Today, let's look at what parents can do to help their children develop good character. 

How do people develop character? Well, first and most important, by what they are taught and what they see as they grow up. Very simply, placing examples of virtue in front of young people as early as possible, and as often as possible, forms character.

It is those positive pictures that they see, absorb, and understand are of great personal value that they will be drawn toward. Human beings are picture-oriented; it's hardwired in our brains.

You see, you don't build character in your children… >>>

Have you ever heard of the "if only" syndrome? Maybe you have a touch of it yourself. People with this syndrome often blame others for their disappointments and failures.

They blame their families - "Nobody could succeed with the parents I have."

They blame their friends - "If only my so-called friends would come through for me once in a while." They blame their circumstances - "It's obvious that the deck is stacked against me." Their complaints frequently start with the words "if only," such as, "If only I had more money. If only I had paid more attention in… >>>

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been encouraging you to figure out what you can do to take charge of your life, your decisions and your plans for the future. I'd like to revisit these themes a little more today, and ask you this question:  Do you know what you want for yourself?

Some people have trouble with this question.  They know what they're supposed to want - what their parents or bosses or friends or the media tell them they should want ­- but something is wrong.

While they seem happy and successful, inside they feel unfulfilled,… >>>

The road to positive change isn't always easy. Let's talk about ways to strengthen your will to change, ways that go far beyond New Year's resolutions - especially the ones you made three weeks ago, and have already abandoned.

You've decided to change something about your life. Maybe you've decided to lose 20 pounds or run two miles every day or stop smoking. You've made your decision and begun the new behavior, you're affirming it in words and mental pictures several times a day, and things are going great. 

Sooner or later, you're probably going to be tempted to slip… >>>

These first few weeks of January have been packed with news from around the world and the home front. Perhaps now, more than many new years of the past, is a good time for us to look inward - wonder if we are living life in the best possible way, and examine if there are things we'd like to change. 

If you know about the work I do, or if you're a regular receiver of this email, you probably know that I believe it's up to you to create a life that works, that feels right, and that makes you… >>>

Our beliefs and abilities can make or break us. Today, let's talk about a few beliefs and abilities that each of you might want to develop to live a more productive, successful life, allowing you to make a positive difference each day.

Everyone knows that the three "Rs" - "reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmetic" - are critical skills to have. But there are other abilities and beliefs that are equally critical if you are going to live a successful life. 

You must believe that you are a capable person, you contribute in meaningful ways to your relationships and society, and that… >>>

How do athletes go from contender to superstar? How do ordinary people become extraordinary? Here's a secret to achieve breakthrough performance in your everyday life.

Everyone has times when they feel like they are unstoppable, times when they are doing whatever it is they do with ease, grace and incredible skill. But no one, not even the best of the best, can operate in that ideal performance-state 100% of the time.  

The secret to achieving extraordinarily high levels of performance is learning how to take command of your mind and body so that you can operate at your peak when… >>>

There is nothing in the world more powerful than a good idea. As I have traveled all over the world in the last 40-some years, I have learned or discovered some terrific ways to break through self-doubt, get rid of unfulfilling lifestyles and achieve success. I teach them at every opportunity. Here are seven ideas that can turn you into a super-achiever, if you will only use them. 

First, becoming your best self is a choice you make. 

Second, change happens through action and the understanding that we create our future. 

Third, dwell on your strengths, use them constantly, and… >>>

I'm here today to remind all of us that one person cannot solve the challenges of the world. That is the work for each one of us.

If you want to, you can find problems in every part of the globe. Set your mind to find them, and it won't take you long to fill a very large piece of paper, perhaps an entire notebook. Personally, I prefer to look for opportunities to change the way things "are" by asking the question, "What would it look like if it was fixed?" Then I ask myself, "What can I do to… >>>

Diane and I were talking, reflecting back on what I have been writing to you, and she said something that got me thinking. We were talking about how some people perceive the economic "crisis" and Diane said, "You know, the poor already know how to handle adversity. They deal with it every day. It is those who are suddenly hit with a job loss or property loss, those who have never had this happen to them before, who are going to need help."

