real estate guys into “international grade” negotiators. Today, the pair’s competency to conduct diplomatic negotiations is a subject of intense debate, largely split between supporters who view them as effective "dealmakers" and critics who cite a lack of traditional expertise and the failure of key initiatives.

If we begin with Jared Kushner, his job in the first Trump administration (2017–2021), was to put together the Abraham Accords, that were meant to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab nations. In the second term (2025–present), he has worked on Gaza, Russia/Ukraine, and Iran, and was appointed as a Special Envoy for Peace when Trump was still dreaming of the Nobel Prize. 

He doesn’t strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed. One key asset of Kushner is that he loves to multitask and conduct his real-estate business while negotiating diplomatically for his father in law. Obviously, his MAGA supporters think he’s a "world-class negotiator" with a deep understanding of Middle Eastern power dynamics. 

Smarter critics, however, argue his diplomatic efforts—particularly regarding Iran—have been botched due to a lack of technical expertise, resulting in increased conflict rather than peace, plus have been clouded by his extensive business ties with Persian Gulf states, from which his firm Affinity Partners received funding. Talk about turbo-charged conflicts of interest! 

As for Steve Witkoff, he’s first and foremost a New York real estate developer with no formal foreign policy or diplomatic training before 2025, Witkoff was appointed as Special Envoy to the Middle East and for Peace Missions. He was tasked with mediating the Gaza war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and negotiations with Iran. 

Trump’s lapdog Rubio, credits him with employing innovative methods to advance US interests. He is described as a "tough" negotiator who focuses on understanding what the other side wants, similar to his business career, meaning that to him, diplomacy is just like selling houses, apartments and commercial properties. 

This is precisely what makes cleared-eye critics argue that Witkoff "mistook diplomacy for a real estate deal," citing his "amateurish" handling of complex, technical issues, such as nuclear enrichment. He is criticized for adopting pro-Russian positions in negotiations, failing to grasp diplomatic protocol, and, along with Kushner, being seen by some as "Israeli assets" influencing the US into war and unconditionally supporting Israel rather than being a neutral party. 

The pair is representative of what could be called “Transactional Diplomacy”. Both men treat high-stakes diplomacy as a business transaction, prioritizing personal relationships and "gut instinct" over traditional, bureaucratic, state-department-led negotiation methods. 

Trump supporters see their strength as their direct, trusted relationship with the President, allowing them to act with authority and speed that career diplomats cannot. But while they helped secure a 2025 ceasefire/hostage exchange in Gaza, their broader negotiations, particularly with Iran, have been linked to an escalation in regional violence. 

In a next blog, will see if JD Vance is any better for that kind of diplomatic negotiations...

Trump’s idea of diplomacy (Part One)

Before we discuss the strategy, or lack thereof in Trump’s attempts to “make deals” through high level negotiations at the international level, let’s review what’s needed in terms of qualities to negotiate effectively at the diplomatic level. It sure involves a combination of strategic intellect, deep empathy, and emotional resilience to manage complex, high-stakes relationships rather than just transactional deals. 

What follows are some common-sense rules. 

• Deep Cultural Understanding and Empathy: A top diplomat must understand the motivations, historical context, and domestic pressures driving the opposite party. This empathy enables the anticipation of arguments and the creation of "win-win" solutions that allow all sides to save face. 

 • Relentless Preparation and Analysis: Successful negotiators prepare far more than their opponents, knowing their own country's interests inside and out and analyzing all available data. 

 • Patience and Strategic Temperament: Diplomacy requires the "patience of a clockmaker". It demands an even temper and the ability to use silence, timing, and calculated pauses to advance goals without appearing impulsive. 

 • Active Listening: Effective diplomats listen more than they speak. Listening is considered a powerful tool for discovering hidden motivations, picking up non-verbal cues, and building trust, rather than just waiting for a turn to talk. 

• Integrity and Reliability: To build lasting relationships, a negotiator must display honesty and fairness, ensuring that they can be trusted to honor agreements. 

 • Flexibility and Creativity: Negotiators must be willing to compromise without sacrificing essential interests, finding creative, "outside-the-box" solutions to deadlocks. 

 • Mastery of Communication: This involves not just fluency in languages, but the ability to use precise, calculated language to convey firmness without causing offense, as well as the skill to pick up subtleties and nuances. 

 • Stamina and Courage: Diplomatic negotiations often involve 12-16 hour days under high pressure, requiring mental and physical resilience.  

In closing, a fundamental principle is that diplomacy is a long-term relationship, not a one-time, single transaction. It requires lots of patience and hard work and can’t be delegated to inexperienced individuals, no matter how “smart” they are. 

Ideally, diplomatic negotiators should draw their skills and experience from the State Department or similar foreign affairs agencies, to navigate complex international relations, institutional knowledge, and established trust with foreign counterparts. Unfortunately, and too often negotiating teams often are a mix of career professionals and political appointees that lack this critical background. 

