Years ago, a conference asked me to teach the most “basic” topic on my list. Both sessions were standing room only. Here’s what that taught me about the skills teachers, and leaders, most want help with.
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As a principal, I was first in and last out, and I wore the hours like proof that I mattered. Here's what that scoreboard really cost, and what I measure now.
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Ever notice how your mind whispers "just a small snack" two hours after lunch, even though you're not actually hungry? Or how it screams "stop!" during a workout — long before your body has hit its real limit? Or how it talks you out of the bold move, the big ask, the risk — because "you're probably not good enough anyway"?
That's not weakness. That's wiring.
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Today's fast day marks a tragedy the Jewish people brought on themselves, not their enemies. A trusted governor ignored a credible warning, was murdered, and the fallout ended any near-term hope of restoration — a 2,500-year-old lesson in why trust and verification have to work together.
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Your biggest obstacle to sales isn't competition — it's comparison. Here's why the businesses that stop chasing the field and start becoming incomparable are the ones that win.
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This past week, my scale showed me something it hadn't shown in years: a number under 200.
It doesn't sound like much on paper. But I've lived north of 200 pounds for a long time — as high as 218 at points. I never quite thought of myself as "overweight," but I felt it, especially around the middle. So, seeing that number this morning felt like a genuine milestone.
Here's what I want to tell you about how I got there, because I think it matters far beyond the scale.
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In Part I, we followed Moses' advocacy that averted God's decree of destruction against the Israelites, and his decision, upon witnessing the people's failure firsthand, to shatter the tablets at the foot of Mount Sinai. That was only the beginning of his response. What follows — rooting out the problem, confronting his brother, rallying his most trusted allies, and climbing the mountain once more — completes the picture, and gives Elul its name.
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On the first day of Elul, 2448 — more than 3,300 years ago — Moses climbed Mount Sinai for the third and final time, to carve out a second set of tablets. That climb came at the end of a grueling stretch of tefillah and advocacy, all aimed at restoring God's closeness to the Israelites after the sin of the golden calf and the shattering of the first tablets. Because that mission succeeded, Elul was established for all generations as a season of cheshbon hanefesh — self-accounting — and teshuva.
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I didn't expect a vegetable garden to teach me much about leadership or productivity. I started it because I wanted an excuse to get outside, move my body, and feel the sun on my face after a day of calls and coaching sessions. But a few seasons in, I've realized my garden has quietly become one of the best teachers I have.
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