In 1939, a student named George Dantzig arrived late to his math class due to his work as a janitor at the school. The room was empty, but there were two detailed math problems written on the board, so he copied them down thinking they had to be homework. For some reason, these were especially difficult, and it took him several days to solve the problems. When he turned them in, he thought he was handing in a late assignment. He apologized to the professor, who barely even lo

Do you have big dreams?   I'm always surprised by how many people want to write a book. They might have an excellent idea for a novel, think their life story is interesting and others should hear it, or maybe just want to put something down for posterity. Whatever the reason, many people I meet want to write one.   Likewise, I meet a lot of people who would love to travel. They want to visit a big city someday, see some amazing natural wonder, or just get a picture with a fam

What is the measure of your success?   I recently spoke to a friend who had undergone a major life change. To everyone looking in from...

In 2005, Kyle MacDonald saw a red paperclip on his desk and came up with a brilliant plan. His goal was simple: He wanted to own a home...

I'm excited to announce that my newest book, Fearless: Life Beyond Your Comfort Zone , is finally available! Fear is a thief. It robs us...

Don't let a past mistake dominate your present. Instead, learn from it and let the ghost die.

My wife found this in one of my old notebooks from 2016. I don't remember writing it, but I do remember this time of my life. I was about...

Setting goals that dare your workers to go a little further than they think they’re capable of can present unique challenges for a...

There are few things that terrify people more than the unknown. We often thrive on the familiar, but it seldom leads to real growth or...

Have you ever been afraid of anything? I'll bet you probably have. The question is: Has that fear ever caused you to miss out on an...

Have you ever gotten frustrated? I recently had to take a detour on a long drive home from a presentation. The drive to the event had...

I'm a big fan of board games. I love chess, Clue, and Monopoly because there's something exciting about setting up the board and moving...

Have you ever gotten frustrated working on something that took up too much of your time and gave you too little of a return on it? When...

How do you feel about tomorrow? Are you excited? Or are you just expecting more of the same from yesterday and today? It's time to get...

Have you ever had a vacation trip go a little off the rails? Maybe you got stuck in traffic for hours when it was supposed to be a clear...

A few years ago, I bought a small willow tree from a local store. It was about three feet tall with just a hint of green on a couple of...

Tom worked in his company for 20 years. He was a faithful worker, a smart worker, and perhaps most importantly, an observant worker. He...

Earlier this year, I talked about goals. If you haven't already read that post, I encourage you to do so as you can call this "the...

When we are young, we often find our minds drifting toward amazing adventures or exotic locales. Children want to be astronauts, pirates,...

Our lives are filled with pinnacles. It starts with high school graduation, then moves maybe to college degrees, then to a job, and...