One of the most remarkable attributes of human beings is our ability to "come back" after a… >>>

This week and last, I have encouraged you to examine the way you look at the world, and make some decisions about how you want to be.  So, let's continue the discussion with a little goal-setting to see us through uncertain times.

If you have decided that your locus of control comes from within you (which I hope you have), then you know you have the power to change your life. You do not need to be battered by the "storm" of bad news coming your way.

If you have decided that you want to believe the future is one… >>>

We've talked a lot about mindsets, attitudes and beliefs these past few days, and I am hopeful that you have been able to draw connections to how you are viewing the continuing stream of economic news as well as how you view your current financial situation. There is another piece I'd like to address today: personal accountability.

The last couple of years saw many of the financial institutions we thought of as being "solid" and "well-managed" collapsing under the weight of some less-than-effective decision making. A lot of people lost a lot of money, and saw their retirement nest eggs… >>>

Whether you know of him or not, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the research into optimism and pessimism made by Dr. Martin Seligman, from the University of Pennsylvania. A past president of the American Psychological Association, Marty is the author of numerous books on the subjects of optimism and pessimism and how they affect the way we look at our world.

How do you find out if you are an optimist or pessimist? Ask yourself the question: How do I think when bad things happen to me?  A pessimist lets the bad thing contaminate everything in their… >>>

Do you look at the future with hope and a belief that no matter what comes your way, you will succeed?  Or, do you look at the future as hopeless, and there's nothing that can be done to change it? What you believe has a lot to do with how well you weather the challenges in life.

Continuing on with our conversation thread from yesterday, let's talk about how our beliefs affect what happens to us. A couple of things to keep in mind:  1) As human beings, we move toward and become like what we think about; and 2)… >>>

The economic news of the last couple of years has been quite the challenge for a lot of people, all over the world. Let's spend some time talking about these challenges and what we can do, as individuals and communities.

One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught in is looking at our economic and financial situations as happening "to" us. We see things from an external perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything. If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the wind, you get a pretty good picture of someone… >>>

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were good ones.  Let's jump right into it with the first subject of the new year.  How important are your relationships to you? Does your behavior support your answer?

You know, most of us spend most of our lives living with other people or otherwise involved in close relationships. But have you ever had any formal schooling in relationships or even thought much about how they work? Most people would say not. 

And most people, when you ask them if they feel happy and fulfilled in their present relationships, will give you wishy-washy… >>>

When you find yourself navigating your way through a crisis, what can you do to come out on the other side, stronger for the experience? 

Every crisis involves risk. By definition, a crisis is fraught with danger, but also an opportunity for tremendous learning and growth. Crisis is a time of testing, but it's also a time of renewal. Many people, when faced with a crisis, tell themselves that they have failed and convince themselves that there's no point in trying any longer. 

For example, if a young woman tries to become a professional singer and fails, it doesn't mean… >>>

When you're taking family pictures, you want to have a clear, sharp focus. Today, let's talk about the importance of focusing in everyday life. 

Most of us live in a culture that presents us with a bewildering array of options. The confusion of too many options will largely disappear once you know how to focus. In this sense, focusing means concentrating all your attention on one particular thing, much as we do with a camera, bringing it into sharp relief to clarify your relationship with it. 

When we concentrate our attention on a particular endeavor, problem or person, we bring… >>>

If I were to say to you, "Old people are...." and then ask you to finish the sentence, how would you fill in the blank? Think about it for a moment. 

"Old people are...." What? Fragile? Senile? At death's door? What do you believe about old people? What if I said, "Old people are bright, energetic, active and interesting"?

You see, it's really impossible to generalize about so-called old people, any more than we can safely generalize about teenagers or 50-year-olds. 

Does aging have to mean a loss of significance? Do our older selves matter less than our younger selves?… >>>

Most people have heard of the captain of a ship or the captain of a team. But have you ever heard of Captain of the World? Have you ever worked for someone or lived with someone who acted like the Captain of the World? Maybe you, yourself, are holding down that job right now. 

If you are the Captain of the World, you are very big on rules and on maintaining your particular brand of order. Words like "should," "have to," "ought to," and "must," show up often in your speech. For instance, on your way home tonight or in… >>>