The goal is to ensure that the negotiation outcome serves national interests and lasts, long after the immediate issue is resolved. Tomorrow we’ll see if Trump is up to that kind of mission, and if the people entrusted to do the job can do it. We’ll begin by assessing how Kushner and Witkoff are performing in view of the above criteria…

Park City and I-80

When we first moved to Park City, for four years, I was commuting every day on I-80 (Interstate 80) to Salt Lake City. I only traveled on the sole and previous road, Route 40, in 1971, but was asleep and didn’t remember a thing. 

Then, in 1980, I drove from Salt Lake to Park City on I-80 in 1980, but didn’t know how that impressive stretch of Interstate highway came to life. After doing some research. I found that I-80 was finally completed in the SLC airport area on August 22, 1986, while the specific stretch I knew so well between Salt Lake City and Kimball Junction (Park City) had been completed in 1973.

At that point, the entire 2,907-mile I-80 (from San Francisco to New Jersey) became the world’s longest completed freeway, and Salt Lake City became the "Golden Spike" of the Interstate Era. The transformation of the old two-lane US-40 into the mostly six-lane I-80 was one of the most difficult engineering feats in Utah's highway history due to the narrow, vertical walls of Parley's Canyon. The timeline of completion that follows speaks volumes about the work required that spanned from 1962 to 1973. 

• 1850: Parley P. Pratt completed the "Golden Pass Toll Road", marking the first time wagons could bypass the much steeper Emigration Canyon. 
• Late 1950s: With the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, plans began to upgrade US-40 into a controlled-access freeway. 
• 1962: The section from Wanship to Silver Creek opened, which provided the first major "freeway" feel east of Kimball Junction. 
• 1969–1970 (The Big Closure): The most disruptive phase. A 5.5-mile section of Parley’s Canyon was completely closed to traffic for 9 months (October 1, 1969, to July 23, 1970). Drivers had to detour through Emigration Canyon or Weber Canyon to reach Park City. 
• 1971: The westbound lanes of the canyon stretch were officially opened in July, completing the four-lane "split" through the lower canyon. 
• 1973: The final segment between Mountain Dell Reservoir and Kimball Junction was completed, officially linking the Salt Lake Valley to Park City with a high-speed divided highway. 

Building a modern freeway through a narrow mountain corridor presented obstacles that required "brute force" engineering, like massive rock blasting. To fit six lanes of traffic into the lower canyon, engineers had to use millions of pounds of dynamite to blast away the sheer quartzite and limestone cliffs. 

This is why there are dramatic vertical rock cuts today near the mouth of the canyon. The thing that always amazed me was that the highway was essentially built "on top" of the creek in its lower section, with massive culverts installed and multiple shifting of water paths multiple times to make room for the roadbed. 

Managing the steep ascent to Parley's Summit (6% grade to reach from 4,610 to 7,120 feet) was a major concern for heavy trucks. Designing "runaway truck ramps" and the wide, sweeping curves was also essential to prevent the high-speed accidents that plagued the old US-40. 

Construction in 1967 near the mouth of the canyon required massive amounts of "fill" dirt, which nearly buried the local landmark known as Suicide Rock (it now sits much lower relative to the freeway than it did originally). 

Because the summit is over 7,000 feet, crews could only work effectively for a few months a year. Sudden mountain snowstorms frequently shut down construction and destroyed fresh roadwork, but in the end, it contributed to make Park City the world's most accessible ski town from an international airport!

4-20 Explosive turn?

Imagine that you’re skiing very, very fast. Let’s say a high speed GS type of turn, you are in the last section of the curve and your exterior foot is suddenly freed from the ski. No, I’m not talking about the binding pre-releasing, but about your very own boot exploding or better yet, disintegrating. 

I don’t have to tell you that you don’t want that to happen while you’re skiing, and this is why, a few days ago, Head USA just announced a voluntary recall of approximately 1,890 pairs of high-end ski boots across North America. 

The recall comes after reports that the boot’s shell and sole inserts can spontaneously deteriorate and break, potentially turning a smooth run down the mountain into a dangerous fall. The recall specifically impacts the fluorescent yellow materials used in the construction of the boot shell and sole. 

According to the brand, these components can become brittle and crack, compromising the structural integrity of the boot. While the thought of our boot disintegrating mid-carve is enough to give any skier pause, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) confirmed that no injuries have been reported to date. 

In my years in the boot business, we had a few warranty claims for broken boots, but from what I can remember the breakage happened during storage. Head is moving proactively to pull the remaining stock and alert owners before the "deterioration" leads to a documented accident. 

The affected boots were sold nationwide at specialized ski retailers and through various online platforms. Given that these boots have been on the market for over a decade (spanning from late 2015 through early 2026), many skiers may still have these boots. Just check yours if they happen to be Head! 

Making it look easy is so hard!

Recently, I enjoyed watching an interview of this year’s Alpine ski world cup winners Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt. This talk, meant to be a podcast, was conducted by Nick Fellows, the official FIS interviewer. In it, Mikaela said that when people watched her they felt that her skiing looked seemingly easy and effortless, but it was in fact real hard work and no one wanted to realize it. I have to agree. 

