Emotions are a natural part of being a human being, and controlling them doesn't mean becoming a drone. However, how well we control our emotions drives how we treat others and ourselves.

Authentic people commit themselves to excellence in everything they do. They are constantly pushing the envelope and raising their standards. And they have the wisdom to know the difference between excellence and perfection.

I have come to believe that to survive and ultimately thrive we have to choose the blessings life brings to us everyday. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of its own. And ultimately, it is with that belief we build our staying power every day.

If you act with love and use that as your compass, regardless of the challenge you may be facing, however dark, deep and painful it may be, eventually love will circle back. It may have a funny way of navigating back to you, but it eventually does.

Sometimes, life presents something so extreme and unfamiliar, that after closing and locking the door in its aftermath, you find that nothing will ever be the same. Such has been the case recently in my life.

These times call for a new conversation about what it means to be abundant. We are living in the aftermath of our collective binge on excess. We see where that road has led.

When we prosper and grow and the situations of our lives flow, when the going is good and the living is easy, it seems only natural to be thankful. But what about all those times when nothing seems to budge?

I had arrived several days earlier for a gathering with a few classmates to reminisce over our years at college a half century ago. That had now ended...