High expectations make greatness possible. I learned this 15 years ago when I was just 12 years old.

It was a beautiful spring night in Florida, and several of the neighborhood kids met at the nearby park for a game of football. We divided into teams, with my dad playing quarterback for each.

About halfway through the game, my team had the ball and it was fourth down. Since punting seems boring to kids, it didn’t matter that we were backed up at our own goal line. We were going for it, and going deep.

“Hike!”Read More

“Bond. Gold Bond is my preferred foot powder. Oh, the picture? Yeah, I look like James Bond here.”

You are living from the identity you have chosen. If you don’t like your life (or an aspect of it), you may want to change your identity.

If life is a play, then your identity is the director – it tells you what to do and how to act. This doesn’t mean you’ve chosen your preferred identity. People will usually choose safer, easier identities than the one they really want. It’s easier and safer to be a cashier than it is to be James Bond, but a lot of men would love to be James Bond.Read More

This would be even better if she grew her own vegetables.

Scientific research suggests that perception and portion size are key reasons why people eat too much. Don’t fret. You can eat less with a few strategic tweaks. First, let’s look at the science of overeating…

Studies Link Oversized Portions To Overeating

In 2006, Geier, Rozin, and Doros placed bowls of snacks with m&ms, pretzels, and tootsie rolls on a table for public consumption. But they alternated the amount of snacks available in the bowl. The results were surprising.Read More

A screenshot of multi-tasking on my Galaxy Note 2. The top part is the internet browser and the bottom part is the note/doodling app. Doodle is a funny word.

The features for the Galaxy Note 2 were compelling. Five and a half inch screen! Wow! A Quad core processor? Unbelievable! A smart stylus pen for notes and drawing? Pentastic.

I had big plans for my big new phone:

• My old phone was too small and inadequate for taking notes. That’s why I was disorganized.
• My old phone didn’t have a stylus. That’s why I never brainstormed or sketched ideas.
• My old phone was slow at times. That’s why I hesitated to do productive things on it.
• My old phone screen was too small. That’s why I never read books on it.

The Galaxy Note 2 would change everything.Read More

Thinking isn’t always necessary or helpful. There are a number of occasions throughout your day in which thinking is actually a bad idea. In these instances, train yourself to stop thinking and just do it ($5 in royalties to Nike). You’ll be much happier with your decisions and proactive nature.

The reason you don’t need your brain for these scenarios is that “yes” is always the best choice. On that note, there are probably some situations in which an auto-response of “no” would be helpful. We make so many decisions that it’s nice to have a few of them made ahead of time. Here are some parties to which your brain should not be invited.Read More