“Leadership ………. is like a big door that swings.  But that big door of leadership swings on the small hinge of character.”

                                                                                 - Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)

Last year at this time, I was listening to an interview with Retired Admiral James Stavridis, who was out promoting his new book on leadership, Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character.   

I have to admit, I was half-listening to the interview while I was working out, when the admiral said something and made me immediately stop and go running for a pen and paper to write it down when he shared,

“Leadership is how we influence others.  It is like...

"I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."

                                                                                                - Mark Twain

In his landmark book, The Worry Cure, Dr. Robert Leahy, after studying scores of subjects, determined 97% of the things we worry about either never happen or when they do, they are not as bad as we anticipated. 

Imagine how you would live your life if you knew this to be true.

Despite this fact, many of us still can be consumed by worry, preventing us from being in our most optimum state and/or taking the action necessary to live the empowered and prosperous lives we desire and deserve.  When we...

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”

                                                                            - Carl Gustav Jung

Welcome to the final installment of our three-part series entitled, “The 3 C’s of Creating Breakthroughs.”

In our first segment, I discussed “C number one” which is to Clarify Your Vision. 

Last week I discussed the “Second C” of Creating Your Plan, which comprised of the following four elements. 

• Begin with the end in mind – then break it down
• Identifying who can hold you capable in breaking through
• What obstacles to you need to plan for? And…
• What celebration will you take part in when you achieve breakthrough?

If you would like to take a...

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

                                                          - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Welcome to part two of our three-part series entitled, “The 3 C’s of Creating Breakthroughs.”

In our first installment, I discussed “C number one” which is to Clarify Your Vision.  This was comprised of asking yourself and answering the following three questions…

• What do you REALLY want?
• What is your BIG WHY? And…..
• Who do you need to BE to create your breakthrough?

If you would like to take a deeper dive into these and other principles to achieving breakthroughs, download my free report…

The Top Ten Big Ideas to Creating Breakthroughs

In part two of this series, we will explore the...

“Breaking through your self-imposed barriers (and they are self-imposed) is the greatest challenge you will ever face.  Face them you must.”

                                                                                      - Mary-Frances Winters

In my over four decades as a martial arts instructor, and now in my work as a speaker, life-coach and workshop facilitator, I have been honored to guide a multitude of students, clients and audience members through the journey of breaking through obstacles in their life.

These areas of breakthrough can appear in many forms, such as; the desire to release body weight, improving one’s physical health, healing relationships, overcoming financial difficulties or creating the business or career...

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity" 

                                                                          - Seneca

It is the fall of 1980; my high school football team is preparing to take on one of our arch-rivals.  Both teams are 6-0 and whoever wins the game is in the driver's seat for the conference championship - and we've got them at our home stadium.  

It's minutes before kickoff and my teammates and I are high up above the playing field in an area of the stadium called the team room. 

It is a small, dark and cramped room where all 45 of my teammates and I are quietly making our final mental preparations for the big game. 

It is so quiet you can hear a pin drop as players are either silently sitting...

"Gritty people train at the edge of their comfort zone. They zero in on one narrow aspect of their performance and set a stretch goal to improve it." 

                                                                                      - Angela Duckworth

Comfort Zones.  How many times have you heard you need to get out of your comfort zone(s) to achieve the results you desire? 

Authors, coaches and teachers have told us for decades that in order to really realize our dreams, we need to go beyond our comfort zones.

I totally agree. 

In fact, when I think of my own life and when I experienced my greatest results and feelings of satisfaction, it was always preceded with moving out of one of my comfort...

"People don’t buy because what you do is awesome. People buy because it makes them feel awesome."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        – Tara Gentile ...

“Perfectionism is focused on ‘doing the thing right’, how things APPEAR, and if OTHERS think it’s done right.  Excellence is about ‘doing the right thing’. It is focused on the REASON for a task, and the RESULTS for it to be a success.”

                                                                                                          - Marc Winn

Question:  "What's our goal?"

Answer:  "Black Belt Excellence, sir!"

For the past two decades, I have ended every martial arts class I have taught; whether it was with a group of White Belt kids or a class of seasoned adult Black Belt instructors with the question and subsequent response...

"The biggest lesson I've learned is that hurt people hurt people, and kindness is just as contagious.  So, if you can focus your efforts on engineering kindness, it will prevail."

                                                                                  - Whitney Wolfe Herd

During our current times, each of us has a heightened awareness of being contagious and possibly passing on or receiving a virus from someone else.

However, it came into my awareness that “being contagious” is not always a bad thing.

Let me explain.

One of the things I am most proud of in my martial arts career is the process by which each of the students in our organization must undergo to earn their Black Belts.

In addition to 3 to 3.5 five years...