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Develop success habits of millionaires
November is National Entrepreneurship Month, which in my world is the next best thing to a national holiday. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of American business. They take risks with their ideas, money and reputations, believing that their efforts will pay off even when no one else has confidence in them. This month honors those who…
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Gossip is the devil’s messenger
Four psychiatrists shared a hotel suite at a convention. Talking one night, one of them said, “You know, people are always telling us their troubles, but we have no one to talk to about our problems.” Another psychiatrist agreed. “Let’s tell each other our biggest problems and see if that makes us feel better. I’ll…
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The Power of Broke
A lot of people believe you only have one shot at success. Let’s agree that’s just not true. But what is true is that many people don’t even take that one shot – out of fear of failure, inexperience, lack of motivation or just not knowing where to begin. Daymond John, one of the stars…
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Branding should be fascinating
“You can’t stand out if you’re trying to blend in.” That’s the message Sally Hogshead drives home in the updated edition of “Fascinate,” her how-to handbook for making any brand impossible to resist. “In any crowded marketplace, you have to make a choice. Either have the biggest marketing budget… or be the most fascinating. Otherwise,…
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Wisdom for the ages
When a lesson can be summed up in a few well-chosen words, the message often stays with the student. A little tool to jog the memory, a clever saying to remind you what is truly important – that’s why “Mackay’s Moral” appears at the end of each of my columns. All of my books also…
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A little fear can be a good thing
A small village by the sea depended on fishing to survive. Each year the boats they sent out had to go farther and farther from shore to catch enough fish to feed all the villagers. But as they ventured farther away, they encountered a problem. Their usual practice was to put the fish they caught…
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Get to the root of your problems
A rancher left 17 horses as a bequest for his three children. When the rancher passed away, his children opened his will. The will stated that the eldest child should get half of his 17 horses. The middle child should get one-third of the 17 horses. The youngest child should be given one-ninth of the…
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Killing it with kindness
One rainy night many years ago, a gentleman and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. The man asked the clerk if he had any rooms available. The clerk, who was actually the hotel manager, was a friendly man who prided himself on superior customer service. He said that unfortunately the…
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A lesson in making mistakes
Try to remember the last time you uttered the words, “I made a mistake.” Was it painful? Expensive? Career-changing? Or therapeutic? When my kids were young, they used to sing along with a little ditty on “Sesame Street” that went something like this: “Everyone makes mistakes, so why not you?” That’s the wisdom of children…