In this video, Rudyard Kipling’s inspirational poem, If , is read by tennis great Roger Federer. The poem gives lessons on how to live life, believe in yourself, act with dignity and be a leader. Words to the poem below.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men Read More...

There is one thing that more than anything else, holds us back from achieving what we want and desire.

I am talking about fear. Fear, in its various forms, is the biggest killer of our quest for successes, so why is this?

In its simplest terms, fear is an emotion that we experience through a physical response. I’m sure you have felt this physical response before: your palms sweat, your heartbeat increases, your body temperature goes up. This reaction was very-very useful to us, millions of years ago, when the things that cause this reaction in us were out to kill us, such as large animals looking for dinner.

But now, that emotionally based fear response has become extremely unhealthy. I say this Read More...

Remember to Breathe!

In this article, I’d like to share with you a very important idea I learned while at a weekend retreat at The Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. When our group of 40 gathered on the floor, our first instruction was to take a deep breath. Now this might sound simplistic, but I’m much more used to shallow breathing and hyperventilation.

I had never taken more than one or two deep breaths at a time and here we were doing them for many minutes. It was difficult to focus on just my breath. My mind so desperately wanted to multi- task and think of other things. Closing my eyes helped. I continued to breathe deeply when instructed, which was frequently during the weekend. When the retreat was over, I felt Read More...

The power of networking is common knowledge nowadays. What’s not so common is knowing how to consistently and effectively do it. Networking is simple, but far from easy.

Whenever I’m speaking to a group about networking at least one person asks, “But what do you say (or talk about) when you first meet someone?” And someone else will inevitably ask, “What do you say (or do) when there’s a lull in the conversation?”

My response to both questions is the same. First decide if the person is really in the mood to talk to you. If you feel like someone doesn’t really want to talk to you, it’s no big deal. Move on to someone else.

If the person seems willing to Read More...

If you watch nature, there are many events that take place that involve a high degree of power such as storms, earthquakes, tornados, floods, and all of them cause dramatic changes to whatever they come in contact with at the moment. And all of this happens without the storm, tornado, or flood caring about the results.

Many times we try to force a result, when if we just did our job to the best of our ability then the results would take care of themselves.

How we can use this to our advantage?

It starts with faith, and it is the faith that you will be taken care of no matter what the results. Faith that you are going to be OK and that everything happens for a reason, and even if pain is the result that Read More...

Steve Jobs said, “Your working is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” So, how do you find great work?

This video gives you five rules to finding your great work.

Be Free! Read More...

Who doesn’t love a good movie? Watching a movie, we can see people fight battles, travel through time, realize they are married to a spy, etc. However, all along, we know they are just stories. We enjoy the emotion they bring for a couple of hours; if they’re really good they get us thinking, we learn something, and then we continue on with our own life.

However, I find it interesting how easy it is to get wrapped up in a story when it is my story. I think back to the parable of the Chinese farmer, watching the ebbs and flows of his life, remaining calm and Read More...

Before you start thinking I have turned into a drill sergeant, let me explain.

There are two kinds of pain: the pain of discipline and then there is the pain of regret. You do not get to choose a life of pain or no pain. Instead you get to choose if you will feel the pain of disciple or the pain of regret – there is no other alternative – but the choice is yours to make.

When you are committed to growth, in your life, career, bank account etc, you will experience pain. On one hand, the pain of discipline hurts a little and when you experience it, it makes you stronger, healthier, and tougher. The pain of regret on the other hand hurts a lot and, when we feel this pain, it can injure or crush Read More...

I firmly believe the adage that “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” This has happened to us all on countless occasions during our lives and often from the most unexpected of teachers.

Whether it was a lesson learned from a perceived failure, or something a mentor shared that finally took root in our mind, or the day you learned the value of loyalty from Han Solo watching the first Star Wars movie at the age of six…. Okay, that last one might only be specific to me…, there is no way I (or anyone) would learn these lessons without being ready to finally hear the message being sent.

Last week, my teacher was a proud gardener.  Let me explain….

While I was walking in my Read More...

Ever forget someone’s name seconds after meeting them? Wish you could give presentations without notes? Would your life be easier if you could instantly recall important information about your clients or materials for exams?

If you can relate, the Memory Training Workshop is for you!

On September 27 and 28, I will be instructing the Memory Training Workshop in Oak Brook, IL at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago Oak Brook.  If this date and location does not Read More...