Seize The Day Workshop Series I am offering a fantastic, 3-part workshop called Seize The Day, which is designed to get your life moving forward NOW. If you're like many of us, you may find yourself stuck in shallow water, watching weeks and months of your life roll by without knowing how to paddle back into the strong current and move your life powerfully forward. Join me for this wonderful series and create the focus and momentum your life deserves. Dates: Sundays from 4pm – 6:30pm. September 14, 21, 28 Location: Santa Monica Cost: $125 for the series payable in advance by check or credit card Enrollment: Limited to 20 To register or for more info, please call me at: 310-393-8082.

You may have heard this old story. Two friends are hiking in the woods when they come upon a ferocious bear heading their way. One of the hikers slowly begins to remove his backpack. The other one whispers: "What are you doing?" "I'm going to run for it" comes the reply. "But you can't outrun a bear." "I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you!" This Darwinian law of the jungle mentality breeds winners and losers and the cost is enormously high. What does it mean to 'win' at the expense of character, compassion and conscience? How can we re-frame our notions of competition, and of 'looking out for Number One' so that more 'wins' have victors on both sides?

The desire to compete and to win is hard-wired into most humans. Competition can be an incredible incubator for greatness and there is nothing wrong with winning. The problem arises when competition erodes our better instincts—when we are willing to take the low road regardless of the impact on those around us and on our own character. Frankly, when you look at our culture—replete with Survivor television shows where the object is to win by elimination – it's easy to see why so many among us embrace the Dog Eat Dog philosophy. But who do you play with when you're the Alpha Dog and the pack cowers at your tail knowing you'll take advantage of any weakness? How can family, community and workplace environments thrive when one member claws his bloody way to the top never acknowledging the support structure that enabled the triumph? The sports arena is often an inspiring place for stories that teach us about true character forged under the most extreme and grueling circumstances. In the 1964 Olympics, Italy was counting on world champion Eugenio Monti to bring home a gold in the bobsledding event. The British team led by Tony Nash still had a chance to beat Monti until Nash discovered a crucial axle bolt had broken. Nash's sled was disabled. A lucky break for Monti and Italy? A fair and joyful win to be treasured and recounted for years to come? To the dismay of probably every Italian watching the event, and the shock of many millions more from countries the world over, Monti removed the critical bolt from his own sled and gave it to Nash who was able to fix his crippled sled. And as fate would have it, Nash's run was extraordinary—he won the gold medal. Monti was viciously criticized in the Italian press but he knew who he was and he knew what a fair win was. "Nash didn't win because I gave him the bolt. He won because he had the fastest run." The stakes at the Olympics are enormous. Most of us would have chalked Nash's disastrous situation up to bad luck, taken home a gold medal and basked in the praise of our countrymen. But for Monti, a win that depended on another's misfortune was not a win worth having. Eugenio Monti won the gold for his country at the next Winter Olympics. He got his win. And he kept his honor.

If there is a situation in your life where a win for you creates great loss for another, ask yourself the following questions: • What is this win worth to me? • How can I win and retain my honor? • How can we both be victorious?