Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Looks Like…

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    A couple of nights ago, someone said I look like James Spader. I asked if I looked like his character in The Blacklist and got an affirmative response. It made me wonder if I might look a bit like the character he played in Secretary! While he’s about ten years older than me, I’m taking…

  • Sir Ian McKellen

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    Sir Ian McKellen is not only one of my favorite actors; he’s been one of my heroes for over 25 years. I actually had the chance to meet him in person after the Denver premier of Richard III. I was working at the Mayan movie theatre in 1995. One of the benefits of working there…

  • Unfinished Projects

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    Each year, I work on several projects that I don’t “finish”. I see this as a good thing. Not every project needs to be completed. There is value in having unfinished projects. In fact, we can learn a lot from the patterns we notice associated with unfinished projects. Here are a few examples. One thing…

  • Thanksgiving

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    I’m happy to be at home today celebrating Thanksgiving. We have a nice warm house and plenty of good food. I’m grateful to spend the day with my wonderful family. I was going to ask the following question. “Why are there so many Christmas songs and not a single Thanksgiving song?” But then, I turned…

  • Project Work

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    My most important activities over the years have been connected to working on meaningful projects. This is not a coincidence. What’s the best way to contribute to the future of humanity? Work on meaningful projects. I’m not joking. Artists are encouraged to build a portfolio of meaningful projects. While this is not a requirement for…

  • Missing Toastmasters

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    I joined Toastmasters soon after I started working at Terumo BCT. Our meetings were at noon, once a week, and it was a nice break from my usual work. I enjoyed getting practice giving talks. I enjoyed getting to know the other people who regularly attended. I enjoyed getting and giving feedback in a supportive…

  • RiffTrax

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    Rifftrax is awesome! I don’t know how many movies we’ve watched on Mystery Science Theater 3000. I do know that Rifftrax is carrying on that fine tradition. Over the past few days, we’ve watched Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi again, with Rifftrax.…

  • Work Patterns

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    I was a physics instructor for about five years. I was an aerospace engineer for about five years. I was a video game developer for about five years. I wrote software for various companies for another five years. I’ve been at Terumo BCT for about six years, which is the longest time I’ve ever worked…

  • Things Change

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    We often find something we like. And we want to hold on to it. We want it to last forever. But things change. The question is, “How do we navigate these changes?” How do we focus on our growth, knowing we’re leaving some part of ourselves behind? There’s no one answer. There are a million…

  • Choosing Your Challenges

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    Everyone has challenges. Some people have the challenge of being hungry and not knowing if they can eat on any given day. A wealthy CEO may have the challenge of not knowing if she can bring in enough contracts this month to keep the company afloat. A factory worker may have the challenge of being…