Did you ever have one of those days? You know, the one where your schedule is set, your plans are clear, preparations had been made, and then the wrench gets thrown in? Laurel’s mother had a saying from her tradition, “Man plans, and God laughs.” It seems to happen all too often that when we think we are in control of a situation as we prepared to take action, the unexpected happens. Both Laurel and I had planned to play...

I was in the midst of an intense pickleball game this last Sunday morning in Twinsburg, Ohio, when my Apple watch rang. The call came from the Twinsburg Police Department. Thinking it was somewhat odd or perhaps even a spam call, I ignored the call. One minute later I received a second call and then a third call from the same caller ID number. When I finished playing, I noticed that I had a new voicemail, that said, “This is...

Hadar was here. Our 6-year-old granddaughter, Hadar, spent 5 days with us last week, without her parents! She really wanted to be here at Camp “bubbe”, Laurel’s grandma directed camp, and Hadar had been anticipating it for months while her big siblings were at sleep away camp. This young lady is bold and sassy and willing to try almost any new thing. She learned how to swim, back float and stand on her hands under water while her parents were...

It happens to the best of us. We suddenly realize that we have lost our mojo. We are not as motivated as we used to be, perhaps life got in the way, or other events impacted our actions, and we find ourselves in a downward spiral. What may be causing it: Too many distractions. You are slowing down and losing speed. Feeling overwhelmed. Health issues. Procrastination and excuses. Over scheduling of priorities. How to get back on track? Get in...

Celebrating the birth of this nation and its independence gives me pause to reflect on the meaning of freedom. William Ralph Emerson was an architect and second cousin of the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. In addition to designing many houses and inns, William Ralph Emerson helped to design some of the first buildings at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. In this poem, Emerson reflects on the aspects that make a nation strong. It’s not the wealth, weapons, or...

Over the years, the various social media platforms have become a huge influencing factor in the way we communicate online, conduct our business and engage with potentially billions of people. I am personally active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Clubhouse. In my article Addicted to What? I raised some concern regarding these social media platforms but there are of course benefits to using them as well. Here are the top 25 reasons why you ought to use social...

Laurel and I took a road trip to Duck, North Carolina this past week, where she officiated a wedding of a former student and his new bride. Generally, we would fly, but without any direct flights and the need to rent a car to drive the 2 hours to the nearest airport to the resort in Duck, we figured it would take about the same amount of time. Thankfully, we decided to stop on the way in Washington DC after...

When I chat with new prospective clients who want to strengthen their thought leadership through their web presence, I employ a simple test to measure their confidence and expertise by asking, “what is the greatest challenge your clients face and what are 3 recommendations you offer to resolve this challenge?”  I am surprised when some, who claim to run a very successful business, are unable to articulate the answer quickly and powerfully to my question. Rather, they say, “I need...

When our most wonderful mutt, Noodles, passed away two years ago at age 17, I told Laurel, in no uncertain terms, that there would be NO more dogs for us! I didn’t want the daily responsibility and restrictions of being able to just go away for the day or week that came with owning a 4-legged pal. That being said, my words went unheeded and now I’d like to introduce our new puppy, Juno, who arrived two weeks ago. She’s...