Parents celebrate a child’s first words.  There is anticipation for the words that follow.  Contrast a child’s first words with the first words of an average, everyday conversation.  It is highly likely you have never considered how you begin a conversation.  Do you open a conversation with a derogatory statement or a positive statement?

Here are a few ways people initiate conversation:

Negative Nellie – “This place has the worst service.”

Our first words set the tone for the remainder of the conversation.  Why do so many of us begin a conversation with a negative tone?  Negativity sells.  Ever wonder why news headlines have a negative tone?  The media understands the psychology of people and we are far more likely to pay attention to a negative headline versus a positive one.  Negativity sells and we instinctively know it, so we tend to initiate conversations with negativity to increase our chances of...

All that exists is energy.  The heart of every atom is energy.  Everything is made up of atoms.  One hydrogen atom contains enough energy to level entire cities.  Think Hiroshima.  Energy in physics, is defined as the capacity to do work.  Despite the fact that energy is in all things, it can seem illusive.  You come home exhausted from a long day of work and collapse on the couch.  Suddenly, an emergency arises that requires your immediate attention and without hesitation you leap into action.  In reflection, the energy was always there but you were unaware of how to tap into the additional capacity.  Some humans can run 100 miles without stopping.  How?  You could run 100 miles but choose not to, and that is okay.  I could run 100 miles but choose not to do so.  We don’t lack capacity to do extraordinary things.  We lack an understanding of how energy works to power all aspects of our lives....

What do you want?  What is preventing you from pursuing what you want?  These are two very potent questions that if asked regularly can mean the difference between a life well-lived or an average life.  My hope is that every person reading this article desires more out of life than to just get by.  We are responsible for our lives.  We are responsible for our happiness.  We are responsible for our success and our failure.  The news media, government, educational system, and many other social networks would like for us all to believe we are helpless victims.  They use the “everyone is a victim” strategy to keep us watching and their advertisers paying.  I do not blame them because it works.

Someone told me several years ago that this life was mine to own and this meant I made up the rules.  If I was not happy with an aspect of my life, I needed to change the rules and not wait for the rules to change.  This concept...

Happy New Year!  Do you want to thrive in 2019?  To thrive is to progress toward or realize a goal, despite or even because of conflict.  It also means to grow vigorously.  To thrive requires some consideration, a positive attitude, and action.  However, to truly thrive, we must serve others.  Science has proven, and your memory of the happiest times in your life might also prove that we are most satisfied when we are serving others.  To live in the service of others is tremendously gratifying for both parties but even more so for the deliverer.

What do you envision when you think of the word “thrive”?  The thought makes me think of a smiling face, energy, and the image of a person with their hands over their head in victory.  I also visualize sweat and toil.  In order for a person to thrive, they must have the right mindset.  I typically don’t like to use the word “must” because I...

As we near the closing of the year, my hope is that you are gearing up for your most successful year in 2019!  Success in life is no accident, it is a choice.  My definition of success will vary from your definition of success - the key here is to have a definition!  These 7 fundamentals can be expanded many times over but my intent is to keep it simple.

Emotional Intelligence - This term essentially defines our ability to put ourselves in the other person's shoes.  We can better demonstrate empathy when we see from the perspective of the people we interact with everyday.  I believe this to be the one of the most important qualities we can develop.  Daniel Goleman coined the phrase and his books offer critical insight to developing this characteristic of successful people.  Every day we interact with people - being able to connect with those people emotionally will help you lead a more satisfying life and you will have more...

What do you think about?  Do you think negatively or positively?  Most people never think.  Do you know why?  Thinking is the most difficult activity one can undertake.  If you don’t believe me, try it.  Just sit for 30 minutes and think about your life.  It is likely that within just a few minutes of thinking, you will be reaching for your phone or turning on the TV or finding something that can distract you.  There are very few people in the world today that actually think.  It is an intentional act that requires significant discipline.  If you can master it, your life will never be the same.  The level of satisfaction with your life will go through the roof.  Nothing can have a more profound impact in your life than thinking.  This is not a new discovery.  Jesus Christ introduced us to intentional mental retreats and the Buddha taught us meditation.  These men understood the power and benefits of...

Financial Intelligence – There is no secret to becoming wealthy and there is no magic to it either. However, there is a trillion-dollar industry focused on convincing us otherwise.  The financial industry wants your money to invest so that they can charge fees for below average results.  Below describes the impact of fees on a simple investment:

Imagine that you are 21 years old and decide to begin investing for your future (Congratulations!).  You invest $10,000.  Your friend makes the same decision and invests $10,000.  You and your friend enjoy a 6% return on this $10K investment for the next 25 years (all or any dividends reinvested).  Your friend ends up with $16,000 but you end up with $33,000.  What is the difference?  The difference is that your friend paid 2% in fees each year and you paid no fees.  Investing with just a 2% yearly fee wipes out 40% of your investment value over 25 years.  I had no idea about fees when...

Healthy Choices -  You won't do well if you don't feel well.  Our youth is a veil masking the long-term consequences of poor choices.  Jim Rohn always said, “Everything affects everything else and not to think so is naive.” This is especially true when it comes to our health.  There are three pillars to health:  physical, mental, and nutritional.

Physical exercise done properly will lead to endurance and stamina.  Endurance and stamina help us to stay strong when the going gets tough and the desire to quit is nearly overwhelming.  The great news is that it doesn't require hours in the gym to increase your physical resilience.  It only requires 30 to 45 minutes of your time three or four days per week.  Surely you can spare 2 hours per week to increase your overall satisfaction with life.  Science has proven that exercise improves our brain function, increasing our cognitive skills and enhances memory.  For many...

Our society’s lust for comfort and entertainment is insidiously reducing its ability to observe reality.  The further society moves away from observing reality, the faster it will collapse.  History has demonstrated that societies rise and fall as do businesses.  The battleground in a democratic society supported by capitalism appears to be between government and business.  What are they battling for is the question?  Our attention is the answer!  They apply different strategies for capturing our attention.  For example, the media (media is a business posing as a third-party informant) knows that negativity and sensationalism appeal to our primal nature.  Humans are hard-wired for fight or flight at every turn.  The media (and politicians) exploit this natural tendency at every turn.  Businesses exploit this tendency by limiting quantities through supply management.  Nothing sells better than scarcity.

This article...

We all have routines, but the key is to intentionally develop your routine to set you up for success.  There have been many books written about "habits" and how to develop “healthy habits.”  Habits are part of routine and a fundamental building block for intentional living.

What is intentional living?  The best definition I have for intentional living is living with purpose and in service to what matters most in your life, realizing that long-term happiness can only be achieved through service and contribution to a purpose greater than you.  The basis for this definition has been proven through study after study.  Service to a cause greater than ourselves is fundamental to happiness and a powerful antidote to depression.

An intentionally developed routine will allow us to win the day before it begins.  The morning routine is important for establishing your mindset.  The evening routine can set you up for tomorrow’s success and...