What she meant is one of those deceptively simple truths that only makes sense if we’ve lived inside a craft long enough to feel the gap between how mastery looks and what it costs. Since I’m so immersed into skiing, her comment resonates at a deeper level than she even intended. Here’s what I would add, not to correct her, but to expand the idea into something more complete and more honest about high‑level performance. 

When skiing looks “easy,” it’s because the skier has spent thousands of hours removing friction, noise, hesitation, and micro‑errors. In turn, when we watch the skier, we only see fluidity, balance, inevitability and grace. But what we can’t see are the thousands of invisible corrections per minute, a nervous system trained to anticipate chaos, a body that has experienced every type of failure and a mind that has learned to stay quiet under pressure. 

In fact, effortlessness is not the absence of effort but it is its full integration. In fact, for whatever we’re good at doing, the better we get, the more invisible the inner details of our work becomes. This is the paradox of mastery where beginners show their effort, experts hide it and masters erase it. In my example, Shiffrin and Odermatt ski in a way that makes our brain relax when we watch them, but inside their bodies, the workload is enormous, with edge control at an infinitely small level, pressure management that changes every fraction of a second and a constant recalibration of line, timing, and snow feedback. 

We see what happens on the surface, but Marco and Mikaela live the turbulence beneath it. That is when all assume: “She’s gifted. He’s gifted. It must be easy for them.” Yet, talent is real, but it’s only the ignition, what we don’t see is the relentless, boring, repetitive, lonely work that turns talent into inevitability. Mastery requires a relationship with discomfort that very few people ever develop. This is the part Mikaela didn’t say out loud, but it’s the truth, as most of us don’t want to realize how hard it is because they don’t want to imagine choosing that level of discomfort. 

Finally, mastery is lonely and this is the part people rarely talk about. The higher one’s climb, the fewer people can truly understand what they’re doing, so when Mikaela says people don’t want to realize how hard it is, she’s also saying: “Most people can’t imagine the world I live in.” And she’s right. 

The imperfect Donald Trump

Like most of us, Trump isn’t perfect. To start a on positive note, he must be credited for transforming time that used to go so fast before he became our dictator, literally screech to a halt, becoming almost eternal. 

On the negative side, he’s got many, many more negative character traits that we’ll cover below, I see a very impatient Trump and suspect he’s exhibiting behaviors consistent with adult ADHD, including inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, that translate into a huge dose of impatience. Critics cite frequent interruptions and a short attention span, though no formal, public diagnosis exists, but a keen observation of the man suggests. 

Obviously, impatience in a head of state is not a desirable trait because it often leads to hasty decisions, poor judgment, and damaged diplomatic or political relationships, rather than thoughtful, long-term strategy. While it can occasionally create a useful sense of urgency, it more commonly causes excessive risk-taking, strategic failures, and high stress among staff. 

Of course, I have, over his two terms, that his impatience could be seen as the tip of the iceberg if we turned the Donald ice cube around. At rest his iceberg shows narcissism and extreme egotism . Me, me, me is his mantra. Although it could be assimilated the impatience we mention above, impulsivity and erratic behavior follow as he is unable to maintain focus or follow established protocols, leading to abrupt policy changes via social media. 

In consdering that he's the fleshy son of Geppeto, father of Pinocchio, his lies, dishonesty and lack of truthfulness documented by thousands of fake or misleading statements drive the nail further into his lack of credibility. Then, there is bullying and aggressive demeanor that he must have learned from his biological dad and from the New York mafia. 

To conclude, he also needs to be vindictive and obsessed with revenge through a tireless drive to pursue retribution against those perceived as disloyal or antagonistic. This all adds up to winning the Satanic Evil Prize, short of making the nominees list for the Nobel Peace Prize! 

Ski racing and singing…

There are things I should have known 60 years ago, but it’s never too late to learn them as long as it happens, especiallybefore one’s death. A few days ago, a very old French song jingled in my memory and I wondered if I could find it, somehow, somewhere. After some pointless search, I asked a few of my good friends back in France and one of them directed me straight to the song in question, right on YouTube. 

In the process and totally unbeknownst to me, I also found out that Guy Périllat, a famous member of the French Ski Team during the sixties, who had won the bronze at the 1960 Olympics, won most of the classic downhill races in 1961, was GS world champion in 1966 and was silver medal behind Killy at the 1968 Olympics, had recording some songs on the tracks of his racing success and national notoriety. 

Just after his medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games and his following record 1960-1961 season, Périllat fell for a singing career. It was a breve incursion into the pop music scene that was marked by recording an EP in 1961 with Polydor, including the song: "L'amour me brûle" (love’s burning me) with lyrics written by Ralph Bernet (one of Johnny Hallyday’s lyricists), and music by Danyel Gérard another French pop artist. 

That song was highly typical of the early 1960s ("crooner" style). At the time, there was such a "Périllat-mania" in France that record labels sought to capitalize on his image as "ideal son-in-law" and national hero. While his career on the slopes was legendary, his singing career remained a mere curiosity that faded very fast. 

