Whether it was the brutally difficult decisions around dismantling the Capitals in early 2004 to his adept stewardship of AOL after the Time Warner merger, Ted always plays his hand in the open, considering the long-term value to be made over short-term stopgap measures that would be “easier” to take, but not as effective in the long run. That he now stands as one of the most beloved owners in all of sports ownership attests to his approach being wise.

This book offers deep, personal insights into life choices one can make to improve their own personal outcomes. I share Steve Case’s glowing assessment of the book after having read it…buying Ted’s book could be one of your best moves. Thank you, Ted, for sharing your life story thus far with practical suggestions readers can take to improve our own personal outcomes.

Adios!

By always keeping God first I could never be very unhappy. He is love and by His nature , can never leave us or stop loving us. We can lose everything else in life–and thank God I haven’t–but He will always be there for you. I am sure the Jesuits would vouch for this also. Have a great day and best of luck on your new ventures.

Ted has not always been economically wealthy – but he was always rich in spirit from day one. Maybe it’s his name – “God’s Gift” – or maybe it’s those scintillating hazel eyes of his (My mother always said he has the most beautiful eyes in the world.) Whatever it is, it is undeniably charismatic and magical. Ted can magically transform the mood of a room in mere moments. The Greeks call it “kefi.” Also, being a true, second decanate Capricorn, he was destined to rise to positions of administrative authority and responsibility. He’s a tough, dedicated, natural-born leader – a true leader; one who roles up his sleeves and gets down on the playing field with his team. He loves contact. … He is also the hardest worker that I have ever met in my life, and he knows how to “work smart”- not just “work hard.” He deserves everything he has achieved because he earned it all the hard way. He’s also not afraid to take educated risks. As Publius Terentius Afer said in the second century, BC: “Fortune favors the bold.” It takes true courage to go out on a limb, risking everything for a dream, and very few people have that quality – favoring freedom over security. I am absolutely confident in my assertion that my cousin Ted exemplifies this quality in every way, especially coming from a kid who had health problems that would have made any kid either introverted or cautious. … Not Ted. He’s been a real trouper from day one.

When Ted sent me a free copy of this latest book of his, I immediately began to read it. It certainly has a lot of interesting stories in it about his professional life in the trenches of the computer world and how he managed to navigate his way through the evolution of the cybernetic highways of technology. He was one of the individuals who helped pave those highways. So, if you want to learn about the history and development of the world wide web and the online internet that links it all together, this book will do that for you. If you want to learn more about Ted himself, because you are a fan of his or of any of his sports teams, this book will do that for you as well. But really, you should read this book for the reason that Ted wrote it: to increase your own happiness by learning from his examples and advice. His guidance is profoundly helpful in this respect alone. He really does know what he’s talking about. It’s all common sense, of course, but he backs it up with the social science research to validate his conclusions. As a social science (Sociology) major myself, I can vouch for the veracity of his assertions. He does know what he’s talking about, and reading this book could really help you become a happier person if you apply the principles he puts forth. Even if you don’t do any of the things he suggests, just reading the book itself will make you happy because it’s really fun to read. It’s a great book.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, from page 24: “The next day, Allen Ginsburg and William Burroughs came to my apartment. You can’t imagine what a thrill it was – and what an opportunity for a college student writing about a Beat writer. Having two living legends sitting in my apartment, offering up their memories of their friend Jack Kerouac, was a lucky break of the first order, though maybe not entirely lucky, since I did have a connection. Just as having Paul Tsongas get elected to the Congress was a way for a poor kid from Lowell to land one of the coveted congressional internships sought after by seemingly better connected Georgetown kids, my Uncle Bill’s connection to Jack Kerouac had led Burroughs and Ginsburg to my apartment. But soon I had a problem. I had to get to class, and they seemed perfectly comfortable staying there talking to me the whole day. So I cleared my throat, and interrupting Allen Ginsberg midway through a long remembrance, I said, “Excuse me, and I really hate to break this up, but I have to go to class.” … “What class?” … “English class, ” I said. … “Can we come?” Burroughs asked.” … ” …

Here’s another great example, from page 89, of a human being having the right values: “One day, Bob and I were sitting on a deck having a conversation about whether it was better for a company to be loved or needed. A veteran of MTV, Viacom, and Warner Brothers, Bob knew as much about branding and media companies as anyone around. I argued that the best brands were loved, and cited Disney, Nike, and Coke as examples of loved brands with staying power. Bob argued that in fact it was good to be needed, and that companies that provided a needed service to consumers – cable companies, for example, which provided connectivity – also had a superior amount of information on their customers. Bob argued that AOL was increasingly a utility for people, and that was okay; to be needed was a good thing. I disagreed; I believed AOL was at that time loved, and that it really was better off than if it were simply needed. No one loves the power company, even if they need electricity.” … BRAVO, pehthee-moo!

My cousin Ted makes the case that happy individuals (managers and supervisors) make for happy crews, happy crews make for happy departments, happy departments make for happy companies, happy companies make for a happy business environment, and happy business environments make for happy geographical regions – and hence, a happy country. I can personally vouch for the fact that after working in the accounts payable department of a social research company in Rockville, Maryland named Westat, that this theory is true. I have never worked with a happier and more loving bunch of people in my life. What they say about number-crunchers and accountants is not true! These people know how to have a good time. They never take themselves seriously. They take the work seriously – and when the work is done, it’s time “to party like a rock star,” as our great manager, Mike Lagarde used to say. Mike is a happy guy. Ted is a happy guy. Read this book and get happy! … YOWZA! – George Koumantzelis / The Aeolian Kid

Keep up the good work!