I've been fascinated by the recent sensationalized stories in the media about "Balloon Boy," the White House party crashers, and the various alleged mistresses of Tiger Woods coming out to tell their tales. While it's easy to get caught up in the drama of these stories, to blame the insatiable...

How well do you listen to the people around you? For many of us, myself included, listening can be challenging at times.

We're often busy, focused on ourselves and what we want to say, evaluating the person speaking and what they're saying, distracted with all the other things we...

During one of her shows a few years back, Oprah Winfrey made a profound and beautiful statement that I appreciated very much. She said, "We do shows about lots of 'stuff' and my 'favorite things,' but what people want more than anything else is to know that they're appreciated...that's the...

The holiday season is now in full swing. If you’re anything like me you probably have mixed feelings about the holidays. I love the excitement, parties, decorations, rituals, music, gifts, connections, and more. However, even these fun things can wear on me. And, the stress, drama, consumption, obligation, expense,...

I’ve been speaking and writing about gratitude for almost ten years now – and I’m still amazed at how challenging it can be for me to focus on what I’m grateful for at times (especially when I’m feeling sorry for myself or complaining).  I’m also blown away by how powerful...

Fear is something that we all experience throughout our lives, especially on our journey toward deeper authenticity.  Being who we really are, expressing ourselves honestly, being bold, and going for what we want in life can cause a great deal of fear in us.

I get scared all the time. ...

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about my own love/hate relationship to this great holiday.  It can be a wonderful celebration of gratitude, appreciation, and family connection.  Unfortunately, Thanksgiving also tends to be about feeling obligated to spend time with the people we’re “supposed” to, eating too...

I was talking to a friend of mine last week and she said, “If worrying worked, I’d weigh 115 pounds and be a millionaire by now.”  I laughed out loud – appreciating her humor and insight.

Worrying, which is something I’ve spent and wasted a lot of...

I got an email a few months back from a woman on my ezine list who shared a great saying that she loves – “If it’s worth doing, it’s even worth doing wrong.”  I laughed out loud when I got it and have been thinking about it ever since.  What...

How do you feel about your body?  More specifically, how do you feel about your physical appearance?

For many of us, especially me, these are not easy or fun questions to answer.  Most people I know have issues, concerns, or complaints about...

How do you react when dealing with a crisis?  When I’m faced with a crisis myself, I often go into “survival mode” – doing anything and everything I can to get through it.  In other cases, I may simply deny that the crisis exists, hoping that it will just go...

For quite some time I’ve had a self righteous judgment that most people in our culture are way too shallow. I find myself regularly annoyed at what I consider to be a lack of depth around me – in the media, in politics, in business, in my industry, and even...

Do you like to be right? If you’re anything like me, I bet you do. I’ve spent much of my life being obsessed with “rightness;” having the “right” answer, doing the “right” thing, acting the “right” way, winning arguments to prove how “right” I am and more....

I saw Rev. Michael Beckwith perform a re-commitment ceremony for a married couple a few years back and it blew me away.  He looked at the husband and said, “Your job is to be her biggest fan and her greatest critic for the purpose of her spiritual development.”  He then...

I’ve been humbled by some recent critical feedback.  It seems that some people close to me, both personally and professionally, have been quite frustrated with me – especially as I ramp up for the release of my new book.  Ironically, the things they’re upset with me about have to do...

I had a conversation with a dear friend of mine recently that had a profound impact on me.  She had just come home from a two-week trip to Israel, where she stayed on the same kibbutz she’d visited many times throughout her life.  When I asked her how her trip...

How much money do you make?  How much debt do you have?  How much money do you spend each month?  How much money do you have saved?  How do you feel about money in general and yourself in terms of your financial situation?

These...

Speaking your truth is an essential aspect of living a life of passion, fulfillment, and authenticity.  However, for many of us, myself included, it is much easier to talk about speaking our truth than it is to actually do it.

I was talking to my friend Greg a few...

In the past few weeks, two important people in my life have suddenly passed away – my friend Kevin Carlberg (the brother of my girlfriend from college) and Gail Cohen (my dad’s first wife and my half-sister Rachel’s mom).  These deaths have been shocking, sad, and painful for me. And,...

How often do you not say or do something because you're worried about how it'll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we'd like to admit.

We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family...