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Frankl once said that between stimulus and response, there is a space, and in that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and our freedom.  In the emotional intelligence canon, psychologists refer to this as response flexibility, which is the ability to think twice, to pause before responding, leading to reflective functions instead of reflexive ones.  And so, rather than reacting immediately…

One of the patterns set in motion by my childhood was, it’s not polite to talk about money in front of others. You should be humble, appreciative and most importantly, considerate for those who might not be as fortunate as you.  As I grew older, however, I began to call this preconditioning into question. Especially when it pertained to my business.  In my mastermind group, for example, we never…

In any business, money is the primary measure of a company’s value, legitimacy and professionalism.  Ask any owner. Nothing beats getting paid. There is no close second to financial compensation. Even if you’re not turning much of profit, having at least some cash flow is a deeply satisfying form of remuneration for your efforts.  But what happens when the money simply isn’t coming in? What happens when you’re one…

I was reading an interview with one of my favorite songwriters, who was asked if he had a particular audience in mind when writing his new album.  Gibbard appropriately said, it’s not something I ever think about. I never write with an audience in mind. My goal is to write the most honest and earnest songs I can, and try to write to the best of my ability in whatever situation…

With a well, you have go to the water.  You trek an hour outside of town and lower the bucket into the ground and crank the pump in the hot sun and then schlep the heavy bucket of water back to your family without spilling a drop along the way.  That’s one approach.  And then there’s plumbing. You don’t go to the water, the watercomes to you.  What an innovative…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. Based on my books in The Prolific Series, I’m going…

Often times we feel inadequate because we haven’t found a way to test ourselves yet.  We don’t have any victories under our belt to garner greater trust in our own resources.  I started my publishing and consulting company the day I graduated college. But at age twenty two, I had no business model, zero customers and hardly any credentials. Wherever I showed up, I always seemed to be the…

There is no such thing as a bad meditation.  Anytime you use a concrete life situation to let go of compulsive and competitive thoughts, that’s a meditation. Anytime you pay attention to your inner and outer experiences with acceptance, patience, and compassion, that’s a meditation. Any time you increase activity in your brain connected with empathy and decrease the activation of fear, that’s a meditation.  There’s no right or wrong way…

A business is a beautiful laboratory for understanding growth. Especially for the entrepreneur. Because when you’re the sole employee of the company, your identity is the company. The enterprise is only as mature as you are.  And so, as you grow from boy to man, from newbie to veteran, from a kid having a good time to an adult with real responsibilities, you start to revise your long held vision for what…

For many patients, the worst part of the doctor visit is getting on the scale.  Weighing themselves in front of another person can cause a high degree of fear, anxiety, shame or discomfort. What’s more, confronting that dreaded number can become a trigger unhealthy, obsessive or compulsive behaviors, especially for people with eating disorders.  That’s why certain people will decline the weigh in portion of their appointment. Because as…