Success Starts Here!

            In the Army there is a response we tend to give when asked to complete the easiest of tasks or the most difficult of missions; that response is “too easy”. Those two words might not seem like a big deal but I truly believe we can gain something from them if we choose to. Obviously not all situations are “too easy”. Having said that, I believe going into any situation with the right mentality is always better than the alternative. So far, I figure for most of us 2010 has had its high points and its low points. The high points are easy to get through; it’s the low points that kick us in the rump. I submit if you take your challenges head-on with a can-do attitude you will succeed more times than not. It’s an easy lesson most of us learned when we were kids in school but one we tend to forget as we become adults.  Children are not yet tarnished by the adult world which tells us all the things we can’t do long before it tells us the things we can. A child will believe in h

As we once again prepare for a new workweek I felt compelled to send you a few thoughts on what I call Inspired Thought. You are reading the words of the man who invented satellite radio. Yes, thank you thank you, please hold the applause. I also invented car dvd players, named the "New Kids on the Block" group of the early 90s, and most proudly, invented the Snuggie blanket. By all accounts I should be sitting pretty on my own private island in the Bahamas counting hundred dollar bills as my hobby while I sit under a beach umbrella and sip thousand dollar a bottle champagne. Instead, I'm headed into the office tomorrow to my job, no not my company, just my regular ole job. Why? Did I lose it all in Vegas betting on black? Nope, I didn't listen to my "Inspired Thought". Oh I heard it, I just didn't "listen" to it. I've always been the creative type, and so for most of my life I have known that feeling you get when you come up with a grea

Like pretty much all of you, I remember exactly where I was that fateful day nine years ago. I remember my initial disbelief, anguish, pain, and subsequent anger. I was in a position and in a military unit which would be the first to strike at the terrorist forces which condoned, supported, and gave the green light for it. Those first 48 hours all I wanted was blood; vengeance. So it is interesting on this anniversary of that dark day in human history, that I remember not the hate or anger, not the desire for vengeance; I remember how for a moment in time, we stopped being black and white, straight or gay, Catholic or Jew, Protestant or Muslim. We became the "human" race. I remember watching, glued to my television like millions of others and what struck me most was strangers, running into danger to help each other. How two women, one black, one white, one from seemingly well-to-do origins while the other probably from far less, hugged on a street corner and cried on each ot

I LOVE Wednesdays. I always have. I think its because they are just far enough from Mondays to finally have them behind us, and from Wednesdays we can finally see the promised land of Fridays, so we find ourselves usually pretty motivated. From my personal experience I think I've always been more productive on Wednesdays. I got to thinking about the "why" as I usually do (I know, its annoying sometimes) and I think it comes down to the two things that drive all life, pleasure and pain. In one way or another, all life on this planet is constantly trying to move away from pain and towards pleasure. In our unique case as the weirdos of the living world, we happen to have the additional issue of emotions. Throw emotions over the relatively simple pleasure/pain principle and you've got yourself a heck of a mess. That pretty much sums us all up doesn't it? Most living things on this earth are run by instinct. That's not to say some of the more evolved creatures do

Well the summer's officially over. Tomorrow the last of America's students go back to school, mine included. Its been a great summer but there is always something uplifting about this time of year for me. Maybe its that I somehow live vicariously through my kids and can remember the butterflies in my stomach at the thought of walking through those school doors for another year of adventure. Although to them, the butterflies are more about how good they'll look and if the chics will dig em (which is probably what I was thinking at their age). I might be dating myself by the very comment I just made. Haha. Hey, what can I say, I've been cool, hot, fresh, and ill, and at various times of my life, those were proud monikers. With the new school year, I as a parent know that past the social dynamics of high school and middle school, my sons are in for a year of learning and that to me is really cool. I've been a lifelong learner as an adult. As a high school student, I

YAY its the weekend! We made it through yet another week. This is an especially special weekend as the last of America's children go back to school next week after the Labor Day holiday. I was hoping to share a tip with you in hopes of making this a better weekend. If you're anything like me, and hopefully you're not, you have a work cell or smartphone which was faithfully handed to you when you first started working or maybe after that big promotion. It was probably provided to you with some pomp-and-circumstance and someone important telling you what a valued and important member of the team you were that they would need to communicate with you even when you were out of the office. I'll never forget the first time I got an email from my boss at 10 o'clock at night. I responded, and its been downhill ever since. Haha. What I'm trying to say is your weekend is YOUR weekend. If you're one of the lucky citizens of this great country who doesn't have to