Will the Real You Please Stand Up!

The essential question is: Who are you? Before you begin rattling off your educational background or your professional accomplishments, stop for a moment and answer my question. Who are you really? What passions lie deep within your soul? What makes you unique and compelling? 

You may not recognize or believe yet that you possess the seeds of greatness. The fact is we all do. The objective is to determine where this greatness lies within your body, mind and soul and then, once discovered, to dedicate your talents in a way that contributes to society.

One of the most common challenges I see when working with founders, professionals, and emerging leaders isn’t a lack of intelligence, talent, or ambition. It’s a lack of clarity.

Today, we live in a world of endless options. There are more than 5 billion internet users globally, unlimited career paths, countless business models, and more information available than any generation in history. Yet despite this access, many people feel more uncertain about their direction than ever before.

Why? Because opportunity without clarity creates noise.

Today, there are 30M+ emerging entrepreneurs in the U.S., which represents about 15% of the adult workforce. Even more impressive, 55% of all adults have started a business at some point in their lives, and nearly 25% have started two or more businesses. The appetite to build, create, and pursue independence has never been stronger. The ocean is boiling and the waves are forming!

Most leaders and entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea. But the smart ones — the ones who scale — fall in love with their customer.

Those who last — the ones who scale big, lead well, and stay healthy — treat recovery as a strategy, not a reward.

I want you to think of your performance like WAVES: You rise, you rest, you rise stronger.

That cycle isn’t weakness — it’s sustainability. It’s how you prevent breakdowns, avoid burnout, and keep yourself sharp at every stage of your growth. If you want longevity, you have to stop operating like a machine… and start operating like a leader who understands the power of rhythm. Resilience isn’t about how hard you can push. It’s about how quickly you can rise again.

Try this "3R Reset" exercise which takes 5 minutes and recalibrates your brain fast.

The most iconic brands over the past 250 years were all started by founders (just like you?) who each had a positive, resilient mindset. They also were great communicators who could articulate the unique and compelling value of their idea, product or service. 

My mission is for you to adopt this mindset and tap into your amazing potential; most of which you haven't used thus far. My superpower is the ability to inspire you to realize your potential and create a life of prosperity and giving. And, to be able to describe your vision in a clear, articulate manner, leaving your audience impressed and excited. 

A brand isn’t a logo, tagline, or aesthetic. It’s a promise—a pattern of behavior that audiences or customers learn to rely on.

Who you are is the most powerful asset you will ever bring into the marketplace. Before anyone buys your product, invests in your idea, or joins your mission, they buy you. Your identity sets the tone. Your presence sets the standard. Your story sets the stage for every opportunity that follows.

For decades, I’ve watched the same pattern repeat itself: founders who lack identity blend in; founders who gain clarity stand out; and founders who embody who they truly are become absolutely unstoppable. Every interaction with an audience or customer is a deposit or withdrawal in your trust account. Every missed commitment, exaggerated claim, or hollow pitch erodes equity.

Conversely, every honest message, timely response, and delivered result compounds it. Brand is simply reliability at scale. When customers trust your consistency, they stop comparing you to others. They stop negotiating price. They start advocating for you.

Let’s start with the basics. I have learned that as long as progress occurs, people remain engaged and inspired. The challenge occurs when someone is stagnant or unsure if their decisions are moving them close to their ultimate destination.

To assist you, here is a simple daily behavior that I adhere to and recommend you begin ASAP. It's called the 3 Daily Wins and it involves completing 3 simple tasks per day, one from each of the three categories. By doing so, no matter what else happens that day (bad day, lost sale, someone resigns, investor declines, legal issue, money stress, feeling out of sync, etc), you can take comfort in some momentum and remain upbeat.

NBA superstar and media mogul LeBron James reportedly spends over $1.5 million each year on training, recovery, nutrition, and performance. At first glance, that number feels extreme. But here’s the real question: is that a cost — or an investment?

LeBron doesn’t spend $1.5M because he’s rich. He spends it because his strength, speed, endurance, and longevity are his competitive advantage. His body is his asset. Protecting and enhancing that asset has generated extraordinary returns — championships, influence, and ultimately billionaire status.

So, what is your competitive advantage?

How could I possibly educate or insist my own kids pursue their dreams…if they didn’t see me pursuing mine?

I advocate that entrepreneurship isn’t just starting a business. It’s a mindset…taking ownership of cause and effect. It’s realizing that everything you experience is a product of your decisions — and deciding to make better ones. It is developing a solutions oriented focus; where you observe the world around you looking actively for problems needing to be solved with better methods. 

You can be an entrepreneur inside a start up or large company, a family, non profit or a mission. The label doesn’t matter; the lens does.

E-N-T-R-E-P-R-E-N-E-U-R-S-H-I-P...Most people have heard the word or perhaps watched Shark Tank. Many think it refers to an individual or a small group of partners who create a new business or startup. But increasingly, companies seek to emulate this mindset through “intrapreneurship", where employees are encouraged to think like entrepreneurs. 

Ask your friends and family to validate this but I believe employer loyalty is declining. It's harder to find passionate work, less people like their jobs and AI/tech increasingly are reducing opportunities. Regardless of your age, education, experience where you work or what you do, this is a mindset you want to adopt…and right now! 

It is said we are the sum total of the five people we hang around with the most…Many of us are influenced by our upbringing and support; or lack thereof. I meet many smart people who have been discouraged to pursue their dreams or told to take the safe, secure path. Not sure there is job security or a safe path anymore…