2 + 2 = 4 If you memorize this equation, than anytime you are asked what 2 + 2 equals, you would know the answer. That is all good and fine, but it wasn’t until you understood WHY 2 + 2 = 4 that you actually learned something. Once you understood the meaning behind the equation, the math and fact behind it, the philosophy behind it, then you could actually APPLY it to your life. You were no longer limited to that exact equation, you now understood the principles, so you could

JANUARY 28, 2008. 10 years ago today, I woke up in a cell at the Melvindale Police Department after a stupid decision led to a DUI. I very dramatically thought “my life was over.” I immediately felt as though my life would never be the same. I was right, but not in the way I had original thought. It’s now been 10 years since I had my last drink of alcohol, and I am grateful as all hell for that arrest. I needed to face consequences for my actions. I needed to learn I wa

“Walk a mile in their shoes...” I remember hearing that expression a lot as a child growing up from my parents. As we are learning more and more about human interactions and developing our sense of self, the lessons of seeing a situation from someone else’s perspective are extremely important. However, this isn’t just a practice for children. It is as important as ever for adults to be able to look at their lives, environments, politics, ethics, morals, values, and belie

Yesterday, I watched a great video of a speaker presenting at a high school leadership conference. His name is Jeff Yalden and he was addressing a group of ‘student council’ presidents from Arizona. He was a powerful speaker, loud, enthusiastic, and he had the attention of all the future leaders packed into the auditorium. These were the kids that were going to be heading off to top universities; A very passionate group of students. The ‘best of the best’ so to speak. H

We hear these phrases like “love is all you need”, and “Love conquers all” or “spread love it’s the Brooklyn way”. We all have experienced love at one time or another and have shared it with people. We understand how great it is to give and to receive love. So why in the hell do we as a society have such a battle with the word LOVE? People often want to discredit the word “Love” or they think as soon as you start talking about love you are a “hippie” or you are someone w

For parents out there, that is probably the understatement of the year...lol. Now, I am not a parent. I do not have personal experience of navigating the life of being a parent. What I do know is that when I am confused or overwhelmed or excited about or interested in something...I study. I read lots about a topic. I research. I think about all the different opinions. I cover my bases. As many of you know, I also have a lot of experience in and around the mental health c

Two people stand in front of you. A person with an impressive material resume. The house, the cars, the vacations, the bitcoin fund...haha And another stands with virtue, honor, humility, love, caring towards others, an open ear for listening. Who do we honor more? Who is more deserving of praise? I am not saying these are mutually exclusive, there are plenty of people with great wealth that are amazing people with phenomenal hearts and care for others, that is not my

Every morning, I wake up and I read the mission statement that I created for my life. In that statement there is the sentence that says: An acceptance of struggle, hardship, and failure. I have made the decision, in advance, that I am going to experience struggle, hardship, and failure along my journey through life, so by accepting it before it happens, it is less likely to knock me off course when it comes and therefore it’s something I do not need to be afraid of. I lo

I was at the gym yesterday and due to the weather, there was condensation on the windows. I walked up to the window, and I wrote a little motivating message. It was a small gesture, and the message eventually “melted” away, but for a short amount of time, my message was visually to everyone in that area. It got me thinking. What is YOUR Message? Think about it... if you were in Times Square, and someone handed you a dry erase marker and let you write or draw something on

Yesterday was my birthday. In the past, my birthday has often brought anxiety and frustration. It’s a day that forces some self-evaluation. Am I far enough in my career? How does my life stack up against others? Did I do enough in the last year? Those type of self judgements can often lead to feeling of inadequacy and failure ...at least for me they can. Is that really how I wanted to spend my birthday? Wrapped up in self-judgement, beating myself up over where I think I sh