Monthly Archives: June 2010

Without doubt, one of my favorite chapters to write for Birthing the Elephant was called “Turn Breakdowns into Breakthroughs.” An action guide for aspiring entrepreneurs, the book maps the four stages of a start-up’s launch cycle based on interviews with … Continue reading →

A friend of mine once invited me to hear Michael Korda speak at a luncheon. It was a genuine treat. Korda was witty, urbane, amusing, a touch gossipy, and just wise enough not to take himself too seriously. He was … Continue reading →

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”                                                                    Sir Edmund Hillary* It’s not the page we conquer but ourselves. For a long time, I left my creative writing on the back burner. While I earned my living by … Continue reading →

Athena leaped from the head of Zeus fully formed and so did this venture. “Guess what! You’re going to start a daily writing blog!” The instant my wayward muse announced this idea, the name popped into my head: My Year … Continue reading →

Why, Arizona. Whynot, Mississippi. Sweet Lips, Tennessee. Lonelyville, New York. Names matter. When fledgling author Harvey Mackay was writing his first book, he came up with scores of possible titles, then polled his employees, friends, and family to see which … Continue reading →

Ever had this experience when you’re exercising: your body wants you to stop but something inside you wants to keep going, so you push past your fatigue and find out that you still had some gas in your tank after … Continue reading →

John Kenneth Galbraith was a prolific author. Someone once asked him what he’d learned from a lifetime of wordsmithery. He answered, “The quality of the writing I do on the days I don’t feel like it is just as good … Continue reading →

For the longest time, I wrote in fits and starts — whenever inspiration struck. A great idea would hit me, I’d jot it down, then tuck away my piece of paper with a feeling of accomplishment. However elusive my thought, … Continue reading →