I went to Trader Joe’s the other day feeling a little bit down. As I approached the counter with my cart full of groceries, I asked the checker how she was doing. She smiled and answered, “Every day’s a gift.” She then asked how I was doing. I said I was “hanging in there.” She…
Elliot Uzelac had coached college football for 40 years with stops at places like Michigan, Ohio State, Colorado and Maryland. During 2006-2010, he revived the football program at St. Joseph High School (Michigan) by posting a record of 45-13 during his five years there. In the summer of 2011 he retired from coaching just before…
Our culture tries to convince us that once we reach retirement age, we are no longer capable of accomplishing anything that’s worthwhile. Rather, our role then is to back off, enjoy the good life and let the members of the younger generation have all the fun. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.…
In the National Football League, the players typically hang out in the locker room and the head coach hangs out in his office. This sends a very clear message that the head coach is the boss and the players are the subordinates. As a result, relationships between players and their head coach are typically not…
Southwest Airlines is the only airline that allows you to check two bags free, doesn’t charge you a fee to change a reservation and gives you full credit toward future flights when you have to cancel a flight that you’ve already paid for. According to a recent article written by Dawn Gilbertson which appeared in…
A relative of mine posted the following advice on Facebook recently. I found it too good not to share with you. “Go ahead and eat the chocolate cake. Walk in the rain and splash in the puddles. Ride with the windows down. Dance. Sing. Talk to strangers. Smile at everyone. Hug someone. Go barefoot. Take…
An article by Christopher Elliott titled, “Good behavior is your most valuable travel asset,” appeared in a recent issue of USA Today. The gist of the article was that polite travelers who demonstrate kind behavior to travel employees are treated better while those who demonstrate rude behavior are treated worse and, in some cases, much…
A recent article written by Dorie Clark which appeared in entrepreneur.com featured a newly released book titled, Broadcasting Happiness written by Michelle Gielan. The book describes a study where participants were divided into two groups. Each group watched a three minute news video in the morning. One group watched a video that contained negative stories…
Recently I was at Trader Joe’s which is one of my favorite grocery stores. I have been going there for a long time and I know many of the employees well. Many of them know I went to Michigan State University because I often wear an MSU sweat shirt during the fall and winter months.…
Two friends of mine just returned from an Alaska cruise. The price of the cruise included tips for all the service employees. The porter who was assigned to them was very friendly and did an excellent job of getting them settled in their cabin. As a result, they tipped him with a twenty dollar bill…