“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”

                                                                               - John Wooden, coaching legend

Legendary basketball coach, John Wooden is famously quoted for saying – “Make each day your masterpiece.” 

Coach Wooden retired in 1975 as the winning-est coach in college basketball history, leading his UCLA Bruins clubs to an unprecedented ten NCAA college basketball national championships. 

Although his official title was “coach”, Wooden referred to himself as a “teacher”, not only of basketball, but of life. 

The...

“(A) process orientation (versus outcome orientation) . . . asks ‘How do I do it?’ instead of ‘Can I do it?’ and this directs attention toward defining the steps that are necessary on the way. This orientation can be characterized in terms of the guiding principle that there are no failures, only ineffective solutions.”

                                                                                   - Ellen Langer, Mindfulness

Think of the last time you faced a major challenge in your life. 

You may be at that place right now as you read this. 

How many times are we caught up in the mind game of whether we can successfully tackle a challenging situation? 

Our minds can go in all types of...

“The smallest change in perspective can transform a life.  What tiny attitude adjustment might turn your world around?”

                                                                                                  - Oprah Winfrey

I continue to be amazed how simple shifts in consciousness can have such a profound impact on our lives.  Despite the label we put on our current conditions or the fear of what is up ahead, our worry and displeasure can simply evaporate when we choose to change our perspective and the see the positives of a given situation. 

Several years ago, I found myself in a position I never dreamed I would encounter – divorced and playing the role of a single dad. 

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

                                                                                             - Mahatma Gandhi

Several years ago, while conducting my Discover Your Breakthrough You board breaking experience workshop here in Denver, I had the honor of meeting an American treasure, the Reverend Harold Middlebrook of Memphis, TN. 

Rev. Middlebrook was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the organizers of the March on Washington in 1963 where Dr. King delivered his I Have a Dream speech, organized voter registration in Selma, AL following the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and was with Dr. King when he was...

“In the study of truth, we talk often about the power of words.  It is important to put into words only the verbal statements you want to see manifest in your life.  For instance, the word ‘problem’.  You say, ‘I have a problem.’ A much better word to employ when referring to some sort of challenge is ‘project’.  Note what happens when you say, ‘I have this project.’  It makes all the difference in the world.  The word project suggests a positive endeavor of development…..We tackle a project with vigor and imagination and with the conviction that it will be done.”

                                                                                             ...

“Hope is a start.  But…hope needs action to win victories.”

                                                                      - David J. Schwartz

A new year is upon us.  I don’t know about you, but I am very happy that 2024 has arrived. 

Recently, I was speaking to one of my friends and shared with him that I am usually not overly excited about the beginning of a new year, but this year I certainly am.

It is an understatement to say that 2023, for many of us, has been a difficult year for all of us, and I am personally filled with hope for what lies ahead for the upcoming year.

Hope can serve as an incredibly powerful force in getting us moving and breaking through the barriers we face in difficult times.  It is also...

"Making a choice that is one percent better or one percent worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime these choices determine between who you are and who you could be.  Success is a product of daily habits - not once-in-a-lifetime transformations."

                                                                                            - James Clear, author, Atomic Habits

It is once again the beginning of a new year, and many of us have great aspirations for making monumental improvements in various aspects of our lives. 

This is usually the time of year when we set intentions for improving our health (usually in the way of releasing weight or improving our diets...

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”  

                                                                                                      - Joel A. Barker

I believe we are all born with a vision for what we want in our lives inside of us. 

Just think back to when you were child and the numerous visions you had for what you wanted to be in when you “grew up”.  Your imagination was boundless.  I personally wanted to be a cartoonist, a doctor, an astronaut and a super-hero (Actually, when I was 5-years old, I WAS Batman).

I believe these visions exist inside of us...

“No one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone.”

                                                            – People’s House – Denver, Colorado’s Motto

The quote above has its origins in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation world. 

As an adult child of an alcoholic, this statement has particular resonance for me.  However, regardless of addiction has impacted our lives (and for most of us, it has), this adage holds just as true as a profound lesson in life.

We all encounter challenges in our lives.  Although some of these trials may seem to come “out of the blue” to impact us, upon reflection we find most of the experiences which test us are of our own making; either through our own actions, thoughts and/or beliefs. 

As...

“It is solved by walking.”

                                                                            - St. Augustine

In May 2014, I undertook one of the most amazing experiences in my life as I walked the Camino de Santiago. 

The Camino or The Way as it is known, is a 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain.  My trek began in the town of St. Jean-Pied du Port in western France, ascended into the Pyrenees Mountains and then descended into Spain where I would spend the next month trekking 17-18 miles per day across the beautiful Spanish countryside to my ultimate destination, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Legend has it that the Camino began in the 9th Century as a way for early Christians to pay penance for their misdeeds...