It has been scientifically proven that humans have a predisposition to focus on the negative. It seems to be inherent in our programming and reinforced by our upbringing. Just think about the time you came home with 5 B’s and 1 D on your report card. Where did your parents focus their attention? When we…
How many years before have you sat here on this very day …. yes, a few days before the first of the year thinking about how next year was going to be better! You think about all of the things you want to do differently and yet deep down inside you have doubts and uncertainties.…
Are You Headed In The Right Direction? Recently I was in Cleveland tending to some family business over the Thanksgiving Holiday. While I was there I decided to make my reservation for my return trip for Christmas. Air fares had been pretty high so when I found the round trip ticket between Cleveland and Phoenix…
The Key to Happiness There are times in my life when I simply do not like what is going on. When this happens I typically go into my “grab control of the situation” mode so that I could get things back to normal and in “control” again. Recently I found myself traveling back to Cleveland…
As our year starts to wind down, we might be coming to the realization that we didn’t accomplish everything that we had planned on this year. We might be asking ourselves “Why am I not getting what I really want in “X” area of my life?” For some of us this area might be the…
I was having a phone conversation with a very dear friend the other day. We were discussing my favorite topic as of late … authenticity. As we discussed the topic we chatted about how being authentic also means that you live in alignment with your values. She then asked me “So Joe, what do you value,…
Great Leadership is not a reward for performance … it’s a calling. Many times we find good performers who were promoted to a leadership role even though they lack the skills, talent, or most importantly, the desire to be a leader. In most companies leadership is a reward for great performance. We take our top…
How Often Do We Show Our Authentic Selves? This past Monday was Halloween and for the first time in over 20 years I was one of “those” people who didn’t pass out candy. Instead, I shut off the Malibu lights killed all the lights in the house and went out to dinner. I guess you…
I’ve learned that integrity is not about staying on the straight and narrow path 100% of the time. Your integrity is defined by the actions that you take when you’ve stepped off the path and need to get back on. Regardless of how painful it may be or how you may or may not be…
My brother Billy is an extraordinary man. For years I have watched as he’s bumped up against and then pushed through the mental challenges that he was given at birth … you see Billy is developmentally challenged. Growing up we had other words for people who are now referred to as “special needs” and because…