Have you ever compared yourself to another person? When I first started my speaking career I remember comparing myself to other speakers. That is until I learned a lesson in an unlikely place. A Lesson from the Road I run with a group called the Striders and we have weekly races. Several years ago we...

When you ask most people what makes a relationship work, what do they usually say? “Communication.” I know lots of couples who “communicate” in a very passionate way. It is called “arguing.” Indeed communication can be the key to a fulfilling relationship if the following two pieces of relationship...

Several years ago I went to visit a close relative’s house. When my wife and I arrived, everyone said, “Hey, how are you?” My immediate response was, “Outstanding!” This was my normal answer so it floored me when I heard one of my relatives laugh and say, “Oh he’s just saying that because...

August 25th, 2001 was a sad day. My wife ran into our bedroom and, with a shocked expression, said, “Aliyah died.” It jolted me out of the bed and I ran downstairs to watch the news. Sure enough, Aliyah (22 year old singer and actress) and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas....

I just dropped my 4-year old son off at Montessori School and said to him, “Son, you’re going to have a great day.” Then, on my way home, I turned on the radio and before I knew it I was listening to the news. It talked about murders, traffic, and every negative thing in between. That’s when...

Have you ever given someone a compliment and they said, “Awe, it was nothing” or “Anyone could have done it.”? Here’s something to think about. If you can’t receive a compliment, you can’t receive much else. As a result, you put a serious limit to how much success and fulfillment you can...

Imagine taking a 2 year old and 5 year old to gymnastics. Enough said. However, I firmly believe you can learn life lessons anywhere so, as my kids worked on their form, I gazed over to the far end of the gym. I noticed the bigger kids having foot races. Two of them at a time raced from one end of the...

I hold in my hand one penny. Where did it come from? After I bought two boxes of Italian Ice and one frozen pizza from the grocery store, my change came to a grand total of one penny. I thought, “Should I even bother taking it out of the self-checkout dispenser?” Then I remembered to practice...

Do you think reality hurts? Be honest, have you ever stepped on a scale and been forced to face reality? You should have seen my wife and me years ago as we took our 6-month old daughter Tori to the doctor’s office. The doctor walked in, took Tori’s length, and then said, “Since Tori can’t stand...

There’s an awareness all people must gain in order to have breakthroughs in relationships and success. Years ago, I had my first breakthrough. One day, when I was a successful Sales Representative at a Textbook Company, I received a major complaint from one of my customers named Rachel. She ended the...