So everyone’s lamenting the tragic turn our society has taken – economically, politically, socially.   And I agree that things are objectively not as good in America as they were 10 years ago.  But they’re still better than they were during the Civil War, or the Black Plague, or, if you think about it, most periods of human ...

For about a year, I’ve been getting these odd red bumps on one of my legs.  At first I thought they must be a result of some illness, environmental toxin, or even pregnancy.  When they appear, they itch and hurt, and I’ve been known to complain profusely about them.    Only lately has it occurred to me that perhaps something ...

My friend and radio show co-host Lindsey Pollak has a brand new blog over at Fast Company.  Her first, post, 5 Ways to Take More Control of Your Career, comes at a perfect time as we all sit in shock over the demise of long-established, powerful financial institutions Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch.    Many people who would ...

On his blog, Seth Godin responded to a reader who believes luck and randomness is just as critical to success as hard work and effort. Seth says: “Without a doubt, luck is involved. I don't think anyone would tell you otherwise. The choice one needs to make, though is this: either you believe that luck is dominant, in which case, why ...

I’ve encountered a lot of couples where one person has left his or her job to support the career of the other.  Typically, one spouse is an accomplished entrepreneur, so the other pitches in to help grow the business – often in a subordinate role. I’m wondering how many of you would do this if you had the chance.  It would ...

So Bill Gates is preparing to retire as CEO of Microsoft. Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to make and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, an early computer that was sold to hobbyists. Gates dropped out of Harvard University in his third year to focus on ...

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about success at work, and how it means different things to different people.  When I first graduated college, I thought success was setting and then achieving a goal to reach a certain level.  But for someone who is naturally ambitious, this doesn’t really work.  Because once you reach that ...

In the blogosphere, we love to throw the term “branding” around.  Well, I’ve had almost ten years of marketing communications experience, and branding – what it means and how to do it – has been burned into my brain from a young age.  I have been very careful that what I write on my blog and my website relates strictly to my brand as a ...

Marketing guru Seth Godin has just set a bunch of us wondering if we really and truly are workaholics. I always thought I was.  After all, I’m driven to work 50+ hours a week.  It’s not enough just to be in the office, I actually have to be contributing something.  If I spend an entire day that’s completely unproductive, I feel ...

Resolute (adj):  firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion. Tomorrow begins a New Year, and as such, it is the time of New Years Resolutions.  It’s a common joke that we Americans are very fond of making a list of items we want to achieve in the new year – from losing weight and getting in shape to taking a ...