This record can still be found today among vinyl collectors, It’s often sought after more for the champion's cover photo than its musical quality. Had he practiced skiing a little more instead of getting distracted by his jaunt into the show business, he might have beaten Killy! 

Envious or Jealous? (Part Three)

Often Jealousy is confused with Envy. I like to call them “cousins”, as they’re closely related emotions because they both stem from discomfort and insecurity. Yet, they’re distinct, Envy involves desiring what someone else has, while Jealousy involves the fear of losing what we already have to someone else. In fact Envy is the pain we feel when someone else has something we want. 

For instance, I’ve been envious all winter long of the great snow my friends enjoyed in the Alps while we a terrible lack of snow in the North American Rockies. Envy is about desire and comparison, not loss. It can be about talent, beauty, freedom, relationships, lifestyle, opportunities and of course, fantastic skiing! Envy is fundamentally one‑to‑one: we want something someone else possesses. 

On the other hand, as we’ve already discussed, Jealousy is the fear of losing something we already have to someone. Jealousy is about threat, not desire. Envy is “I want what you have” and Jealousy is “I fear losing what I have.” This distinction is ancient, shows up across cultures and languages and suggests the hidden engine moving consumerism..

As a feeling, Envy pulls our attention toward the other person, creates longing, comparison, self‑evaluation and can motivate growth or trigger shame. Jealousy pulls our attention toward some kind of threat, creating vigilance, protectiveness, insecurity, it also can strengthen bonds or create conflict. Both feelings activate different psychological systems. 

Envy means aspiration and comparison, while jealousy is linked to attachments and the resulting threat to them. If you feel envy, the question this brings up is: “What desire in me is being awakened?” Like with Jealousy, Envy becomes a map, not a moral judgment. While both feelings can be constructive if managed well, envy and jealousy are not identical, making envy more likely to be considered a flaw than jealousy. 

Both function as important signals for unfulfilled desires rather than inherent moral failings, but envy is more frequently linked to undesirable, negative and destructive behaviors. I hope my explanation didn’t make you envious and stopped jealousy on its tracks! 

Hello, I’m jealous! (Part Two)

After we’ve seen what jealousy is, we could ask ourselves where does it come from? The first question that crossed my mind was if the feeling of jealousy innate? The answer seems to be YES and deeply so. Across cultures, ages, and even species, jealousy appears in predictable patterns. 

One is evolutionary, as it serves us to protect the traditional family cell and ensure parental investment, as well as maintaining our social rank and preventing any loss of resources. It’s not a moral failing; it’s an ancient alarm system that might misfire in modern life and culture.

Jealousy is also not created equal as some of us individuals feel more jealous than others. This is where it gets interesting. I discovered that jealousy isn’t just about the situation, it’s about how our thinking works and how we feel emotions. Some personal dispositions can amplify jealousy, the ways we get attached. 

For instance if it’s anxiety, we feel the strongest jealousy. If we avoid attachment, it’s suppressed but still present. On the other hand if our attachment is secure, we feel the jealousy but it doesn’t dominate us. The stability of our self-esteem also affects our feelings. When I was younger, my self-esteem was weak and this led me to countless flares of jealousy. 

However when success came and gave me more confidence, I was far less prone to that sentiment. It’s clear that if our identity is tightly tied to a relationship, a social or professional role, a skill or any specific position, so any threat to these domains may trigger jealousy. Some of us are wired to track hierarchy and belonging more acutely than others, and can feel shifts in attention or status like a draft in a room. 

Finally, our brain is learning on the go and picking up patterns, so our past experiences of loss or betrayal teaches our brain that jealousy can be used as a guardrail to make sure that none of these past situations happen again. I would add that if we’ve experienced poverty at some moment in our lives, like it’s been my case, we’ve developed a sense of scarcity. 

So, if we think that love is scarce, opportunities are scarce and attention is scarce, jealousy becomes a default reaction. To conclude, I propose a better way to think about jealousy. Let’s not treat it as a problem, but as data. Jealousy always answers one of these questions: 

• What am I afraid of losing? 
• What part of my identity feels threatened? 
• What scarcity am I perceiving? 
• What story am I telling myself about my worth? 
• What past wound is being reactivated? 

If we can train ourselves to decode these different signals, the jealousy we feel becomes a map rather than a trap. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about Envy, that special cousin of Jealousy...

Hello, I’m jealous! (Part One)

Often, I wonder what triggers the feeling of jealousy? Is it innate and what dispositions makes it stronger with certain individuals? From what I have felt and observed, I’d say that jealousy isn’t random, and it isn’t a flaw either. It’s one of the oldest emotional systems we’ve evolved, signaling us to protect things that we feel essential, like relationships, status, belonging, identity, and security. 

