For as long as I can remember, my stepfather and mother have sent me flowers on my birthday and other special occasions. The gorgeous flowers come carefully packaged in a box delivered to my door. When there are roses, there’s a note inside that says, “Remove the outer 2-3 petals which were left on to protect the rose during shipping.”

As I was arranging the beautiful bouquet I received this year, it was obvious that some of the outer petals were bruised or torn. However, others looked perfectly fine so it was tempting not to pull the petals off. It seems counter-intuitive to “fix” something that isn’t obviously “broken.”

When the culture of an organization mandates that it is more important to protect the reputation of a system and those in power than it is to protect the basic human dignity of individuals, you can be certain that shame is systemic, money drives ethics, and accountability is dead

Well, corn and soy are two of the leading Frankenfoods — or genetically modified crops — out there. This makes them available and affordable, but don’t be fooled: It doesn’t make them good for our health.

How long are you willing to keep pushing on a good project until you give up?

How hard is it to get you to change your mind when you’re wrong?

How much do you learn from failing?

How long does it take you to learn something new?

How hard is it for you to let someone else take the lead?

How much do you care?

If you are a person who looks at others’ bodies with envy, it’s time to stop being passive and time to start pumping. After 40, it becomes very clear who chooses to work out and who doesn’t. And that’s what it is — a choice. If it’s not a habit for you, it’s a new habit you must create. Research shows that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Start today with a strength-training routine that will get you on the path to the healthy lifestyle and slim body you are seeking.

A guy wants to open up a store. He is tired of his regular job and wants to do something different.

He reads a lot about stores. And then jumps right into setting up a store. He puts the shelves in there. He buys one of those big glowing “OPEN” signs. He makes everything all pretty. He looks forward to those hoardes of people who will, of course, come by to check out his pretty store.

So many things that would have been money losers then can be profitable today.

When you run your own concert, selling tickets online and renting the theatre out yourself, you might be able to keep 85 cents of every dollar your audience spends on a ticket. In the system we grew up with, by the time the box office, Ticketmaster, the stagehands, the promoters and everyone else takes a cut, you might end up with literally nothing.

I’m desperate to find my calling,” said a man at a recent workshop.  Then he handed me a list of requirements, kind of like a scroll.

A recent study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine got me thinking about perceptions—and misconceptions—when it comes to water.

According to the study, black and Latino parents are three times more likely than whites to give their children bottled water rather than tap; these buyers also spend 1% of their income on bottled water, versus white buyer’s 0.4%.

This, in light of an Environmental Working Group report, which found only three of the nation’s 170 brands of bottled water sold in the United States disclosed where the water came from, how it was purified and what contaminants remained in the water. An earlier study by The Natural Resources Defense Council found that 17% of bottled waters contained unsafe bacteria, and 22% were contaminated with chemicals—including arsenic.

You might have a product and you might have even sold a few copies during the launch. But how to keep squeezing money out of it is something that can make you really crazy.

Promoting your product can make you feel like a door-to-door salesman trying to sell ice cubes to eskimos. Many of us are often left scratching our heads as to why we’re not generating more revenue from our products. David even talked about why we need to let go of our hesitancy to pitch, yet we still struggle with this.