Here’s the Scoop
Do I Need A Silk Suit?
Should I Have Purchased That? Have you ever bought something you really wanted and then almost immediately felt uneasy about it? Back in 1984 I settled a high six-figure personal injury case and decided I would give myself a treat. Sam Cavato Menswear was located in...
You Never Know Who You’ll Meet
The Sound of Music When I was in law school I worked as a bartender at a Ramada Inn in Columbia, Missouri. This particular location had what was called the “Music Room.” Bands would come and play in our show room from Tuesday to Saturday night. Most businessmen...
My Time As A Quarry Worker
Hard, Dirty and Dangerous Quarry work is hard, dirty and dangerous. That became evident to me in the summer of 1973 when I worked at the limestone quarry in Millersburg, Missouri. A man I knew got me the job there for the summer. My status as the new guy put me at the...
My First Parachute Jump
I Know I'll Fall Over The Edge I have always thought I was afraid of heights. But I was confused by the fact that I could fly small aircraft without having that feeling. I could look over the rail on bridges or tall buildings without fear. But I could not stand near...
How Can I Tell If He Is a Police Officer
Let's See What Happens One time a man came to me for representation in a Federal drug distribution case. He and his buddy were charged with selling a kilo of cocaine to an undercover agent. For those of you not familiar with the metric system a kilo or kilogram is...
Learning By Failing
Certified Professional Coach When I got my Certified Professional Coach credentials, I was encouraged to pick a very narrow market and focus on that market. That is the best way to establish a solid business. I know, it seems counterintuitive. You want to coach...
A Very Successful Woman
A Successful Woman Today I was speaking on Zoom with a very successful woman. She has a business as a coach in a very niche industry. As a successful woman CEO she had previously taken a company from startup to annual sales of twenty-eight million dollars in less than...
Are You Feeling Lucky
Lucky or Not How lucky are you? I am not making reference to things like to lottery or gambling in general. The question goes deeper than that? What I am asking is do you ever stop and realize just how good you have it compared to what others must endure? Hardly a day...
Inspired by Others
Are You Inspired? Lately I have been inspired by people I have encountered who are doing things that seem unexpected, at least to me. What inspires you? For the past few weeks I have been organizing an area speech contest for Toastmasters International. This has...
A Mass Tactical Assault
That Feeling You Get This is a story that people really enjoy when I present as an after dinner speaker. There is a feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you are in your parachute harness aboard an Illyushin-76 aircraft flying over Belarus. It is hard to...
Who Do You Love?
Greg Skandalinsky and I first met in high school. We stayed friends through all these years although we hardly even see or speak. But he will surface from time-to-time with another important subject he needs to spout off about. For some reason Greg thinks he needs to...
A Lasting Impact
The Daunting Task When I was in seventh grade at St. Thomas More parochial school the principal Sister Catherine Patricia came to me with a task. It ended up being one of the most meaningful tasks in my life. It didn’t start that way. In fact, when she told me what I...
From Mistake to Melon
Good Fortune Lies Ahead Okay, so I made a mistake. Last night before going to bed I took a quick look at my calendar and saw that I had to be in St. Charles County Municipal Court at 10:00 a.m. It was for a man who had five various traffic violations all growing out...
Do You Ever Want To Change Locations?
On The Road Again Traveling has always played a part in my life. Some of my earliest memories are of going to New Orleans and Morgan City, Louisiana each summer from our home in St. Louis. I am told my mother once flew to New Orleans with me on a leash and halter. I...
Saturday July 24, 2021
Today's Adventures Today’s adventure started out with a trip to the St. Charles Farmers Market. The lovely Rebecca and I headed out first thing to see if we could score something good. This was our first time to the farmers market in St. Charles since we moved here...
How Do You Find Your Happy?
Can You Find Your Happy? A question people frequently ask me is how I can be so happy and have a positive attitude all the time. The answer is that I have learned to appreciate the value of each day. Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? That exemplifies why many people have...