I have experienced enough jealousy through my life to have grown familiar with that pesky monster every time I wasn’t feeling self-secured enough. In researching that feeling, we can understand what jealousy is trying to protect and it becomes far less mysterious. I’ve taken the time to look at that sneaky feeling and what I’ve found is that they’re human situations that will be guaranteed to trigger jealousy.

Almost all cases fall into one of these categories. First, a valued relationship is threatened, whether it is of romantic, familial, or friendly nature. For instance, if someone else gets attention when we feel it should be going to us, or if our partner seems drawn to another person or a friend invests more into someone else. These are classic cases, the jealousy we feel is like a guard dog that watches for what’s attached to us. 

Next there’s a form of jealousy we rarely admit, a threat to our status or our identity. In that situation, a colleague gets praised for something we normally excel at, or someone enters our social circle with a skill we’re known for. Another instance is a co-worker that succeeds in a domain tied to our self-worth. In all these situations our jealousy acts as a protector of what makes our specific identity or strength. 

Another category is a threat to our resources, whether they are emotional, social, or material. For example, someone else gets the job we were hoping for, a sibling receives a larger share of an inheritance or a coworker gets more access to the big boss. All these cases respond to perceived scarcity. Finally, there’s the threat of belonging. 

We’re tribal animals and we don’t want to be excluded. So we get jealous when we’re being left out of plans or of team, when we’re not invited to a party, when we see others bond without us or feel we’re replaced in a working group. This tells us that we’re socially displaced. This pretty much sets the stage for the causes of jealousy and in the next blog, we’ll see how jealousy gets inside us.

Theocracy and nuclear weapons (Part Three)

Just as I see religion, I personally see theocracy as highly irrational and it makes me nervous when such a government is armed with nuclear weapons. Since a theocracy is based on "irrational" beliefs, it becomes the subject of intense philosophical and political debate. 

Now there are people who view religious faith as a valid form of knowledge. Based on analysis from political philosophy and historical examples, theocracy is generally considered to be built on metaphysical, rather than empirical or rational, foundation. 

Mystical belief is considered by some not irrational, but rather "non-rational" or "arational"(like intuitive) because it operates outside the scope of empirical logic and scientific verification, often deemed an experiential, internal, or subjective reality rather than a direct contradiction to objective reality. Talk about semantics and the dog biting its tail! 

Arational sounds irrational or flimsy enough to me! It is argued to be an "arational" experience, something that cannot be validated or refuted with logical evidence. I simply don’t buy that either and I’m not the only one, as many critics argue that organized religion uses mystical beliefs to establish social control, maintain hierarchy, and enforce conformity. 

Religious doctrines are designed to maintain social solidarity or support the power of elites, rather than to reflect objective truth. Further, religious beliefs are instilled at a young age, before critical thinking skills are fully developed, creating a "blind spot" in a person's thinking process. 

There’s also another “glue” called fear (of hell, in particular) and the comfort it provides rather than evidence, making it a "hoax" that keeps people on a "straight and narrow" path. Finally religion is often used to fill knowledge gaps with "God" whenever science does not have a ready answer, an illogical approach to understanding reality. 

While critics cite Israel's non-signatory status to the NPT, possession of nuclear weapons, and demands on Iran as hypocritical, defenders argue that Israel’s security is under threat by a nation that has called for its destruction, making it a matter of survival and not just legal hypocrisy. Yet, Israel’s terrible reputation has been “earned” in almost 8 decades of maltreatment of the Palestinian people. 

I’ll conclude by saying that seeing folks like Bibi and the Ayatollah armed with nukes does not give me any peace of mind. I also know it’s not much better than the two Godless, Trump and Putin!

Theocracy and nuclear weapons (Part Two)

The question of whether a theocracy or a pseudo-theocracy should have access to nuclear weapons is a subject of intense debate among international security experts, theologians, and political scientists. 

The consensus from most international bodies and democratic states is that nuclear proliferation in any non-democratic or highly ideological regime poses significant risks, though some argue that the specific nature of a theocracy introduces unique challenges. 

Israel's policy of "nuclear opacity" (Amimut) is generally tolerated due to its strategic alliance with the West, its lack of membership in the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and perception as a responsible, non-aggressive actor, with of course the exception of its out-of-control current leader Bibi Netanyahu.

Conversely, Iran faces denial of nuclear weapon access because it’s a NPT signatory accused of violating commitments, thus triggering international constraints and fears of regional arms proliferation. 

So when you compare Iran to Israel, the former mistakenly signed the NPT, while Israel hypocritically refused to, amassed an arsenal of nukes and still looks clean before the Judaeo-Christian community that ignores its nuclear status. 

Something is clearly askew with that picture! Tomorrow will dig deeper into the religious excuse and its wild interpretation when circumstances make it necessary…

Theocracy and nuclear weapons (Part One)

The war started by the US and Israel against Iran, begs the question as to whether a theocracy should have access to nuclear weapons? Not a good idea, in my view. This, of course, is a subject of intense debate among international security experts, theologians, and political scientists. But before even debating this, aren’t both Israel and Iran bona fide “theocracies”? 

