I chose the best in sports, business, and personal life – the things that get me up to defy the odds on days when I need a boost.

Business:  Apple was near bankruptcy when Steve Jobs returned as CEO in 1997. He streamlined products, launched the iMac, iPod, and later the iPhone, transforming Apple into the most valuable company in the world from $1 billion in losses to $3 trillion in valuation.

Personal:  JK Rowling rejected by 12 publishers to go on and become one of the most successful authors with Harry Potter.

Space:  After an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 mid-mission, NASA engineers and astronauts improvised fixes under extreme pressure to bring the crew safely home. A “successful failure” that redefined crisis management.

Sports:  Soccer or more accurately the Union of European Football Associations. In the UEFA Champions League Final, Liverpool trailed AC Milan 3-0 at halftime. Against all odds, they scored 3 goals in 6 minutes during the second half, then won on penalties. It’s considered one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

The “biggest” comeback is about defying odds, refusing to quit, and doing the seemingly impossible – a reminder that resilience is humanity’s superpower.

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Saturday my wife and I happened upon a tasty bakery in Haddonfield, NJ.  I’ve been thinking about this since while nibbling the past few days.

When you open the door (and this is weird), the first thing you must do is climb down about ten stairs and then climb over a four-year old who was sitting on the bottom step playing games on his iPhone.  His parents wisely were ogling the cakes and treats – I went right for the cookies, yet this boy never looked up.

I got to talking with another delightful mom who was tasting “cake bomb” samples for the surprise birthday party she was planning for her 30-year old daughter.  But she had a pastry fatal accident – dropped the “cake bomb” sample on the floor which the proprietor happily replaced.  Such fun.

When this little one grows up, he’s not going to lament missing out on playing a video game, but he will not have the fond memory of bargaining for a treat at the bakery.  My kids would have at the least thrown a temper tantrum to get a goodie.

The past is history.

The future is a plan.

The present is life, the only meaningful currency we ever have – something not to waste.

National Hockey League coach Scotty Bowman won 9 Stanley Cups with three separate teams.

He has never been fired — every coaching job he left was either by his own decision or due to a transition into another role.

Not true of the typical NHL coach where 6-8 coaches are fired every year with the shortest tenure of all sports – about two-and-a-half to four years on average.

This is for my many friends in the radio industry who increasingly don’t have the luxury of job security.

They devoted their careers to entertaining and caring about audiences – tens of thousands of them have been fired since hedge funds took advantage of relaxation of radio station ownership rules.

But every one of the major consolidators has been through bankruptcy even following their predictable plan to fire people to cut costs and/or increase profits.

Industry after industry, being fired has more often been about the employer’s inability to understand how to run a company than the employees’ ability to help them.

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Shyness and confidence are related, but they’re not the same thing.

A shy person can still be confident in their abilities or self-worth, but they might feel uncomfortable in social situations. An outgoing person might seem confident because they’re more comfortable engaging with others, but that doesn’t always mean they’re more self-assured.

Confidence is about how you feel about yourself, while being outgoing is more about how you interact with others. So, a shy person can be just as confident, if not more so, than someone who’s outgoing.

Actress Emma Watson is often described as introverted and shy, especially in public settings.  She has confidence in her values, such as advocating for gender equality and her work as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador showing how shyness doesn’t have to undermine self-assurance.

Comedian Robin Williams was known for being charismatic, quick-witted, and outgoing in his performances and public appearances. Despite this, he struggled with deep internal battles including depression and self-doubt. His ability to make people laugh didn’t necessarily reflect his inner sense of confidence showing that outward charm doesn’t always equal inner confidence.

True confidence comes from embracing who you are and trusting your abilities, not from how others perceive you.

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Neuroscientists tell us that we waste too much time and energy on imagined problems – things that concern or even scare us but have no way of actually happening.  Obviously, they add to our anxiety quota anyway.

Out of 100 things that we worry about, 96 will never happen or turn out better than we expected leaving only 4 worries that will actually affect us (although not usually the way we fear).

Our brains are naturally wired for negativity, but most of the fears we obsess over are unfounded which means if we can recycle this thought in our mind, we will tend to disarm our potential for adding to anxiety today.

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While it’s important to surround yourself with supportive people, there will be times when others may not believe in you simply because they don’t see your vision, don’t understand your potential or have their own limitations.

That doesn’t mean they’re always wrong or that you should dismiss them entirely.

True self-belief comes from within, not from external validation. Some of the most successful people have been doubted by others but proved them wrong by staying focused and persistent.

J.K. Rowling comes to mind as her Harry Potter work was rejected numerous times by publishers, a single mother, living on welfare and running out of hope. But she kept pushing forward becoming the first author to earn billions of dollars from writing.

Who knew?  She did.

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Practicing self-compassion is treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding you would offer a friend. Being hard on yourself during anxious times can make things worse, but being patient and gentle with yourself can help with reducing anxiety.

When we’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, it’s easy to get caught up in negative self-talk, telling yourself that you’re not strong enough or capable enough to handle the stress.

It’s okay not to have everything figured out.

University of Houston professor Brené Brown is known for her work on vulnerability and shame emphasizing the importance of treating ourselves with kindness, especially when facing challenges.

She openly shares her own struggles with perfectionism and self-criticism, encouraging others to embrace their imperfections and practice self-compassion as a way to build emotional resilience and authenticity.

Brown says, “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”

This is worth sharing with someone special.

You can’t turn back time, but you can choose how you move through it.

Youthfulness isn’t about age—it’s about energy, curiosity, and the way you engage with life. It’s in the willingness to try something new, to laugh easily, to stay open rather than rigid.

While youth fades, youthfulness is a mindset—one that keeps you adaptable, excited, and in motion.

The secret isn’t holding on to the past—it’s staying present enough to keep growing.

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The first hour of waking up can trigger anxiety especially because the mind is transitioning from sleep to active thinking.

Your brain starts processing everything you need to do and it can feel overwhelming.

To manage this, try to ground yourself before diving into the mental to-do list. Take 2-3 minutes to breathe deeply and focus on the sensation of your body in bed.

Think of someone who you care about or cares about you and stop the mind racing in its tracks by focusing on gratitude.

Sometimes we’re thrown into a racing mind that a few minutes of gratitude can fix – feel free to try and share.

Popular recording artist Billie Eilish has become a beacon to music lovers today for struggling with mental health issues.

“My message has always been to accept yourself no matter what, to love yourself, to embrace your flaws. And the more you talk about anxiety and depression, the less power it has over you.”

It’s the power of self-acceptance and open conversation when dealing with anxiety and depression.  The more you talk about your struggles — instead of hiding them — the less control they have over you.

Being ashamed of what you’re going through is useless. Talk about it. Own it. And in doing so, you’ll weaken its grip on you.

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