Part of my Mother's Day gift to my wife were tickets to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at NJ Performing Arts Center. During intermission of this phenomenal performance, my wife asked me if I enjoyed watching a dance performance, (especially since the routines have a strong ballet component.) My response was simple.."I enjoy EXCELLENCE." [READ MORE]

Today begins the SECOND QUARTER of 2018. One quarter (3 months) of the year are done. What did you accomplish? What did you learn? In essence, what do you have to show for it? It's not too late to get focused and get moving before "halftime" at the end of June!

To FOCUS on one thing, is to NEGLECT another. 'Neglect' is typically seen in a negative light, as if driven by some evil or selfish motive. That's not always the case.  In fact, to be focused on those things that are high priorities for you, you must neglect everything else. With too many things fighting [READ MORE]

I understand why individuals - and teams - set out to be the best. If you're going to play, I believe you ought to play to WIN! However, be careful: Competition is not just about beating others to become THE best.  Rather, it is about leveraging the skills, talent, and ability of those you compete [READ MORE]

"Michigan, Michigan, Michigan, Michigan." "Maryland, Maryland, Maryland, Maryland." "Northwestern, Northwestern, Northwestern, Northwestern." At the beginning of every week, those were typical tweets from Penn State Football head coach James Franklin throughout the 2017 season. Whether the team won their previous game or not, Coach knew the team needed to FOCUS on the only game that [READ MORE]

There are exactly 5 weeks left in 2016. As we get closer to the New Year, many of us will make resolutions, commitments and goals. I have an important suggestion: Before you make plans for new experiences and accomplishments in 2017,  clean up the clutter from 2016 (and prior). It's difficult to bring new things [READ MORE]

"Excellence" is a relative term.  What is excellent  to one person may be just mediocre to another. We're in the middle of college basketball's March Madness (the NCAA Tournament).  This event serves as a great example. A team that has won multiple championships and boasts a roster full of future professional players may be perceived [READ MORE]

I had the pleasure last night of saying a few words to the Mahwah (NJ) High School Football Team at their Rings Ceremony.  They recently won a State Championship.  Essentially, here were my thoughts: Champions…As you celebrate, there are 3 things you must TAKE from that experience: Take Notes One of biggest mistakes winners make [READ MORE]

From my standpoint, private moments are "intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class."  Over the past few weeks, however, many private moments have been made public, and not by the subjects of the incidents. Donald Sterling. Michael Sam. Jay-Z. Does success mean that one's private life is now [READ MORE]

Happy Holidays! This morning, my family visited the Newark YMCA to do some giving. Prior to our family time with food and family, we spent some time sharing with others.  Besides serving food and distributing toys and gifts to the children there, we provided copies of my wife's children's books (the Ashti series) with the [READ MORE]