How To Spend This Day
Each Precious Day As you move through all that you will do today keep in mind that it is the only time you are going to get to have this day. April 20, 2021 will never come again in your life. How are you going to use this day? That is a question that I encourage you...
Pamper Principles Explained
Pamper Principles Introduced The Pamper Principles are certain attributes that successful people share. These attributes are necessary to attain real success. Real success is not just about money, power or fame. Real success comes when you can end your day satisfied...
Consistency Counts
Consistency Is Elusive My watchword for this year is consistency. The main reason I chose this word is because I find it difficult to be consistent. I can burn so hot, work so hard and get so much done in short bursts. Then I get distracted. You see, I have been A. D....
What Is Success?
Define Success Are you striving for success based on what you think it is or what others tell you it is? That is a question you must confront if you want true success. Because there is no real success without personal satisfaction. It does not matter what your...
Take More Risks
Why Not Take More Risks? Recently I asked a coaching client what they would do differently. “Take more risks,” she replied. It was just the right answer at just the right time. Not only was it right for her. It reminded me of one of the most important rules of my...
I Must Be True To Myself
Am I Being True to Myself? Do you ever get tired of trying to do something the way everybody else does it? I know I do. It always leads me to the question of whether I am being true to myself. When I first got into the speaking business, I met a lot of people who...
Develop a Culture of Confidence
Establish a Culture of Confidence What is the “culture” in your organization? There is one, you know. Maybe you didn’t set out to have one. It doesn’t matter. One will develop. It always does. Why not make it a Culture of Confidence? Why let an unintended "culture"...
2 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail
New Year's Resolutions and You Many of you have already abandoned your New Year's Resolution. That was not unpredictable. Here are two reasons why New Year's Resolutions fail. Reason No. 1: Lack of Accountability First of all you do not have anybody who is holding you...
Reliability Reputation
Reliability About six weeks ago I got an email inquiry from a local chiropractor. He introduced himself and asked if I wanted to get together for a coffee some morning. He knows of me more as a practicing attorney than he does as a speaker and business coach. What he...
Is This What You Want To Do (Part 2)
The Transition In a previous post I wrote about how I eventually came around to exploring the possibility of becoming a Certified Professional Coach. Now I will tell you about the transition into the profession. As I expected there was a lot of eye rolling, mostly by...
Is This What You Want To Do? (Part 1)
What Do You Want To Do? Are you doing what you want to do? Is this how you want to be spending your time? Is this what you really want to do? These are questions you might be asking yourself. Or worse, they might be questions you are avoiding asking yourself. One of...
Business Success and Happiness
Business Success is More Than Money If you are a what is called a small business owner, I can help you fit the pieces of your business puzzle together in a profitable way. But that is not what this is about. This is about the truth you may not have come to understand...
Listening Like a Leader
Listening to Others These are difficult times for many people. Difficult times bring their own special problems. These are frequently problems we haven’t faced before. Are you listening? To confront, combat and conquer these problems takes proper leadership. It takes...
Judging Others
Be Careful Judging Others Here is a story about human nature. It illustrates how we so often just see things from our own perspective and fail to see the big picture. We fail to see the fallacy of our own actions while we are bust judging others. The story was relayed...
Confident Leader in Covid-19 Era
Confident Leader Fundamentals A confident leader gets results. But having the necessary confidence can be a challenge. Especially during the pandemic. If you are serving in a leadership position right now you are facing a set of issues and circumstances that are...
Calling Myself Out
Calling Myself Out Worry is nothing more than thinking about a future event and predicting a bad outcome. It is a choice. There is no reason to predict that bad outcome. We do not know what is going to come in the future. It is better we think of a future event and...
What is Leadership Style?
Your Leadership Style Each leader has a leadership style that is personal to them. There is no magic formula that works for everyone. It is important to understand some of the fundamentals of leadership so that you can determine what style works best for you. In...