Roger Ferguson, C.E.O of TIAA-CREF, the retirement services provider, is a huge believer in personal responsibility. So am I! The first thing I do with a new client or business is to make sure they own everything in their lives regardless of how difficult that might be. Our parents and early environment may shape who we were but what we become rests upon taking ownership of who we are, our strengths, weaknesses and all the rest. Determining to change what we don’t like and develop ourselves by constantly learning and growing is how will become what we want. read more

Yesterday, I met with Greg Mathews, a former St. Louis Cardinale pitcher, who is now the pitching coach at both Glendale College and Compton College. He is helping young boys become better athletes and better pitchers, in particular, through a combination of strength and conditioning and technical expertise. We talked about Sports Psychology and the importance of the mental game, especially as kids are developing. Good mental and emotional habits lead to better performance, period. For instance, if we learn to harness the power of our minds to focus more and more on what we want and to let go of the myriad of drama and distractions then we will dramatically improve our game in life, business, and sports! I proved this last year with a minor league player who hit .208 and .212 his first two years in professional baseball without mental game coaching and with the assistance of Dr. Brett he hit .272 and is now well on his way to the next level! read more

Paul Bragiel, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, decided to take a break from his venture capital work and become an Olympian at age 36 with little true athletic ability. He chose cross country skiing because it is one of the least competitive of the ultra competitive opportunities available for elite athletes. He was able to obtain Columbian citizenship through his VC connections and now he is training nonstop to meet more stringent guidelines for Olympic eligibility. He has lost over thirty pounds in less than a year of training and has improved his times dramatically but still remains a long shot to qualify for the Winter Olympics in Sochi one of his lifelong dreams. Many people might think that he is nuts and perhaps he is a little but the process itself will change him forever and probably already has. I try to help every client I work with to create big dreams and then we create a game-plan to fulfill them. Even if you fall short, the process of stretching and pushing oneself can be extraordinary in terms of growth and confidence. Striving for continuous self improvement is one of the best ways to live! read more