Since Iran is a Muslim country being judged by Judaeo-Christian cultures, everyone in the West seems to agree that it’s a theocracy. Since the 1979 Revolution, it has operated as an "Islamic Republic" governed by a doctrine known as Vilayat-e faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), which places ultimate political and legal authority in the hands of a senior Shia cleric known as the Supreme Leader.

On the other end, Western civilization looks the other way when it only sees Israel as a democratic parliamentary republic and not a theocracy. While it defines itself as a "Jewish and Democratic State" and incorporates religious law (Halakha) into personal status matters like marriage and divorce, it lacks a supreme religious ruler and has a democratically elected Knesset. 

 However, it is a subject of debate regarding the influence of the Orthodox Rabbinate on law. So, let’s admit that it’s a little bit theocratic. 

Now, here comes the sticky point. Israel is widely estimated to possess around 100 nuclear warheads, although the estimates range from 80 to over 300. Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying its nuclear capabilities. It’s believed to have produced enough plutonium for 100–200 weapons, which can be delivered by aircraft, missiles, and submarines. 

With this in mind, Israel maintains a policy of "nuclear opacity" (neither confirming nor denying its nuclear arsenal) primarily to achieve strategic deterrence without triggering a regional arms race, inviting international sanctions, or violating US non-proliferation laws. This "open secret" allows Israel to deter adversaries while avoiding the political obligations of being an acknowledged nuclear state. 

A really sneaky, dishonest way to handle things in my view. Tomorrow, we’ll continue by taking a special look at Iran, at religion’s relation with weapons of mass destruction and whether both countries should be prevented from having such weapons or not, so please stay tuned...

A revised view of the winter season

Just a few extra observations: 

I have lived through three snow droughts during my short life and my 72 seasons of skiing: First in 1963-1964 in France, then in the West during the 1976-1977 season while I was still living in New York and finally this 2025-2026 winter season. What’s my take-away? 

For one thing, a winter with little or no snow is totally demoralizing. It makes you feel things like: “Will a normal winter ever return?” It casts doubt on the future of skiing and closes the door to a positive outlook. Sure, we feel the exact opposite of folks in New England, in Europe or Hokkaidō that enjoyed a wonderful snow season, but we’re woefully unable to feel their glee… 

Of course, in the context of what goes on in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine, these considerations are trivial... 

At the same time we all know that everything is cyclical and good, average and we try to remind ourselves that bad situations come and go, just like good and mediocre ones, so there ‘s hope that better ones will eventually return, but we’ll have to keep in mind that great, normal and worse are hooked on the same cycle. 

Finally, there’s no way we can remove the sobering element, the “elephant in the room” that climate change is. This horrible trend not only isn’t going away, but is likely going to deepen, make greatness less likely, normalcy not so good, while exceptional years will become rarer and terrible circumstances start trending as the norm. 

Did I forget anything?

The aftermath of change-making

Today, inspired by the book we discussed previously, we’ll explore how major, unexpected life disruptions can often transform ourselves in finding new, unexpected directions and growth opportunities within ourselves. 

This is something I particularly enjoy because I naturally like to think in terms of systems, patterns, and long arcs. I’m not just happy to see that “change happens”; I want to understand how change can transform me, change my personality and my identity. 

I also want to evaluate whether a change was good or bad, how we can integrate change into a coherent life story. I’m also curious to know what skills can make us more adaptive than reactive. 

What follows is a framework that addresses these questions. It could work like this: Every change — chosen or imposed — creates four layers of consequences. By analyzing all four, we’ll get a complete picture. 

• It starts with the external aftermath. What objectively has changed in our lives? A job, a location, a relationship, a set of routines and a bunch of constraints. This is the easiest, but also the least interesting layer. 
• Then, as expected, comes the internal aftermath. For instance, what shifted in our identity? Elements like confidence, worldview, sense of agency and emotional tone. This is where we’re talking about a real life changing story. 
• Now comes the narrative aftermath that begs the question, how do we explain the change to ourselves? As it relates to loss, liberation, accident, destiny or just a lesson. We humans don’t live in events; we live in the stories we tell about events. 
• This process concludes with the fourth layer, the skill aftermath. What new capacities have emerged in us? Traits like resilience, perceptual acuity, intuition, adaptability and pattern recognition. This last layer is the opportunity to let our personal strengths shine as we’ve already spent a lifetime turning change into skill. 

I don’t know about you, but this framework works well for me, because it mirrors the way I think naturally. A form of thinking that’s layered, analytical, experiential, meaning‑driven and oriented toward some sense of control and mastery. It can also turn any change — past or future — into something I can debate, evaluate, and learn from.

Completing my ski instructor certification

Just over fifty years ago, I finally got my full French ski instructor certification after a four week training session in Chamonix, France. Between the auxiliary diploma and the national diploma, I spent €2 200 in today’s Euros. Today, the total cost ranges from €15,000 to €25,000 for the entire program (which lasts, on average, 4 to 6 years). 

