Michael Hume

It's easy to see why people follow the upbeat-energy leader. People like to win, and they like to spend their time and energy winning instead of worrying. The upbeat leader inspires that sort of attitude in her team... and, under such optimistic leadership, people find themselves doing more and accomplishing more than they otherwise thought they could....

My wife's mom will be 87 this year... though, with Dad turning 91, she's still the youngster in the home they share. Yes, they still live in their own home about half the time, with a lot of help from their "kids" (that's us 50-somethings who work hard to make sure Mom and Dad have as much freedom and independence as their limitations will allow). Witnessing Mom's and Dad's experiences has taught me something about aging, and much of what they're experiencing echoes recent research....

Start a business, write a song, take on a project at work. Do something inspiring. Undertake your own American restoration project. Understand that you'll barely get away with it, if you do at all... but don't be scared. We've been barely getting away with it for more than two hundred years....

Pay attention to what motivates you. We're all driven to some extent by fear, but Victims and Entrepreneurs fear very different. things. Victims are afraid to try. Entrepreneurs are afraid not to try. Victims are afraid they won't "get" enough. Entrepreneurs are afraid they won't "do" enough. Victims fear what's ahead. Entrepreneurs fear looking back with regret. Victims fear failure; Entrepreneurs don't fear failing (they know they'll learn from their failures)....

I know it's an election year, and there are a few million radicals out there (Tea Partiers, capitalists, right-wingers, Constitutional restorationists, Republicans, and people who own a business) who keep fanning the flames of discontent with their subversive facts, but come on. Let's all just calm down. Stop asking questions, and get back to loving Barack and chanting "Yes We Can!"....

I can't say I've always been an awesome American citizen. Like many people of my generation (especially those of us lucky enough to "come of age" during the Reagan administration), I had better things to do. I was working. I was starting and raising a family. I was getting on with my life, and I assumed our country's leaders had the situation under control. After all, the economy was booming, I could always get a better job, and the Cold War we'd all feared was over....

In your business mission, there will be times when you are off your game - just like an ordinarily-competent golfer who has a round in which he can't seem to hit the green to save his life. Before you reach for help from a pro, make sure you'll get the most out of your coaching by first coaching yourself. And don't be your own worst critic - be your own BEST critic with Brutal honesty, renewal of your personal standard of Excellence, a Sense of humor, and enough guts to keep Trying....

Seriously, was this the only haircut Romney gave? He never mentioned it before... what else is he hiding? What did he charge for his barber services... we need to demand he open those books and come clean with the American people! And I'm sure the IRS will be quite interested in what must be unreported and untaxed hairstyling revenue from Romney's sordid past....

Get to know an inspirational leader, and you'll find she has two key attributes that less-inspiring people don't enjoy; she has great interpersonal awareness (meaning, she knows herself well and can accurately "read" other people), and she's driven by a deep sense of purpose....

This year, we face a monumental choice in America, with nothing less at stake than the very nature (and future) of our nation. Forget the parties. Forget the candidates. Forget all the hype you hear, because more than nine-tenths of it will come only from the minority's brain-ray machine. All you need to know is this: some want you to see yourself as a loser, and they'll be feeding your inner Victim whenever they get a chance. When you see that, make sure you vote for their opponents....