I was sharing with my students last week the benefits of failing.

1. You find out how badly you really want something if your response is to not give up.
2. You almost always guarantee that you will eventually succeed if you keep getting up and trying again (remember Thomas Edison tried 10,000 times to make the lightbulb work – it was just when, not if).
3. You overcome the fear of failure in the future when you train yourself to look at failure as a rehearsal for your eventual success.

No matter how you cherish the friendship of others, the best friendship is the one you develop with yourself.

Can you count on you?

Do you know what values you stand for?

Do you outsource your enthusiasm for success to others or generate your own?

Do you love yourself for all the good things you are (can you rattle off a list of ten of them right now)?

Are you always there for you even when you’re hurting or when you’re confused?

The very traits we value so much in a special friend should be readily available in ourselves.

If we can’t be our own best friend, why would someone else want to be?

It’s texting – at least among teens (up from 32% in 2012 to 35% 2018).  Probably higher today as it has been trending upward.

In-person communication has paid the price for texting – down 49% to 32% in the same period.

Social media (16%) and video chatting (10%) are also on the rise.

The only means of communication that is declining is in-person.

Depression comes from lack of interpersonal relationships.

The phone is a convenient tool but also a great addiction.  To avoid the downside of too much connectivity, set aside times for meals, bedtime, homework (for students) and social interactions to silence devices.

Did you know that Spotify and Comcast have streaming music for your pets?

It turns out that pets are stressed by their owners because stress is absolutely the malady of the digital age.

On Spotify you can set up your pet channel, post a picture and let them chill out to music while you’re away which is the major way these channels are used.  Comcast uses images, colors and music to soothe the anxious pets.  No hip-hop and classic rock here.  They seem to prefer Beethoven and soft rock.

When pets are getting stressed out by their owners, it is past the time for us to rethink the role of instant access, social media and streaming video in our lives.

Two months before entering first grade, my father had a massive heart attack.

From that moment on, I learned that I had to take care of him, my mother and later in life everyone else.

Caregivers know the feeling I’m describing.

Pouring your last ounce of physical and emotional energy into saving someone else.

Just as important is to learn to take care of yourself – your needs, emotions and priorities.

That sense of duty toward others also applies to us.

Believing in yourself is not a feeling.

It’s a decision.

Waiting to feel confident enough to live life, pursue careers, enter relationships and deal with adversity is a sure way to never be ready.

It comes down to betting on yourself.

Are you ready to decide to believe in your abilities, motivation and skills or are you going to wait until you feel it?

If you’re not willing to bet on you, how can it be expected for someone else to provide that which you will not?

The first person to believe in you must be you.

If someone is jealous of you, you already won.

Don’t blow it by being jealous of them.

Jealousy kills relationships, self-confidence and trust.

Take the victory and move on.

The most powerful way to interact with others is to ask questions but that is not how we do it.

We more often talk about what we think, what we know and what we feel and totally miss the opportunity to learn and gauge the emotions of those around us.

I worked for a person in broadcasting who constantly questioned me on the latest rumors in the radio industry even though he was more connected to it than I was.

I finally said, “Why do you always ask me about the things you already know?” and he answered, “that’s how I learn more about the industry and about you”.

Asking open ended questions instead of making statements is a skill worth acquiring.

P.S., it works with children, too.

More bad relationships are started by doing the reverse – thinking with your heart and not your head.

Feeling with your head is also the reverse of what works best.

To make the best decisions think with your head, feel with your heart – not the other way around.

My mother used to prepare the same basic Italian meals – needless to say Sunday and Wednesday were pasta days.

Occasionally she would vary.  Fish on Friday.  Special menu for holidays, birthdays and events.

When I programmed radio stations, we played the most popular hits in a tight rotation over and over again making sure that the most popular songs were being played.

There are things in our lives that make it special – routines, things that always bring us joy.

Rotate life’s greatest hits to make you happy and make it possible to endure all those not so nice things that we have to deal with.

Don’t postpone joy – put it on repeat so it can play over and over again.