Since these days, the training of instructors at the École Nationale de ski et d’alpinisme (ENSA) has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from a traditional mountain craft into a highly qualified profession in sports education. First, the educational background and prerequisites changed enormously. 

In the 1970s, training was accessible to candidates with only a minimal level of formal schooling. The top level of certification was perceived primarily as a validation of technical proficiency. Many instructors were "locals", working as farmers, small business employees or tradespeople during the summer months, for whom skiing was a natural skill rather than the result of a formal scholarly training. 

Today, although no university degree is required to enroll, the complexity of the theoretical examinations (anatomy, physiology, theory of skiing, and the legal aspect of the job demands a level of comprehension equivalent to that of at least a high school diploma or higher. The curriculum is now integrated into the LMD system (Bachelor’s-Master’s-Doctorate) in terms of training credits, reflecting the profession's increased sophistication. Then comes the proficiency in foreign languages. 

Back in the 1970s, language proficiency was at best rudimentary and often limited to a few key phrases used to run a lesson (like the comical "Bend your knees," "Follow me", “Fifty Dollars please”. Instruction was essentially visual and based on imitation. Today’s knowing and mastering a foreign language has become a key element of the profession. The final examination (comprising the “Eurotest” and a specific language proficiency test) requires genuine mastery. 

Given the internationalization of the clientele, an instructor must often juggle English (which is mandatory) and frequently a second language—such as Russian, Dutch, or Portuguese—in order to explain complex technical concepts and ensure safety. 

Then comes what I always felt was a huge weakness in the French curriculum, technical and pedagogical skills. In my days, the primary emphasis was placed on the "straight run" and the “Christiania” turn. The teaching approach was directive and standardized: the instructor demonstrated, and the student replicated. Safety was managed in a more intuitive, less formalized manner. 

Today, however, the advent of the shaped skis has revolutionized instruction with more emphasis on carved instead of skidded turns. In terms of pedagogy, differentiated instruction is now employed in which the instructor adapts to the student's psychology, energy levels, and personal goals. In addition, today’s instructors are trained not only in alpine skiing but also in snowboarding, telemark skiing, cross-country skiing, and adaptive skiing. 

Finally, safety is no longer taken for granted. In the 70s, knowledge of the mountain environment was empirical, passed down by seasoned veterans. Off-piste skiing was less regulated, and rescue tools (such as avalanche transceivers) were scarce. Today, the instructor’s training includes advanced courses in snow science, meteorology, and avalanche risk management. The proper use of avalanche transceivers (DVA), probes, and shovels is subject to rigorous examination. 

So, as you can read a quantum leap in skills is what’s offered to skiers who need or want ski instruction!

The way we learn from books (Part Two)

It’s actually quite common to enjoy a book like Maya Shankar’s “The Other Side of Change” yet walk away feeling as if nothing stuck. And that “zero‑takeaway” sensation is not my failure of comprehension, but rather a clue about the way my mind processes ideas. 

Let’s try to explore that issue of style of communication, and then offer a more powerful way to think — and debate — the aftermath of change. There is no framework in the stories that were offered to me in that book, still it was pleasant to read, emotionally touching, but hard to retrieve and cognitively slippery. I must be someone who thrives on frameworks, systems, and meaning‑making. 

A book that doesn’t offer those explicitly typically never leaves a strong imprint in me. To begin with, the topic (change) is too universal When a book describes something we’ve lived deeply — and many of us have lived a life full of reinvention, adaptation, and resilience — the ideas can feel like things we already know intuitively. 

As a result, our mind goes: “Yes, yes, I’ve lived this. Nothing new here.” True, familiarity reduces memorability. Another way to look at how books impact our minds is that without friction there is no retention. We all tend to remember ideas that challenge us, provoke us, or contradict our assumptions. When the tone of a book is gentle, validating, and non‑confrontational, it doesn’t push back against your worldview and provoke us to pay attention. 

We could say that pleasant reading creates almost no cognitive tension and doesn’t make much of an imprint on us. A book too easy to read works more like a reflection and less as a mind-opening tool. In that particular subject of “Change”, a book should be philosophical (why change matters), psychological (how change affects identity) and practical (how to navigate change). 

That book covered these two first points but left me hoping for the third one. In a next blog, we’ll return to the subject of that book and this time, explore how to actually debate the aftermath of change.

The way we learn from books (Part One)

I just finished reading “The other side of change”, a book by cognitive scientist Maya Shankar that explores how major, unexpected life disruptions can lead to profound personal transformation, blending personal stories with scientific research to offer a guide for navigating upheaval and finding new meaning and potential within ourselves. 

Shankar, host of the “A Slight Change of Plans” podcast, uses narratives of people facing events like job loss, illness, or relationship endings to illustrate universal lessons about resilience, identity, and growth, encouraging readers to see change as an opportunity for reimagining who they can be. 

I enjoyed reading the book, but must admit that its contents glided on me like water over ice. The book was experiential, not instructional as the author wrote it in a reflective, narrative style. It’s warm, empathetic, and story‑driven but not prescriptive. 

