Flip Video has Opened Up a New World

I just bought a Flip Video for my 5 year old, who's been begging for video camera for months now. She's been saving up her weekly allowance foregoing the typical 5 yr old temptations like stickers, barbie dolls, and my little ponies. Then it finally showed up today, and all I can say is, "Wow!" The Flip has just opened up a new world!

After getting her hands on it, she pushed record and we immediately entered into a world of film director. Take for instance the backseat interview of the 2 year sister right before breaking into a rendition of Taylor Swift's Romeo & Juliet song. Then she began a series of videos that only a 5 year old can do with such flair, starting with her friendly talking toes, followed by a dialogue with the Neverland fairies from the poster on her bedroom wall.

I had to snatch it from her hands just to get her to go to sleep. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to many months of seeing the world through a fresh set of eyes. This is fantastic!

Roger Federer Finally Beats His Biggest Foe

The 2009 Men's French Open Final wasn't the most exciting match I've seen, but it was the most significant. Before yesterday's final, Roger Federer spent the last 18 months shaken, tormented, and nothing short of human after spending 5+ years on top of the tennis world. Roger won his 14th Grand Slam in true championship fashion, and it wasn't against his rival, Rafael Nadal, or really even the giant slaying Robin Soderling, who vanquished Nadal a week earlier. Roger finally vanquished the biggest foe of all: himself.

The lesson is clear in the game of tennis, as it is in the game of life. The real battle with greatness is not your opposition on the other side of a net. It's really against yourself. We may silence all the external voices that tell us we're not good enough, or we can't make it. Deep down, we have to silence that self critic. When we do, we can go out there and just be who we were meant to be: a champion.