First Word

       They always say there are two things guaranteed in life—death and taxes. You can add a third thing to that statement— change .   Nothing in life is static, and change is inevitable. Yet when it comes to the business environment (and in life), most people do not embrace change. Change scares them. Why do so many people fear change? A recent article in Inc ., titled “Science Says This is Why You Fear Change (And What To Do About It),” Case in point: one study had a group of people view a painting that they were told was done in 1905. The next group viewed the same painting but this group was told that the painting was done in 2005. The 1905 group rated the painting much more aesthetically pleasing than the other group. We like that which has been around for a while. That's the obvious reason for why we don't like change.  But it runs deeper than that. We also fear the new because of the uncertainty it brings. As popular podcaster Tim Ferri...

Q: What is And It Took Two Years about? A: When new author Scott Spiess discovered he had a life-threatening heart condition, his old life began to crumble—and through that crumbling Spiess gave himself two years to make serious changes in his life. His new book It Took Two Years chronicles how Spiess went from a type A, control freak to a peaceful Reiki Master, Buddhist, and Massage Therapist. Q: Why did you decide to write the book? A: This book called to me for personal reasons. A publisher asked me to write it. I felt some resistance because of ego reasons. I had this inner battle because I was no longer allowing my ego to guide my life. I decided to write the book to help others learn through my experience how they too can make major changes in their lives. My primary goal is simply to pay-it-forward. Q. How did you allow the Universe to naturally guide you and put you on the right path? A:  I used the absence of thinking to allow the Univ...

I like to inspire others. Life is a journey loaded with lessons. If we don't learn the lessons, we get to repeat them until we learn. So many people don't understand that basic concept, and I have certainly fouled up enough to express understanding. I am writing this blog today though to say to others that the journey is beautiful even when it's wrought with challenge and sometimes pain. But you have to sit back and figure it out: am I going to repeat the same mistake over and over again or am I going to learn, reflect and change course? In a sense this is also a love letter to the man that I have compromised my own value system and repeatedly made the same mistake -- always with the same outcome. Love is not enough. And sometimes you have to sit back and realize that doing the same thing over and over again will always give you the same outcome. So today I did something painful. I decided to change the outcome. Doing what I had done over and over again; forgiving the m...

Do you ever feel like all you ever do is wait for things to happen? Wait for your life to change. Wait for your personal or professional life to fall into place. This last year, I feel like all I keep doing is waiting and waiting for change. I keep waiting for my business 3L Publishing to go to the next level of success.  I keep waiting for my lover to be with me. I keep waiting and waiting. The frustration mounting each day as only trickles of success happen. It's time to stop waiting and start doing ! Change is about taking action and making changes not waiting, wondering and hoping. In my book Second Bloom , I emphasize the need to take action. Action is the cornerstone to success. Establish your vision! What is your vision? Do you know? Stop and really visualize it. Meditate on that vision. You have to first know what you're heading toward (both personally and professionally). Vision #1 : To exceed my gross income and make first $10K a month followed by incremental in...

“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.” ~ Paul Coelho I have learned so many valuable lessons on this road of life. You always have to look as your experiences as lessons. What do you need to learn about living, about yourself? In March 2012, I took a major leap of faith with one full swoop and made a HUGE change in my life. Not only that I invited someone very special to me to "take a journey with me," which was a bold, profound move on my part. Sometimes, though, you have to make bold, profound moves to change your life for the positive. I recently realized t...