My brain brain enjoyed the flow but didn’t get any clear “hooks” to store. Has this ever happened to you? This aspect of book retention is a subject I need to dig a bit deeper into, and report my findings to you, so expect that subject to populate my next blog…

Our first and only apartment

Fifty years ago, the day after we got married, both my spouse and I drove to Nevers, on the Loire river, smack in the center of France, to begin my new job as product manager for Look bindings. 

At first, we rented a house in nearby Challuy and the following month we purchased a small, 393 square foot apartment right in the heart of Nevers, on a 3rd floor in a building that must be harking back at least to the 16th century. 

The stone steps were so used up that they were carved out under long and heavy foot traffic like those of the old castle, there was a musky, old smell in the air and we had more difficulties climbing to the third level than we would have today, which says a lot about our physical shape in these days. 

We parked our Citroën Dyane 6, in the street just below. Historic charm certainly has its limits and we sure didn’t enjoy living in Nevers, a small town that went from 75,000 to around 65,000 people today, nor did I enjoy my job with the company, so I resigned and we sold the apartment when we left Nevers. 

Between the acquisition cost, some major improvements (a new roof) and factoring what would have been the cost of renting a place for 14 months, we even managed to make some money... 

Today, our apartment’s interior has been markedly improved from when we had it, but according to Booking.com’s guest comments the funny smell still lingers in the staircase!

Moon shot or Iran war?

As we were watching the launch of Artemis II on Wednesday, my wife asked me how much money this jaunt around the moon would cost the US taxpayers, when we have so many unmet other priorities. Before I go any further, please remember that we’re talking about money the United States doesn't have and will pile up onto our soon-to-be $40 trillion debt. 

The answer is over $4 billion a ride. If we look at the four missions from I to IV, they’ll amount to some $16.4 billion based on NASA’s Inspector General estimate. This figure reflects per‑mission operating cost (SLS + Orion + ground systems) and does not include the massive development costs of the Artemis program as a whole. 

Overall, the total cost, with each mission should amount to about $100 billion if we were to stay on budget. Artemis is essentially rebuilding the entire US deep‑space exploration stack from scratch and including new heavy‑lift rockets (SLS), a deep‑space crew vehicle (Orion), Lunar infrastructure (Gateway, landers), new ground systems and long‑term lunar operations planning. 

As always is the case in these projects, expect the budgeted $93 billion to cost Americans well over $100 billion… 

Now we can contrast that with the war in Iran, where the “excursion” as Trump likes to call his belligerent action, has already cost us $30 to $40 billion depending on the estimates (not factoring the heavy economic consequences worldwide), not including 3 to 5,000 dead and property damage on the Iranian side, and it’s far from over. 

So when I compare these two expenditures, I’d take space exploration any day if I had to choose between this and an unnecessary war.

What really makes us successful ?

If someone had asked me that question, I would have said “Passion” for something that led me into a lifelong activity propelling me to success, but I recently read an article in Inc. magazine that opened my eyes on that subject. According to the piece I read, it wasn’t a trait that traditionally gets the spotlight like creativity, innovation, culture or vision, yet it was often the difference-maker. 

At least the late Steve Jobs thought so. He was not romanticizing resilience. He knew what it meant to keep going when things were bad, like after being fired from Apple, starting over with NeXT, then returning to build one of the most valuable companies in the world. His point wasn’t that talent, timing, or product don’t matter. Without persistence, none of those advantages can come to fruition.

It makes me think of Sisyphus who had to push that boulder up the hill to fully seize the concept of perseverance. We need to get into our heads that failures and setbacks don’t define us; they refine us. The best leaders don’t just move on after getting knocked to the ground; they bounce back and process to dissect what went wrong, what’s still worth pursuing, and what needs to change. That means gathering feedback and data from various sources. 

For example, we can all learn from an idea or an endeavor that flops as it reveals what’s wrong with it. It often exposes gaps in preparation or execution. If we are capable of treating setbacks as feedback systems, we’ll turn dead ends into stepping stones. We just need to remember that every failure always reveals to us some reasons for happening. Perseverance is easier if we’re committed to the reason why we pursue certain dreams. 

Of course, perseverance doesn’t mean charging ahead with a bad idea. It means picking a worthwhile goal and staying committed to it while being flexible in the ways we reach it. If our strategy isn’t working, simply adjust the plan without abandoning the vision. Studies on grit show us that sustained passion and perseverance over time are stronger predictors of success than IQ or talent alone. In retrospect, if I had valued persistence throughout my life, I would have gone much farther, but realizing how important it was came likes small crumbs of wisdom each time I missed a step. 

With enough failures that I can admit today, I finally got it. The leaders who refuse to quit, who show up one more time after setbacks, are the ones who ultimately cross the finish line. When we’re facing a day, week or an extended period of bad news, let’s ask ourselves: “Are we at a dead end, or is it just the natural friction of progress?” Before tossing in the towel, let’s give perseverance another chance. It might be the very thing that separates us from the rest.