I want to tell you a brief story about something super nice that someone said to me recently. More than 18 years ago, Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, told me about four “Referability” habits—behaviors that help you to be referable, as in a person who other people would recommend…
Early this year, I ran a post called “Make New Friends Monday”. I explained that when my kids were home from college for winter break, the subject of Instagram came up. My daughter Cara said, “You have an Instagram? What’s your name? I want to follow you.” I told her…
Harnessing the power of thinking—knowing that what we think has a huge impact on how we feel, and then putting that knowledge to use—has had powerful results for me. I’ve also learned that discounting other people’s feelings is a mistake and I’ve gotten better over time at balancing the power…
I’m a big advocate of doing what you love and loving what you do. I also know that sometimes that’s easier said than done, and if nothing else that it can take some time before you make a transition to a better situation. I like today’s guest post because it…
To make a long story short, here's what I want you to do tomorrow: If you’re in college, introduce yourself to someone in your dorm or in one of your classes. If you're in high school, introduce yourself to a classmate you haven’t spoken with before. If you’re at work,…
In May of this year, I wrote a post about a story from the early part of my father’s career. In Everybody Has a Story—What’s Yours?, I explained that we all have stories to tell; learning that can help others. Soon after that post was published, while speaking with a…
I’m a big sports fan and have always enjoyed the Olympics. I remember the unbeatable Cuban boxer Teófilo Stevenson, the Russian weightlifter Vasily Alekseyev, and the Michael Phelps of my childhood, U.S.A. swimmer Mark Spitz. (I actually wore the same Speedo bathing suit that Mark Spitz did, with its U.S.A. flag-design.)…
I've had many corporate speaking engagements in a lunch-and-learn format. At 12:00pm, attendees come into the room, grab some lunch, and sit down. At 12:15pm I begin a 45-minute session on Six Simple Rules for a Better Life—either an overview of all of the rules, or a focused session on…
Stephen Covey passed away just over two week ago, on July 16. He would have been 80 this coming October. Later that week, a great man named Herb, the dad of my friend, passed away. He, too, would have turned 80 later this year. This post is dedicated to Herb…
I’ve written in my book, and in blog posts, that my definition of a leader is not limited to presidents, CEOs, and heroic figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. I’ve explained that the leadership I write about includes making the world a better place – even in…
I was pleased to have a blog I wrote published on the wonderful Tiny Buddha web site last week. Here's the first part of the piece, with a link to the rest... Thirty-plus years ago, when I was applying to college, one of my friends used to say regularly, “We’ve…
There’s a guy who lives somewhere near where I live. I don’t know him and I don’t know where he lives, but I see him jogging. He’s in great shape – if you met him you might ask him if he’s a runner. What’s particularly distinctive about him is that…