“If you know and live within your “why”, it is easier to say “no” to things that don’t fit andto live within your budget.”

Core Values refers to the root beliefs that guide a person’s or organizations behavior, decisions, and goals. Examples include integrity, fairness, family, excellence, and faith. Your core values are like your DNA; they don’t change, they are who you are. It is important to be aware of your core values and have a short list you will guard against compromise.

Routines are awesome because they make beneficial behaviors a daily habit so that you are doing them automatically. The slow steady stream of consistent behaviors builds amazing momentum and change over time.

Do you feel in control of your life? Are you confident that your life is proceeding just as you would like? If not, it’s time to examine why and get back on track, my friend.

What does Personal Excellence mean to you? Does your life exhibit it? How does one obtain it?

Self-awareness might very well be one of the most difficult virtues to master. Why? Because people tend to believe they are already self-aware. Who knows me better than me? I live with me day in and day out! Other reasons it is difficult is because we cannot trust our conscious minds, memories, or self-evaluation.

We’ve all done it, we’ve all had it happen to us: we think we are listening to someone but five minutes later we have no clue what they said. How does that happen? Why do we LET it happen?

Are you listening to music as you read this? Is the tv on in the background? What is the last thing you read? What kind of conversations have you had today?

What image comes to your mind when you think of courage? A soldier in battle? A superhero fighting villains? An underdog standing up to bully? A disabled person learning to walk again?

“Do you mind staying late and helping me finish this project?” "Can I borrow $20 until Friday?” Questions like these would often throw me in a whirl of emotions from frustration to anger to guilt to resignation, all because I tend to be a people-pleaser and did not know how to say NO.