I consider myself to be fairly successful in life. I’ve worked hard, been smart, and pushed when the going got tough. I know that success isn’t a straight road, and that along the way, there can be a lot of bumps and potholes. But I believe that pushing through is what leads to success.

Sure, I know that sometimes there are detours. But we need to keep going towards our destination rather than turning back or quitting. I believe that failing at something is merely a set-back, and that failing is not the same as quitting! You might be familiar with the quote by Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, who said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” read more

Here are a few to keep in mind. Whether you’re buying flowers to brighten a summer table or special night out, remember that flowers have special meanings. Here are a few to keep in mind:

• Carnation: constancy, joy
• Chrysanthemum: optimism, hope, happiness
• Daisy: purity, loyalty, innocence
• Freesia: trust
• Gladiola: remembrance
• Iris: faith, wisdom, promise
• Larkspur: appreciation
• Lily: devotion
• Orchid: love, beauty
• Rose (pink): sweetness
• Rose (red): true love, desire
• Rose (white): true love, purity
• Rose (yellow): friendship
• Snapdragon: virtue
• Tulip: love at first sight read more

Imagine an organization as a ship sailing on the ocean. All of the personnel on board, have one over-arching responsibility: Do not make a hole in the ship!

When working above the waterline, however, making a mistake and creating a hole in the side of the ship will have no serious consequences. We’ll have the time to repair the hole, learn and sail on. Below the waterline, an action that creates a hole could, quite literally, sink us.

Business Insider identified these 3 inventions that started as above-the-waterline “mistakes” and had below-the-waterline impact: read more

I want to share a story with you that touched me deeply, reminding me to slow down and focus on doing things that are really important. This is a true story, written by a NYC taxi driver:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be the last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her nineties stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. read more

Spring is nearly here, and for many people that means spring cleaning. It means tossing away old clothes, moving the furniture and mopping unseen places, washing hand and nose prints off the windows, scrubbing walls, and perhaps painting or redecorating.

But there’s another kind of spring cleaning, a kind that could do more to spruce up our lives and brighten our day than any other kind of cleaning. What if we spring cleaned our relationships, too, this season?

What if we scrubbed the stains off of our marriages, our relationships with our children, our co-workers, bosses, and friends? What if we mopped up the messes we’ve made and wiped off the dirt we’ve allowed to build up? read more