Craig Ruvere

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball Has there ever been a time in your life when you found yourself stepping out of your comfort zone and wondering, do I have the confidence to do this? That feeling of inadequacy causes us to feel physically ill, concocting a million excuses to avoid something new, while our self-esteem spirals further and further towards nonexistence. For those of us with a bit more humility, it can be daunting trying to drum up the necessary levels of confidence required to succeed in this world, let along sell yourself to others. We’re the kind of people who do what we do for personal fulfillment, not professional…

“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.” ― Audrey Hepburn My grandfather was a quiet, intellectual and reserved man. At family gatherings, he often sat silently in the background – listening to the endless stream of chatter and laughter coming from every direction. Note: when a bunch of Italians get together, we typically use our outdoor voices. But in smaller social settings he was often more engaged, and at times, you’d even hear him laugh. Once while visiting him and my grandmother, I was recounting a funny story, which sadly age has made me forget. But what I DO remember was his reaction. He started…

Have you ever asked yourself the question, how do I treat people? Take that one step further and ask, how do OTHERS think I treat people? Those are two very difficult questions we rarely, if ever, ask ourselves as we journey through life. And regardless if we do, we seldom answer honestly. I recently finished reading a book called Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute. In it, they summarize why the two questions above will probably never be answered truthfully. “Whether at work or at home, self-deception obscures the truth about ourselves, corrupts our view of others and our circumstances, and inhibits our ability to make wise and helpful decisions.” Here’s where I think the problem really is. Far too often, we treat people…