As we wrap up this year, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with obligations, trying to relax, thinking about what you want to do next year, juggling different schedules, and other end-of-year things.

One habit that I have been thinking about is the habit of just being joyful and this is the time of the year to really practice that joyfulness.  It’s easy to lose joy when your parking spot is taken, when you put the wrong credit card number into a website, or when people complain that you got them the wrong size.

It’s up to you to find joy in your life even when your joy is being attacked from all directions.  Focus on your loved ones. Focus on serving others.  Focus on the things that make you smile.

Focus on the blessings in your life and keep the joy bubbling.

Every year I write about gratitude in a Thanksgiving message.  My view about gratitude has grown and evolved.  Instead of a feel-good concept, I believe that gratitude is a principle of success.

By nature, people are negative because our brains are wired to look for threats.  We are designed not to be a predator's lunch.  This means that we are constantly scanning for threats.

Modern life has mostly eliminated those threats.  Emotions are chemicals released by the brain. The same chemicals that told us that a bear was on the horizon are the same chemicals that are released when we get cut off on the freeway, encounter a rude waiter, or misunderstand a text from a loved one.

Imagine that you have two friends.  One friend is busy and hard to get hold of, but when you hang out with them, you get encouragement and positivity.

You have another friend who is always popping up and even comes by unannounced.  However, every time you see them, they...

We live in a society, and societies have norms and values.  We may each be individuals, but together we make up a larger whole.  This larger group that we are all part of depends upon each and every member.  One trend that bothers me is that we can get stuck in our own echo chamber and in our own challenges.  This can be dangerous because when you do this you have very little room for growth and it can separate you from the greater society.

I feel that I have grown over the last year.  I’m taking on bigger and bigger challenges.  I’m shaping my sons’ lives.  I’ve pushed myself to go engage with people who may not be part of my usual group. I’m getting ready to take my professional life to a new level. Part of that process is getting new ideas and getting out of my echo chamber.  I rely on a team.  I challenge myself with new ideas.  I immerse myself in personal development.  I listen more than I...

During this Halloween season of the year, 2022 don’t be fooled by common motivational nonsensical hype.  Here are three common foolish ideas:

1.  Live without limits.  Limits are just a fact of life. Limitations are everywhere — on the freeway and at the airport.  You can’t go without food or water for five days.  Limits are all around us.  You can have big dreams and high expectations, but understand that there are limits in life.
2. Always be independent.  We all rely on each other and the most successful people know how to build a team and leverage others’ expertise.  This is a direct contradiction to the idea that we must do everything on our own.  Here’s the thing— if you want to go far in life engage others in your journey.
3. Opportunities have disappeared.  Opportunities are all around us.  We just have to be able to recognize and seize the chances that present themselves.  Sometimes we...

I graduated high school back in 1995.  But, this week I went back. I didn’t go back as a parent, school board member, or even a substitute teacher.  It wasn’t my class reunion. It wasn’t even for a fundraiser. This week I had the privilege of speaking to the football team.

You might be thinking what exactly would you talk to a large group of Gen-Zers about?

I spoke about the principles of success and ideas for living a successful life.  My 10-minute talk also addressed dealing with challenges.  As we all know, I have minimal experience or expertise in the area of challenges.  The beautiful part about talking about principles is that even though the vocabulary may be different and the examples may change, the same basic advice applies to high schoolers and C-suite executives.

I gave three ideas:

1. Accept responsibility.  One of my mantras is “my disability is not my fault, but it is my responsibility.”  It’s easy...

You are always building or reinforcing your reputation.  Decisions are being made about you by your bosses, your friends, your family, and your coworkers.  As sports talk show host, Colin Cowherd says most decisions made about you are made when you are not in the room.  One of the keys to success is having a strong reputation.  That means that you might need to be there for other people.

Being there for other people means setting aside your needs in order to serve someone else.  For example,  if someone needs you to be a rock, be a rock.  If someone needs someone to have fun with, be that person.  If someone needs you to help them through a challenging time, be helpful.  If someone needs you to bail them out of a Mexican jail, make sure they can count on you.  The point is simple— being ready and able to serve others can help you build a strong personal reputation.

Your reputation is important.  The way others think of you...

Let’s be real.

Life is not getting any easier.

 In fact, it’s going to get more challenging as global issues become more complex.  On the other hand, if you are willing to do the work, think about life differently, and take a different approach, you can achieve amazing success and even surpass your dreams.

Don’t look for the cavalry to rescue you.

Why?

The cavalry is not coming because you are the cavalry.

You have to be the first person who decides that there must be a change in your life.

Then, do the work to get there.

You can even put your own cavalry together.  You must be willing to recruit people including seeing a psychologist who can help you get over mental blocks, hiring a coach who can show you the way, or hiring a consultant that can guide you on how to make money from anywhere in the world.

All this is possible, but the cavalry is not coming.

You have to be your own...

There are an abundant amount of strategies that can either help us deal with our challenges or lead us to greater amounts of success.  These strategies may either be in the back of our minds, dismissed, or even unknown.

Every year I learn a little bit more about how to achieve success, and sometimes the lessons that I learn may just lay latent in my mind.

This doesn’t just happen to me.

Many people get caught up in everyday life.  They have work and personal obligations.  Any leftover time is sapped by distractions or even vices.  This all means that new information may not be utilized.

To make our lives better, we need need to use the information we have acquired.

Take the time and energy to explore how you can improve your life.  Here are some examples that we might not be aware of or perhaps have dismissed altogether.

• Limiting screen time prevents anxiety.
• Eating healthy is good for...

Persistence is needed for reaching amazing success.  When you are pursuing a goal, there will be learning curves to climb, challenges to deal with, plans that go awry, twists and turns that happen, changes to adapt to, and other plot twists.

Being focused on a goal is not always having a plan and following it to a tee.

It’s about adapting to new information and going from there.

Challenges.

We all have them.  That’s just a fact of life.

The question is… what do we do with these challenges?  Do we deal with our challenges or do we dwell on them?

There is a difference between focusing on dealing with challenges and dwelling on your challenges.

Dealing with your challenges involves being willing to take positive steps in improving your life and minimizing the impact of your challenges while dwelling on your challenges involves complaining, wallowing, and even using vices or escape mechanisms to deal with them.

Ultimately, we must decide whether we are going to deal with or dwell on our challenges.  

Our decision will make a difference in our lives.