• No Excuses – Quote from Bruce Nauman
• Growing Old – Quote from Jack Benny
• 5 Simple Ways to Break the Shopping Addiction
• Interview with Laurie Henry – The Innovative Teacher
• Keep Trying – Quote from Cybill Shepherd

With the advent of social media sites, we are bombarded daily with a plethora of diverse opinions. All too often our voice can be lost in the drone of mediocrity. How can we break through the noise and let our “signal” be heard? Here are 7 ways.

1. Keep it short – Brevity is wisdom; keep your words clear and concise.
2. Question everything – Don’t swallow every bit of information you hear and take it at face value. Ask yourself why do I feel or think this way? Know what you believe in and why.
3. Be different – This is so simple and yet difficult at the same time. Don’t give in to peer pressure. The masses are only too eager to follow and hate brand X or love person Y and then parrot each other, thinking that they are unique. Set your own course and speak your mind.
4. Keep it simple – Any fool can grab a thesaurus and confabulate eloquently. However, it takes a true genius to speak simply so that everyone may understand. Big words are fine, but to appeal to a wider audience, keep it simple.
5. Think rationally - Speaking words in a moment of anger will make you feel good now, but you may soon live to regret it. It takes more strength to walk away then it does to engage in a fight. What is your goal? What are you trying to accomplish? Think before you speak.
6. Control the swearing – While we all enjoy a spicy sentence sandwich from time to time, swearing is one of the surefire ways to not be heard and blend in with the noise. Do you want to be unique and sound intelligent? Then cut the swearing to a minimum.
7. Hold your tongue – Silence is golden. Knowing when to keep silent shows others that what you have to say is important. Speak when everyone is ready to give you their full attention and listen.

• 20 Ways to Say I Love You
• Word of the Day:: Acceptance
• Giving Shape to the People Who Shape Our World
• Beauty of Life – Quote from Jennifer Edwards
• Interview with Jenna Edwards – The Benevolent Beauty

Many of you may wonder how in the world did I get an interview with (insert name here)? To be honest I just asked. I just tell them honestly how I feel. I feel that interviews today are a little flawed. They focus too much on what a person is doing and not enough on WHO that person really is. Who are they? What’s has been their greatest failure? What inspires them? How have they handled negativity? Like a potter who shapes clay, in a small way I want to give shape to these ones by asking them who they really are and sharing that with you.

While each individuals idea of success my be different, I believe that they share a common mentality. Now, why ask basically the same question to so many people? Why not mix it up? Simple. We’re all human. “[pqr]If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?[/pqr]” – (Act III, Scene I) The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. And that is so true! We so quickly forget that these leaders are human! In our minds they somehow transcend logic and reality and become “perfect”. Once they have become perfect in our eyes we have failed them as inspirations due to the fact that perfection is something unattainable – it’s impossible to reach.

You will find that each interview is like a polished diamond – unique in color, clarity and cut but nonetheless still a gem to read. And no, I don’t wish to bring out negativity or focus only on their mistakes. Rather, I want to show that it’s human to fail, to make mistakes and that it’s ok. It’s ok. Trust me it’s ok. You don’t have to be perfect. It’s ok to be human. They are all successes not because they learned not how to succeed at being perfect, but rather, how to succeed at failing.

• Week 1: What I’ve learned so far
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• 9 Ways to Find Peace through Revenge
• Interview with Tim Brownson – The Goal Specialist
• Why?

• Kindess quote from Confucius
• Quote from George Herbert
• Excellence quote from Aristotle
• Getting What You Want – Quote from Madonna
• Conviction – Quote from Gandhi