In the industry of self-improvement and personal and professional development, we are all familiar with the concept of not quitting. Staying committed. But in my experience, personally and in working with so many other aspiring people, we very often confuse the meaning of staying committed and not quitting. Here is a quick analogy: the Superbowl is…

My recent conversation with epic mountain climber Jenn Drummond, and my recent time with all my children has me again focused on the life I’ve emulated to others. I have much in my life I’m proud of, but I’ve also spent many, many years just grinding things out. I chose to have seven kids and adopt two more. Most people respond to that with respect…

In yesterday’s episode I was with Jenn Drummond, world-record mountain climber, and talked about her story of a near life-ending car wreck that changed her perspective on life and got her looking at living a life of significance instead of just the so-called cultural success. So she went after the world’s biggest mountains. Why was that significant…

Following is a story of…drive. It’s one of those stories of someone who turned their life around. But the story is not about them. It’s about you. My intent is that it gives you ideas, inspiration, and alters your perception to help you consider your own capacity. Not a capacity to do more. Most all of us need to do less. But do more of what matter…

Michael Jr. is a world class comedian who is not out to just get laughs. He is out to “give people the opportunity to laugh” and help set the stage for meaningful, purposeful content of the heart and soul. His personal mission is to “comedically inspire people to walk in their purpose.” He is accomplishing this in massive numbers while on stage wit…

We are literally going to stroll through your life, right here and now. I’m going to guide you from Dr Jordan Grumet’s new book, The Purpose Code: How To Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, And Leave A Lasting Legacy. You won’t likely find your purpose and what lights you up from this episode, maybe you will, but I’ll set you on the path. I’m going…

Let me read that again, “What You Do Is Secondary To Who You Be While Doing It.” Think about the ramifications of this. It is entirely countercultural. Entirely. We glorify heroes and their victories, no matter the cost. Make a billion dollars? Win the Superbowl? Be famous? We glorify you and not only do we not seem to care, but we expect a lot of …

In the last episode with Dr Jordan Grumet he differentiated small-p purpose from big-P purpose. And put most of the emphasis on small-p purpose, which is the daily activities that truly light you up. This is where I want to focus right now. What lights you up? What gives you energy? What inspires you? But don’t jump to your appetites. I imagine lik…

Purpose is one of the most overused topics in the self-improvement world. Everyone is talking about it. But as we look at the culture, we see more apathy and depression then ever. It’s similar to all the talk on being healthy and happy and we are just getting sicker and sadder. Why? With purpose, why are we constantly talking about it but not findi…

Now it’s time to get literal and candid. Patrick Kilcarr again is Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Personal Development. He was my guest four episodes ago where we talked at a higher level about emotional intelligence. In this episode, we get granular. Patrick is a master trainer in emotional intelligence and certifies professionals t…

As we’ve been discussing the power and necessity of emotional intelligence, and I’ve posited the increasing value of it in relation to artificial intelligence, let's look at what human intelligence really is. I’ve never met anyone who did not want to think of themselves as intelligent. I find the label often attached to people who seem to have a we…

As we continue to discuss emotional intelligence and it being the root of human connection, I want to revisit the most important human connection that I was ignorant of, most of my life. In 2018 when I was host of The Ziglar Show, I had Robin Sharma for the first time. I used to do a segment called Habits & Values where I asked guests about their p…

As I continue to research, learn, and strive to grow in emotional intelligence, I’ve wholly moved from looking at it as some touchy-feely concept to perceiving it as what separates humans from…everything else. In the last episode I talked with psychologist, professor, and director of Personal Development at Georgetown University, Patrick Kilcarr. I…

I spent a lifetime pursuing external performance. What we achieve athletically, entrepreneurially and even altruistically. I upheld the skill and ability of social awareness and reading and influencing people. I put a high value on controlling oneself. What I missed was knowing myself and understanding emotions. If I could go back, I’d trade in so …

We all have areas where we are lacking. Weaknesses. I spent a long time trying to deny mine, and it limited my success. Many people recognize their lack, and let them limit their success. Then there are those who understand and accept where they are lacking, and adjust accordingly to not let themselves be limited by it. Case in point, Erik Weihenma…

I’m wrapping up this series on core values in the categories of work and money. These are areas where I find we are very, very often…unclear. We think we work to make money and we make money so we can get the stuff we need. Do the things we want. And we are blind to any core values. And when we are blind, we find ourselves dissatisfied and frustrat…

Continuing on the topic of core values, let's now look at our health and wellness, and our mental health. Our mental state is what I like to focus on. My muse here is again, Robert Glazer, host of the Elevate podcast, who in our conversation two episodes ago, walked us through how he came to his core values and how the understanding and clarity dir…

As we talked about core values in the last episode with Robert Glazer, host of the Elevate podcast, I am taking the opportunity for all of us to consider our core values in the key areas of life. This is ultimately what I do in my book, What Drives You. The first two I’ll address in this episode are spirituality and relationships. I find a lot of p…

My experience is most everyone thinks they know what their core values are, and in truth, very, very few do. And due to this we find ourselves doing things that are not fulfilling to us, and not engaged with what does fulfill us. Amidst that we grow…frustrated. Even to bitterness. Or fairly apathetic and just going through the grind. So I’ve brough…

Everyone lives in their own story. They are a character in their story. If you want to offer them something, a product, a service, a message, your influence, a helping hand…whatever, you want to enter their story. The master of this is Donald Miller. I first met Don through his spiritually based memoirs. Don was a writer. An artist. Over time he so…

I saw a post that said this, “Instead of finishing the year strong, why don’t we finish the year soft? Why don’t we finish the year restful and grateful for making it through yet another crazy cycle of earth?” It really stuck with me as I pondered the days ahead, through Christmas and the New Year. I thought about what would bless…myself. And then …

Two episodes ago I had Talia Fox on the show. The turning point in her difficult life was realizing she had to let go of her identity, meaning, quit identifying as the girl who was a victim and had little opportunity or possibility. She did this. And from it she said, “I became obsessed with human and social behavior and how our identities shape ou…

I’ve been intrigued by the sudden superhero concept for a long time. Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider and turns into spiderman. Bruce Banner gets exposed to radiation and turns into the Hulk. Some other guy or girl falls into a chemical vat and develops super powers. None of them chose those things to happen. But in our daily lives, seldom do s…

I have a powerful story of drive for you. One that starts with tears and today is an impressive lists of stats. Let’s start with the impressive list. Talia Fox is a leadership strategist. She holds an M.Ed. in counseling psychology from Howard University and she is a Harvard University Fellow. With her extensive background in psychology and educati…

This is a story of drive. How a guy found his and how he helps others find theirs. Tom Bilyeu describes himself as a scared kid who worked his way out of his fear and ultimately co-founded Quest Nutrition. You’ve likely seen or bought Quest bars from the grocery store wherever you live. In 2017 he started Impact Theory, a media company focused on h…