“No one is too busy in this world. We all have the same 24 hours. It’s all about priorities.” – Anonymous I discovered this quote while scrolling through Facebook – posted by a family member I haven’t seen or spoken to in many, many years. As someone who always appreciates an insightful quote, no matter how simplistic in its implementation, I agree with this author’s sentiment about setting priorities in life. I myself even blogged about the subject a few years ago in a post entitled, Thanksgiving to-do-lists – who’s important on yours? But as I get older, I struggle with the ability to understand how often we fail to practice what we consistently preach out in the world – particularly on social media. For over 35 years, I was…
I wrote the lyrics to The Music Fades Away on September 14, 2001 – three days after the 9/11 attacks. Having lived in the New York Metro Area at the time – having seen the buildings under siege first hand – was an insane reality for me. To be that close to one of the worst terrorist attacks on our country was truly incomprehensible. When all was said and done, thousands of lives had been lost. Thousands of husbands and wives would not be coming home to their loved ones – a thought which hit me hard having just been married myself in May of that year. As a writer, it’s always interesting for me to go back through dozens of journals, spiral-bound notebooks and even countless pieces of scrap…
“Your identity, since birth, has remained unchanged. Your roles never have and never will define your identity. You may think they do, but they don’t. It’s difficult to separate your identity from your role, but it’s important to see that there’s a difference.” ― David Sandler, You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, 2nd Edition: Sandler Training's 7-Step System for Successful Selling Today, during an all-day sales training on The Sandler Sales Method, we learned about something called “The I/R Theory” – I/R standing for Identity and Role. I had never heard of this theory. But after the seasoned moderator began reviewing the material, I soon realized that this theory was actually a very important lesson in a person’s overall self-esteem. Think about this exercise. Close…
“It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free Call me cynical, but the older I get the more I understand (through experience) that few of the individuals we’ll encounter during our lifetime are helpers. For many of us, the word “helpers” triggers visions of those donating their time to homeless shelters or even nursing homes. But it’s important to remember that helpers come in many shapes and sizes. Here’s an example. Today, I had to return a few items I recently purchased at a local home improvement store. When I approached the returns desk, I immediately noticed that a woman who appeared to be in her 50s was manning the register…
“Somehow, we'll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.” ― Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages Who we are is not definitive. Unforeseen challenges and personal discoveries are a consistent part of everyone’s life, and both conspire to heavily influence who we ultimately are at any given stage. Many people believe that once you begin to figure out who you are, typically when you’re in your late teens, you’ll remain that person for the rest of your existence. Could you imagine your eighteen-year-old self being prepared for the responsibilities of adulthood without some kind of change in mind and spirit? No, you probably can’t. Which is why who we are…