Years ago, my son Andrew started a non-profit called Dreams for Kids in D.C. He landed a 15-minute meeting with Dr. Roberta McLeod, the Director of Howard University, where he was going to ask to use their Campus Center—for free—to host the Dreams for Kids annual holiday party. A few minutes in, Andrew realized…
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ConZENtrate on What Counts – The Better Newsletter #66
Do you know the single most powerful shift you can make to go from sabotaging your success to supporting it? Try switching your focus.
Have ‘Em At Hello – The Better Newsletter #64
Years ago, I was the Pitch Coach for Springboard Enterprises (which has helped entrepreneurs generate $37 billion in funding/valuation.)
One of their members, Kathleen Callendar of Pharma Jet, told me, “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news.”
Tell Stories That Stick – The Better Newsletter #63
Pete, the sound engineer for my recent Audible book, pulled me aside after recording and said, “I wish I could tell stories like you, but nothing interesting happens to me.”
I told him, “Everyone has interesting things happen to – or around them – that can be turned into stories.”
He smiled and said, “Like what?”
Wealthy In What Matters – The Better Newsletter #62
When I submitted my book proposal for SOMEDAY Is Not a Day in the Week to my agent, she told me, “Sam, you’ll get a better deal if you have a bigger platform.”
In other words, my book deal depended less on my track record or the topic’s relevance and more on my social media following.
So, I did something I have never done…
The Gift of Gratitude – The Better Newsletter #61
Last year, we went around the table at Thanksgiving to share highlights of the year and to express our thanks.
When we finished, Andrew said, “Why do we only do this once a year?”
Good question! Why not start every meal with each person taking a minute to express appreciation for something good that happened that day?
The Spice of Life – The Better Newsletter #60
I had the pleasure of visiting the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Denver Art Museum with my son, Tom.
As we enjoyed an afternoon exploring da Vinci’s multi-faceted genius (e.g., think flying machines. The Mona Lisa. The Vitruvian Man. Scuba gear.), I kept thinking…
“What if someone had told Leonardo da Vinci to PICK A LANE??”
What’s Your Story? – The Better Newsletter #59
Years ago, I read an article by Shankar Vedantam in The Washington Post about genocide and famine.
Rather than leading with data, Vedantam shared a story about an oil tanker that had caught fire off the coast of Hawaii…
Study the Stoics – The Better Newsletter #58
Challenging times invite us to study the Stoics. Many of our greatest philosophers – Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Epictetus- dealt with life challenges, and all arrived at enduring wisdom – which we can access & integrate.
Lead a Horse to Water… – The Better Newsletter #56
My friend Maria passed her state’s real estate exam and obtained her license. After many weekends of open houses, Maria hadn’t made one sale.