Enough already! All the noise does not help.  All the commentary does not help. Creating fear, DOES NOT HELP. Sometimes you need some pain before you can grow again. Whether in the gym, in sports or in life, pain is part of prosperity. Pain is part of the process. Look, I have no idea if the tariffs will work or not.  I am not an economist. What I do know, for certain, is that $36 trillion in debt does NOT work. Taxing people for goods and services where they struggle to pay their bills, educate their children, save money for […]

Where did 30 years go? Wasn’t I just 17 and starting in this career? This week marks my 30th year in practice – as well as my 48th birthday. So, I find myself reflecting upon where all the time went. Too many incredible experiences to count. Friends. Things I have done that I would never would have imagined. As I look back on the last 30 years, several lessons come to mind: Use things, not people. The friends you have, if genuine, will be there with you always. Family is not just those blood related, and you do get to choose. Never pass up […]

In business and in life, you don’t get to choose when you are there and when you are not. You don’t get to decide when you’re engaged or not. You either are…or you’re not. I’m going to share a very personal story. I have ALWAYS loved baseball. It’s been my passion and the love my entire life. For as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with the sport. The Dodgers and Vin Scully. All my heroes growing up. When I was 12 years old, I was on a little league team. Like my son’s team today. I was in […]

People flee unpredictable environments. And the market has been anything but predictable these last weeks. A lack of certainty and clear vision of the future is what scares the average person. It’s that, “I just don’t know what is going to happen!?” feeling. Belief around the fact that everything will be okay gets challenged, when leads to the perception that seemingly everything is in flux. But rest assured, there is a plan. There is always a plan. Whether you agree with that plan or not is a whole different question, but there is a plan. Calm minds always prevail. ALWAYS. So, do […]

You MUST eat the frog. Do what you do not want to do when you don’t want to do it. It’s a funny and even peculiar saying but actually comes from the great American writer and humorist, Mark Twain. Twain said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” I have re-learned this lesson recently. Delaying decisions that must be made because you simply do not want to deal with it is not […]

Time. How precious. As we get older, that time seems to get less and less. Is it that time is actually moving faster? or that our experiences are seemingly less and less in the here and now? I seem to see this more in the eyes of my dogs.  My kids.  My mother. I still feel 25 (and some would argue that I act that way, too!). But I am not. We are not. Time is so precious. Before you know it, it’s gone. Enjoy every day and every minute. Just like that it can be taken away from you. […]

“J.D., I’ve decided to retire. After 10 years here, it is time,” Sam said. “I thought the time might be now, so the team has done a bunch of work on your budget and where you are financially,” I said. “I am happy to report all the work we have done together these past 20-plus years has paid off. You are in great shape. You can plan on enjoying this time.” “I must tell you, J.D., that you have been instrumental in all of this and me getting to where I am.  The way you handled my mother. Then, when she passed away, […]

“Pain doesn’t come from comfort.” “Comfort is the enemy of progress.” “If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not growing.” A wise man once said these, and I could not agree more. Whether in the gym, in business, or with your family or friends, when challenges show up, so does growth. IF you are willing to take it head-on, learn from those lessons, and keep moving forward. Harness that feeling. Embrace it. Breathe – get comfortable being uncomfortable. Know that when you come out on the other side, the growth that you have just experienced will bring on the results you have […]

Life gets easier when you start paying attention to what is happening, instead of what you want to happen. We all have wants. I want to be 6’5 and playing professional baseball. But instead, I am who I am. And you know what? I’m good with that. Too often I hear from people all the things that they “should” have.  Or how this person or that person has this or that. You are, good or bad, exactly where you are supposed to be. Be ok with that.  Focus on enhancing that and being just that. Look, life can be hard. I […]

When I’m with my kids, I’m always telling them how incredible they are. How smart they are.  How good they are at sports. I do whatever I can to help bring their confidence up. I want them to always feel their best and be their best. I remember as a kid not feeling as confident. I was shy, never too sure of myself. Looking back, I understand why, I remember writing a letter about one of my grandparents that had passed away and how proud I was of it. My father read it and told me not to be so impressed with myself. […]