"Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows." ~ Ben Stein I just spent two days with my best buddy, Chad. I had been on the road for nearly 4 weeks straight. Flown somewhere around 25,000 miles. Coast to coast, north and south, international, and […]

“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” ― Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven There was a time in my life when I was inflexible. Incapable of compromise. My way or the highway was my operating system. I was opinionated. Stubborn and headstrong. I had a […]

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” - Nelson Mandela I hate when I mess up. On anything. Big things. Small things. Failure drives me crazy. I am my own worst critic. When I make a mistake, I tend to beat […]

“I don't count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.”    ~ Muhammad Ali Success is doing what others won’t do so you can have what others won’t have. Most people quit when it gets difficult and they begin to feel the pain. If you […]

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. -Ralph Waldo Emerson What are you chasing? I overheard someone the other day tell a friend, “I just want to be happy.” […]

I am a motivational speaker. I am proud to be a motivational speaker. When I first started out, friends in the business implored me not to call myself a motivational speaker. I was intrigued by their adamant pleas. “Why,” I asked. The answer was the same each and every time. “People don’t like motivational speakers. […]

There is a lot of talk these days about responsibility. We demand responsibility from our political, spiritual, and business leaders. We try to instill a sense of responsibility in our colleagues, subordinates, and in our children. Yes, there’s no doubt that during times of crisis, hardship, and the tests that befall us, there is a […]

I am a self-help junkie. For those who know me, this is not a revelation or new knowledge. Personal improvement is high on my list of priorities. Why? Because I need all the help I can get. Trust me. I was playing golf the other day with a friend and telling him about the latest […]

When you think about your life, what is the story you keep telling yourself, and how do you perceive the person in the mirror? Is your story a mystery? A drama? A love story? Fiction? Do you keep beating yourself up because of all the past mistakes and failures, or are you high-fiving the hero […]

A young man came up to me after a speech and said, “may I ask you a question?” I said, “sure, go for it.” “I’m curious,” he said with an intent look on his face, “who motivates the motivator?” Then he added this. “I mean, how do you get yourself to focus on what really […]

Heroes choose their words wisely. Wise words lead to a life of wisdom and positive influence. Words can be used to tear down walls and build bridges. Unfortunately, they can also be used to tear down bridges and build walls. Early in my career I had a mentor who would ask me the same question […]

Years ago, during a family vacation, we settled into our hotel and then piled into the car to find something to eat. A quick look online revealed a number of good options. After the cursory "where would you like to go – I don't care, where do you want to go?" conversation with my wife […]