The New York Times Sunday Review section has a cover article on toxic wealth or addiction to money as the author, Sam Polk, a former Wall Street Trader puts it. For years, he felt lousy about seven figure bonuses because colleagues made even more. The money, though outrageous by Main Street standards, was never enough. I have lived and worked in Fairfield County, Connecticut on and off for decades. I have seen this phenomenon many times firsthand as a psychologist and business coach – not having enough. A women I saw recently was bitter at her husband because they went thru several million dollars of her savings, which she got in a divorce to a Wall Street guy,  over the course of a ten year marriage and she only had ten million left and it wasn’t nearly enough because even her “poor friends” had more. This not enough mentality is pervasive in our culture, Hollywood and Wall Street being extreme examples. What we don’t have enough of is kindness, creativity, and compassion from my perspective. As Mr. Polk points out, “only a wealth addict would feel justified in receiving $14 million in compensation – as the C.E.O of McDonalds did in 2012 while his company then published a brochure for its work force on how to survive on  their low wages.”  This is not an easy issue to address in a culture that idolizes the super-rich. It’s a good article to raise awareness, the first step to change! read more

Reading about dangerous sports in the Los Angeles Times Sports section while traveling out here on business made me think about a golfer I am coaching who used to be a professional snowboarder. He’s shared several adrenaline addiction stories having had a series of near death experiences in his younger life as his passion for extreme sports and dangerous situations like surfing in near hurricane conditions nearly got him killed. read more

Sitting at a sports bar at JFK watching Seattle dominate the Saints I found myself in a conversation with a bright young woman who just graduated from Occidental University in Southern California. I had asked Mia what her tuition was at this small liberal arts school and she replied 55 thousand. I told her about this article that I read in the Wall Street Journal Review section addressing the easy availability of student loans through government backing had allowed universities to raise tuition beyond reasonable levels. As a result, far too many coeds graduate with excessive debt in a soft job market. Suddenly, a former Tufts professor interrupted politely agreeing with me that the system was indeed broken but he argued that the primary cause was related to prodigious course offerings that make individual per student costs as high as 75 thousand at many private universities. I added that administrative bloat was clearly an issue as well as non facility costs have soared too. This professor was en route to Brussels having taken a job for NATO in large part because the system is now making it harder to enjoy teaching as well. He told me that tenure is more challenging than ever and schools pay increasing numbers of adjuncts less. read more

Man Overboard, a New York Times Magazine cover story by Paul Tough, about John Aldridge, A Montauk, NY based commercial fisherman who fell overboard forty miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean at 3:30 am on July 24th last year, is an extraordinary story of perseverance and survival. The water temperature was 72 degrees with five foot swells. His chances of being rescued were minimal due to the fact that his two crew members didn’t realize that he fell overboard until nearly three hours afterwards when they awoke. Through a combination of courage, ingenuity, and sheer willpower, Mr. Aldridge managed to stay afloat for nearly twelve hours before a coastguard helicopter spotted him. The rescue operation involved volunteer fisherman as well as professionals with a rare happy ending given the circumstances! read more

Adam Bryant of the Corner Office section of the Sunday Business section interviews a business leader who likes to hire by using his gut! I am a huge supporter of assisting others to develop and trust their intuition. In my life, going outside myself for answers has cost me plenty in terms of pain and suffering. As a result, I often ask my clients the following question: what does your gut say? I suggest they use this question with their children as well. Teaching others, including employees to develop and follow their instincts is a great step along the way to build an intelligent, effective team! read more

Jane Isay writes eloquently about her marriage to a gay Psychiatrist in her book and cover story in Psychology Today magazine. She lived a lie for over a decade of marriage before her husband told her the truth. As she acknowledged, Ms. Isay preferred to live a fantasy of the perfect marriage than face the truth of a marriage devoid of sexual intimacy. Once his secret was out, they continued to live a lie with their friends, family, and professional community for years until it became nearly impossible to continue. read more

The Wegener brothers have reinvigorated old Hawaiian wooden surf board designs that have certain advantages over regular foam and fiberglass designs. The Paipo, a small wooden board that almost resembles a boogie board is especially good in smaller surf which is way more common than the big waves. read more

I enjoy the Corner Office section of the Sunday Business section of The New York Times. This week Mr. Bryant interviews Penny Pritzker, the U.S. Commerce Secretary and successful businesswoman. Her family built the Hyatt Hotel chain. She learned the value of passion, commitment, energy, and desire to learn from her father who valued those traits above all. She also regards Integrity to be paramount in the hiring process. Ms. Pritzker discusses the importance of becoming a better listener too, especially as it pertains to management and decision making. read more

It’s been an amazing year of tight finishes as the Sports section of the Sunday New York Times highlights! Tom Brady is on the cover for a reason. The Patriots have been especially good at winning in the last seconds or on the final drive! I love watching football on tv for a variety of reasons: players play hard, coaches work hard, careers are short, greatness is rewarded and great finishes make it all the better! I often use football analogies when coaching clients, even non-athletes. I talk a lot about the foundation of success: eating right, exercising, meditating, and being proactive! The more we focus on what we want and do the necessary work involved, the more likely we will achieve it. This is what Tom Brady does! read more

I’ve been working on a novel for nearly two years now and I find that when I travel I tend to write more and more effortlessly! There are a billion reasons to travel but several stand out: getting out of your all too familiar local area no matter how cool it is tends to free the mind and offer new stimulating opportunities that free creativity! The other is that you can meet new or different people and learn different perspectives on life and business. Obviously, you don’t need to travel for this but often the act of going some place new and different opens the mind and Spirit! Sometimes, my girlfriend and I just drive up the Connecticut coast. Other times, I travel solo or do travel writing gigs! The picture above is of South Florida where I am currently experiencing a short break from the bitter cold, visiting friends, and writing! read more